’ eros M5V 1T4.

Frozen wages, sky-rocketting.
paces and unlimited profits
orm the backdrop. for 1973
1ceotiations in Auto. But the
faders of the powerful UAW

"COnfine their demands to im-

pred fringe benefits and ig-
completely the basic need
a Wage increases to combat

ation, and the man-killing
“beedup on the production lines.
* 1S is class collaboration at its
Br and preparation to sell
Cr and betray the workers’
pests: The cover-up slogan
: this betrayal is the high-
Ouncing phrase — “humanizing

Ba Orsplace” and “Peace in

cae fancy cost-of-living for-
sa a plus the so-called improve-
Beni factor has long been the
onal and. favored econo-
ee sought by the UAW
“4 er : than across - the - board
a increases. This approach
ees tends to ignore the
ce eme Profitability of the auto
Porations’ and denies the
eters what is rightfully
with | It avoids coming to grips
ing the basic issue of increas-
is Wages at the expense of
mpany profits.

This year the argument for
in place of wage in-
pences is that such increases
cea Ron-inflationary” and even
ee nfiationary” because
creas Come after “a prior in-
ae the general level of
S.” But this is nothing but
boggccument of the monopoly
2 that wage increases are
ae of inflation, which is a
a lie. The fact is that
ia cost-of-living increases
Uaye the life of the present
halt-w. Contract, it does not go
ary q ay to meet the inflation-
of €cline of the buying power
are € dollar,.and the workers
Continuously falling behind.
Would 8° increase gained now
deva) Clearly come after the
. Uation of money wages.
Cost of ra Canada the general
the ving has risen 11.3% in
ast year, while most con-
_—.

"ew from the ussr

|* United Family
: _of Nations

PRO
SRESS PUBLISHERS » MOSCOW

Anastas Mikoyan

t © emergence of the
Gnd ¢ first union of free
tole ; 1a! peoples. Lenin's
ional elaborating a na-
and Elicy under socialism
omm plemented by the
Viet Yorist Party of the So-
Mion is covered @ 25

fal bo Order from your lo-
Gres. pastore or from Pro-
St. w0oks 487 Adelaide

BY BRUCE MAGNUSON

=

- labor movement.

LABOR SCENE UAW negotiators soft

on wages and speedup

Sess

tract settlements gained by
unions remain below 8%. Food
costs have increased some 17%.
Clearly the workers are falling
behind in their real earnings
while corporate profits have ad-
vanced 53% this year.

There is no way by which
auto workers presently can fight
the killing speed-up, hemmed in
as they are by -management
rights provisions in the union
contract. This includes the com-
pany security clause, the im-
provement factor and the no-
strike clause.

But, as if this were not
enough. class...collaboration, a
new so-called “harmony clause”
is sponsored: “The management
and the union’ acknowledge in
writing that their relationship is
one of mutual respect and res-
ponsibility; that the growth and
success of the union are of
direct interest to the company;
that each party, therefore,
pledges respect, understanding
and cooperation with the other
and covenants that it will not in
any way, impede the growth and
success of the other.”

Surely the auto corporations
are completely capable. of look-
ing after themselves, and are
successfully doing so at the ex-

- pense of the workers without

any help from union leaders.
For it is all too obvious that this
is a covenant between manage-
ment and union leaders that is
in complete opposition to the
workers’ interests in the auto in-
dustry. If the workplace is to
be humanized, it is such hypo-
critical double-talk that must
come‘ out of the new contract
altogether.

It is the killing pace of the

production that make such slog-
ans as ‘“30-and-out” attractive.

~ present,

But a worker is burnt out long
before that time.

And yet, because a_ worker
needs the money, overtime is
endured and sought after even
if it kills him.

The real issue is not volun-
tary compulsory overtime, but
of a 32-hour work week with
fully compensating wage in-
creases and no overtime. That is
the basic principle of trade
unionism, and-a policy that com-
bats both inflation and unem-
ployment at the same time.

* * *

As matters now stand mana-
gement has all the prerogatives.
It can close up shop and throw
the workers on the street. It can
impose rules and devise penal-
ties for breaking them and a
worker is declared guilty unless
and until he can prove inno-
cence. The way matters look at
union ‘representatives
are proposing to join.even more
closely with management as
joint enforcers of the manage-
ment’s rules in the shop. Indeed
this is to say the least a most
peculiar way to humanize the
workplace. What is so sacred
about management’s rules and
prerogatives that a worker and
his union cannot challenge?

a *

Inflation and unemployment
are the end results of corporate
profiteering and. capitalist explo-
itation. It is more than high time
to return to basic trade union
principles and to recognize the
basie class conflict in our mono-
poly-ridden society. The enemy
is the dominant position of the
corporate structure and _ its
monopoly control of both work-
ers and society. It is this control
which the union must challenge.
If this requires a struggle and a
great deal of sacrifice, so be it.
It may not be the most pleasant

-thing to contemplate. But there

is no other. way except, of
course, capitulation to the class
enemy.

Knowing who the main enemy
is, the union must devise poli-
cies and the most effective stra-
tegy and tactics to combat this
enemy. This is a matter for the
membership to decide. As for
union leaders, they are elected
to lead the struggle for the
members’ rights and interests. If
they refuse, or fail to do this,
members must develop and elect
new leaders who will.

Tea production in Africa, in

1972, reached a record high of.

nearly 150,000 metric tons.

To improve the quality of do-
mestic flocks, Peru has pur-
chased 7,500 head of breeding
stock sheep from Australia.

CLC postpones vote

OTTAWA — The Canadian
Labor Congress executive coun-
cil postponed until September a
vote to decide who will repre-
sent provincial civil servants. —

The Canadian Union of Public
Employees has claimed. jurisdic-
tion over. the part of the work-
force represented by the civil
servant associations in Alberta,
Prince Edward Island and New-
foundland. The CLC wants to
give the associations autonomy
within the Congress and claims
that autonomy will have to be
granted or the associations will
be lost as a part of the organized

yeEoe

a ae

CUPE feels that the provincial
associations are little more then
company unions and should not
be given the “mantle of legiti-
mate trade unions.”

If the provincial associations
are admitted on the terms set
down by the Congress, CUPE,
which is the Congress’ second
largesth affiliate, has threatened
to withhold its annual dues
which could eventually lead to
its suspension from the Con-
gress.

The CLC executive vote on
the matter is now scheduled for
the meeting in Charlottetown,
Prince Edward Island.

ECR ae

Tt EL ROA
Ss LOE RE
‘Seis Stas

Massacres of civilians by Portuguese troops in her African
colonies are a common response to Liberation Army victories -
in the field. Here an Angolan Liberation Army officer gives

orders to his troops.

The Canadian Committee for Amnesty in Portugal has
wired Mr. Trudeau, urging-the Canadian government con-
demn the ‘atrocities in Mozambique, such as the Wiriyama
incident, and. demand independence for the Portuguese

colonies.

Picket forces non-union

produce off

By D. R. TOTTLE

WINNIPEG — Recent actions
in the form of picketing, boy-
cotts and distributions of edu-
cational pamphlets in support of
U.S. farm workers at Winnipeg
Safeway locations has resulted
in that company’s removal of

non-union grapes and lettuce~

from it’s premises. As one of
the greatest offenders in the
handling of non-union produce,
as well as having a first-hand
stake in the super-exploitation
of California agricultural work-
ers, Safeway was obviously
fearful of public opinion: mobil-
ized by the Farm Workers
Union organizers and° support-
ers locally. It should be men-
tioned that the super-exploited
workers include many workers
of Native American extraction
as well as young children.

In spite of Safeway’s consent-
ing to cease the handling of
non-union lettuce and grapes,

Farm Workers Union organizer

Fred Schumacher cautions con-
sumers that Safeway’s keeping
their promise in the future is
another matter altogether. Hence
the public and workers and
their families in particular

should remain vigilant when

the shelves

shopping for produce at Safe-
way locations. When in doubt as
to whether lettuce and grapes
are union growfi or not, custom-
ers should check with the pro-
duce manager and demand to
see whether or not the produce
cartons bear the black eagle
label of the Farm Workers
Union. Customers would be ex-
pressing an act of solidarity
with the farm workers in doing
so.
Workers particularly should
remember that the monopolies
exploiting the sweat of .Califor-
nia farm workers are the same
monopolies that exploit Cana-
dian workers through ever in-
creasing food prices and costs.

Mr. Schumacher and _  col-
leagues have also been instru-
mental in establishing boycott
committees in Regina, Sask-
atoon, Edmonton, Calgary and
Vancouver. Workers and all
progressive péople are asked to
support these committees. The
actions against Safeway in Win-
nipeg are actively supported by
members of ' Winnipeg’s pro-
gressive movement, trade union-
ists, students, as well as by nu-
merous shoppers who refused
to buy non-union produce.

a

“e