a Sn a ee

SS cc iS WR OR a CN 2 a NA REO REL AOS

Reuther and Meany

split over

foreign policy

By WILLIAM ALLAN
DETROIT
HE split over foreign policy
between. AFL-CIO presi-
dent George Meany and
United Auto Workers’ president
Walter Reuther has reached the

stage where Reuther refused to
go to Washington, D.C. for the
AFL-CIO executive council meet-
ing that started Nov. 14.

A close co-worker of Reuther
told this reporter that Reuther
considers it’s hopeless to try
and change the hawk-like stand
of Meany and his “foreign ‘min-
ister” Jay Lovestone.

Reuther cited the last execu-
tive council meeting in Chicago,
Aug. 23, where his brother Vic-
tor’s criticism’s of AFL-CIO and
Central Intelligence Agency col-
laboration were rejected by a
vote of 18-2. Vic had charged
‘to this newsman and others at
the Long Beach convention of
UAW in June that CIA agents
were using the American Insti-
tute for Free Labor Development
as a front in Latin America, He
cited the example of misuse of
union membership cards of the
Food Workers union in Panama
by CIA agents.

The institute is a front of
Meany’s and is the creature of
Lovestone. Vic Reuther has
feuded with Lovestone for years.
Lovestone heads up the interna-
tional affairs department for
Meany, while Vic Reuther heads
up the UAW international affairs
department.

Reuther gets a million ‘dollars
a year for international affairs.
One of his projects is the estab-
lishment of world auto councils
in- Ford, General Motors, Chrys-
ler and the smaller companies.

In the spring of this year, Vic
Reuther had a project of bring-
ing Soviet automotive experts
into the U.S. The Meany-Love-
stone combination screamed to
the state department against the
entry of the Soviet people as a
trade union delegation.

END OF THE LINE?

This photo recalls more harmonious days. It shows George
Meany and Walter Reuther shaking hands at the first official mer-
ger talks between the AFL and CIO in the summer of 1955, as
former Steelworker President David MacDonald looks on.

The state department ordered
the Soviet delegation to come
in under the Walter McCarran
‘setup, which meant finger print-
‘ing and not being allowed into
Detroit and other big industrial
areas. The Soviet government
refused to allow their people to
be humiliated by McCarran Act
measures,

Vic Reuther told newsmen he
wanted them to come in as trade

unionists so that they could visit ©

union halls and plants so ex-

change could be strengthened. -

He lost; the state department

went for Meany - Lovestone’s

stand.

Vic Reuther further told news-
men that he hoped to lead a
delegation of American auto
workers to the Soviet Union as
a return gesture of friendship.

* * *

The UAW discussed their boy-
cott of the AFL-CIO Executive
Council meeting in sessions held
here this week with no minutes
kept and no public statement,
for fear Meany would charge
sourgrapes reaction to the troun-

: . est)
ot Pa 9s
Sr |
N oe
Y egy <7

cing given the labor-backed
ticket here in the recent election.

There were a couple of voices
in the discussion that wanted to
leave the federation entirely and
go it alone.

Reuther is not for this, though
he says in off-the-record discus-

sions that organized labor’s pro-_

grams and prospects under
Meany’s “one man rule” grow
bleaker all the time.

The UAW will continue to

cooperate with the AFL-CIO on.
such. issues as organizing’ the

unorganized, will refuse to get
into jurisdictional fights with
other unions or indulge in raid-
ing. But the UAW will reserve
the right to declare its own posi-
tion. on questions, such as for-
eign policy.

Also learned here as_ the
breach widens between Meany
and Reuther is that the Industrial
Union Department (IUD) of the
AFL-CIO, of which Reuther is
chairman, has moved out of the
AFL-CIO Building in Washing-
ton and taken up quarters in the

Murray Building with the UAW ~

International Affairs Department
headed by Vic Reuther. Other
old CIO unions are located in
this building.

The IUD-AFL-CIO now has
half of the AFL-CIO’s 14,000,000
membership.

Detroit newsmen are specu-
lating that Reuther’s move not
to attend the AFL-CIO Executive
Council meeting could mean that
he has abandoned hope of taking
Meany’s place as president.

When the merger of AFL and
CIO took place, it was. under-
stood that Meany would be pre-
sident of the merged setup for
several years, then Reuther, who
had headed up the CIO, would
get his shot at the presidency.
He never has.

- Or an opportunity to negotiate on these changes.

SES A SEARO RY SIC EES iS AE ERR ea

THE REFUSAL of the government to settle the Air Canada
strike on the basis of the reasonable demands of the workers Wa
labelled by the Communist Party as “an effort to scuttle 4!
Canada.” at

In a telegram to Prime Minister Pearson, the party’s executiv?
committee.charged that the Air Transport Board’s granting ae
“stike-breaking licenses to private carriers” is in line with a policy 4
of favoing private transportation interests and Industry Ministel ‘
Dury’s stated opposition to crown ‘corporations, |

: * * * : :
, IT MAY BE quite awhile before Air Canada gets its planes off
the ground again. The strike of 5,200 machinists, members of Intel
national Association of Machinists is over the refusal of Air Cal
ada to up its wage offer of 12 percent plus an additional 12 percent
for mechanics with a further 6 percent for all next year. Even if a
acceptable offer were forthcoming in the next period, Air Canada j
spokesmen say it will take about five days to get the planes in
Operational shape again. Moreover if Air Canada wishes to make
a new offer to the machinists it will take a few days for them 10
gether in Montreal as there are a few problems making. air COM”
nections. : f : .

* * * :

DOMTAR, in cooperation with 30 unions which represent
12,000 of the company’s workers, has drafted a plan to deal Wi)
human adjustment problems created by technological and other
changes. The plan is to be sustained by a $5-million fund made ¥P
of contributions of the company of one percent an hour per &
ployee.

Employees who will be able to draw on the plan will be thos?
effected by automation, deleption of raw material sources and Pp!”
duct obsolescence. Excluded from the plan will be employees W
are laid off because of slackening business or similar ‘decline, 5&4”
sonal or casual workers and employees assigned to jobs ‘on a day’
to-day basis. eR at

The most important facet of the plan is that it does not givé
the workers a voice in decision making when changes are planned

ee ee es

: The plan was evolved over a period of a year by a joint ©
mittee headed by John Crispo, director of the University of Tor
to’s Centre for Industrial Relations,

Plans also include a library and research facilities which will ” —
open to the public at large. The building is planned to contd?
office space and meeting rooms for all the trade unions in Ontall™

* * * z

vey Murphy who recently headed up a national delegation of ©
Union that met in Ottawa with top ranking cabinet ministers %
the problem. “The cutbacks are the result of so-called continent
ism at work,” said Murphy. He charged they are the direct r
of “‘self imposed quotas by the industry and arise from their deci!”
to increase shipments of raw concentrates, while cutting back
shipments of slab or ingot form zinc to the U.S. market.

“This has the effect of injuring our Canadian smelter ope!
tions while our raw concentrates increasingly feed the U.S. sm®@
ers,’ Murphy said, ‘‘and unless there is a correction of the situat!
there will be more lay-offs in the industry. Our meeting in Ott#
laid the problem squarely in the lap of the government.”

Mine Mill will also ask other unions in the metal mining ind
try in Canada to bring all possible pressure on the government
was revealed. “This is the kind of unity in action that will b&
serve the vital interests of all workers in the non-ferrous me!
mining industry of Canada,” said Murphy.

Replying to the union’s representations, Finance Minis’ |
Mitchell Sharp termed the meeting “most timely” and told
delegation he was presently engaged in negotiations with the U
government on trade matters. Further he said he was ‘“‘anxioU
awaiting the report of the Royal Commission on Taxation” und
Lemay Carter sometime in the near future.

The union’s position on the cutbacks is that they are a res!
of existing tax provisions that provide a three-year tax free pel’, |
for newly developed mines. “The result of this is that new mi?
are being opened and older mines closed despite many yeatS —
productive life still in them.”

November 25, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page ~