Minster and Bert Adair, Electrical
. Trades Union. i

Support for
eggs asked by
farm union |

EDMONTON
A ;

At its recent board meeting, the
Farmers’ Union of Alberta decid-

ed to ask for “immediate action
by the federal government to ap-
ply the Prices Support Act to hogs,
eggs and any other agricultural
commodities at or near the 1949
contract level.”

It further said that any changes
in these levels should bear a sim-
ilar relationship to the cost of
production, .*" *'

Further recommendations of
the FUA board were that pro-
ducers organize a large scale
producer -. controlled marketing
board -system, and called for the
exploration of agricultural mar-
kets by. barter agreements or by
any other basis.

The board supported protests of
other organizations against the
curtailed passenger service by the
CNR. The board’s opinion was that
the coal shortage does not appear
as sufficient excuse for curtail-
ment. of rail: service to many

rural “areas. ;

This charge has been denied by
CNR officials who also declare as
untrue the board’s additional state-
ment that “there is a two-year
supply of railway-grade coal in
Edmonton at the present time.”

The FUA board, in a statement
on long-range policies, said that
the federal government is a con-
tracting party to the international
wheat agreement and as such it is

essential that the government con- |;

trol the marketing of ail wheat.
The board therefore recommends
that the wheat board continue as

vincial government for education, |,

and for provision that natural gas
shall not be exported from the
province until it is certain that all
the needs of the people of Alberta
have been fully met. ae

ie

WHO'S WHO IN ZOO

Monkeys get homes =

Ss

“You just don't look right to me.”

will they vote NPA?

By BERT WE:YTE

in Calgary than here,” said the
Number One Monkey at Stan-
ley Park zoo. “As long as I
get my three squares a day
I’m not kicking.

“Sure, our. living quarters are

“We humans~ have a similar

society to prevent cruelty - to

ways aping us, I must say.
Hear you've got swing clubs,
too, though how you. do it with-
out tails ‘is beyond me.
“Back to this housing situ-
ation, though, I’m told families
are being broken up over it,

a |
unions fF

been challenged by the provincial
courts, are singled out by Alf Dew
of the Labor-Progressive party, in

legislature.

Dewhurst states that the future
of the trade union movement in
this province will be profoundly
affected by its success in having
the ICA Act amended to maintain
these principles:

1—The right of*a union: and its.
membership to determine who
shall join and remain a mem-
ber.

2—The right of a worker to join
the union of his choice, and,
where jurisdiction is disputed,

for the unions and their mem-
bers involved to determine the
dispute.

lows:

“The interests of the people of
B.C. and the welfare of this pro-
vince demand that action be taken
at once to amend the ICA Act to
halt the now unfolding conspiracy
of anti-union employers to break
up the trade union movement. A
pattern is being set whereby
through court actions, intimidating
union officers, bankrupting union
treasuries and preventing the free
functioning of a trade union em-
ployers in devious ways are tying
up the trade unions.”

cently presented to Labor Minis-
ter John Cates by district and local
ofticers of the International Union
of: Mine, Mill and Smelter Work-
ers, This union is to be commen-
ded for the forthright manner in
which it has laid bare the conspi-
racy on the part of anti-union em-

Text of Dewhurst’s statement fol- |

LPP fights for

ights in

ICA amendments

Two trade union principles, both of which in recent months have

Labor Relations Board and the
hurst, provincial trade union director
a statement issued this week urging

amendment of the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration Act by the

the act guarantees every individual
the right to membership by law.

If that interpretation is allowed
to stand it means that no union
will have the power to determine
who can join or continue mem-
bership. The courts, and through
the courts the employers, will
have seized that right. No union,
or for that matter any: other or-
ganization, can afford to stand
for such an outrageous state of
affairs. ;

The same applies to the question
of jurisdiction. The principle of
joining a union of one’s own choice
is the very essence of free trade
unionism. This inalienable right
has been won through many Dit-
ter struggles. But during the past
year we have had two outstanding
cases where the Labor Relations
Board has taken upon itself the
power of determining this all-im-
portant. question.

Where two or more unions claim
jurisdiction over certain workers
or industries this dispute must re-
main the property of the unions
and the workers involved. State
intervention to determine what
union a worker must join cannot
be tolerated by the trade union
movement. To do so means the
end of free trade unionism and a
passing over to outright state con-
TrOlC

the sole marketing agency for ey sick and tired a being | animals,” I ventured. ieee Wane age araMmeL all Gein ieee onic cegieame ae

vance Seabee atked for in ! ie “roponars je eects “you: Have,” ghe” said’ the whole-heartedly agree with this |covered in the legislative demands
= 3 : ai nkey. “Yo re al- i i > re- . ini

creased financial aid from the pro- know if I'd be happier living monkey ou humans are a statement.contained in a letter re- | placed before Labor Minister Cates

by the International Union of Mine
Mill and Smelter Workers. This
employee shall have the right of
membership in any trade union of
his own choice, and maintain his
membership, if accepted, in good
standing and have the right to par-
ticipate in the activities of said

; lousy. But what about the vet- il j =
ie id AN eats REE ea ea ae ployers to use their interpretation | union, providing he abides by the
; \ Compared to the treatment Re ae r of the ICA Act, the Labor Rela-j constitution and bylaws of that or-
e ec A bate ce ianded bythe wane at cause there aren’t eagugh tions Board, and the courts to de-/ ganization.”
ity hall 10nk © sitti ROUSE TO cpeen Prenat ieee termine who can belong to a union, | This proposed amendment is
ay city , We monks are sitting |the matter, no building mater- DERE ey

new officers

Vancouver Labor Council (CCL) |.

held annual elections of officers this
week, and returned Pen Baskin,
United Steelworkers, as president.
He defeated William Stewart, Ma-
rine Workers, 58 to 22.

Jim Bury was re-elected as sec-
retary-treasurer, defeating Charles
MeKendrick, Longshoremen, 59 to
21. George Mitchell, IWA, was re-

turned as vice-president by accla- {

mation.

Chairmanship of the legislative ||
committee went to Dick Henham, }|

CBRE, who defeated George Brown
of Marine Workers, 55 to 25.

Others elected were: }

Legislative committee membé€rs:
Nat Sadler, B.C. Woodworkers;
George Home, B.C. Federation of
Labor; Tom MacKenzie, IWA; Con-
nie Stewart, Office and Professional
Workers, oe

Organizational committee: Hugh
Allison, chairman, Canadian Bro-
therhood of Railway Employees;
William Symington, United Pack-
inghouse Workers; Dan Radford,
Canadian Congress of Labor; Law-
rence Vandale, IWA, New West-

Grievance Committee: Jack Lu-
cas, chairman, Building and Con-

pretty.

“For a while there was a
rumor going the rounds that
we were all to be packed off to
Calgary and our quarters turn-
ed over to the war veterans.
Believe me, I felt sorry for
those poor boys. The bears’
cages might have been all right
for humans, if they threw a
tarpaulin over the bars; but
this monkey-house is too drafty
for any of our hairless relatives
to live in,

“Now I understand council
has decided to spend $50,000 to
fix up the joint a bit. Well,
that’s all right with me. But I
still feel sorry for those poor
homeless vets and unemployed.
Some of us here are thinking
of setting up a Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Hu-
mans.” : a

ials? Shortage of carpenters?
No laborers?”

“It’s not that,” I said. “There
are plenty of unemployed work-
ers, and no shortage of mater-
ials. It seems t&at the people
who have the money to build
houses don’t want to do it be-
cause they say the people who
pay rents can’t afford to pay
them enough to make _ the
amount of profit they demand.
Or something like that.”

“TI can’t understand these hu-
man-shines,” said the monkey.

I didn’t like the tone of the
conversation and ‘walked away.

Passing the bears’ cage, a
young bruin leaning against the
bar hiccuped twice and said:
“Come here, bud. I want to
talk to you—you just don’t look
right to me!”

But I had had enough. I fled.

and what union a worker must

join, :

These two questions must be the
central demands the trade union
movement makes upon the legis-
lature at the coming session. While
other \demands for legislation ad-
vanced by the trade unions are
important and warrant the support
of all progressives they can only
be considered as secondary in re-
lation to these two principle ques-
tions.

The right of determining who
can join and remain a member
of a union must never be allowed
| to pass out of the hands of the
| unions and their memberships.
This is the very essence of free-
dom and pertains to all free
voluntary : organizations.

All organizations set certain
standards of membership and es-
tablish rules governing that mem-

Canadian Slav Congress will

be held in Toronto in May —

TORONTO

bership. For an outside power to
have the authority to set aside those
standards and rules is tantamount
to control of the organization pas-
sing out of the hands of the mem-
bership and into the hands of the
outside power. :

This is the issue at stake in the
Kuzych case. Kuzych is an anti-
union element who has appeared
against the-union as an employer

clear and concise. It expresses in
simple language that which every
henest trade unionist wants, name-
ly the right to determine union
membership and the right of join-
ing the union of his preference.
These are cardinal] demands and
warrant the support of al] trade
unionists. The issues involved are
of a life and death character for
the trade union movement.

The  Labor-Progressive party
pledges its unqualified support to
the winning of this amendment to

honest and sincere people to give
full
movement in this important fight
for trade union rights and demo-
eracy.
our supporters, trade unionists;
CCF’ers and progressives to send
or participate
their local MLA,. before February
13, demanding that he support and
vote for this amendment to the
ICA Act. -

IN MEMORIAM
William Bennett

SEA and SHORE

Section 3 (1) and calls upon all ~

support to the trade union.

We urge all our members;.

in delegations to —

vas

The Canadian Slav Committee has issued an official call to all Slavic
Canadians to support and elect delegates to the First Canadian Slav
Congress, which is to be held in Toronto, May 19, 20 and 21.

Under the slogan “For Brotherhood, Unity, Peace!” the call outlines
: the aims of the congress and calls on “all Slavic organizations and
yf : ; groups which support these aims to send delegates to this Congress.”

3 ) ‘ :; ‘Now that the call is out, preparations for the Congress will go
Oy Reaches India safely ahead with full tempo,” declared John Boyd, executive secretary of the
M Jp committee. “Within the next two weeks all Slav organizations and all

Sin ee Vancouver friends of Sew@| Slay committees will receive the call together with a circular letter,

&h, who left Canada some! outlining what they must do to help guarantee a successful congress.”
Months ago to return to India, will
be glad to hear he arrived home Hundreds of delegates and guests, from all parts of Canada, are

witness. And Mr. Justice Whitta-
ker, in finding that Kuzych had
been illegally expelled from ‘the
Boilermakers Union, based his find-
ings on the interpretation he placed
upon Section 3 (1) of the ICA Act,
which reads: “Every employee shall
have the right to be a member of
a trade union or employees’ orga-
nization in which he is eligible for
membership and to participate in
the lawful activities thereof.”

struction Workers; Stewart Mac-
Kenzie, Longshoremen; Ewart Orr,
Steelworkers; Stewart Alsbury,
IWA; George Gieger, Steelworkers.

CLUB, LPP

TRAIL-ROSSLAND |
CLUB, LPP

“Now join your hands, and
with your hands your hearts.’ | |

safely on December 15. “My best | expected to attend this historic gathering. While the majority of the} Mr, Justice Whittaker interprets —Shakespeare

regards to the numerous friends| delegates will be from organizations and groups, many prominent Slavic|this section of the act to mean -

I made while living in British Co-| Canadians, of various beliefs and convictions and from all walks of life, | that no union can deny union mem-

lumbia,” writes Sewa. are also being invited. bership to any individual because | \aaaIaaaaEEEIEEEesE,
; ‘ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 27, 1950—PAGE 7%