N

City workers win 14-cent wage
hoist, improved union conditions

By JACK PHILLIPS

Sixteen hundred outside workers, employed by the city of Vancouver, voted last week-
end to accept the draft settlement which was unanimously recommended to them by their

executive committee and shop
across the board increase of 14
Monthly men _ will receive an
equivalent increase, based on the
number of hours ~worked per
month,

In addition to this, the city will
grant $1.25 per month to single
men and $2.50 per month for mar-

stewards’ council. The main point of the settlement is an
cents an hour for all men on the payroll, back to January 1.

five cents an hour less for six; Edwin Larsen, union president;
months, as follows: laborers, 95|Donald Guise, business agent;
cents; bottom men 99 cents; seav-| Jack Phillips, union secretary;
enging swampers; 99 cents; the | Thure Anderson, union vice-presi-
five cents increase will be auto” | dent and Thomas Atkinson, uni-

matic after six months. :
|On trustees served as the. bar-

Stocks were ‘bullish’

With this picket firmly in their grip, New York cops with
drawn clubs prepare to swing -
Financial Employees (AFI.) who dared ta strike the powerful
Curb and Stock Exchanges for decent wages. The ‘majestic
equality of the law’ hits the whitecollar worker just as hard as
the steel worker or miner when the profits of Wall Street are

threatened.

ried men towards Blue Cross and
MSA health coverage.

New employees starting as lab-
orers after the contract comes in-
to effect this week will receive

‘Peace train’ to carry
new Beaver Brigade

The Canadian Committee of the
World Federation of Democratic
Youth has forwarded the follow-
ing cablegram to Mrs. Leah Man
ning, British M.P., on the projected
European “Peace Train”,

“In response to the call you is-
sued on May 2nd as reported by
the AP for a ‘Peace Train’ to tour
Europe with people from England
and North America, we wish to. in-
dicate the support of the Canadian
Beaver Brigade. In the Brigade
there will be at least 75 young Can-
adians who are anxious to join in
the ‘Peace Train’. The Brigade will
be sailing for Southampton on
June 24th.”

into action against the United

The 75 young Canadians on the
Beaver Brigade who are scheduled

‘tion board, at the conclusion of

The union demands for over-|

time rates for all work after 40 |
hours, improved shelters and a/|
joint committee to adjust rates)

for tradesmen, foremen and spe- |
cial categories will be settled thru |

further negotiations. |

|
The city has conceded that}
many categories of outside work-|
ers should receive free water-|
proof clothing, and the extent of|
this concession will be settled
through further negotiations,

The council has also agreed to
recommend to its successor that
enabling legislation be sought to
make it legally possible for the
city council to grant the union
shop or closed shop to its em-
ployees.

The settlement was first ham-j
mered out in the form of a draft
memorandum, in a meeting be-
tween the representatives of the
union; and the city. The meeting
was arranged by J. Edwin
Eades, chairman of the concilia-

the hearing.

C. H. Brackenridge, retired city
engineer, represented the city.
Harvey Murphy, well known min-

gaining committee.

In a statement isued directly
after the last votes were tabulat-

ed, Don Guise declared:

“The bargaining committee
and the other executive mem-
bers of Local 28 are very pleas-
ed with the big vote of comfi-
dence ‘they have received from
the membership by secret bal-

| lot. The turnout to vote on this

settlement was the largest in
the history of this union which
was chartered by the Trades
and Labor Congress of Canada
in 1917. The membership vot-
ed 93% to 7% im favor of ac-
ceptance. Our union is stronger
and more united tham ever. We
have won a great victory!

- “It is very significant that
this dispute came to an end
through direct collective bar-
gaining, after four months of de-
lay. It was the city council that
asked for a conciliation board
last February, not the union.
It was the union, right from the
beginning, that maintained this
dispute could be settled amic-
ably, and speedily, if the city

CRA launches campaign
for ‘new deal’ at City Hall

The Civic Reform Association, organized early in January
of this year, will carry forward the fight in Vancouver, for the
return of the 7 cent street car fares and passes, for lower
taxation on homes, fairer distribution of business tax, and

the many needed civic improve-
ments and reforms, such as roads,
sewers, housing, downtown parking
lots, ete.

Effie Jones, who has for many
years fought consistently on behalf
of the citizens of Vancouver, who
has Played such a decisive role in
the organization and work of the
South Vancouver Community As-
sociations, and so nearly became
the Mayor in 1947, was elected
Honorary President. Effie Jones
has declared her intention to run
for mayor this year, under the ban-
ner of the CRA, successor to the
CRC.

Meantime, the CRA has joined
in the successful fight against an
increase in milk prices; strongly
protested the 3 per cent sales tax;
set up a sub-committee to work in
conjunction with the Boundary
Road citizens in their fight against
the BCElectric erection of steel
towers and overhead power line on
Boundary Road; presented a brief
to the City Council in favor of the
business tax, but advocating it be
applied on “ability to pay’ basis, by
classification and graduation of

businesses, and carried on other
activities in the interests of the
citizens,

A letter received by the CRA
from the Public Utilities Commis-
sion recently, confirms that when
‘the hearing is held, it will be not
enly on the street car fares, but
on all rates of the BCElectric
and affiliated companies. The
BCElectric, not satisfied with the
“fares steal”, now propose to dig
even deeper into your pockets.
The CRA is sending a delegation
to the City Hall on this matter
next Monday.

This month is CRA membership
month. The CRA is asking all its
supporters to take eut a member-
ship card. Finances are needed
now, to extend CRA work. “Now
is the time to begin building a
fighting campaign to elect Effie
Jones in December, for progress-
ive policies in the City Hall,” the

CRA states.

“Send your dollar in today for
your membership card, to Room
18, 9 E. Hastings St. Talk to your
friends and neighbors, ask them
to join the CRA; they too are in-
terested in a new deal in the
City Hall, to sweep monopoly
contro] out. For further informa-
tion of details, please contact
May Leniczek,, MA. 9965 or PA.
0765.” ,

to tour Europe to visit various
events and participate in  recon-
struction work wish to join the
“Peace Train” to extend the hand
of friendship from the young people
of Canada to the youth of Europe.

The idea of the “Peace Train” is
greatly enthusing the members of
the Brigade who come from all
parts of Canada. This Brigade,
which is being organized in: Canada
by the Canadian Committee of the
World Federation of Democratic
Youth, consists of young people
from many universities, youth or-
ganizations, trade-unions, farm or-
ganizations and from every walk
of life.

The “Peace Train” will leave |

from Vancouver about June 18,
picking up passengers all across
Canada and will leave from Hali-
fax for Southampton on June 24.

Nanaimo labor holds
united May Day rally

NANAIMO —Living up to its reputation as a trade union
city, Nanaimo workers celebrated May Day with a big parade

and mass rally in the Center Sports Field.

Prominent in the

May Day demonstration was the miners’ union, which since

1854 has fought and won many
struggles for decent ijiving stand-
ards,

The parade assembled in front
of the Miners’ hall with the min-
ers and, IWA well represented
with large platoons. Many other
unions, together with the Ladies’
Auxiliaries, and the LPP marched
behind their banners and: slogans.
Hundreds lined the route of the
Parade from the Miners’ hall up
Wallace Street, to Comox Road.
past the Nanaimo Laundry, scene
of last year’s strike struggle
where Bill 39 was first used
against the union, and on'to the
Centre Sports field. Nanaimo’s
“flushing” mayor viewed the par-
ade as a spectator.

At the Centre Sports Field with
Sam Guthrie as chairman, the
filled stand was addressed by
three speakers, one from the B.C.
Federation of Labor,, and one
from each of the two left wing
political parties.

Harold Pritchett, first speaker
introduced, gave a brief history

of the origin of May Day as the
workers’ holiday. The long and
hard struggle of the workers to
organize into trade unions in spite
of organized blacklists and Pink-
erton goon squads of the bosses
and the press.

Bruce Mickleburgh of the LPP,
touched briefly the interesting
history of the strugles of the min-
ers in the coal districts of Van-
couver Island from the year 1860
to the historical strike of 1912
and 1913 when the McBride Bow-
s@r government sent in the militia.
He read statements from the press
of that day which were as false
and distorted as they are today.

Rod Young, CCF candidate in
Vancouver Centre by-election call-
ed on the workers to organize,
nominate and elect their own gov-
ernments in the coming federal
and provincial elections. He also
stated that “the old line parties
were making false and lying state-
ments on the CCF government of
Saskatchewan,” as part of the cur-
rent smear campaign.

a

would meet with our representa-
tives and make an acceptable
offer,”

ers’ ‘leader and vice-president of
the B.C. Federation of Labor, rep-
resented the union.

Trophies f the chase

A Soviet war-time poster, pictures of Marshall Stalin and
Voroshilov, a quantity of books available in any modern Canadian
library, a mantle radio and a quantity of socil nd. economic study
curricula papers (described as “documents”) constituted the booty
seized by Deplessis’ provincial police in a recent raid on the Point
St. Charles, Montreal Ukranian-Canadian hall.

Premier Duplessis’ raids upon cultural and artistic activities
of the Ukranian-Canadians, the French-Canadian labor press, and
his vicious court sentences upon trade union leaders, are part and
pareet of the current overall anti-communist provocation and
hysteria, directed against progressive workers’ organizations,

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 7%, 1948—PAGE 2