The B.C. Peace Council will again be entering a float in the Pacifi
float will be encircled with white cardboard figures with hands
and work for peace.’ Photo above showsthefloatin 1966w

actions against the war in Vietnam.

eae

¢ National Exhibition parade August 18. The
joined symbolizing the theme, ‘‘Join hands
hen the Peace Council spearheaded many

Grape boycott
needs support

By ALD. HARRY RANKIN

The call for a boycott of all
California and Arizona grapes
has my full support. It deserves
support first of all because it will
help U.S. migratory farm
workers led by Cesar Chavez to
secure union, recognition and
decent wages and working condi-
tions. Secondly, it deserves
support because these farm
workers are fighting against the
excessive use of pesticides
which harm both the farm
workers and the consuming
public.

The United Farm Workers,
after a five year long struggle
helped by anextensive boycott
of U.S. grapes by the B.C. public,
did manage to secure a con-
tract with California grape
growers. The contract was up
for renewal April 14 of this year
and negotiations for a new con-

CUPE protests employer violations

In their continuing dispute
with the management of the
Quarry House Restaurant on
Vancouver’s Little Mountain,
the Canadian Union of Public
Employees wired provincial
labor minister King Monday
demanding that Bowmann and
Sons, operators of the restau-
rant, be instructed to comply
with the Labor Relations Board
which earlier had ordered rein-
statement of five fired em-
ployees.

The five were fired some
weeks ago as a result of their
activities in organizing the
workers into CUPE. In vio-
lation of the Labor Relations

Act, the dismissal came when
the application for certification
was before the Labor Relations
Board and CUPE successfully
pressed charges for unlawful
labor practices.

Contending that he was comply-

ing with the order, the employ-
er instructed the five employ-
ees to punch inonevery sched-
uled working day and then
ordered them to leave the prem-
ises. They have not yet received
any wages for the time.

CUPE protested the employ-
er’s tactics and pointed out in the
wire to King that ‘“‘if employer
can openly flout a Labor Rela-
tions Board order to reinstate

employees who were improp-
erly dismissed then there is no
protection for workers under
the Labor Relations Act.”’
Employees at therestaurant
view the refusal to comply with
the order as further evidence
that the employer is collabor-
ating with the Hotel and Restau-
rant Employees Unioninanat-
tempt to frustrate the efforts of
CUPE to win bargainingrights
in the Quarry House. Ray Wilkin-
son, James Farrell, Douglas
Schaeffer, Kathy Hoult and
Nancy Poisson, the five who
were fired, were instrumental
in organizing the employees
into CUPE initially and are

allegedly being deliberately
kept out untilafter the comple-
tion of a representation vote be-
tween CUPE and the Restau-
rant Employees Unionexpected
some time within the next two
weeks.

Inhis reply tothe CUPE wire
sent Monday, deputy labor min-

ister William Sands informed >

the union that, if the Labor Rela-
tions Board order is not com-
plied with inside a 14 day period,
the Act provides for applica-
tions to the Supreme Court for
enforcement.

CUPE officials ‘ indicated
Tuesday that they intended to
pursue the action.

_ jailed in an effort to bree al 3

he old wisecrack that talk is cheap no longer holds

true. Viewed from the angle of Establishment

boards, committees and investigation seances, ithas become

just about the most expensive item for which the public has to
foot the bill.

Whenever an administration, be it municipal, provincial or
federal, is confronted with a knotty problem affecting the
public weal, it sets up a board or acommittee or a similar sort
of body to give special study to the problem and bring downa
‘“‘report.’’ Such boards or committees invariably consist of
several good party heelers, pocket a hefty stipend when they
are sitting, prepare a voluminousreportonthe matter with
recommendations attached (which aremore oftenthannot
ignored) and the report lands in the appropriate archives to
gather dust.

On occasion, it will serve some aspiring politician witha
bit of ammunition for which John Q. Public has paid a stiff
price— and got nothing in return.

Take the present Prices Review Board as anexample. No
teeth to do anything about skyrocketting prices, even if it
wanted to— which it doesn’t. It wasn’t the intention of its
Liberal parentage that it should. But talk in abundance— with
the stipend assured. And the talk never gets around to whata
few million Canadians already know too well— that they are
being robbed blind every day by gigantic food monopolies
which have become a law unto themselves in the vocation of
price racketeering. Monopolies so big and powerful that they
have been virtually transformed into a permanent invisible
government.

Yet this toothless board, gummingits way througha maze
of monopoly excuses for price gouging, continues to ‘Stalks '—
and collect from the public purse with the help of its Liberal
creators.

Sucha board, of course, is not unique in Canadian history.
There have been scores of them since Confederation,
producing voluminous reports, killing time, drawing fat
salaries and talking, talking, talking, for the ‘‘enlightenment”
and impoverishment of the common man. And all the average
taxpayer has to show for all this talk isa mountain of dead
reports covered with the dust of time.

From the point of view of the Establishment, all such
boards are valuable and well worth the money spent. They help
to stall the processes of government, to take mass attention off
the vexing problem at issue, avoid a probable crisis on the
matter, save face for the powers-that-be, buy forgetfulness of
the masses who are paying the shot and, not the least
important, leave the monopoly barons to carry on their
profiteering unhampered.

Moreover, should it be found necessary to go through the
same performance with each succeeding generation, the
previous record of marathon talking can be dusted off and used
as a precedent or guide for the next talkathon.

If some bright boy in Ottawa or Victoria or in any city were
to set himself the task of compiling a “‘report on reports’’ made
by all such boards and committees, he might arrive at the
approximate cost to the taxpayer, the little tangible results
that were achieved and how the art of ‘‘fooling most of the
people most of the time”’ has worked fairly well until now. It
would be a massive undertaking but well worth the time.

Committee reports ‘‘investigating’’ Canada’s war scandals
in two world wars still rest peacefully under their dust coatings
in the Parliamentary archives in Ottawa. These revealing
documents emphasize the simple truth: much talk with little
action, costly in the extreme to the people who bore all the
burdens of the war in blood and dollars, but highly profitable to
the monopoly ghouls who racketeered in war production. When
the reports of all the talking were in, little or nothing
happened, except for the presentation of afew knighthoods or
other honors. And the public paid the cost and paid heavily.

_ Now we are being promised more “‘investigation”’ gabfests
— onthe monopoly robbery of our naturalresources, onour
avenues of communication, on our transportation systems etc,
and ad infinitum. More talk, more waste of the taxpayers.
money.

‘‘How long, O Lord, how long?’’ Right wing NDP
‘“socialism’’ provides no answer so monopoly grows and
flourishes. And the talk without action abounds.

DAT = EWE SE TAIQUA YAO

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, AUGUST 17, 1978—PAGE 2)

£3

GHEE o

we

tract were proceeding. Then
suddénly the growers #
nounced that they had signed@!
agreement with the Westel
Conference of the Teamste®
Union. The Farm worke!
charged that this was a “sie
heart’ agreement,”’ thatis,o™
signed between the big corpo!
tion growers and the leader j
the Teamsters without Bi
Teamsters signing up a=
the workers. ;

In each key area of thet™
tract, the leaders of the Teall |
sters signed for less that”
United Farm Workers: 9)
agreed to a wage redu i
they agreed to abolish the ute
hiring hall and so againoPy, F
the door for the vicious >
up’? system of hiring We :
enabled the growers

to disc,
inate as they please against ;
vidual workers, and oi
dropped the demand for b of
tests to check on pesticide
fects on workers. '

=
=
So =

Farm Workers with ne
native but to strike whe of
did. Collusion between the a a
ers, the leaders of the fa
sters and California ee |
forces resulted in the a
goons and strike-breakel® i
mass arrests of farm worke of
five days over 1, |
workers were arresté wit

Se ee ea See gear ea ae

wo

strike and the Farm
Union. aati
This*is not a jurisdie fe
struggle between tw0 uni? ti
workers representation |
direct case of theleadet aii)
Teamsters Union acting viel!
sion with the growers jit
the Farm Workers unit iol
not the kind of action trade is Hy !
ists can endorse and 1 ail
wonder, therefore, ! of
rank and file membe? = ff j
\

(

Wels SS pe i Te, et 2 yr pe

Teamsters Union 4%? elf
orting the farm yi
eins such anti-unio? Py
tices by Teamster lead?
central issue is thet? 4 se
most brutally exploiter | ol
of the American Wor nice

* to join the union of its ©

negotiate decent w
conditions. 0
In B.C. the boycott og
fornia and Arizona grap
for by the farm wor
ceived the endorseme® b
B.C. Federation of bt
the national convent!
N.D.P. as well as ™* OM
groups including * ple
mittee of Progress!
(COPE). ’

World Congress i ity §
Forces will hold deta |
national butte d
urday, August ie
Hull Street in vancoU ranted }
of the many events ise se
the campaign to 18 eda
thousand dollars nev orld A
delegates to the robe :
gress in Moscow in gol
of the buffet is thre® 11bee
person, and there W ypitt
tainmentas we
phant sale. ds
B.C. plans tose” gress
delegates to the CO” se

senting a proad a

the people of Brit