ed

Re-appraisal of

labor-NDP link
urged by IWA

In an editorial entitled, ‘‘Clear the Air Now!’’ the September
issue of the Western Canadian Lumber Worker, organ of the IWA,
enters into the debate now taking place throughout the labor
movement on the results of the August 27 provincial election.

Calling for ‘“‘a complete and
frank re-appraisal,’’ the views
expressed in the editorial are of
interest to all working people,
particularly since the paper
speaks for the largest and most
powerful union in B.C. Space
does not permit us to run the
entire editorial. We present here
the last half of the editorial
dealing with the relationship of
the unions and the NDP.

The PT invites opinions from
our readers on the views
expressed here and in the article

in our Sept 5 issue, “Labor

Problems Need New Look.”

* *e *

“Some NDP spokesmen allege
a betrayal of labor in the last
campaign. Others claim that ties
with labor imposed a distinct
handicap on the NDP. This
sentiment provides another
reason for the proposed re-
appraisal. It would be better to
break the 1961 compact (i.e. the
NDP as the political arm of
labor, Ed.) than allow the
growth of uncertainties about
the alliance.

“Let it be said at once that the
trade unions never pretended to
be able to deliver a solid bloc of
votes. They have merely
provided channels for NDP
persuasion.

“The trade union movement is
not structured as a_ political
party. It has other important
functions to perform in safe-
guarding the living standards of
their members.

“A close co-operation and
better mutual understanding at
all levels has been required
without any infringement of
autonomy.

“The fear of trade union
dominance is another myth that
should be discarded by the NDP.
Consider the statistics of
affiliation and quotas of
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTE

——

MBER

26, 1969—PAGE 12

representation at conventions. It
is clear that the trade unions
regard the political job as
mainly a NDP job which can be
advanced by full trade union co
operation.

“If the NDP now turns its back
on the trade unions, they invite
political disaster. Any broadly-
based people’s party must
command trade. union support.

“The crux of this problem is
that rank and file trade unionists
in the main have not realized
that political action in their own
right is necessary to protect
their economic aims in
collective bargaining and social
legislation. In the _ interval
between elections they must
again be confronted with a
decision in this respect. If they
agree on the: necessity of
political action they must then
agree with the plans of the
Canadian Labor Congress as
offering the best kind of political
action. The opposing parties are
so structured as to prevent any
genuine response to labor's
demands.

“The present level of affluence
has little to do with the workers’
voting patterns. Never have the
trade. unions known greater
pressure from the rank and file
for increased wages and
improved fringe benefits. Never
have so many compromise
settlements recommended by
negotiators been rejected by the
rank and file. There is no
evidence that the workers are
satisfied with their so-called
affluence. Certainly there has
never been a more pronounced
feeling of insecurity.

“Only the frank re-appraisal
conducted jointly by the NDP
and the trade unions as proposed
here will lay a sound foundation
for greater electoral success.”’

LABOR SCENE:

Hydro stri

With an 86-percent vote in

support of strike action to back |

up their wage demands and their
72-hour strike notice (as
required by law) in the hands of
the corporation chiefs, 2,300
office and technical -workers of
B.C. Hydro may “‘hit the bricks”’
this week.

Members of Local 378, Office
and Technical Employees
Union, these Hydro workers
have demonstrated extreme

‘patience with Hydro’s nebulous

wage offers, at best less than
half of what Hydro offered its
Electrical and Gas_ workers
(IBEW), which was. over-
whelmingly rejected by both
unions.

Hydro chief, Dr. Gordon
Shrum, originally reported to be
one of the co-designers of Bill 33,
along with lumber tycoon H.R.
MacMillan, has let it be publicly
known that he would like to see
all Hydro employees, office
workers, electrical and other
technical staff, come under the
rules of compulsory arbi-
tration, that is under a modern
monopoly form of slave labor.

According to Dr. Shrum, as.

quoted by “‘The Province’’ Labor
Reporter Jack Clark, “‘binding
conciliation or arbitration
would be in the interests of
everyone’ (?) Organized labor
in B.C. holds a different opinion.

Dr. Shrum has also voiced the
opinion that the wage gains won
through the process of collec-
tive bargaining may necessitate
“increased bus fares and
electrical rates for the public’.
In other words, applying the new
form of monopoly political
blackmail, whereby the workers
and not big business can be
blamed for the “inflationary
spiral’’.

NDP leader Dave Barrett this
week raised the item of a $3-
million loss this year in Hydro
revenues due to its sale of cheap
power to the U.S. which has to be
made good somewhere, and
where better to do it than hang it
onto hydro’s “increasing labor
costs’’, particularly should
Hydro be faced with strike
action in support of its
employees’ wage demands.

Dr. Shrum first emphatically
denied such a deficit, but later
admitted this deficit — with an
extra million or so added.
Hydro’s chief also denied
Barrett’s additional allegation
that a ‘minute’? in Hydro’s
administrative transactions

These are the craters in? Viet- -
nam, ‘Morning Star

made note of such a loss in
revenue. Now he publicly
admits that such a ‘‘minute”’
does exist, showing a drop of $2.3
million early this summer.

It is therefore little wonder
that Dr. Shrum thinks that
“binding arbitration’, better
known to labor as compulsory
arbitration, would at least be
very much “‘in the interests’’ of
Hydro, if not in the interests of
labor and the public.

At press time Hydro’s office
and technical workers were
awaiting Victoria’s next move
before they ‘‘hit the bricks’.
Should strike action take place it
is highly likely Hydro transit and
other services will be dras-
tically curtailed if not halted
entirely.

The B.C. Federation of Labor
has pledged ‘‘full support’’ to
Hydro’s office and _ technical
staffs in this wage struggle.

DOCKERS OUT

As William P. Kelly, chief of
the federal arbitration and
conciliation branch ended his
two week-long futile talks in
the International -Long-
shoremen and Ware-
housemen’s Union (ILWU) and
the B.C. Maritime. Employers
Association wage dispute,
and packed his bags for
Ottawa, the ILWU “hit the
bricks’’ Thursday morning of
this week.

ALWU dispatcher and union
offices were a beehive of
activity getting union pickets
out to their assigned areas and
it is expected that by Friday
most of Vancouver's. dock
facilities will be picketed. An
ILWU_ picketer informed the
Pacific Tribune that “all B.C.
ports will be under a similar
tight picket’. °

It is highly likely that within
a few days the ILWU strike will
closely affect the normal activi-
ties of other unions engaged in
waterfront operations.

The four-months old strike of
the Oil, Chemical and Atomic
Workers Union against the six
big oil distributors in B.C. is
still in progress, with the union
representatives now going into
their second week of “‘hearings”’
before the Mediation Com-

mission (Bill 33).
Such ‘“‘hearings’’ are in

ke probable if
Shrum doesn’t face facts

~ referred to the BCFL for fur

and medium prices, as We

complete opposition to B.C. -

Federation of Labor (BCFL)
policies with respect to Bill 33
and its affiliate ban on all such
hearings.

‘While much evidence of a
widely assorted nature has been
submitted, both by the Oil
Workers Union and company
spokesmen, very little progress
towards settling the union’s
wage and other fringe benefits is
in evidence.

The findings of this hearing
are generally understood to be
“not binding’? upon the Oil-
workers, but under Bill 33, witha
cabinet order-in-council can
speedily be made so.

Oil firms involved in the long

dispute include. Imperial Esso, —

~the wholesale price of © T

Shell Oil, Gulf Oil, Standard:
Texaco and Home.

September 16 last marks ue
fourth anniversary of the C@! 9
fornia table grapes boycott, ie
yet these ‘‘hot’’ grapes ee
pouring into Vancouver and 4
B.C. Lower Mainland in greal®
bulk than ever before. - with
That fact was noted Le
considerable concern by !#
week’s session of the vancouve
and District Labor Count
(VLC). Be
Focus of attention W4
‘directed to the big chain stone
and especially on the aor
Safeway complex, which 1S ae at
only a major retail center 4
“hot” grapes, but also a mal?
partner in the anti-union Brat
growers combine in Caliform
and other U.S. areas.
Proposals for a tight boyc®
all Safeway products

discussed by VLC delegates, a

tt of :
$

consideration and action. Me@
time, all California table grape
handled by other big cha
stores, or smaller oe
remained on the VLC’s ‘‘hot” BS
of scab products.

BEEF GOUGE

Cont'dfrompg.1
Wilfley challenges this cla
At no time did the price

$35 per hundred.
shortlived price level. 2
following week the price ipP
a full $3.00 per hundred at
been steadily declining
since, until it has now reac
price that is almost as low 45
1968 average. 4
It should be further noted tn
this high price applied only 4
choice slaughter cattle. fr a

cows, heifers and bulls remal#
practically the same. of 4

The Department _ 3 fl
Agriculture’s published figur
show that the 1968 average Bie i
of live slaughter stock 9! 5
$26.55. The five year averaey
was $24.19. The Departme?

yr

Agriculture price release a
September 18, 1969 shows ‘ce
cho}

live price as $27.75 for 5
steers. Heifers $24.75 and co
$22.50.

The same publication 4 ible

meat as $53.50 per hundred. A |
1968 average, $53.40 per hundt ie
an increase at the wholes@
level of only 10 cents per lb. 34 j
a standing rib roast costs ©) —
cents per Ib. more at the press
time that it did in 1968!
Wilfley charges.
Minister of Consumer Affay’
Ron Basford, ‘only played } <”
the hands of the large retailer
by agreeing with
Weinstein, president of Lo?" ,
Groceterias, who called [0
boycott on beef. ath
Wilfley has exploded the ™,
that the price of live slausl re
cattle has any bearing OP “1
retail price of meat. We have |
agree with Wilfley that the bee
retail chains are running»
meat industry in Canada, “ne
that the price of meat on ne
counter reflects only the ae
of the greed for profit by the :
big chains.

plaw