CUpE 10 featdian la trad €Monstration of support. The Soro 2nd for Canadian " me ne Steadily louder é ae S, €choed throughout Ly an ee aoe hall Wed- tio E legate ilforded CUPR ta ve Werlin when he On, it “ question is any in- eS§ J 4 demand that the Bdeere ble i; ae will no longer leg ne Bat mieial o® eee Speaking to the tion = report on con- ni SeCtio “6d — Specifically leg my = Ing with minimum Calg a ards for Canadian cane opational unions — njgeate vying presidential sy as BSitics Every floor — that work “ rkers Ve Cees to Spearhead a eeadian autonomy. x = aw if you raise DS apna, commissio SStion ang wnted to study the aS you : ill go on Studying as 3) Taising hell. FRIDAY, MAY 17, 1974 € union autonomy, brought the 2,500 delegates to their “Am I to understand that the Congress leadership has been so _far away that it does not know. what the workers want? “T can tell you what the rank- and-file workers want,” he declared. “They don’t want any more study sessions on autonomy —they want something done about it.” Cheers and applause greeted his remarks and in a moment, the entire convention was on its feet in a demonstration of support, ignoring all orders from chairman Donald MacDonald to come to order. “Tt challenge you, brother chairman,” Werlin stated after the applause had died down, “not to tolerate any further splits in the trade union movement. I challenge you to do something about what workers in this country want. Debate was far from finished at Tribune press time before the report was interrupted to hear an address: from Farmworkers leader Cesar Chavez, but the delegates had already over- whelmingly stated their demand. (Full report in next week’s issue.) By SEAN GRIFFIN If federal labor minister John Munro hoped to spur the Liberal Party’s election campaign with his opening words to the Canadian Labor Congress convention Tuesday that ‘‘the large number of delegates to this convention in- dicates the affluence of workers under the present government,”’ the resounding boos that greeted him must have dashed those hopes _—as well as reaffirm what many trade unionists had stated earlier, that the economic situation in the country would be the central issue before the convention and the impending federal election. Whether intended ironically or not, Munro’s remarks — made significantly, during the con- vention’s report on economic policy — were an indication of the Liberals lack of concern with the real problems of inflation, and the debate that gathered around the report was a measure of the labor movement’s response. The report, presented by the economic policy committee, emphasized that “the wage and -salary earner has been struck down by another economic malady which has already seriously ‘reduced his standard of living and threatens to diminish it even further. Rapidly rising prices have - delivered a wallop which has wiped out real income gains achieved earlier.” In contrast, the report pointed out, “corporations in this country have been making record-breaking increases in profits for the last three years. For the past twelve consecutive quarters they have spiralled upward, the longest DELEGAT VOL. 35, No. 20 uninterrupted advance in at least 25 years. All of this adds up to the fact that the share of national income going to profits is higher now than since 1951 while the share of labor in- come, which includes all wages and salaries, had dropped to its lowest point since 1966.” More on CLC parley inside Following the lead of Donald MacDonald’s presidential address which had denounced the ‘‘worn out economic policies of both old- line parties’’, the report attacked the concept of wage and price controls and noted that in every case where such controls had been applied, ‘the program affected only, and quite adversely, the welfare of the average wage and salary earners,’ and added that “they were never effective in combatting inflation.” The report also noted the need for government action to ‘curb price increases which arise from the greed of entrepreneurs who take the Canadian consumer for a ride,” and pledged the Congress to “any effective program which will impose restraints against those who are obviously exploiting a situation which lends itself to the gouging of the consumer.”’ Significantly missing from the document, however — and questioned by delegates throughout the debate — was a real Congress program and campaign to win effective price restraints and legislation to protect living standards. “This report is not unlike an economic document emanating from the federal government,”’ Laborers’ delegate Charles Shane told the convention. ‘It does not See CLC, pg. 12 MLAs to support it. Remove nuclear warheads motion before legislature Comox NDP-MLA Karen Sanford has placed the following resolution before the provincial legislature: “This House is of the opinion that no nuclear weapons should be stored at the Canadian Forces Base, Comox.’’ Karen Sanford has sparked the campaign in B.C. For removal of the U.S. nuclear warheads from Comox. She has also made it clear that she is opposed to Canada’s participation in Norad — the North American Air Defence Command — under which U.S. ther- monuclear weapons are stored in Canada. The resolution may never come up for a vote unless public opinion demands it be put before the legislature for a vote. Write Premier Dave Barrett, Legislative Buildings, Victoria urging that the resolution be put before the House for endorsation. Press Your 4 —Sean Griffin photos ES VOTING at CLC convention which was held in Vancouver's Exhibition Forum this week.