’ By WILLIAM ALLAN
DETROIT

N UNKNOWN number of
the 112,000 Chrysler work-
ers, members of the Unit-

ed Auto Workers, have ratified
a new three year contract, that
sparked one of the biggest up-
surges of bitterness and dissatis-
faction seen in UAW ranks for
years. The tally announced was
that 55 percent of the skilled
workers and 70 percent of the
production workers voted “Yes.”

In the recent Ford pact, simi-
lar to Chrvsler, the UAW re-
ported over 90 percent produc-
tion voting for it and a slightly
lesser figure of skilled favoring.
It was estimated that about
30-35 percent of the 166,000
Ford workers took the trouble
to vote for the pact.

Chief critics of the pacts, es-
pecially in Chrysler were the
new members and skilled work-
ers. In contrast in 1964 when
the pension issue was the top
line seller, this time it was for
a substantial wage boost to
meet war inspired inflation, and
for doing something about bad
working conditions, widely prev-
alent in UAW contract shops.

The image of the UAW from
one of veteran unionists stable
and steady, following without
question UAW president Walter
Reuther, has changed to,a roar-
ing, surging, battling youthful
Negro and white rank and file,
who don’t give a damn about
“sanctity” -of the contract,
“waiting periods” or strike dead-
lines.

The. most exciting example
of that was seen in Chrysler, al-
ways considered among the
worst on working conditions,
speedup, when 12 hours before
a Nov. 6, midnight strike na-
tional deadline, 50,000 produc-
tion, skilled, and truck drivers
walked off and with homemade
signs stopped the entire Chrys-
ler operation. Their slogans,
chalked on cardboard they
brought out of the shop said,
“Bad Working Conditions”;
“Speedup Gets Worse”; “No 2c
raises for us.” Even after UAW
president Walter Reuther an-
nounced a national pact, four
hours before strike deadline, the
next morning 50,000 rank and
file workers were walking picket
lines. Reuther demanded they
return, threatened striking truck-
ers in Detroit he’d go and drive

a truck across their picket line, -

said that if Chrysler Stamping
Plant members didn’t return to
work and ratify the contract,
he’d place an administrator over
the 4,000 member local. He bit-
terly attacked the “wildcatters”
for not appreciating the “histo-
ric pact” he’d won.

But a score of shop stewards
and plant committeemen at the
giant Chrysler-Dodge Main plant
in Hamtramck, Michigan in a
leaflet widely distributed sized
up the “historic pact” thus:

e National Agreement — no
help for working conditions.

e Production worker — again
forgotten, nothing written in the
new contract to curb speedup,
already a speedup exists in sew-
ing and the Charger line, even
before the contract is voted on.

e Ban on compulsory over-
time — nothing was done.

e Its a two year package in a
three year contract, as we get
nothing in ’67 or °70.

e The promise of Reuther to
“never, never, never” allow the
company to tamper with the
cost of living clause, has seen a
limit now set C of L raises. ,

DECEMBER +1,,1267—-PACIFIG TRIBUNE Rage §

3

e The “Substantial Wage In-
crease” actually amounts to a
wage increase for production
workers of a maximum of five
cents an hour over three years.

e Skilled workers are disgust-
ed, dissatisfied with their share.

e Local plant agreement, after
months of negotiations, we got
nothing.

e Relief time. We got 12 ex-
tra minutes, so the company
starts to make us take our re-
lief time 45 minutes after we
start work, when we need the
time when we are weary, later
in the shift.

The first claims of UAW pub-
licists that Reuther had won “a
dollar an hour package,” has
been quietly played down now,
and one hears 50 cents for pro-
duction workers and 85 cents
for skilled an hour raise gained
over three years. Actually of the
overall 20 cents an hour paid
immediately to all Chrysler

workers, 13 cents of it, they had
coming. Ten cents from a 1967
annual improvement factor raise
and at least three cents from a
1967 cost of living raise. Instead
this 13 cents went into the 20
cents an hour raise, which means
the Ford and Chrysler workers
actually got seven cents in real
new money.

Who are these new battlers
inside UAW ranks, these pick-
ets who tied up 50,000 preduc-
tion workers? Here is a clue:

e More than 50 percent of to-
day’s UAW membership of 1.5
million have ‘joined since 1962
and thus have less than five
years seniority.

e During the past seven years
there has been a turnover in
UAW of over one million mem-
bers.

e About 20 percent of Chrys-
ler’s 112,000 employees, hourly
rated are under 25 years of age.
In Ford, 35 percent are less than

~ Roaring, surging, battling rank and file |

30 years of age. In GM more
than 25 percent of UAW memz-
bers have less than 2 years
seniority. Ford employs 166,000,
GM 420,000,

It’s this transformation that
has brought a new rank and file
movement surging into negotia-
tions, seeking a big fat raise
from the Big 3 who made since
1962 more than $27 billion in
profits and increased their divi-
dends payments by 80 percent.

It was these workers too who
are victims of technological
speedup that has seen 626,000
workers turn out 4,793,000 cars
and trucks a few years ago and
in 1966-67 see 671,000 workers
turn out 10,358,000 cars and
trucks. That’s why speedup, bad
working conditions, along with
money were the big demands,
but Reuther came up with a
nickel and no changes to cut
down speedup.

Now he goes into Gel
tors where 420,000 UAN
bers are. Pick up aM) Tag
per or magazine and Nh,
are talking about thell
model cars. Talk t0

hour spot. strikes,
Reuther gets into née
and they want a Me
UAW contract with 3!
there has been steady Fy
year after year in MK
cars, GM_ workers wht
them say they have 4
contract. Working

full time union com
cutting down on spe

ing out wage ined’
wage parity for Cana
workers, increased Be
minutes additional reli
these along with |
wage hikes, are the is
ther is expected tO set ihe

deadline next week 4"
pressure goes on. ;

condi

ee:

Speed-up threat

now at Chryslers

HRYSLER UAW members
here are irked to say the
least, as they learn that for

the much publicized wage parity
agreed to by the Chrysler Cor-
poration for 12,000 Canadian
Chrysler employees, the top
UAW negotiators agreed to ex-
tend the present contract for
60 more days, till Jan. 15, 1968.

Deadline for the Chrysler-
UAW Canadian contract was
Nov. 15, with the workers ready
for action after delivering to
their leaders almost 100 percent
strike vote “Yes.” Now they
have to wait until January 15,
for any wage increases, similar
to U.S. Chrysler workers, who
got 59 cents for production and
85 cents for skilled an hour,
spread over a three year con-
tract. That, said one Chrysler
UAWer is quite a bit of cash,
we are being asked to pass up
from now until Jan. 15. No rais-
es will be retroactive till Nov.
15, that are negotiated after Jan.
15 either. Also the start of end-
ing wage parity, don’t begin un-
til June 1, 1968 when the 43
cents an hour differential with
U.S. workers will be reduced by
10 percent.

* * *

MEANWHILE negotiations are
being conducted ~here between
Canadian-UAW;Chrysler nego-

tiators and officials of Chrysler
on a new contract. Reports from
inside negotiations reveal that
for wage parity, Chrysler wants
parity on output, equal to out-
aes of Chrysler workers in the

Assembly lines go much slow-
er here, because Chrysler work-
ers here under the leadership of
President Charles Brooks, Local
444, Chrysler has led struggle
after struggle to hold down the
speed of the lines.

Negotiations at present after
three months are going nowhere
said one UAW-Chrysler, Local
444 member, we talked to. After
three months of negotiations he
said, the union has gained
nothing.

Now, he said, since parity on
wages is agreed on, Chrysler of-
ficials want parity on output
with U.S. Chrysler plants. The
company here would like to do
away also with corporation
with seniority that exists here,
eoametty with plant wide in the

Sunday, Nov. 19, a meeting of
Chrysler Local 444 members is
to be held to discuss the inter-
national UAW officials agree-
ment to extend the Canadian
contract 60 days. The sweetner
is a vote for accepting wage
parity, and the extension. ,

14

HEY were there in Sydney

— from every walk of life

— over 20,000 strong to

back up the workers of Dosco

who are faced with a loss of
their employment.

They came from all parts of
Nova Scotia, students, house-
wives, steelworkers, the miners
of Cape Breton (who know also
the fear of what jobs they will
have in the future) and business-
men.

Organized by the Steel Work-
ers Union, the march was a
“parade of concern’’ and had re-
ceived support from _ other
unions, church and civic leaders.
It started before the gates of the
Dominion Steel and Coal Cor-
poration and ended in a rally at
the sports stadium, a mile away.

Signs carried included, ‘Lead
us to boom not gloom,” ‘Lester,
we are still waiting,” “Oh, Can-
ada, SOS, Save our Steel.”

Rev. William M. Roach of the
extension department of St.
Francis Xavier University in
Antigonish told the assembled
crowd that both the provincial
and federal governments were
responsible for allowing this
crisis in relation to Dosco to
occur.

“For at, least five years,” he,

een quit
are! u
n

said, “it has b
to a number of ©
ers that things

these things We" A
ed up by a chorus ing

Eamon Park, SP&
USWA, said, “On®
serious problems
Canada is that 7 in On
igonal developme”’
try. We are muc yn” of
destroy Canada
nomic develana
to fall prey ‘ted © ing he
ieee He point tly fi
the union ha
20 years about
pen with Dose?

certainly got

Premier, G: *:
crowd . that they
mined to keeP
Discussions hav®
with a view ¢ h

For the 3, the
the solidarity Se 0
their province
dian working ere
promise that i sy?
ture for them a,