LABOR SCENE: BCFL co-ordinating body plans for wage struggles Affiliates of the British Columbia Federation of Labor (BCFL) are moving towards closer co-ordination in order they achieve bargaining objec- tives in 1970. Arising out of a BCFL-spon- sored conference, an interim sub- committee was set up with representatives from _ the following organizations: Provin- cial* Building Trades Council;, I.W.A.; International Union of Pulp, Sulphite Workers; United Papermakers; United Steel- workers of America; BCFL and Canadian Labor Congress. This interim committee met on December 18, 1969 and on January 6, 1970 and adopted the following program. (1) That a standing committee be established with two repre- sentatives from each of the following organizations: Provincial Building Trades Council; IWA; International Pulp and Sulphite; United Paper-' makers; United Steelworkers; — (2) The committee to be chaired by an officer of the BCFL; (3) The Canadian Labor Congress (CLC) to appoint one person to the committee; (4) A full exchange of information between the above organizations, before and during negotiations; (5) Extensive discussion and liaison between the organi- zations with respect to final settlement proposals ; (6) During the forest, pulp, paper and mining negotiations, ’ representatives of the standing committee to sit in as observers in the various negotiations ; (7) A public relations campaign to ensure that labor’s point of view is factually presented to the public; (8) It was agreed that building trades unions will be represented by the Provincial Building Trades Council. Also, since their _main negotiations take place some ‘months earlier, and although they will co-operate with the committee, the liaison between them and the industrial unions ‘‘need not be so close.”’ These proposals from the interim committee will be presented to a special confer- ence of invited BCFL affiliates to be held in Vancouver on Wednesday, January 21. Dock negotiations under way again The ILWU with a new set of officers led by President Bob Peebles, presented a new set of demands to the Maritime Employers Association of B.C. last Friday. After the two-hour meeting Peebles had no comment to say except that discussions had been adjourned to Wednesday. Little information is available about new demands. Waterfront scuttlebut has it that 77¢ per hour on top of the 85¢ (nego- tiated last November), amend- ments to grievance proceedure, spreading out of costing of M&M, and retroactive pay increases head the list. Longshoremen presently have a $3.88 basic wage rate. Last November, ILWU members in Vancouver, Westminster, Vic- toria, Chemainus, Alberni and Prince Rupert rejected an 85- cent hourly pay boost and liberal pensions allowances. At that time the main issue was pin- The PT says: What's the media up fo ? The press, radio and TV in Vancouver gave a lot of attention to the activities of a group of Maoists who arrived in the city recently to peddle their disruptive line. ‘ One paper sent a team of a feature writer and cameraman to cover a conference of Maoists in the YMCA, while many inches of space and considerable time on radio and TV was given to the far out activities of this group which calls itself ‘“‘Marxist-Leninists (Com munists).”” Why the extensive coverage when the activities of other left-wing and radical movements, and especially the Communist Party in B.C., are almost completely blacked-out by the media? It will be interesting for our readers to know that after the wide coverage which was given to the disruptive and far out activities of this handful, the media interviewed B.C. Communist leader Nigel Morgan for his comments. He dissociated his party from their actions, and branded them for what they are: disruptive elements whose far out actions are seized upon by the establishment to discredit all left wing and radical-minded people, and especially the Communist Party. Not a single word of Morgan’s was printed or publicized anywhere. The media preferred to leave the impression that the actions of this irresponsible group was ‘‘communist activity.” The real activities of the Communist Party in the interests of the people are completely ignored by the media. A case in point was the demonstration staged by the Communist Party at the B.C. Hydro building on Burrard this week which protested the hydro and bus rate increase. Newspapers, radio and TV were phoned and told of the protest action. It was almost completely ignored by the entire media, except for one news reporter from one of the smaller radio stations. It’s as if by arrangement among them — or conspiracy would be a better word— they all stayed away. It would never do to show the Communists acting in a positive way around issues affecting people’s lives. Instead, give the widest publicity to every crack-pot and far out action to discredit the left and the Communists. That seems to be the rule by which the media is guided. And in that they are aided by the actions of the Maoist and ultra left elements who play right into the hands of the enemies of the’ people. PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 16, 1970—Page 12 pointed as being job security, and company demands for extended hours and smaller gangs. Fear of extensive cut- backs resulting from auto- mation and new bulk-loading methods undoubtedly played a big part in rejection. Deadline for settlement is: February 6. That is when the 90- day “‘cooling-off”’ period expires to allow the union to hold elections to replace resigned officers and sourt out contract demands. It settlement is not reached by then, the strike could resume. Employers have obviously used- the two months respite ‘to prepare for such an eventuality. Old timers on the waterfront report warehouses cleaned out, all storage is gone and contracts are lined up to divert cargoes and provide alternative loading points. Federal Labor Mackassey is expected to return to Vancouver with his staff to maintain a close watch on nego- tiations and prevent any holdup in wheat shipments which could have explosive political reper- cussions for the Liberals on the prairies. *** Eighteen workers at the Annacis Island plant of the Sher- win-Williams Paint Company, on strike for the past three months, this week rejected a company-proposed_ contract submitted directly to them by the company rather than through the media of their union repre- Wonder why your rents are so high? Block Bros. Industries Ltd. reported a gain of 80 per cent in net earnings for the nine months ended Oct. 31 over the same period in 1968. The company, in an interim report, said it earned $1,- 379,000 as compared with $766,000 the 1968 period, or 26 cents a share on 5,353,278 shares, as against 16 cents on 4,856,515 shares. This was after providing for both cur- rent and deferred income taxes. The report said the growth took place ‘‘in spite of a decline in some activities brought about by a general tightening in the availability of mortgage funds and the share of realty sales in the Vancouver Real Estate Board market to 31 per cent of it, up from 28 per cent. For the company this represented a sales volume of $132.4 million. “pemand for housing remains high,” the report said, ‘and, while housing starts will be affected in the short run by availability of mortgage funds, the long- range picture is most encour- aging.” Cited were figures of the Economic Council of Canada which forecast residential con- struction. rising to $5.2 billion by 1975, from $2.8 billion, the 1967 total. The above item from the financial pages of one of Vancouver's dailies reports that Block Bros. showed net earnings of 80 percent for the nine months ending Oct. 31 over the same period in 1968, Block Bros. — accounts for 31 percent of realty sales and controls many of the major Minister - apartment blocks in Greater Vancouver. YCL protests CP PARLEY Cont'd from pg. 11 hydro boost Sunday night the recently formed- Young Communist League in Vancouver decided to write Dr. Gordon Shrum_ pro- testing the hydro boost and bus fare increase. The letter to Shrum points out that any increase in bus fares will have a particularly harmful effect on students and young workers and urges that any plan to boost bus fares be dropped. “The mass labor movement,” ~ states the resolution, “‘Is the major anti-monopoly force, — which constitutes the centre around which an anti-monopoly — alliance can come into being. Already ruthlessly exploited and’ under sharp attack by monopoly and the Bennett government, ‘negotiations are about to open for more than 1,000 collective agreements covering over HYDRO RATES Cont'd from pg. 1 of providing this subsidy is $100 million. . . It could be as high as $200 million.”’ British Columbians are paying interest on this money to the tune of more than $7 million annually. This week the government” arrogantly turned down demands for hearings before public bodies. Meanwhile the protest movement continues to grow. Eccles in London Morning Star “Of course there’s a dead fly in your soup — it would hardly be alive with all the DDT in the food nowadays,” 120,000 B.C. workers and all major industries. A period of sharpening class struggle is here with an accompanying upsurge in the democratic movements. This is — shown,”’ the resolution says, ‘‘by the militant struggles of B.C. building trades workers, — telephone employees, clerks, meat cutters, oil and woodworkers, longshoremen and others for economic demands--in face of Bill 33 and _ the unprecedented use of anti-labor injunctions.”’ Other examples given include the tenant’s organization, the students; Native people; and movements against U.S. aggression in Vietnam, pollution, resource giveaways, — rising taxes etc. ‘‘Mass action needs to be developed.”’ says the resolution, ‘‘to reject the drive toward austerity, the deliberate slowdown in the economy and increasing state interference in labor relations.”’ Other points of concentration where anti-monopoly unity can be forged cited by the resolution include the municipal political arena, and among young people ‘in industry and students. The resolution calls for steps to build and revitalize the Party, making it a ‘‘Party of Action.” Report of the recent Annual Membership Registration from B.C. Clubs shows 74 new members recruited in 1969 (with 39 of them in Vancouver) and a net gain of 41 members in B.C. over and above losses by death, — change of residence from B.C. — and small defection last spring.