There should be no second-class citizens in Ontario’

Communists: support civil servants’ rights

TORONTO — “Political rights

are the sort of thing that can be
juggled by the political party in
power.”
_ Referring: to the passage of
Bill 3 as a threat to the demo-
cratic rights of all people in On-
tario, Communist Party candid-
ate for Oakwood riding, Val
Bjarnason addressed an -audi-
ence of more than 170 delegates
at a political action conference
held by the Civil Service Asso-
ciation’ of Ontario (CSAO).°

Bjarnason joined Donald Mac-
Donald of the New Democratic
Party, Vern Singer of the Libe-
rals and CUPE representative
Kealey Cummings in a panel
discussion on_ political rights
for civil servants. ~ .

Ccnspicuous by its absence
was the Tory party, which pre-
viously flatly refused to partici-
pate in the panel. CSAO presi-
dent Charles Darrow criticized
Tory reluctance to “face the
people whom they have deprived
of political rights.”

The Tory refusal expressed
“an example of contempt for the
rights of their employees,” said
the Communist spokesman.

Defend .Common Rights

As civil servants in Ontario
the 63,000 members of the CSAO
are prohibited by law from can-
vassing or collecting monéy on
behalf of the candidate of their
choice, from’ speaking publicly
or writing speeches on behalf of
candidates, from placing signs
on their lawns in support of a

The strike at Pratt and Whit-
.ney Aircraft of Canada Ltd.,
formerly United Aircraft, ap-
pears to be over. The company
has accepted in principle Pre-
mier Bourassa’s proposals to end
the bitter strike which started
on January 7, 1974, some 20
months ago. At the same time
Dennis McDermott, Canadian
director of the United Auto
Workers, is reported as having

requested Premier Bourassa to-

arrange a company-union meet-
ing to settle details of a back-
to-work agreement.

‘ During the long and _ bitter
months of struggle the 2,600
workers, who originally walked
off the job, have been reduced
to 782. Sqme ‘have returned to
‘work, and most have found other
jobs. Recent negotiations had
broken down over the terms of
return to work, after the issue
_of wages: was resolved last Feb-
ruary when the union also ac-
cepted a three-year contract.
From an original wage rate of
$4.25 per hour, the rate is to be
$6.20 by July of 1977.

Political Capital

Premier Bourassa’s grandstand
entry into the situation, after
the U.S.-awned and controlled
company had worn the workers
and the union down until they
had to virtually crawl back on
their hands and knees, must be
termed a political manoeuvre at
the eleventh hour to save the
company from further em-
barrassment, and to gain some
political capital for himself.

During the strike, this anti-
labor corporation was assisted
in every way to continue opera-
tion with strike-breakers. Much

BY BRUCE MAGNUSON

candidate, and even from writ-
ing a letter to the editor on a
subject that forms part of any
party’s election platform. In
addition, the union itself is pro-

hibited from taking partisan

political action.
Bjarnason began by express-

.ing the Communist Party posi-
.tion that liberty and all rights

are indivisible and drew a com-
parison between the struggle of
the €SAO for its political rights

and the same struggle constant-
ly being waged by the Commun-
ist Party.

He stressed the necessity for
all of the forces on the left and
in the trade union movement to
rally around each other in the
defence of their common rights.
Historically, he said, when reac-

‘tion was turned on the people’s

democratic rights the Commun-

ists were always the first to be

attacked.

Falconbridge workers -
reject Stelco-type offer

SUDBURY Falconbridge
Nickle Mines Ltd. was shut
down August 21 by 3,500 strik-
ing members of Local 598 Mine,
Mill and Smelter Workers.

The vote of 1,578 to 1,108 to
reject the executive recommen-
dation to accept, breaks with the
pattern recently established in
the mining and steel industry
set by Iron Ore Co. of Canada,
International Nickel (Inco), Steel
Co. of Canada (Stelco), and
Algoma Steel Corp. Ltd.

The rejected offer was similar
to that accepted recently by
Stelco and Inco, that is, $1.30
over three years with a cost-of-
living formula.

Union members are balking

‘at the introduction of a four-

shift schedule in the smelter.
Under this proposal the smelter
would go into a seven-day oper-
ation with three shifts-a-day in
rotation.

The move to a four-shift oper-
ation would mean the de-classi-

fication of some workers which

could mean as much as a $2,000
a year loss in wages.

In addition to the fact that

the workers are not happy with

a three-year contract, having
originally asked for a one-year
pact, the introduction of a seven-
day night shift is not eagerly
welcomed.

Pickets were established on

the morning of August 21 and -

the negotiating committee was
waiting for the company to
make its next move.

Wl kbs oack-to-work pact ends
marathon aircraft strike

of its work was done by the
parent company in the United
States, United Technologies Cor-
poration of East Hartford, Conn.

The production workers in the
four company plants in the Mon-
treal suburb of Longueuil, re-
presented machinists, welders,
assemblymen and_ toolmakers,
all members of the UAW. These
long suffering workers have been

‘without a contract since Septem-

ber 21, 1973. The proposed new
contract is to come into effect
on Sept. 1, 1975, if ratified by
the UAW membership, and is to
run until February 28, 1978.
Defeat for Rand Formula
Under the provisions of the
back-to-work agreement, — the

-company is committed to rehire
. 504 of the strikers during the

first 12 weeks of the new con-
tract. The balance are to be re-
hired by the end of February,
1976, with the exception of 34
workers involved in the partial
occupation of the plant some
three months back whose cases
are to be submitted to arbitra-
tion. :

As: for the two main goals of
the union in the areas of union
security and compulsory. over-
time work, the company has ap-
parently agreed to allow work-
ers to refuse overtime work, but
the union has been compelled to
drop its demand that the com-

-pany collect union dues from all

production workers in accord-
ance with the Rand Formula in
effect in Ontario since 1945.
Here we have a classical case
of a large multi-national corpo-
ration, supported by large finan-
cial subsidies from the federal
government and given a free

PACIFIC TRI BUNE—AUGUST 29, 1975—Page 8

hand by the Quebec government

to do exactly as it pleases,
thumbing its nose at all laws
and customs won by labor after
decades of hard struggle in this
country.

It proves beyond the slightest
doubt the fact that concessions
granted to labor after hard strug-
gle can also be taken away from
the unions and their members
unless they unite in solidarity
to defend and extend their gains.
' “Working-Class Politics

The close tie-up between big
business and capitalist politi-
cians is nowhere more clearly
in evidence than in Quebec. As
the capitalist system becomes
more and more entangled in its

economic and political crisis on :
all fronts, corrupt practices in-

crease along with increased ex-
ploitation, while employers and
governments seek: to blame
labor for their own inability to
cope with mounting social and
economic problems.

That is the reason why the
Communist Party insists that the
working class and all democra-
tic-minded people must look be-
yond the manoeuvres of slick
capitalist politicians and deve-
lop their own political as well
as economic organizations to
carry on the battle on both
fronts. : aan

This means that struggles for
reforms and everyday neéds,
must be combined with more
long-term goals directed towards
fundamental reorganization of
our social and political system
in the direction of socialism,
which is where the working peo-

ple and democratic forces of the -

world are heading.

The reason, he said that the
Communists were thus singled
out by reaction, is that they
never hesitate to raise the issues
that are important nor do they

_gloss over the seriousness of

any problems. __

“As long as any section of em-
ployees of workers . . . are de-
nied political, civil or democratic
tights . . . then-all of the labor

movement is weakened by the.

danger.

“There should be no second
class citizens in Ontario; and
particularly those who work on
behalf of the people should have
the rights which we all profess
to have in this society,” he said.

He expressed the Communist
Party’s unqualified support for

the CSAO’s rights as an organ-.

ization to have full untramelled
rights of political association, of
raising money for any party of
their choice, and to campaign
publicly for any candidate, and
that their members should have
equal rights with any citizen of
Ontario to join any party, raise
money, campaign, stand for elec-

tion and carry on like any other °

citizen in a democratic society.

Donald MacDonald stated that
the “right to collective bargain-
ing is a right of all citizens in
‘a free society.’ However, he
later added that under certain
conditions where the collective

CLC 9-point plan
pivot says Mortis

OTTAWA — In a 1975 Labor

. Day message prepared prior to

the CLC’s delegation to the
Soviet Union, Canadian Labor
Congress president Joe Morris
charged the federal government
with ignoring CLC proposals for
tackling the basic problems fac-
ing Canadian society today.
With the failure of conventio-
nal methods in solving these
problems, the document points
out, the government has been
forced to recognize the vital role
that the organized labor move-
ment has to play in determining

‘the direction which the Cana-

dian economy is going to take.

Referring to the government’s:
so-called “consensus” approach
Morris indicated that the CLC
was willing .to cooperate with
the government in finding a
solution to the economic prob-
lems so long as “its 9-point pro-
gram for social and economic
reform is included on the
agenda.”

The CLC president urged or-

ganized labor to extend its bat-
tle for economic and social pro-°
gress beyond the national level.
He called on provincial federa-
tions of labor and local labor
councils to “redouble” their
efforts in pressing for the enact-
ment of progressive labor legis-
lation and the introduction of
meaningful social and economic
measures in their-jurisdictions.
Morris also enjoined the labor

-bodies to continue in battling to

gain public recognition of the
fact that the trade union move-
ment is one of the main pillars
of society and he went on to.
declare that it does not deserve
to be put into the position of
government scape-goat where
some politically motivated sour-
ces have tried to put it.

In his Labor Day message the
CLC president enumerates the
various ways in which the gov-
ernment has ignored the 9-point

whether they denied indivi

‘them,

‘Morris quoted John Hewitt f

VAL BJARNASON

bargaining process had’
down and the results wo!
detrimental to the “public !
then the government had
ponsibility to take action
tle the dispute.
_ Liberal spokesman Vern
ger said that collective bat
ing and the right to strik
not be universally appli
he argued for compulsor
ration for vaguely defin'
sential services.”

Kealey Cummings. §
on behalf of the Canadia
of Public Employees
drew attention to the f
there were many laws
restricted the political on!
rights of workers and ~
unionists. =

He stressed the necessil)
unions and individuals to ©,
ine laws from the point 0
of whether they were jus

basic rights. “2

program. Instead of regula)
the price of oil and gas at |
program demanded, the 8°) i
ment increased the price 0 41
by ten cents per gallon wi 1
other five cents to come. oh |

The Congress’ program t0
trol rent increases and ene |
speculation have gone ig” }
Morris said. In addition the 1)
sage said, nothing has bee?
to increase housing supply:

As the labor movement
tinues to wait for the proP
increase in the old-age
they also look for definite >
antees that any more ta¥
cessions given to the COF ;
tions will result in more jobs
rather than inc ;
profits for the corporation®:

In concluding the m*
sident of the Toronto TYP uh)
phical Society who in 1873 74)
“Labor is the operative sou?
all wealth. No man cape
independent of labor but *
do exist on the labor of otf

The CLC president com!
by saying that that state™
applied equally to the sitt®,
as it exists today—Labol "|
1975. 4)

7,

4
|

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“Too bad we're not camels,
isn't-it 2” =