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LABOR’S RIGHTS TH

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EATENED

~ VOL. 31 No. 27

Tribune

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GOV'T THROTTLING FREE

COLLECTIV

Support for striking Nova Scotia fishermen is spreading across Canada

as th

ey wage a courageous battle for their rights. Photo shows the

Mulgrave local of the UFAWU receiving potatoes sent by the National

rme

rs Union for strike relief. At press time thousands of Nova Scotia

Workers have walked off the job to back the fishermen. Church, labor

ether groups have protested harsh sentences against the

In deportation report

By MAU

RICE RUSH

Pri The report of the Vancouver judge made public last
Tiday into the unlawful turning over of three young
Merican dissenters to U.S. authorities at Huntington,

-C., will not satisfy public opinion.

ae Most it appears to be an
Connie to whitewash a
ee etely illegal act, and to
‘and “a off as being unimportant
ay e result of a series of unfor-
Ban misunderstandings and
Cidences.
ae that the RCMP and
mitt lan customs officials com-
“ae an unlawful act on
Wore): 25 in putting three
onic dissenters across the
ent the waiting arms of a
ree ANY. shore patrol, the
pert concludes that it was an
fee and unplanned inci-
Bee : that it was unlikely to
Tae again, and makes no
agai Mmendations for action
ea officials involved.
’ ree young Americans
fq wved were Charles Leonard,
a ar] Hockett, 21, and John
Bent 22. The first two subse-
ban a escaped military deten-
thira nd returned to Canada; the
Us 'S In military prison in the

Cc

The three, who had entered
Canada legally and could not
under Canadian law be deported
to the U.S., were escorted by two
RCMP constables from Bridal
Falls back across the border and
handed over to the waiting U:S.
patrol.

The judge said they acted in
good faith under the mistaken
impression they were carrying
out a lawful order of K.A. Smith,
Canadian immigration official
at Huntington. He adds further

“that Smith acted under the
mistaken impression that the
three were under the “care’’ or
“direction’’ of the RCMP and
that. he failed to observe the
significance of what was going
on at Huntingdon.

However, says the judge, the
incident was isolated and “‘no
pattern’ of ‘‘questionable
behavior” by Smith was estab-
lished. The judge also found it

See DISSENTERS, pg- 11

E BARGAINING

The provincial government is throttling free collective bargaining and appears
to be setting the stage for a major confrontation with the labor movement over

compulsory arbitration.

This was the charge made this”

week by the B.C. Federation of
Labor in a statement issued
following a meeting last Friday
of major unions involved in
current contract negotiations.

The Federation statement
said:

‘Recent appointments of
mediation officers under sub-
section 2 of section 11 of the
Mediation Commission Act, a
section which makes reference
to ‘the public interest’ as well as
arbitrary extensions of the
duration of mediation. officers’
appointments beyond the 10-day
period, are throttling free collec-
tive bargaining.

“On numerous occasions we
have objected to the practice of
appointing mediation officers
for the sole purpose of assisting
an employer in preventing a
union from taking strike action
for the duration of the media-
tion officers’ appointment.

“This biased government
interference has encouraged
employers to refuse to bargain in
good faith preferring, instead, to
wait hopefully for compulsory
arbitration to be invoked.

“On Friday, June 26%":

representatives of the Building
and Construction Trades
Unions, the IWA, Pulp Sulphite,
United Papermakers and
United Steelworkers, at a
meeting held under the auspices
of the B.C. Federation of Labor,
re-affirmed the support of their
organizations for the following
policy in the present disputes:

1. Under no circumstances
will these organizations appear
before the Mediation Com-
mission even if requested or
ordered under any section of the

Act. *
2. All of the above organi-
zations whose collective agree-
ments have expired or are about
to expire will refuse to accept
any further appointments or
extensions which are deemed to
be for the purpose of preventing
the workers concerned from
exercising their right to strike.

COMPULSION

Despite Premier Bennett’s
statement some weeks ago that
the government will keep hands
off and permit free collective
bargaining to resolve this year’s
labor disputes, last week Labor
Minister Peterson moved into

the picture with compulsory
mediation in the Kitimat dispute
over the prtoest of labor. He also
named mediators in the con-
struction industry dispute
without any request from unions
or employers.

The Kitmat Steelworkers
Union was free, under B.C.’s
labor laws, to go on strike
Sunday, June 20, but the appoint-
ment by Peterson of a media-
tion officer made it illegal for
the union to strike for 10 days.
That period expired Monday,
June 29. A new order has
extended that period to July 7
meaning the union cannot strike

before that date. The Mediation
Commission has ordered nego-
tiations to take place in its
offices.

The Mediation Commission
has followed the same tactics
with the Pulp and Paper
Workers of Canada who served
72 hours strike notice on Crofton
Pulp. Union officers complained
they were unable to locate the
managers of MacMillan Bloedel
to serve them with a strike
notice. Meanwhile, the
Mediation Commission moved

into the picture this week and —

J.V. CLYNE was shedding tears all the wa

forest bosses Batol weod workers this ierne posh ee
increase until next year because “company prohite reat
precariously low level.” In 1969 Clyne’s company MacMil .
Bloedel, made a net profit after taxes of $42.6 million In 1968
‘net profits for this one company were $38.8 million maki
total for two years of $81.4 million! And that doesn't sited
almost as much again held back for depreciation, depletion ae
MacBlo can well afford to meet IWA demands out of rofits m ose
since the last contract was signed. pees

See COMPULSORY, pg. 12