It was unanimous San Francisco longshoremen shoremen’s and Warehousemen’s outside the capacity- filled Coliseum bowl to hear strike call by the International Long- massed Union ((CIO) through loud- speakers. ‘he Strike, which came at expiration of an 80-day ‘Waft-Hartley injunction, involves over 30,000 workers of the LLWU and other CIO maritime unions, and has tied up all U.S. Pacific coast ports. US. maritime strike beating Taft- For eight days, shipown®r erative. < They said they’d drop th Hartley —SAN FRANCISCO. s were sweet, kind and coop- eir demand that union hiring halls be destroyed. They effered wage increases, met other union requests. : But on the night of September 1 they gave maritime unions an “or else” proposition: hiring halls must be weakened or destroyed, the unions must forget improve- ments in conditions. és Five maritime unions with 32,- 000 members took the “or. else,” and struck coast ships and water- fronts vowing to stick together until victory. President Truman’s Taft-Hart- ley 80-day you-can’t-strike injunc- tion was ended, “not because the government loves lorigshoremen, but because Truman is launching his campaign,” as longshore lead- er Harry Bridges put it. . For years, shipowners have dreamed of destroying unions nce more as they did in 1919 and 1921. Licked in the upheaval of 1934 they tried it in 1936-37, in 1946, in 1947. Always they ' failed and had to pay. better wages. Now they hope again they can drive union men from piers, decks, engine rooms and galleys. For they have the Taft-Hartley ‘Law today. The National Labor Relations Board opened a hearing in San Francisco, one day before the strike on a shipowner charge that tongshoremen are guilty of “unfair -labor practices” for “refusing to bargain” on proposals to wreck hiring halls. t The employer hope was a ruling that hiring halls are. illegal, after which (they think) scabs can be hired in place of union men.’ But longshoremen showed they know how to deal with the law. In an election on shipown- ers’ union - busting proposals, they boycotted the whole thing, and the NLRB had to report to Mr. Truman that the vote was -0 to O—one goose egg for Mr. Taft, another for Mr. Hartley. And the workers' — radio men, engineers, firemen, watertenders, cooks, scullions, longshoremen, cargo checkers—have in effect a boycott of another sort, a boycott of ships and piers. Seamen (Continued from page 1). gough (Percy Bengough, Trades Congress president) get himself in- to a position where he can’t see where he is going.” \ Council is holding further action pending receipt of official infor- mation. Executive member Bob Cormack strongly reiterated support for the CSU, and fellow-streetrailway- man Charlie Stewart classed Hall as a “renegade.” : union movement.” : Sixty thousand CCL Unionists in B.C. endorsed the CSU Lakes pickets through their delegates to .the B.C. Federation of Labor con- vention last weekend. Deepsea seamen themselves con- tinue way out in front in aid to the Lakes strikers, Thompson re- porting receipt of $835 from the crew of the SS “Harmac Chemain- us” and $755 from the SS Manx Fisher.” “I’d like to put out a friendly challenge to any B.. C. Alex Gordon, Congress vice-presi- dent, pointed out, “The action of Hall goes to the roots of the trade . union as a whole to lick the to- tal we got from either of these crews,” he told the Pacific Tri- bune. tion business President B.C. Federation plans European peace four The fifth annual convention of the B.C. Federation of Labor (CCL) stood firm this week for peace and united labor action on the political and ¢conomiée fields. The CCL ban on 22 miners’ delegates caused some, upsets. in election of officers, but the leadership for control of this pro- gressive center of B.C. trade unionism fell short of its objective. Delegates unanimously adopted reports pointing out that, “The people desire peace, a desire that is being frustrated to some extent by~ labor-baiting and red-baiting big business interests” who hope to divert attention from monopoly profits and condition people to a thirld world war. They recom- mended their officers organize a campaign to send “a delegation of citizens to Europe to report back the fight for peace taking shape in the rebuilding of Europe from the ashes of fascism.” They agreed on united labor po- litical action to replace the Coal- ition government by a CCF gov- orrment. Delegates | applauded guest gee John Clark, president of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers, whose 22 delegates sat without voice and vote throughout the convention, and unanimously resolved to wire the CCL demanding immediate re- instatement of the miners. They also applauded Canadian Seamen’s. Union vice - president Jimmy Thompson, and resolved to rally “all-out support behind the CSU in their struggle against the outrages of shipowners and gov- ernment combine.” They gave a different reception to Harry Strange, CCL nominee on the B.C. Labor Relations Board, who could not convince them that “labor-management relations are improving” and “the board is fair and impartial’ The CCL has not yet met the demand of local unions for Strange’s withdrawal — most delegates felt he and not Murphy was a man the CCL should ban. Attempts of the big business press (including the scab-Ptovince and Time) to intervene in conven- were lashed by Danny ‘O’Brien, who said he wouldn't allow the press to become a steering committee for the convention. The Federation supported its officers’ stand against the Marsh- all Plan and Abbott trade policies. It oposed freight rate increases and called for the Curtis. Prices Commission to hold hearings in B.C. It demanded low cost hous- ing and recognition of the state of Israel. A ‘special resolution casti- drive of the right-wing CCL gated the ICA slave act, called for defence funds in all locals and po- litical defeat of the government. Elections saw President Danny O’Brien defeat CCL organizer Dan Radford 68 to 64. Bill Stewart de- feated Pen Baskin 66 to 65 to re- place Harvey Murphy as first vice- president. Second vice-president Alex Mackenzie was defeated by J. Stuart Alsbury 66 to 65, and secretary-treasurer Harold Pritch- ett by George Home 66 to 65. Mal- colm McLeod, Harold Pritchett, Stuart McKenzie, Wm. Syming- ton and John Cameron were elect- ed to the executive council, which also includes representatives of four labor councils. It’s left This is Harry Bridges, fighting president of the Longshoremen and Warehousemen’s Internation- al Union whose 30,000 members are on strike in Pacific coast ports. To the operators’ curt “take it or leave it,” Bridges re- plied, “It’s left.” Ouster (Continued from page 1) vote of 162,704. Fully mobilized, Federation vot- ing strength alone could likely muster at least 120,000 votes (based on 60,000 members and _ their families). This is seen as a dyna- mic force which in turn would strengthen. thé scores of thousands of AFL voters who have also turn- ed their backs on the Coalition. The political power of united labor acts as a magnet, attracting thousands more farmers, pensioners, small business and professional people to join a winning combination against the government. But the fact that this kind of mobilization can by No means be taken for granted became obvious when W. Mahoney, western direc- tor of organization for the Cana- dian Congress of Labor, spoke on thé resolution. “Those who thought differently three years ago are not equipped to carry through this resolution and should be replaced in the elections for officers of this Federation,” he said. Pritchett replied that, “Carrying out this resolution doesn’t mean going into a ‘White Bloc’ meeting in Mahoney's official capacity as CCL western director—paid, I be- lieve by Steel—-to turn the mem- bership against the elected leaders of the IWA’s Vancouver local and of the district.” “Tf Steel can’t handle its own affairs I'll] never be charged with interfering in their union. “We can do the job on the poli- tical front, but there’s nothing in that resolution to sanction so-called STATE Theatre ‘SUN. MIDNITE, 12 SEPT.—ONE WEEK «= “ 9 with ENGUSH TITLES ARTKINO RELEASE ) PRIZE SOVIET FILM CANADIAN PREMIERE =e FALL TERM ANNOUNCEMENT Marxist Classroom Courses will include:— —The State —Marxism and Unions 2 —Foundations of Leninism —Writing for the Labor Press —Elements of Marxism — —Social Democracy in Canada —Political Economy —Posters and Publicity REGISTER NOW AT 209 - 211 SHELLY BLDG. — FEE: $1 — (Courses run from September 20 to November 8) tough individuals being sent in to do a job on the elected leaders of unions. Neither will the job be done through appointing somebody at the top to tell unions what to dis- tribute and what not to distribute. “CCF election material in On- tario dripped with red-baiting. Anybody who goes out to defeat the bosses’ governments will be red-baited and we can’t win with red-baiting literature. ‘ The discussion highlighted the difference between efforts to con- vert unions into a rubber-stamp appendage to the right-wing CCF leadership (efforts which lost con- stituencies in Ontario), and the kind of unfettered political action that unleashes the full voting pow- er of organized labor, a difference on which hinges the success oF failure of Federation efforts to translate the resolution into the reality of a new government for B.C. ar “JUST RECEIVED ... MacDee Brief Note the exclusive Cantilever Support. No other short has it! As the full elastic waistband hugs your middle, the built-in Cantilever Action automatically, gently lifts. No bind, no bunch, no chafe! No buttons to break or lose. And these wonder ful, washable close-knit combed cottod yarns need no ironing. Choice of Brief or Half-Way. sth Jockey Style Shorts and Tops $1.25 ea. ¥; 45 EAST HASTINGS VANCOUVER, B.C.