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ERE: British Pea March ips 1950

Ee 28 Price Five Cents

Coal es hous pay cuts

Vancouver citizens picket the S.S. Argovan at the CPR pier

A strongly-worded wire to Prime Minister Louis

St. Laurent, urging that the Canadian government
recall the ‘murder ship’ SS Argovan, now crossing
the Pacific with a cargo of howitzer-tanks for Chiang
al-shek’s forces in Formosa, was sent by the seventh
annual convention of the B.C.-Yukon district Labor-

Prose: :
Togressive party this week.

Demanding immediate recall of the freighter, the
Wire asked that all Canadian ships be prohibited
from transporting war materials to Chiang and that
Canadian ports be closed to ships of all flags engaged

in
Such iniquitous’ traffic in death.

& “We call upon the Canadian government to

oe the People’s Republic of China without

ther delay and undertake immediate measures to
4

Recall Formosa-bound
‘murder ship’ urges LPP

establish friendly trade relations on a scale commen-
surate with Canada’s needs as the world’s third ex-

porting country,” the resolution declared.

Recognition of New China, it was pointed out,
would be in line with the proposals of UN secretary-
general Trygve Lie that delegates of the People’s
Republic of China be seated in the UN. Britain,
the USSR and other countries have already recognized
the new Chinese government. Arms shipments to the
discredited and defeated Kuomintang can only prolong
the sufferings of and inflict further death upon Chinese
citizens.

Before the SS Argovan sailed from Vancouver
with its death cargo it was picketed by seamen, un-
employed workers, members of the National Federa-

tion of Labor Youth, and Chinese-Canadians.

100 B.C. WORKERS
EMAND WAGE BOOSTS

B.C: trade unions, facing a wage-slashing drive on the part of
Marshallized industry in 1950, are preparing for militant action in
showdown battles with the bosses this spring. Coal miners, building
trades workers, mine and smelterworkers, civic employees, fishermen
and lumberworkers are threatened with drastic wage cuts unless they
stand up and fight.

“‘This is a battle to save the trade unions and prevent any repeti-
tion of the Hungry Thirties,” said Nigel Morgan in his report to the
seventh annual convention of the B.C.-Yukon section of the Labor-
Progressive party last weekend. “‘Labor must fight and labor will
fight. The employers’ drive to institute speed-up and wage cuts can
be beaten back.”’

Already under savage attack by the coal operators are 1,100
Nanaimo and Cumberland miners. The company is demanding rent
boosts of $5 per month, with transportation to be paid for by -the
workers, and the following wage slashes: miners, $10.74 a shift to $10
(down 74 cents); haulage, $9.86 to $9 (down 86 cents) ; labor,
$9.36 to $8 (down $1.36) and Chinese workers, $8 to $6 (down
$2). UMWA representatives are now in Vancouver to arrange for
conciliation. (Sam English, president of the UMW in Michel-Natal,
said in Vancouver this week that coal miners in eastem B.C. are
solidly united against any wage cutting, and are determined to “hold
the line.””)

Some 12,000 building trades workers, asking for wage increases
of from 15 cents to 20 cents per hour, face a group of hard-faced
employers who want to cut wages by the same amount. With the
exception of the Carpenters and Joiners, who have applied for concilia-
tion, the other building trades unions are presenting a united front
against the bosses .

Mine-Mill, already involved in a struggle to beat back Steel raids
at Trail, open negotiations wtih Consoldated this week for a 17 cents
across-the-board pay boost, plus additional statutory holidays and the
40-hour week. (See story on back page.)

Civic Employees Union, local 28, wants 12 cents increase, union
shop, increased welfare benefits
and minor contract revisions. Van-
couver city fathers have turned
thumbs down to date, and counter
with an offer of a four cent wage
cut for some categories of workers.

IWA loses action
for loggers’ hall

: ; : ae PORT ALBERNI, B.C.
-Fishermen’s Union, bargaining

for its 7,500 members, will set
1950 wage demands later this
month, bid to gain possession of

ci :

IWA lumberworkers have set Eric: Graf: hall hene whee
June 15 as a “No contract, no Mr. Justice Coady handed
work” deadline. Their wage de- down a judgment, based on
mand is 17 cents. WIUC wood- written argument of the
workers are urging unity on the job contending lawyers, declar-
against the operators. Lumber ing that the hall belongs to
barons are suggesting wage cuts. the Workers’ Hall Building
A strike involving all woodworkers Piast a .
in B.C. would take in some 38,- Tre ae
000 men. ‘(This week 750 IWA
men “took a holiday’ at Pacific
Veneer plant in New Westminster
because of speed-up and wage
chiselling; were ordered to return
by their union officers.)

Great industrial battles are

International Woodwork-
ers of America failed in a

The ‘hall was built by a
group of unemployed work-
ers in 1931, who formed the
asscciation, and was later
renamed in honor of Eric
Graf, a pioneer loggers’ or-

shapmg up. In answer to mono-
poly’s plans to enforce wage slash-
es this year, B.C. organized
workers are planning a new round
of wage struggles.

ganizer. At the present
time Woodworkers Indust-
rial Union of Canada has
its headquarters in the hall.

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