re WARES - PENSIONS «IRB SECUITY. SOMIENSATION LAWS: SAFETY FHOREING CONDITIONS PALS VACATIONS SYSTUTORT HOUDAYE - MEDICAL WL FARE: Mine-Mill, Steel talk. unity in Canada The phote shows the Constituent Convention of the Canadian Mine Mill and Smelter Workers which took place in the historic Rossland Hall in Rossland British Columbia. The hall was built by the Western Federation of Miners, the forerunners of Mine Mill in 1895 when the union was estab- lished in the Keotenays. Last week in a joint statement the Mine Mill and Steel- workers in Canada announced a pact of active cooperation whose purpose is “to create a climate conducive to explora- tory discussion of possible organic unity.” Mine-Mill has scheduled a Leadership Conference on Feb. 17.in Edmonton future course in Canada. and a National Convention in September to decide on its Quebec crisis looms - Teachers defiant The corporate interests in Quebec were fed up with the “Quiet Revolution” even before it got started and that gnashing of gears you hear ¢oming from the Quebec Legislature is Pre- mier Daniel Johnson trying to throw the vehicle of social pro- gress into reverse. The point at issue is Bill 25, which intends to force the strik- ing Catholic teachers back to work, without a raise in wages and in effect without the right of collective bargaining. The res- ponse of the teachers to the legislation is open defiance. Mass resignations are pouring into the union offices and full support has been given the teachers by both Protestant and Catholic teachers associations in Quebec and they have been as- sured of full support by the 150,000-member Canadian Teachers’ Federation. The offi- cial said the Federation has pledged the use of its full finan- cist and other resources to help the Quebec teachers relocate in other provinces if necessary. The Quebec Federation of La- bor and the Confederation of National Trade Unions have both identified themselves in support of the teachers as has the Union Generale des Etudian- tes du Quebec. Representatives of the professors of Montreal University have also associated themselves with the striking teachers. Above all, the government has been unable to split the striking teachers from parents’ organizations. The Parent Teach-. ers Associations are solid in support of the teachers. The restrictive legislation im- poses wages upon the teachers which: are far below what the Protestant teachers have already negotiated. It denies the teach- ers the right to strike for two years and imposes wage ceilings. The legislation also negates the demands of the teachers for a democratization of the educa- tional system. In jamming this legislation through, the Johnson govern- ment is seeking to turn back the whole movement for social reforms in Quebec. By casting aside the proposal of the teach- ers to call a truce in the strike for 30 days to allow time for the government to set up pro- vince wide collective bargaining machinery he has also made. it clear that his government will not accept any further respon- sibility to alleviate the cost bur- dens on the local school sys-’ tems, which is the root cause of the crisis. ; No significant sector of pub- lic opinion in Quebec supports his action which comes only at the behest of the cooperate n- terests of the province. This, with the militant determination of the Catholic teachers of Mon- . treal supported by the labor movement and democratic opi- nion, a first-class political crisis is shaping up. -Nigadoo miners win _ Solidarity plus militancy was the formula which spelled vic- tory for members of the Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers union, Local 1043, Bathurst, N.B. in their 100-days-plus — strike against the multi-million dollar Beauchemin interests from Que- bec. : A highlight of the settlement, according to the union, was the “unprecedented action of inter- vening to help effect a settle- ment” by New Brunswick’s Pre- mier Louis Robichaud. Robi- chaud had received a petition signed by 4,416 citizens of Gloucester County. Union spokesman William Kennedy earlier had laid before the premier the terms being proposed by the union for set- tlement. These included an across the board increase of 40 cents per hour during the re- mainder of the pre-production period with bargaining to take place at a later date to set rates for the three-year tax free period when the mine entered production. In addition to this proposal the union indicated that other terms of the major- ity award were acceptable. The bargaining on the tax free pro- duction period agreement was to take into account the area rates in other mines. A wire forwarded by the pre- mier to Kennedy, setting out the terms he was proposing, in- dicated he had contacted the Beauchemin interests and that whatever took place in the meet- ing with the company, he was able to.have them move. The terms accepted by the striking members by a vote of 85 to 5, were as follows: Sixty cents per hour increase in wages spread over 10 months on a pre-production period to be followed by three years when the mine has entered the tax- free production period. Thirty- five cents of this wage increase - helped will apply immediately; 10 cents per hour will apply in the first year of production; a fur- ther seven cents will apply in the second production year; and eight cents an hour in the third production year. Upgrad- ings were won in a number of classifications. The workers have now forced the company to pay the highest rates of all its workers any- where. This should create some- thing of a goal for other Beau- chemin workers to shoot at in their future negotiations with that company. The unity developed by labor through the official actions of the New Brunswick Federation of Labor, the sacrifice and sup- port of Mine Mill people all across Canada, and the fair press coverage by New Brun- swick papers, radio and TV, all the workers in_ their struggle to win such a victory. la FIVE OUT OF SIX members of the Chefs, Cooks al Cooks union, interviewed in their union paper ‘Kitchen said the United States should end the bombing of North } ‘The general feeling was that too many innocent. people ing killed, and the Vietnamese should be allowed to sé own problems, * * * TWELVE PERSONS were arrested when they tried trucks from entering a construction site at New Roché The 12, negro and white, were protesting against hiring nation. The problem is being caused by the local brick lay® who are apparently making it very hard for Negroes 1 apprentices. The issue came to light in June 1966, and at there have been no Negroes apprenticed. ; * * * MAJOR LAYOFFS have been made public in the aul? try in and around Detroit. Chrysler has announced intem @" layoffs up to 14,000; while Chevrolet-Fisher body plant, American Motors, and Dodge plants are also planning Ja * * * UNITED AUTO WORKERS from Oshawa who weré wa to meet with four cabinet ministers, including Indust! ter Drury, were disgruntled over the outcome of the meetil 5 -plaints over the U.S.-Canada Auto Pact, which the uniof ‘responsible for layoffs in the auto trade, were made, ane Burt, leader of the delegation said nothing had been ac! the meeting. z * * x NEGOTIATIONS between the Algoma Steel Corporat the Brotherhood of Railway Trainmen and the Brotherhood motive Firemen and Enginemen have broken down. As Y® yj ther meetings are scheduled. The workers will be in a pos legally strike on Saturday and company spokésmen have 4? that in the event of a strike the whole Algoma operations shut down. Algoma was shut down during December beca® strike of bricklayers. _ eae ik * PADDY NEALE, secretary of the Vancouver Labo! and Tom Clarke, an official of the International Woodwo America, have been released from prison before serving six-month sentence. Neale and Clarke were the last 0 labor leaders forced to’ serve time in jail over contemP ‘which arose from demonstrations at the Lenkurt Electric in Burnaby, B.C. * * * A THE ONTARIO Teachers’ Federation has sent a tele? support to the striking Quebec teachers who are resisting tion that would force them to return to work. The wire, sent to the striking Catholic teachers in Montreal as ™ the Provincial Association of Protestant teachers said Onario federation is,.‘‘prepared to give sympathetic cons! to any request for assistance for teachers who have signed from their positions.” The OFT represents 75,000, teachers. FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 24, 1967