ee ee eee <2

@ Cont'd from page 3

Murphy spoke of what the
merger of Mine Mill and Steel
had already meant in the min-
ing industry and the fight against
the bosses, particularly shown
in the copper strike. “Unions in
British Columbia have their
agreements expiring. They will
be facing the same apparatus.
What a challenge it would be to
the B.C. government and Bill 33
if we showed unity. We would
scare the pants off them,” Mur-
phy said .

(Later Murphy told this re-
porter that he had neglected to
mention the fact that among the
first people to come to the de-
fense of the leaders of the fish-
ermen who are now in jail, were
the officers of his union who had
signed the appeal to the Supreme
Court. He said that the resolu-

F

‘tion being debated was one de-

signed to help bring the fisher-
men into Congress and _ that
there were many people, includ-
ing in the leadership of Steel
working for it.) :

From the IAM came another
delegate who said, “Let them in.
Let’s not pass the buck on to
the executive.”

The motion to refer the reso-
lution back for reconsideration
(along the lines of the discussion
obviously), was passed. -

_ Lead-off speaker on the second
of the two resolutions was Bill
Longridge of Steel, also one of
those who was back at a Con-
gress convention after twenty

“Jt is obvious,” he said, “that
the majority here want unity.
They feel they have it in their
grasp and want something done
about it. But there is this string
of proliferation. This clause cre-
ates a condtion of doubt, and if
it means banning a union, it
defeats the whole intent of the
resolution. Let’s bring them in

Steel

® Cont'd from page 3

operations in the basic indus-
- tries we represent and hope to
represent.”

The big hang-up in Steel, as it
is in most other unions in Can-
ada, is relations between French
and English Canada as reflected
in the trade union movement.

The position of both Sefton
and William Mahoney, Canadian
Director of the union, is that
the problem is bi-culturalism
and bi-lingualism.

Mahoney’s approach was indi-
cated in his report to the con-
ference which stated:

“Whatever .the linguistic dif-
ferences between French Cana-
dians and  Anglo-Canadians,
there is no basic difference in
their economic needs; those who
would divide them on a regional
or language basis do a grave dis-
service to workers in Quebec
and in all the other provinces.
Our common cause is evident
and it calls for common action.
Any impediment thrown in the
way of maximum coordination
and cooperation across provin-
cial frontiers serves neither the
worker in Quebec nor the work-
er in any other part of Canada.”

The split in Steel on this ques-
tion is mirrored in the whole
CLC, and it is made more cofm-
plicated because the Quebec

-- Federation of Labor as well as
the position of the Steelworker
leadership in Quebec, speaks
not of the national rights of
French Canada, but of the pro-
vincial rights of Quebec as every
other province.

ae

and then solve the question of
proliferation.”

William Stewart of the Ship-

yard Federation in Vancouver,
added his voice. “Why can’t we
have the battle on jurisdiction
inside Congress?” He spoke of
the five unions in the shipyards
which are cooperating already
and said he didn’t think that any
committee should place any ob-
stacle in the way of any union
coming into the Congress.
' A Steel delegate from local
1005 in Hamilton said, “Let’s
open up the doors to the UE,
Teamsters, Mine Workers, etc.”
A delegate of the Hamilton La-
bor Council, Nan MacDonald,
added her voice, speaking of the
unity in Hamilton at the time
of the 7-week strike by UE. in
Westinghouse and saying, “let
us discuss our differences in one
house of labor.” A Winnipeg
worker and a worker from Sept-
Iles, also spoke on the need to
establish one united labor body.
- And when the motion to refer
back for further consideration
was placed (the only way that
delegates can get a resolution
amended) it was passed.

Later the convention in the
same spirit adopted a resolution
proposing discussions between
the CLC and the Confederation
of National Trade Unions, with
a view to merger and defeated
the proposal that would have
thrown out the Seafarers Inter-
national Union.

As one delegate expressed it,
“The CLC is not a private club.
It should be open to all workers.”

Structure

e@ Cont'd from page 3

partnership between two sover-
eign peoples—French and Eng-
lish speaking. If there is to be
one all-Canadian trade union
center it must be founded on an
equal partnership between the
working class of our two Cana-
dian nations.

A good beginning ‘in this di-
rection would be for the CLC
to institute structural changes
along federated lines, legalized
in the constitution, making the
Quebec Federation of Labor a
fully national autonomous sec-
tion of the Canadian Labor Con-
gress. Such a step would convert
well-meaning declarations for
unification into a real action of
working class solidarity, paving
the way for a united trade union
movement in Quebec and one
all-Canadian center.

A second area of friction
which could be tackled more
concretely is that having to do
with Canadian autonomy of in-
ternational unions affiliated to
the CLC. The commission’s re-
port correctly emphasizes the
autonomous position of the Con-
gress. It stresses that the CLC’s
relationship to the AFL-CIO is
a fraternal, not-a structural one.
It points out that a number of
international unions in Canada
have been confirmed in their
autonomy and “many ungons
have regularized this by consti-
tutional and other means.”

However, it is equally true
that a goodly number of inter-
national unions in Canada have
little or no autonomy. And, the
fact is that the ability of the
CLC to act as an independent

and autonomous body is in large,

measure determined by whether
its affiliates enjoy autonomy OF
not. : r

A declaration by the Congress,
codified in its constitution, that
international unions affiliated to

Page 4—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MAY 10, 1968

up CLC | ‘New stage in OF ;

What appeared to be shaping
up into a debate that might have
ripped apart the momentous de-
velopments for trade union unity
that had been the great achieve-
ment of the first day’s delibera-
tions of the convention of the
Canadian Congress of Labor,
suddenly was resolved on Tues-
day morning.

Louis Laberge, President of
the Quebec Federation of Labor,
stood up three hours ahead of
the time scheduled for the de-
bate to request the convention
to agree to the withdrawal of
the QFL appeal against the CLC
Executive Council’s pre-conven-
tion decision that the QFL had
exceeded its authority by dis-
cussing a no-raiding pact with
the Confederation of National
Trade Unions and the Corpora-
tion of Teachers of Quebec
(CEQ).

Following discussions be-
tween the executives of the CLC
and the QFL, he said, “we con-
sider our appeal is no longer
necessary.”

Immediately upon the conven-
tion’s vote to approve the with-
drawal of the Quebec appeal,
William Dodge, Executive Vice-
President of the CLC, asked the
convention to endorse the fol-
lowing proposal of the CLC
Executive Council:

“We are pleased to be in a
position to inform the conven-
tion at this time that, as a result
of discussions which have been
held between the Executive Com-
mittee of the Congress and the
Executive Committee of the
Quebec Federation of Labor,
there has been a mutually satis-
factory resolution of the issue
between the Congress and the
Federation which has been of
such great concern to all of us.

“The basis of this agreement,
which the Executive Council re-
commends for your favorable
consideration is: ‘That this con-
vention authorize the Congress
and the Quebec Federation of
Labor jointly to continue dis-
cussions with the CNTU and the
CEQ with a view to preventing
and regulating inter-union con-
flicts in the best interests of’ the
workers we represent.’

“Approval of this agreement
by the convention would super-

the CLC are required to estab-
lish Canadian sections whose
officers shall be nominated and
elected by, and only by, the
Canadian members would mark

another significant step towards .

unification.

Finally, the new clause, Arti-
cle XVII, “Ineligibility’, page 35,
opens the door for possible re-
instatements subject to the auth-
ority of the Executive Council.

However it could tie the hands -

of the Council to such an extent
that it may defeat its own ‘pur-
poses. For it presents the issue
in terms of conditions of the
past. What is needed is empha-
sis on the présent and the needs
of today.

Perhaps a better placing of
the problem: would be to start
with an affirmation of the auth-
ority of the Executive Council to
undertake all measures within
its jurisdiction to extend and
strengthen further the unity of
the organized labor movement
in Canada. It could then go on
to emphasize that the reasons
for the original suspensions or
expulsions have been eliminated
bv the growth and development
of the trade union movement;
and the urgent tasks it faces in
protecting the vital interests of
the working class.

cede all other previous state-
ments with respect to the entire
subject.”

In a hall rocking with ap-
plause, the delegates voted una-
nimously for this proposal.

Interviewed on the spot by the
press, Louis Laberge comment-
ed, “The position of the QFL
remains unchanged in our atti-
tude to discussions with the
CNTU and CEQ. This conven-
tion’s decision represents a very
important step in the matter of
the relationships between the
CLC and ourselves. We are very
happy with it, as it constitutes
a new and satisfactory formula.”
Questioned as to whether the
convention’s decision means an
advance or not of the struggle
for trade union autonomy in
Quebec, Mr. Laberge answered,
“Quebec trade union autonomy
is a separate question to be
considered later by this conven-
tion when it discusses structural
reforms within the CLC.”

In a separate interview, Fern-

and Daoust, one of the vice-
presidents of the QFL, extended

the interpretation of the impor-_

tance of the decision by the
Quebec delegation: “The unani-
mous adoption of this decision”
he said, “marks a new, higher

stage of the maturity of the —

trade union movement. It has
prevented what could have been

a serious rupture of the conven- —

tion. Essentially it is based on
the QFL thesis of Canada as a
bi-national state. The decision
extends this bi-national concept
to the trade union movement of
Canada. It represents”, he con-
cluded, “the status of equality,

at least as it concerns the ques-

tion of the CNTU and the joint
discussions of the CLC and QFL
with it.”

The fact that the membership

of the trade union movements

in Canada is demanding unity
and that this CLC convention
is. reflecting this in its deci-
sions, is the main development
of this convention.

Beyond the cold war

In the same spirit that sent
back inadequate resolutions on
unity, the Canadian Labor Con-
gress delegates sent back to
committee’ the policy statement
on international affairs, which
had been described in the de-
bate as “namby-pamby”, “‘in-
adequate” and “disappointing.”

It started with Eamon Park
of the Steel Workers Union,
who said that the report better
described what had been five
years ago then the present or
the future. He added that it ob-
scured on the main issues: the
need to be in opposition to
NORAD; to see that NATO has
reached the point of no return
and that what is needed is cul-
tural exchanges with the work-
ers in socialist countries. “The
concepts in the statement,” he
said, “are basically cold war and
we have to start thinking be-
yond cold war concepts.”

Delegates agreed with these
propositions, added the issue of
ending Canadian arms sales to
the U.S. for use in Vietnam,
spoke of the need of labor play-
ing a bigger role in demonstra-
tive actions against present Can-
adian foreign policy, of ending
subservience to Uncle Sam.

‘One delegate said he felt “‘be--
smirched” when Congress did

not dissociate itself from AFL-
CIO President Meany’s support
of the policy of the Johnson ad-
ministration. Another, J. James,
president of the Manitoba Fede-

ration of Labor, complained that -

‘Congress leadership was instru-,

mental in blocking trips to the

Soviet Union; another wondered
why the question of the admis-
sion of the People’s Republic of
China to the United Nations was
omitted. ;

Joe Morris, Executive Vice-_

president of Congress, took the
floor to say that Congress has
never supported and never will
support shipments of arms by
Canada to the combatants in
Vietnam. He added that the
question of delegations of work-
ers to the socialist countries was
being taken up by Congress with
the ICFTU in order that that
body would change its policy
too. :

The statement was referred

back to committee. Next week’s
issue of the Tribune will carry
a further story on the stand
taken on international affairs by
this convention which, to Trib-
une press, time can already be
described as the convention
where the cold war is being left
behind.