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Wol7, Nov a7 Vancouver, B.C., Friday, April 23, 1948 Five Cents

_ AIM OF LABOR BILL 87 Td
SMASH TRADE UNIONS

_Last year the Coalition. government passed
its now notorious Bill 39, the Industrial Concilia-
tion and Arbitration Act (1947).

To do so it rode roughshod over the protests
of a united labor movement, ignoring the political
misgivings of some of its own supporters and the
remonstrance of George Pearson, then minister of
labor, that it would not work.

Bill 39 was placed on the statute books by the
Coalition, governmesrt, but its anti-labor clauses
were’ prepared by the Canadian Manufacturers
Association to thwart labor’s demands for higher
wages and better working conditions.

Bili 39 did not work. It neither prevented.

strikes nor promoted industrial peace. Its machin-
ery was geared to the demands of big business.
When the policies of big business provoked strike
action, the machinery broke down.

Within six months of its becoming law, Bill
39 had been brought into general disrepute, a
fact recognized by the B.C. Liberal Association in
its resolution urging amendment “to make it more
consistent with recognized liberal, democratic and
equitable principles.”

Flouting popular demand, the government has
now produced its proposed amendments in Bill
87._ Like the original Bill 39, they bear the stamp
of big business. More subtle than the Taft-Hartley

Act in the U.S., in practice they can go even
farther towards transforming the free trade union
movement into a fascist-type labor front.

Labor and all progressives must fight Bill 87
because it menaces the very existence of free trade
union organization. It is a threat that must be
met—and promptly.

Here the Pacific Tribune shows what Bill 87
proposes, what those proposals mean and what
labor is demanding. Read—and act. Carry the
demands into your organization. Wire your pro-
test to your MLA immediately. What you do

today will be reflected in your pay cheque
tomorrow.

Why labor fight
Bill 87 strikes out all reference in the Industrial Conciliation and Arbitration
Act to a trade union as such and inserts instead “labor” or “labor organization.”
.—This means that recognition of company unions, plant associations and other
employer-sponsored organizations as bargaining agents is legally simplified. Only
in one amended clause stating that a craft union is entitled to be certified
as a bargaining agent” is the term “union” used, a concession designed to promote

jurisdictional conflicts between craft and industrial unions in a given industry.
—Labor is demanding that a labor organization be defined as a trade union,

—Bill 87 takes from union members their right to determine whether or not
a wage offer made by their employers is acceptable. Pay :
—This means that under the new arbitrary powers to be vested in it by
Bill 87, including extension of the supervised vote, the Labor Relations Board
Seen may order a supervised vote taken among all employees affected on what it
rather than the union considers a. reasonable offer, thus protracting negotiations and
‘weakening the union’s bargaining powers. :
—Labor is demanding elimination of this amendment. |

—Bill 87 empowers. the Board to authorise an employer to increase or decrease
wages and alter terms and conditions of employment, specific or general, during
the period of conciliation. - oa ce

This means that the union is hampered in negotiations for an “agreement,
ie since the employer may be authorised to change wage rates or conditions with-
out its knowledge or consent,. robbing it of gains made through successful arbitration
or negotiations for a new eee POO
—Labor is asking that power of the , ses
conditions, be pie subject to consent of the certified bargaining agency.

\

—Bi bles the Board to cancel certification of a union as a bargaining
: seency weber it has ceased to represent the majority of employers,” Where
. an unauthorised strike occurs the Board may cancel certification of the union
concerned :and intervene to effect a settlement between employer and employees.
—This means that unions are placed at the mercy of unscrupulous employers
“Who are thus given full legal scope in hiring and firing employees in order to obtain
cancellation of union certification. Unions in seasonal industries would have no protec-
‘tion. In the event of an authorised strike, no matter how provoked by an employer, the
board can deprive the legitimate union of its certification and award the bargaining
tights to company stooges, imposing its own sik aeons
—Labor is demanding elimination of these clauses,

tac ws oe as a legal entity within the scope of the ICA Act, up-
: nigga ae marnentd by Bill 87 which removes what protection
nthe cay possess against civil suits for damages nnd retains existing clauses

.

enabling unions to be financially penalized through court prosecution for breaches

of the act. ee é : A ,
"—This 1 insti civil actions for damages against unions and
—This means that employers can institute : a :
even where the actions fail, can involve unions in costly proceedings they can ill afford.
—Labor is demanding elimination of this amendment and striking out of all clauses
allowing prosecution of trade unions.

Board to authorise changes in wages and working

Interview forced on Abbott

Price petition given
to King at his home

By MARK FRANK

OTTAWA—Undismayed by a
government which arrogantly
refused to receive a petition

‘and brief on Canada’s first-

ranking problem of high
prices, a delegation of three
lousewives personally deliver-
ed 709, 573 sigmatures demand-
ing restoration of price con-
trols at 1946 price levels to
Prime Minister King’s resi-
dence, Laurier House.

This is how delivery of
“the largest petition ever to
be presented” to a Canadian
government was accomplished.

Leader of the delegation to
King’s doorstep was Mrs. Rae
Luckock of Toronto, newly

. elected president of the House-

wives and Consumer Federa-
tion of Canada, launched at
a one-day convention held here
on April 17.

Accomplishments of . the
three day prices lobby, attend-
ed by six delegates from B.C.
were: :

@ Successful delivery of pe-
titions to Prime Minister
King.

@ Launching of a national
Housewives and Consumer
Federation of Canada, to con-
tinue the work of education
and action in protection of
home life against effects of
inflation and high prices,

@ Forcing of a direct per-
sonal interview with Finance
Minister D. C. Abbott by Mrs,
Rae Luckock, despite cabinet
insistence that no member of
the government would see the
delegation. Three other dele-

gates also broke through the
cabinet’s closed door policy —
to interview Abbott.

@ Laying of an informa-
tion with Commissioner F. A.
McGregor of the Combines
Investigation Branch request-
ing that he investigate six

Canadian bread companies for
alleged price-fixing of bread.
Six representatives of the
delegation filed the legal docu-
ment and were thanked by the
commissioner for their con-
cern.

UV
Full reports of the ‘three- -
day prices conference in
Ottawa will be carried in