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Action on anti-labor laws sought

By GLADYS CARTER

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y.—Anti-labor laws in the U.S. or in any other member country will be a matter of concern
for the United Nations, if a resolution proposed March 1 by the World Federation of Trade Unions is accepted by
the UN economic and social council. The WFTU has called on the council to establish a permanent committee on union
rights, which would go into action any time that a member
nation violates the fundamental liberties for all peoples

Greeks protest
US intervention

ATHENS — If the Ameri-
can government proceeds with
its plan to pour $350 million
into financing the British oc-
cupation of Greece, the Na-
tional Liberation Movement (the
EAM), which led wartime resist-
ance against the Nazis, has an-
nounced it will bring charges
against the U.S. before the United
Nations.

According to EAM and labor
leaders, the American money will
serve as a continuing prop for
the present dictatorship. There
has been no suggestion that the
money will be used for food for
the impoverished people. It is
admittedly to be used to maintain
British troops in Greece until the
Monarchist government has had
time to build its own army.

Union leaders, forcibly ejected
from their posts and replaced by
government stooges, point to the
revival of laws passed by prewar

fascist dictator Metaxas as proof
of the government’s fear of the
people. No union is allowed to
elect its leaders, collective bar-
gaining is outlawed, mass meet-
ings are prohibited anq strikes
are illegal. The government is
waging all-out war against anti-
monarchists who in _ increasing
numbers are forced to take to the
hills,

(The spotlight was turned or
the aims of U.S. big business
in Greece March 4 by Walter
Lippmann, world affairs colum-
nist generally considered spokes-
man for America’s top financial
interests. Greece, he says, is
an “outpost” of U.S. “military
commitments argund the world.”
He questions whether we should
pour funds into Greece, not be-
cause the Greek people want
freedom, but because Greece
May not be the most strategic
point for waging war. against
Russia.)

guaranteed in the UN charter.

Among the principles which the
71-million-strong world labor body
has asked the council to acknowl-
edge formally are:

e@ “Trade union rights are re-
cognized as an inviolable preroga-
tive enjoyed by salaried workers

| for the protection of their profes-
‘sional and social interests,

@ “Trade union organizations
should be able to administer their
/own affairs, to deliberate and
tied decide on all questions fall-
ing within their competence, in

‘We are not plone

Tired of unfulfilled promises
of jobs and homes, these vet-

erans march on Columbus, Ohio, to demand payment of
an immediate bonus, adequate housing and the passage
of a Fair Employment Practices Act. The march is under
the leadership of Local 728, United Electric Radio and
Machine Workers Union (CIO)—a fine demonstration
of veteran-labor unity lobbying to get things done.

conformity with the law and with
their constitution, without inter-
ference in their duties from gov-
ernmental. or administrative
bodies.

@ “There should be mo obstacle
to the federation of trade union
organizations on the occupational
or inter-occupational level, wheth-
er locally, regionally or inter-na-
tionally,

@ “All legislation which places
restrictions or the above-mention-
ed principles is contrary to the
economic and social collaboration
laid down by the charter of the
United Nations,”

The general assembly recom-
mended that the WFTU be allow-
ed to submit items for the eco-
nomic and social council agenda.
When this recommendation was
discussed by the council March 1,
the British delegate opposed it
on «the grounds that the Interna-
tional Chamber of Commerce and
AFL have the same privileges
and that this would overload the
council agenda.

As the discussion developed, all
the delegates got wound .up in
technical red tape until finally .an
1i-man commission was appointed
to decide whether the general as-
sembly meant that the council
must accept agenda items from
the WFTU and other agencies, or
whether it has the right to reject
such items. '

The WFETU resolution pointea
out that in many nations today
unions take part in directing in-
dustrial enterprises and in pre
paring and administering social
legislation. Where urions have not
got these rights and where re-
strictions are placed on their col-
lective bargaining rights, it said
the workers “have no other means
of redressing the wrongs inflicted
on them than by the collective
stoppage of work and by agita-
tion.”

US Supreme Court ruling opens —
way for wholesale strikebreaking

NEW YORK—The USS. Supreme court decision against John L. Lewis and the Unit-
ed Mine Workers (AFL) carries implications that will strike as hard a blow against the

American labor movement as

AFL uuions score raids
on CIO steel locals

TORONTO ~— Both the General Steel Wares local
and the Continental Can local of the United Steelworkers
voted unanimously here to stay in the ranks of the CIO
union. In London, Ontario, both locals of the General Steel

Wares switched from the CIO to
the AFL after a raiding move-
ment that was led by Russel Har-
vey, AFL organizer in the prov-
ince. Officials of the CIO steel-
workers are in the process of at-
tempting to meet with the mem-
bership of the London locals with
a view to “explaining our side of
the story.”

In the meantime the first offi-
cial AFL criticism of Russell Har-
vey was voiced here by the Tor-
onto Typographical Union. In
Hamilton more criticism was voic-
ed when the Trades and Labor
Council of that city met. The
question of the Russell Harvey
anti-unity raiding movement was
raised under “good and welfare”
and found ‘several members of
AFL unions expressing their dis-
gust of Mr. Harvey’s policies.

The Toronto Typographical
union made its protest in an
official letter to AFL President
William Green. While Har
vey’s name was not mentioned
it was very clear to whom the

FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 1947

letter referred wher it spoke of
the AFL chartering former
“strikebreakers.” Mr. Harvey re-
cently announced that he had
issued an AFL charter to the
Stelco company union whose
membership is mainly made up
of workers who played a strike-
breaking role during last sum-
mer’s steel] strike.

While Mr. Harvey’s name was
not mentioned in the letter to
William Green it came up fre-
quently at the meeting of the
typographical local where the de-
cision was reached to _ protest
raiding. The Green letter stressed
that such tactics could only lead
to a disruption of the Canadian
trade-union movement and would
hinder the progress toward unity
of action by, and eventual unifi-
cation of the AFL and CIO in
the United States.

Indications are that more AFL
Officials will soon publicly indi-
cate their sentiment in much the
asme way.

any of the pending labor-shackling bills now before Congress.

In a 7 to 2 decision the court
found UMW Pres. Lewis guilty
of contempt in refusing last No-
vember to abide by the injunction
which, at the government’s_ be-
hest,. ordered him to call off the
miners’ strike for higher pay.

also ruled that when the govern-
ment is the employer, the Norris-
LaGuardia act, outlawing use of
injunctions in labor disputes, does
not apply.

The court decision, announced
March 6, reduced the fine against
the UMW from $3 million to
$700,000.. However, its other ma-
jor rulings are designed to turn
back the clock to the days be-
fore the Norris-LaGuardia act
Was passed in 1982.
employer whose plant was struck
could simply go to the nearest
court, get the judge to write out
an order that the strikers had
to return to their jobs, and rally
the police force to see that the
order was carried out.

The supreme court decision does
not say that the Norris-LaGuardia
act no longer applies to private
industry but its implications were
pointed up by Justice Frank R.
Murphy, one of the four mem-
bers of the court who dissented
from the majority opinion.

To the “clearly enunciated
policy of making government by
injunction illegal,” Murphy said,
“Congress has made no exception
where the public interest is at
stake. or 'where the government
has seized the private properties
involved.

“If seizure alone justifies an in-

In a 5 to 4 opinion the court |

Then an

JOHN L, LEWIS
*...+ government by injunction’

junction contrary ‘to the expres:
sed will of Congress, some gov-
ernment coulq easily utilize seiz-
ure as a subterfuge for breaking
any or all strikes in private in-
dustries.”

Murphy described as “specious”
the theory that, because the gov-
ernment hag seized an industry,
the workers are public employees.
In the case of the coal mines, for
example, although the govern-
ment is acting as operator, the
profits are going to the private
owners,

Union puts end
to provocation |

Clothing workers at Lounge
Fashion Limited, Vancouver,
are deeply aroused over the
discriminatory and anti-union
practices of one of the three own-
ers, S. Julius. Since signing an.
agreement recently with the Jour-
neymen Tailors’ Local of the
Amalgamated Clothing Workers
(CIO), there has been several
cases of unjustified intimidation
against the union shop chairman,
in direct violation of the agree
ment.

Two weeks ago, workers at the
plant ceased work in protest over
the transfer of the shop chair-
man to a different classification
of work in the plant, without cor
sulting the union or the individ-
ual affected. The other two own-
ers are trying to dissolve the ©
partnership with Julius, realizing
the seriousness of the latter’s ac
tions, It is pointed out that the
case is made even more. disagree
able because Julius, before assum-
ing ownership in the firm, was 2
member of the Amalgamated
Clothing Workers.

The Journeymen Tailors’ Local
also reports the signing of aD
agreement} with Harrison Clothes,
with provisions for paid vaca-
tions and’ statutory holidays, ix
addition to substantial wage in- |
creases for many of the workers
at the plant.

Stockholders’
strike plant

Workers at Industria] En-
gineering Limited here, have
taken strike action, following
the arbitrary firing of 31 em-
ployees, mostly union mem-
bers, without any regard to sen-
jority, two weeks ago. Nearly 125
workers at the plant refused to
return to work last Monday morn-
ing, demanding reinstatement of
the dismisseq men and the sign- |
ing of a union agreement. with
the United Steelworkers) (CIO)
and the management.

Although an estimated 20 pro-
duction workers entered the plant
on the first day of the strike,
Most of these are expected to
join. the picketers, due to the ef-
fectiveness of the walkout. Tom
Baxter, plant chairman, and one
of the dismissed men is leading
the strike. Baxter, who has been
with the firm for two-and-a-half
years, told the Pacifie Tribune
that “the strike is progressing
satisfactorily and the men are
confident they wil! win a union
agreement and reinstatement of
all those fireq by the company.”

Industrial Engineers, which pro-
duces power saws for the lumber-
ing industry, has encourageq its
employees to purchase stock in
the company, giving ‘the workers
the illusion they had a deciding
voice in the firm. The discrimin-
atory dismissal of the 31 workers. -
many of whom hold stock in the
firm, quickly dispelled the work-
ers’ illusions regarding ‘a voice iD
the company’s affairs’. One of

~

the men-fired, purchased stock

in the fitm valued at $2000,

Full support to the strikers
has been pledged by the Inter-
national Woodworkers of Am-
erica (CIO), here, who have
threatened to instruct their
membership not to handle pow-
er saws produced by Industrial
Engineers, unless the company
reinstates the dismissed men.

Retain Price Control |

NEW WESTMINSTER, B.C. —
A resolution demanding restora
tion of price controls “ag an e&
sential factor in maintaining thé
living standards of the Canadia®
people,” was unanimously adop-
ted by a public meeting held if
Tatra Hall, Queensborough, last
Sunday. |

The meeting, sponsored by New
Westminster City Committeee of
the Labor-Progressive Party, wa%
addressed by Minerva Miller, with
Hugh Clark as chairman.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—PAGE 2

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