o~ anges coming quickly ~ YR LIVERSEDGE . VANCOUVE 1 : = mig ely changing eco- eaten Political scene, ological progress Many Seems as though ee 88ination to vj : eff 0 visual- Me on m these changes will ; Work, lives of the Can- t0 be 8 People. They also : oat reluctant Ane Problems with ation 10n and advanced ; have already con- Working people. thousands of yy {htough | their eed Just completed eh oe negotiations agr Ployers for new €ements, Yet few if the “emands put for- ible aes are really We live, is Ty ma qaott Many unions tinge he Substantial wage ate Mcreases b honor orthodox enande Y local, ae seat 4 0 not even e 4 "rolution oct of the scien- *lationg 2 ee produc- here tracts j ar {ee 4 recent Unions Which have vtents, angered three-year ia, : here, in British Pa Anfluential mem- march bureau, Tade ion’ very impor- negotiations . 48re, ations rments, Was advis- F Ments Sign long-term advice seems € least, when Will see greater Nees than the thr Ways ra history, man » "0 prone to re- oS | he in’ Union leaders ~ he times in See sent technical and scientific ad- vance, and his social and ideo- logical outlook has always lag- ged behind the actual techno- logical and scientific realities. The purpose of this article, how- ever, is not to analyze the rea- sons for the above phenomena, but to deal with the trade unions’ relation to the actual economic and political situation as of today. A challenge : This situation, which evolu- tion has dumped in our lap, does not allow of any nostalgic pre-occupation with the past, but presents a challenge, par- ticularly to the trade unions, who, by virtue of their existing organizational structure, could do a great deal to ensure that the benefits of automation are shared equally by all the peo- ple. Automation is changing pro- duction methods so rapidly and drastically that mankind is faced with the choice of chang- ing production relationships, or facing economic and social dis- aster, just as sure as nuclear weapons have changed the na- ture of warfare and have pre- sented mankind with the choice’ of disarmament and peace, or total annihilation. A few of the problems facing the people of our country and all. the so-called “free enter- prise” countries, were touched on by Harold Wilson, the new leader of the British Labor Party, when he addressed the Labor Party Conference in Scar- borough, England, last October. In dealing with growing mass unemployment, much of it due to automated production meth- ods, Wilson stated that “Britain within the ‘next decade would have to provide 10 million new jobs, provide a vast extension in higher education in science and technology, accept respon- sibility for training of appren- tices, and for the retraining on ni ; ral ta to have 12 men before this was automated.” 2 ne SSS | Pe pe a || full pay, for new jobs, of all workers who have been dis- placed by automation.” Technological progress, auto- mation, is the result of social production in which everybody who has ever worked has taken part. This technological pro- gress, if left solely to the dic- tates of private industry and private property, can only lead very quickly to higher profits for a few, a high rate of em-. ployment for a specially selec- ted few, and to mass unemploy- ment for the vast majority. No amount of mental eva- sion, no ostrich burying of the head, can change the situation which confronts Canadian labor at the present time. There is no difference in the picture out-_ lined by Harold Wilson for Bri- tain, and the picture for Can- ada’s economy, except the dif- ference in population. Whereas Britain is faced with providing 10 million jobs in the next de- cade, the figures for Canada could be 2 or 3 million. — The answer Wilson finally came to the central problem facing all labor- ites, all trade unionists, when he stated that “If there had ne- ver been a case for socialism before, automation would have created it.” This quotation might come as a shock to Can- ada’s politically shy trade union- ists, but the inevitable outcome of the scientific changes in pro- duction methods, sooner than later, must be apparent to all persons of average intelligence. What remains is for man to accept the fact that automation has not only done away with the need for private ownership of the means of production but has already shown that to re- tain such a.system for. very much longer is to court econo- mic and political disaster. To date the. system of free enterprise (as the owners pre- fer to call it) continues to func- tion, and on the surface doesn’t appear to be deathly sick, but the signs around us are an ominous portent of what is to come — the terrific debt struc- ture: Canadians in debt for con- ssumer goods, household ap- pliances, to the tune of $5 bil- lion, another $8 billion in mort- gaged homes; jobs disappearing, and. unemployment rising; the growing army of welfare reci- pients; the hopeless outlook for the majority of young people leaving schools. The million or so of people - on the bottom rung of our eco- nomic ladder have so far been kept quiet by unemployment in- surance benefits and welfare cheques, but what of the future when the vast majority of our workers can find no place in ‘our production process? Lest anyone think this picture is fantastic, it is already pos- sible for one man to touch a button and start an automatic 7 veep WeQnt lutomation and the trade unions iE lhe ey POBLLSS FLETS IGNORE HIM AND HoPE HELL Go AWAY!” process which spews out a mil- lion ball bearings in a few hours time, so it is with light bulbs, radio parts, and hundreds of other commodities. These com- modities are produced for sale, not to be given away,’ and re- dundant workers can’t buy. Yes, as Harold Wilson stated, a clear case for socialism has been created; but socialism does . not come about automatically, just because of a favorable eco- nomic climate. Socialism has to be planned for, worked for, even fought for. Labor party This is why Canadian trade unionists will have to start thinking politically, if we hope to find a peaceful solution to the phenomena of automation. Private industry and private property, through their press and their legislatures, have let it be known in no uncertain terms that they do not intend to share the benefits of automa- tion with the working people, that they do not intend to re- linquish: any of their super pro- fits, whatever situation ensues. No longer can trade unionists afford to regard politics as a dirty word. They must undertake the task of building-a labor po- litical party, which could legis- late the necessary measures and laws for the full enjoyment of the benefits of the scientific re- volution for all the people. The task of building such a labor - party by the trade unions, there- fore, is not a matter of altruism, but of self-preservation. Should anyone have any illu- | sions as to how the private en- terprisers will act when confron- ‘ductive role ted with the necessity of having to share the profits of an auto- mated society, the recent efforts in the United States to deal with the victims of such a society should shatter any illusions. On March 16, U.S. President John- son asked Congress for $962 million to wage a war on pover- ty. This money of course is to come from taxes, most of which come from wage earners. — In outlining his program, Johnson said the attack should be concentrated on youths in the 16 to 21 age bracket. He proposed the establishment of a job corps — reminiscent of the - Civilian Conservation Corps camps of the depression days— which could enlist up to 100,- 000 young men. These young men, Johnson said, would be removed from their glum back- grounds and placed in camps to work on conservation projects. They would emerge from them better qualified to play a pro- \ in American so- ciety. There you have it — in the richest, most highly industrial- ized country in the world. If there is no productive role for them now in American society, what hope can there be for them when they emerge from the camps? This is the beginning of a trend which, if not stopped, — could end in a highly automa- ted fascist system for all Amer- ica, with an elite push-button hierarchy, and God help the re- dundant. Remember what hap- pened to the redundant in Hit- ler’s Europe. Trade unionists should give some thought to these problems. There is not too much time. June 19, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5