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50,000 off the job

Labor out gehee in Alberta

By K. CARIOU

EDMONTON — Despite
freezing temperatures and high
winds, 1,200 people marched in
the National Day of Protest in
Edmonton. About 50,000 work-
ers stayed off the job across the
province, and demonstrations
were held in Calgary and several
smaller centres, including Red
Deer, Hinton, Fort McMurray,
and Lethbridge.

Edmonton’s march began at
Renfrew Park, where about a
thousand workers gathered and
headed for the provincial legisla-
ture. They were joined there by
an enthusiastic crowd of 200 stu-
dents and staff from the Univer-
sity of Alberta. Some of the uni-

versity demonstrators were —

graduate students, teaching assis-

tants and professors who had _

cancelled their classes for the
day. They carried a sign reading
“Students Opposed to Govern-
ment ‘‘Cutbacks.”’

At the legislature, the protes-
ters chanted slogans against the
wage controls, and then were ad-
dressed by Bill Broad, president
of the Alberta Union of Provincial
Employees. Broad said it was
farce for the government to claim
it had introduced anything but
wage controls, and pointed out as
an example the 45% rise in house
prices in the city over the last
year.

New Democratic Party leader
Grant Notley also spoke in sup-
port of the protest, and later in the
day attempted to introduce a mo-
tion for an emergency debate on
the controls and the Day of Pro-

Despite repeated government, business and media threats over 1
million workers stayed off the job Oct. 14.

test in the legislature.

The demonstrators then
marched down Jasper Avenue,
encouraging city centre office
workers to join the march. At
Churchill Square they met city
workers from CUPE. Local 52,
out on strike for higher wages.

Alderman David Leadbetter at-
tacked the city administration for
hiding behind the AJB in refusing

, to come to terms with the 2600

Local 52 members, and for spend-
ing thousands of dollars in at-
tempting to break another strike
by city power plant workers,
members of the Oil, Chemical and
Atomic Workers. Union.
Representing CUPE 52, Alex
Szechina emphasized the strik-
ers’ determination to win their
fight against the civic administra-
tion and the AIB. On behalf of the

student marchers, Jim Selby said
they were in solid support of the
Day of Protest, and that students
and workers had to unite against
the controls. Alberta Federation
of Labor president Reg Basken
stressed that the fight against
wage controls and the AIB will
continue after October 14.

Following the speeches, the
protestors joined CUPE.52 pic-
keters for 4 mass march around
City Hall, shouting ‘‘we’re with
you, fifty-two!”’.

jin a press release issued the
next day, Reg Basken said the

AFL was ‘‘completely satisfied’”’

with the involvement of Alberta
trade union members in the pro-
test, and that the labor movement
has shown ‘“‘the ability and the
unity to rise up together and say
no to attacks’’.

Sieel city protests controls

HAMILTON — Every major
shop in the Steel city was closed
down Oct. 14. More than 7,000
demonstrators turned out to
march in the streets here and rally
at City Hall. The giant Stelco was
almost shut down while at places
such as Firestone Canada Ltd.,
Domglass, International Harves-
ter, and Canada Porcelain Ltd,
and others, production was non-
existent. Westinghouse had over
60% of its work force off the job.

C.S. Jackson, president of the
United Electrical workers union
(UE) shared the platform with
William Mahoney, Canadian di-
rector of the United Steel Work-
ers and Perth County Conspiracy
a well know popular and folk
group.

Jackson said that Oct. 14 was
the beginning of the fight-back
and he stressed that it was a jump-
ing off spot for mass unity and

mass cooperation for further ac-
tion against the injustices of the
federal government.

Mahoney, speaking for the
CLC in his comments also refer-
red to the future and the continu-
ing fight-back against the wage-
controls. :

Domglass Ltd. was shut down
tight, in spite of a recent Ontario
Labor Relations Board ruling de-
claring the protest illegal, and
company phone calls during the
night threatening the workers
with $1,000 fines for not showing
up to work. The next day more
than 200 of the members of Local
203, United Glass and Ceramic
Workers of North America as-
sembled in front of their plant gate
to march to City Hall while a
company official from inside the
plant was seen taking pictures of
the protesters with a telephoto
lens.

Among those who greeted the
protest, were a representative of
the Office and Professional Em-
ployees International Union
(OPIEU) who were on strike
against the Hamilton school
board, and local 879 Teamsters.
In addition, Hugh Usher, presi-
dent of the Hamilton Labor
Council, spoke and Harold
Keaton, representing the Anti-
Wage Controls Committee of the
Labor Council, was chairman of
the meeting.

Between 50-75 gathered to
socialize, in the Ukrainian Hall
following the rally at City Hall, at
the invitation of the Hamilton
Committee of the Communist
Party. Communists and‘ fellow
workers were greeted by Hamil-
ton communist and labor veteran

Bert McClure who gave the par- _

ty’s estimation of the event.

IBEW worker to run for controller

.-HAMILTON — Trade un-
ionist Don Stewart has an-
nounced his candidacy here for
Controller on City Council and
has put forward a platform of
broad reforms in the interests of
working people.

* Stewart, active in civic politics
for many years, has been en-
dorsed in his candidacy by his
union Local 105, International
Brotherhood of Electrical Work-
ers. He is calling for tax reform to
shift the burden of taxation from
working people and small busi-
ness to the large corporations.

“*T see a need to unite all the

democratic forces at City Hall to
bring about such reforms,”’’
Stewart says. ‘“‘I am ready to
work within such an alliance to
bring tax relief to those who now
carry the main burden of munici-
pal taxes through property as-
sessments.”’

Stewart wants the City to take a
greater interest in meeting the
housing needs of low income
people, through the setting up of a
housing corporation and investi-
gation of land speculation which
has.resulted in sky-rocketing land
costs. “The City should get into
the land banking area in a serious

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 5, 1976—Page 8

manner to check such pro-
fiteering,”’ he said.

“‘The City must proceed at a
much faster pace to develop and
extend municipal public transpor-
tation,’’ Stewart said. ‘‘Only with
a fully developed public transit
system will we be able to provide
adequate facilities at costs to the
public that are reasonable.”’

Stewart believes the Board of
Control needs someone who will
reflect the views of working
people and small business people
and to build a leadership that will
deal with the real interests of this
community.

LABOR ™ BRIEF

RIGHT TO STRIKE
WINS SUPPORT

HALIFAX — At its recent con-
vention Oct. 20-22, the Nova Scotia
Federation of Labor unanimously
resolved that it would call a pro-
vincial general strike if necessary,
to bring Nova Scotia highway
workers under the province’s
Trade Union Act, giving them the
8 right to strike.

Also, federation president
Gerald Yetman and secretary tre-
; asurer J.K. Bell were re-elected by

i]

Bill Camp!

g acclamation to their posts with the.
Sa £ president vowing to adopt a ‘‘hard

line’’ in his future dealings with the
provincial government on behalf of
the NSFL.

GOVERNMENT
BREAKS PROMISE

OTTAWA — The Canadian
Union of Postal Workers
(CUPW), Oct. 22 charged the
government with breaking its ag-
reement with the union over the
terms of reference of recently ap-
pointed mediator Noel Hall in the

dispute over the introduction of
technological change in the Post

‘Office.

Talks broke down between the
employer -and the union Oct. 21
over the issue of whether Hall’s
mediation should deal with the
matter of technological change
and disciplinary action against the
postal workers for participation in
rotating strikes, and the Oct. 14
Day of Protest.

The union wants to discuss th-
ese matters, the Post Office re-
fuses.

RAILWORKERS |.
STRIKE IN ITALY

ROME — In the face of
employers’ and some government
ministers’ call for a temporary
wage freeze, Italy’s 200,000 rail-
way workers staged a 24-hour na-
tional strike Oct. 26 for a $28.50 a
month pay increase.

The union was also protesting
harsh austerity measures an-
nounced by the government in the
last two weeks as it faces another
disaster in the corrupt monopoly-
controlled economy. The union is
in the midst of negotiating a new
contract with the government.

OTTAWA — The pickets tell it like it is, as members of ITU local 1
picket outside the offices of the Ottawa Journal, one of the city’S
English language dailies, on the issue of technological change wh
could mean an extensive job loss for the union in the Journal’s com

ing room.

MEDIATOR NAMED
IN C.P. DISPUTE

OTTAWA — The appoint-
ment, Oct. 22 of Deputy Labof
Minister Thomas Eberlee t0
mediate the year-long dispute be-
tween Canadian Press and the
Canadian Wire Services Guild
sparked expectations that talks
would resume between the union
and management.

The editors, reporters and
broadcast writers represented in
the Guild have been struggling
since last November for a com
pulsory check-off of union dues
for every CP employee whether
they join the union or not. CP, 4
national co-operative of 108
dailies has rejected this demand
throughout negotiations.

HYDRO STRUCK
IN NORTH BAY

NORTH BAY — North Bay
Hydro’s 54 inside and outside
workers, members of CUPE Local
72, struck the utility Oct. 25 follow
ing the breakdown of negotiations
which began in June. ©

Hydro refuses to agree to the
union’s demands for a 12% wage
increase in the first year of a tw®
year pact, improved union job se
urity, and the restriction of mal-
agement personnel to supervisory
duty. It says it will only negotiate
money issues and is offering 11%-

‘JOURNAL’ TYPOS
LOCKED OUT

OTTAWA — A battle for 2
new contract that will give thé
workers some control over the 1"
troduction of technologic®
changes in the production of
Ottawa Journal has led to tat
daily locking out members of thé
International typoemphce, Un
ion as of Oct. 25 |

The Journal wants to install
computer terminals which would
allow reporters and editors '
type their copy directly into thé
computers, eliminating approx )
mately half of the composing
room staff and typesetters.
union wants guarantees of job
security written into the new co™
tract being negotiated. |

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