-Peterboro UE condemns Bill 3

Clear assault on democracy’

PETERBOROUGH — The of-
ficers of Local 524 of the United
Electrical Workers, representing
some 3,000 workers, sent a
sharp protest on Bill 3 to On-
tario Premier William Davis
Aug. 5.

_ The local has asked the gov-
ernment to repeal the legislation
and outlined its anti-democratic
nature under the following 7
points:

e Bill 3 “An Act to Regulate
Political Party Financing and
Election Contributions,” was
passed without opposition with
less than three hours debate in
the Ontario Legislature on May
1, 1975.

e Bill 3 sets out conditions
which the present parties in the
Legislature — Conservative, Li-
beral and New Democratic —
had already met, and further

Abitibi’s acquisition of 50.7%

interest in The Price Bros. Ltd.,
has now made it the world’s
largest producer of newsprint. It
also has profits to match.
’ Abitibi’s profit in 1972 was
$8.5-million. In 1973 it rose to
the formidable sum of $29.8-mil-
lion — an increase of 259%.
Then in 1974, the profit soared
again to $45.9-million — an in-
crease of 53% over 1973. From
1972 to 1974, Abitibi’s profits
leaped an incredible 439%.

For the first half of 1975, Abi-
tibi now cries the blues because
its profits are down to $19.4 mil-
lion as compared with $23.8 mil-
lion for the first half of 1974. But
to be down only $44 million
from such Olympian heights in
profit-making is hardly some-
thing to mention, let alone to de-
clare bankruptcy.

Profit in 1974 (13,000 em-
ployees) came to $6,000 per em-
ployee before taxes, and $3,600
per employee after taxes. But
this includes non-production
workers plus salaried and. man-
- agerial staff. If only the actual
preduction employees were taken
into account, the figures on the
rate of exploitation would shift
substantially upward.

: Propaganda Campaign

For some considerable time be-
fore collective bargaining for a
new contract came to the point
of breakdown and strike, the
paper industry resorted to ex-
pensive newspaper ads to try
and convince Canadians that our
workers’ wage rates are outpac-
ing those in the USA; warning
_that if wages keep going up the

Canadian pulp and paper indus-°

try will be priced out of the
market. Sheer poppycock for
propaganda purposes.

Incidentally, the ads _ stated
Abitibi’s average wage as being
$6.07 per hour, when, in fact,
the average is $5.60 per hour.

Nor did the ads mention a hike
of over 50% in the price of
newsprint, not to mention over
100% increase in some sulphite
pulp.

As for the pulp and paper in-
dustry being priced out of the
market, statistics made available
by the Economic Council of Can-
ada show that from 1969 to 1974

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—AUGUST 15, 1975—Page 6

provides that these parties will |

divide some $2-million tax
money among themselves " for
election expenses.

e But Bill 3 imposes condi-
tions on other political parties
which will not and cannot re-
ceive any part of the $2-million
voted among themselves by the
three parties, which will make
extremely difficult, and in some
cases impossible, their participa-

tion in Ontario elections. The’

Act virtually rules out any new
party qualifying for elections.

e Bill 3 provides that all par-
ties must be registered in order
to field candidates. To be regis-
tered a party must meet one of
the following conditions: (a)
have at least 4 sitting members
in the Legislature; (b) field can-
didates in at least 50% of the
constituencies, or (c) present a
petition to the government with

the names of 10,000 qualified
voters declaring the party should
be registered.

e Unless registered, a party
cannot solicit funds for election
expenses, and if registered is
subject to government audits on
a constituency basis.

@ It is obvious that in passing
this anti-democratic Bill, the
legislature sought to freeze the
electoral situation and establish
a monopoly -in politics for the
three parties with members in
the present legislature.

e The UE National Executive
Board views with extreme alarm
the implications of Bill 3 which
isa clear assault on the system
cf electoral democracy and on
the democratic and civil rights
of all Ontario citizens. The NEB
calls for the repeal of Bill 3, and
urges UE Locals and the labor
movement to take similar action.

LABOR SCENE Abitibi can well afford —

Sate aigher wages, lo wer prices

Canadian newsprint production
increased from 8.8 million tons
to 9.9 million — an increase of
12.8%. In the same period Cana-
dian exports to the U.S. increas-
ed by 12%, even though the
total U.S. consumption increased
by only 6.4%. These figures show
an increase in Canada’s share of
the U.S. newsprint market, at
the very same time when the
company ads claimed the market
was being destroyed by higher
wages.

Clearly the pulp and paper in-
dustry in Canada does not now,
and never has in the past, be-
lieved its own propaganda. This
is not to be wondered at, with
profits of the entire industry
reaching $320-million in 1973,
and the incredible height of $685-
million in 1974.

Very Competitive

As for the southern U.S. com-
petition, where wages have al-

ways been lower, the northern

U.S. paper producers still prefer
to buy pulp.from Canadian _pro-
ducers rather than from southern
U.S. market-pulp-companies that
compete with them in paper. Be-
sides this, Canadian pulp and pa-
per producers have always more
than offset their costs by higher
prices and still find no problem
whatever to compete. in the
world market, even against the
Scandinavian producers in the
European market. One of the
reasons for this is the abundant
source of forest resources they
exploit almost gratis and at will.
While it appears that the rul-
ing class has picked the forest
industry as the spot to challenge
the trade union movement in
1975 contract talks, its reasons
are more than simply economic.
It is no accident that the strug-
gle is centred in British Colum-
bia, where the logging compa-
nies have been screaming about
great losses for a long time.
Despite all this, companies like
Crown Zellerbach and MacMil-
lan Bloedel have both held their
own for a decade or more of
substantial profits. As for B.C.
Forest Products, its 1975 six
months profit was $16.2-million,
compared with $14.2-million a

year ago.

There is no doubt that the Bar- :

rett government in B.C. is a tar-
get of the big money bags who
control the investments in the
major industry of B.C. The best
means to defence against this
big business attack would be to
go on the offensive. Failure to
do this by using political power
to clip the wings of the big cor-
porate interests now, but instead
putting the big squeeze on the
trade unions, could well be: a
costly mistake for the NDP gov-
ernment in B.C.

Clive Symons, vice-president
and treasurer of Canadian Cellu-
lose Co. Ltd., a B.C. Crown Cor-

poration, has stated long-term .

market prospects for Canadian-
produced market pulp are very
good, and even the short-term
outlock is fair. In fact, Mr. Sy-
mons said, capacity to produce
market pulp is not keeping up
with long-term demands. But,
while stating that his company
expects better profit in the first
half of this year than a year ear-
lier, Symons urged government
action to control wages.

If this represents NDP policy

in B.C. where the party is in,
. power,

it must be stated cate-
gorically that Mr. Barrett is
heading in the wrong direction.
Such a policy will play into the
hands of, big capital and alien-

ate the support of trade unions ,

and the working class and demo-
cratic forces in B.C.

Big Profits Expected
In Ontario,
vestment house of Cassels, Blai-
kie and Co. are recommending
shares of Abitibi for increasing
profitability, especially in 1976,
when profits are expected to be
substantially ahead of this year.
No doubt the companies are
counting on establishing price
and profit advances at the ex-
pense of the workers’ incomes.
But unlike the sell-out in basic
steel negotiations in 1975, the

forestry and paper workers are +

fighting for.decent contracts in
the face of continued inflation
and growing unemployment. The
job now for the rest of the trade
union movement is to back these

-workers up, and to help them

win.

the Toronto in- ;

4

MONTREAL DOCKERS
FINED $25,000

MONTREAL — The Montreal
local of the International Long-
shoremen’s Association was fin-
ed $25,000 for contempt of court
after refusing last April to. end
a strike by 2,200 of its members
after the federal government
passed back-to-work legislation.

CIVIL SERVANTS
REFUSE TO CROSS
PICKET LINES

REGINA—Government offices
here reported less than a fifth
of normal staff on duty Aug. 7
as most civil servants declined
to cross picket lines set up by
fellow members of the Sas-
katchewan Government Em-
ployees Association (SGEA).

In at least one case, postmen
refused to cross the lines and
personnel inside the building
had to come outside to get their
mail.

R. H. Dowell, chairman of the
Public Service Commission, said
prospects are dim for a quick
settlement of the strike, which
started the night of Aug. 8, and
directly involves the 5,000 mem-
bers of the SGEA labor services
division. Another 8,000 SGEA
members are in the pulic service
sector.

Harvey Linnen, SGEA spokes-
man, said the union has asked
for a basic minimum wage of
$5.32 an hour, up from about
$2.80. Previous union demands
were for a $7.02 minimum.

NO SETLLEMENT
AT PRATT AND WHITNEY

MONTREAL Pratt and
Whitney Aircraft of Canada Ltd.,
formerly United Aircraft, an-
nounced July 31 that its. latest
proposals for a return to work
cf strikers, out since January,
1974, has been turned down.
Press reports indicate the com-
pany has offered to rehire 504
workers of the 742 strikers
within the next three months
and the balance within-the next
12 months.

rs

EARLY SETTLEMENT |
DOUBTFUL AT WINDSOR
SALT CO. STRIKE

WINDSOR — The strike at
Canadian Salt Co. Ltd.’s Wind-
sor operations exceeded 100

days last week but there is still q
no indication of a settlement.

“We want to talk but they |

are sitting very firmly on their |

pile of salt and doing nothing,”
said James Hogan, a UAW inter- —
national representative. =

Mr. Hogan handles negotia- —
tion on behalf of 305 employees, —

members of UAW Local 195 and | —

240.

The strike began on April 28 |

at the company’s Ojibway mine, —
fine salt plant, and local offices, |
after union members rejected 3

company contract proposal. :

Outstanding contract issues |
include mine safety, monetary |
items, a dental. plan, voluntary |
overtime, a cost-of-living —

scheme, and union representa- |
tion time. i

The strike involves 195 salt |
mine workers, 85 from the fine
salt operation, and 25 office em-
ployees.

os

TRANSIT: STRIKE
CLOSES MONTREAL

MONTREAL—For the second
time
Montrealers were without bus
and Metro service on Aug. 5 as
3;400 drivers and other: workers
stayed off the job to attend a
study session on their contract
dispute with the Montreal Ur-
ban Community Transit Com-
mission.

It was a move to put pressure |
on the MUCTC to improve its —
offer for a new contract. A si-
milar walkout took place on
July 24.

The bus and metro drivers are

seeking parity with Toronto | —

drivers — $7.15 an hour in an
18-month contract.

Further trouble was also de-
velcping in a second contract
dispute with garage and main-
tenance workers of the MUCTC.
Conciliation began last week in
this dispute, with the legal
strike date set for Aug. 27.

LENGTHY STRIKE OF
GRAPHIC ARTS
WORKERS ENDS ,

TORONTO — The 17-week |
strike of 120 business form
workers of NCR Canada Lid,
members of Local 28-B of the.
Graphic Arts International union,
has ended with the acceptance |
of an 18-month renewal agree |
ment, the terms of which were | —
suggested by Ontario Labor |
Dept. Mediator Ray Illing. 7

anit
nani

vate.

KANATA, Ont. — “Hore than 200 workers ,at the Atomic Energy

of Canada Ltd. plant in South March went on strike last week after
rejecting.a tentative agreement. Most of the workers are engineers

striking for the first time.

in less that two weeks |