STORMY SESSIONS: | JM TT Labor must close ranks, urged at B.C. Fed parley High on the agenda of the 14 th Annual Convention of the British Columbia Federation of Labor (BCFL) which opened its week- long sessions in Vancouver Monday of this week, is the urgency for organized labor to close its ranks and strive for a ‘maximum of unity to meet the mounting onslaught of monopoly- government attacks. upon labor’s hard-won standards and elementary freedoms. Already in the Vancouver Sun edition of Nov. 4, the second day of the BCFL convention, the headline reads, “‘B.C. Business men ask Ottawa — Crack Down on Labor’’. This urgency for greater unity and co-ordination in labor struggles, which will possibly reach an all- time high in 1970 wage negotiations, was strongly outlined in the opening remarks of BCFL President E.T. Staley and in the Report of the BCFL Executive Council to the convention delegates. Said President Staley.‘*...The key to success for the trade union movement lies in de- veloping an increased unity and co-ordination through a strong central labor body’’, while the BCFL Executive Council report emphasised that , “It is the feeling of this executive that the _incoming . executive council should urge. . . that a committee be established representing all major unions involved in negotiations in 1970, to formulate strategy and policy, and develop a strong united front to achieve their bargaining objectives.” The Executive Council Report also cited the reports being made by big business and gov- ernment to saddle labor and the people with an austerity program, designed primarily to depress wage and living standards and to foist the blame for inflation on _ the backs of organized labor, as- sisted by more restrictive anti- labor legislation, similar to B.C.’s Bill 33. However despite President Staley’s remarks and the Executive Council call for more unity and co-ordination, the BCFL leadership came in for a great deal of sharp and stinging. _ criticism from many of the its stewaedship © delegates on during the past year. At Tuesday’s sessions during debate on the BCFL Public Relations Committee , which dealt extensively with ‘‘Labor’s | Image’”’ and the BCFL’s inability to do an extensive public relations job, the executive came in for sharp criticism for a situation which ‘“‘has been less than favourable’”’ to labor. When, however, the commit- tee on the BCFL Officers’ Re- port came up for discussion, the first delegate to speak de- manded the report be ‘‘thrown out’’, not for what it said, but for what it ommitted to say. This report, more in the nature of a whitewash of the executive council, as numerous delegates who took the floor pointed out omitted to mention why the BCFL leadership had failed to mount a real campaign against Bill 33; why the BCFL aa 7 = convention of a year ago had been unanimous that the Fishermen and Allied Workers Union should be accorded re- affiliation to the House of Labor (Canadian Congress of Labor), and why the BCFL Executive Council had done little or nothing to carry forward that decision. “When we speak of unity’, stated a delegate , that is what we mean — to bring all the unions now, outside this feder- ation into its ranks. That’s what this convention is all, about. But no explanation is forthcoming from the Execu- tive Council or executive of- ficer as to why the UFAWU are * not here today. ‘ Charges were voiced by delegates that members of the BCFL Executive Council, as members of the CLC Council, had obstructed re-entry of Fishermen’s Union, despite the unanimity of the 13th annual convention on the subject. Many delegates, including delegate Philps of the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union, noted that the Committee on Officers’ Report had also ommitted to mention the public charges made by the BCFL against the Oil Workers Union, because contrary to BCFL policy re Bill 33, the Oil Workers Union during its long struggle with the oil monopolies in B.C., had appeared before the Bill 33 Mediation Commission. Oil Workers delegatePhilps, stated that in the report there “is no incdication that the Executive might have erred... I am in favour of a strong central. labor body, but not for one that B.C. teachers are te 2 mad over refusal of school boards to hold meaningful negotiations on current contract demands. Teac ers leaders have charged the School Trustees Association with refusing serious negotiations in the hope of driving the teachers to compulsory arbitration. Photo above shows 900 Coquitlam teachersstaging a protest march last week. Similar marches have taken place in Surrey and others are planned. In New Westminster teachers have threatened to withdraw their services if necessary to bring about meaningful negotiations. “THE SOVIET ECONOMY & PEACE” 52ND ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION VICTOR PERLO—Famed U.S. Economist & Writer * REPRESENTATIVEU.S.S.R. EMBASSY, OTTAWA * MASS CHOIR, FEDERATION OF RUSSIAN-CANADIANS SUN. NOV. 9, 8 P.M. — Vancouver Technical School (Broadway & Nanaimo) .~ AUSPICES VANCOUVER CANADA-U.S.S.R. SOCIETY , enforces its policy by coercion.”’ Delegate Robson pointed out that while an affiliate of the BCF'L is engaged in a desperate struggle, its public chastisement by a central body is not the way to unity. Another delegate pointed out that the committee in assessing the Officer’s Report had ommitted entirely any comment on the NDP defeat in the August elections.’’ One would have expected some comment in a report of this nature.”’ REJECT REPORT The vote on this report illustrated something of the apprehension of the Executive: Council. Following the heated debate, when less than a third of the delegates voted in the affirmative, and over two - thirds against, president Staley declared the motion ‘‘carried.”’ At the shouts of protest against that ruling, a vote by a show of hands showed the chairman’s ruling decisively reversed by an overwhelming majority, The committee report on Officers’ Report was consequently ‘‘referred back’ for renewed consideration. Some 180 resolutions , coming under a varied list of headings, many dealing specifically with anti-labor legislation, the use of WAR PROTEST Cont'd from pg. 1 In Vancouver, the Labor Council, in a letter to all local unions signed by secretary C.P. Neale, urged trade unionists to take part in the peace actions scheduled for the week. It called on members to join the silent march which will form up at the south end of Granville Bridge Saturday, Nov. 15, at 11:15 p.m. is scheduled to proceed to the Georgia Street side of the Courthouse where a rally is scheduled to take place, at about 1 p.m. The VLC letter to local unions urged that workers ‘‘make every effort to be in attendance at one or more of the protest activities - so that the public will know that labor is opposed to war of any kind-but especially to the present illegal conflict now being visited upon the people of Vietnam by the U.S.A.” : The letter by Neale also stressed that ‘‘the more responsible citizens lend their support to these protests, the less possibility there is for the demonstrations to be used by minority groups to push their own ideologies - rather than straight opposition to _ the Vietnam.conflict.”.... —= , Sheila Mi Ui No SS ——, ation, still vention } injunctions in labor di safety laws, compens wage negotiations, etc. are to come before the con 2 Many relative to the com | committee reports still 10° up fer debate and discussiO” ia ) As of Tuesday's Cred? Committee Report, Some accredited union delegate in attendance, with 4 nine central labor councils, from the BCFL itself. paddy Monday of this week, *" of Neale, secretary-treasure trict the Vancouver and - fat it! Labor Council, threw his the ring, and will contest the Ral held by BCFL secretaly ‘in Haynes. Reports aroul lobbies have it that the Pe js | BCFL leadership machi ale a badly “‘shook up” by the“ ) announcement.