=) y >) SURREY — A strike that began four months ago in a bid for a first contract for only some 50 } Workers has suddenly turned into § | @ Ominous drama for the labor | } Movement. Its scenario includes strike- : breakers, the employer’s refusal } ‘0 accept a union shop, a brutal attack on a striker, harsh jail sent- €nces for picketers — and the Sowing realization by trade un- lOnists that the violence and the Punitive use of the RCMP and the COurts against the strike may sig- Nal an alarming trend for future disputes. The scene is the Adams Labor- atories where Local 580 of the Re- tail, Wholesale and Department Union has been on strike since | February 21, seeking to wrest a a manufacturer of vitamins and other non-prescription drugs. Several picket line scuffles and an incident in which a striker was beaten and stabbed outside his home by an unknown assailant have made the strike a particular bitter one from the beginning. But heavy jail sentences impos- ed on strikers for alleged ‘‘picket line violations”’ last week brought an angry reaction from the B.€. Federation of Labor and trade un- ionists throughout the Lower Mainland. Both the union and in- dividual strikers were fined, and one striker, the same man who had been earlier stabbed, had a six month prison sentence imposed. Ildiko. Szekely and Mary Lynn Wheant were each sentenced June 8 to 10 days imprisonment for picket line incidents, described by Adams strike sparks action from Szekely as ‘‘honking my horn and yelling ‘scab’ at the people cross- ing the picket line.’’ Ironically, scabs. have crossed the line wear- ing T-shirts emblazoned with the word ‘‘scab.’’ Ron McCann was sentenced to six months in jail, charged with cutting a truck’s brake line. The conviction is being appealed. The RWDSU was itself fined $10,000 for allegedly failing to obey a court injunction limiting picketing, while three other strik- ers were each fined $300 for picket line violations. B.C. Federation of Labor sec- retary Dave MacIntyre criticized what the Federation called the “‘harsh sentences’ imposed on the strikers, echoing earlier state- ments by the RWDSU that it was se “*shocked, appalled and Outraged’’ at the sentences. The 10,000-member Telecom- munications Workers Union, meeting in convention last Friday, voted unanimously to. throw its support behind the Adams Lab Adams Laboratories pl Fed, VLC SV lant in Surrey. — Sean Griffin photo ’ strikers. TWU president Bob Donnelly stated that the TWU was “deeply concerned with the in- volvements of the courts in this “dispute and the extreme harshness of the penalties imposed.’” see FED page 12 , \ first contract from the employer, Be is Gov't seeks to overturn acquittal of CUPW leader Crown prosecutors have served = notice that they will appeal the ac- ’ quital in See Coun of postal “PRESS RULING: The workers’ regional representative Supreme Court has given Frank Walden, indicating that the the corporate PRES, the government intends to press its at- right to become political tack on the Canadian Union of censors. The implications Postal Workers. of the ruling are examin- ed, page 3. nine Walden told the Tribune this week that he received notice of the appeal several days ago although his lawyer has advised him that the case will probably not be heard until some time in the fall. —Joe Yoshida photo More than 150 fishing industry workers from several centres including Vancouver, Tofino and Prince wert brought the demand for government action to protect industry jobs to Victoria Wednesday as he United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union lobbied government and opposition MLAs. Later, in a | 86ting with the union, environment minister Raif Mair said that a policy statement on the industry Guid be issued within a week although he would make no commitment on any course of action. He —'8 similarly non-committal in questioning in the Legislature from NDP MLA Graham Lea. The CUPW representative, who was among those charged under the Liberal government’s back-to-work legislation, Bill C-8, was acquitted May 14 of charges that he had fail- ed to instruct CUPW members that their strike was illegal following the passage of the strikebreaking bill. © 8 ® i) e Sandinistas claim victories 8ver Somoza in Nicaragua andega, El Naranjo and Jinotega, are under Sandinista control. So- moza has declared a state of seige and martial law as fighting went on all over the country. Suppporting Somoza, mainly with U.S. arms, are soldiers of the U.S.-sponsored, right-wing alliance CONDECA, composed of Somoza, Guatemala, El] Salvador and Hon- duras. Vietnamese refugees and Cu- ban exiles are also reported fighting as mercenaries with Somoza’s na- tional guard. The Sandinistas are winning: in- creasing international support which has been a chief factor in blocking foreign intervention to prop up Somoza or replace him with a military dictatorship. Somoza has charged that Panama and Costa Rica are giving direct aid to the Sandinistas and the Organization of American states (OAS) has rejected daily demands Justice George Murray instructed the Assize Court jury to bring in a not-guilty verdict because Walden was in Ottawa while the alleged of- fence took place in Vancouver. * INTERVIEW: Steelwork- ers Local 6500 president Dave Patterson talks to the Tribune about the vic- U.S. armed Somoza national guard OF SANS DON and now claims control over major barrios in the capital city of Man- agua. At Tribune press time the Sandinistas were reported to be close to seizing total control of the southern city of Rivas, where a pro- visional government is expected to Larne _Tevolutionary Sandinista ‘tation Front has the 42-year -8tOsio Somoza family dictator- fo, @ Nicaragua on the brink of defeat this week, as demo- tic forces in Latin and North ce warned of an. imminent on can intervention and called Supporters to stay the hand of _ be established. ‘2: Presidént Carter. More than 20 towns and cities, The Sandinista’s people’s army including Estelf, Matagalpa, Nueva Scored major victories over the Segovia, Chichigalpa, Leon, Chin- As the Tribune went to press Thursday morning, we were still More than $7,000 away from our $60,000 objective for our 1979 Mancial drive. And the drive must end tomorrow, Saturday, with € Victory Banquet. : i This is our last appeal: please turn every stone yet unturned, col- Sct for every ticket outstanding, add a little more to what you ae already given. And bring it all with you to the Victory Banquet aturday, 6:30 p.m. at the Renfrew Community Centre, 22 Ave. and The Crown appeal argues that Justice Murray ‘‘erred in law’’ on some 10 points including his in- struction to the jury. CUPW Vancouver local presi- dent Lloyd Ingram informed the Vancouver and District Labor Council meeting Tuesday that the union ‘‘had been told’’ that in the event of the Crown appeal being re- jected, that the government would move to press charges against Wal- den in Ottawa. Any such move would be ‘‘extremely vindictive,’’ council secretary Paddy Neale declared. * RCMP I: The story behind the illegal bugging of the Communist Party offices and more from the CP on the RCMP, pages 5, 6, 7 and 8. Council delegates also voted to activate a trade union-CUPW de- fence committee in the wake of the announcement of the Crown appeal of Walden’s acquittal and reports * RCMP II: Closer to home, that the trial of the CUP W Atlantic the RCMP are still active a regional representative would also promoting their labor | te : aR : Sead St., Vancouver. ; from the Somozan representative to > Proceeding. : liaison program in the aS tradition of our Victory Banquet is to honor the press sponsor an interventionist force. The courts are being used more B.C. labor movement. | ences, those of you who have built this paper and sustained it Mexico has formally severed diplo- 204 more to do the job of the em- Jack Phillips comments, \ ~“ety year. We hope we’ll see you there. ployer — in this case, the federal page 12. | see SANDINISTAS page 11 government,’’ Ingram warned.