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BENNETT SCUTTLES BOOM ©

Threatens to stop public projects
if labor stands by 7-hour demand

FRIDAY, APRIL 29, 1966
VOL. 27, NO. 17

May Day Special

Anti-labor injunctions
blasted at CLC parley

The use of court injunctions in
labor disputes came under sharp
fire at the Canadian Labor Con-
3ress Convention meeting in Win-
Nipeg this week, A mildly-worded
resolution was rejected by the
1,600 delegates who demanded 2
stronger stand, including a civil
disobedience campaign against
injunctions,

The resolution was referred
back to committee for revision
in line with the overwhelming
Sentiment of the delegates for
‘*stronger action.”

Speaking in the debate Pat
O'Neal, B.C, Federation of La-
bor secretary-treasurer, said
unions have tried every legal
means to win their battle against
injunctions, but charged “the
whole process is designed to
harass and humiliate unions.”
He said judges are too willing to
listen to employers’ views.

The BCFL study, announced
just before the CLC convention
Opened, pointed out that between
1945 to 1955, 45 injunctions were
issued against unions, In the ten
years since then (1955-65) more
than 300 injunctions against un-
ions have been issued in Van-
Couver alone,

Anti-labor injunctions have
been used by employers across
Canada more frequently in re-
cent years to break strikes.
“SPeakers at the CLC convention
from Montreal, Oshawa, Peter-
borough and Brantford, related
experiences in their cities, point-
ing to the need for strong action
by labor to stop the use of anti-
labor injunctions in labor dis-
putes,

On the eve of the CLC con-
vention the Canadian Manufac-
turers’ Association called for a
ban on all mass picketing by
unions, The CMA stand was out-
lined on page one of its news-
letter to companies, “Industry.”

The CMA has called on com-.

_Panies to continue to use the

courts for injunctions limiting
the number of pickets at a struck

plant.

(Next week the PT will carry
full reports from the CLC con-

" vention).

By MAURICE RUSH

Spearheading the attack of employers and the Socred government against
B.C.’s 48,500 workers now seeking needed gains in contract negotiations,
Premier Bennett has threatened to bring B.C.’s economic boom to a halt rather
than meet the legitimate demands of the workers. He warned this week that
all public projects, except the Peace and Columbia, would be stopped unless
construction unions give up their demand for the 7-hour day and other wage

benefits.

Underlining his blackmail
threat aimed at pressuring the
unions to capitulate, and to stiffen
the stand of employers against
the unions in the present round
of negotiations, Bennett an-
nounced this week that work has
been suspended on the centennial
museum and archives buildings.
He said other projects are under
review and may also be cut,

This stand by Bennett is a
direct reversal of his stand taken
earlier this year when he criti-
cized the federal government for
cutting public works projects,
The Premier said then that no-
thing will stop B.C.’s boom and
that it will keep on rolling along.
Now he is prepared to stop con-
struction in the province in order
to further his attack on organized
labor.

The immediate target of Ben-

nett’s attack is the Carpenters’
Union, which is seeking a 50-
cent increase plus improved
fringe benefits and a seven hour
working day without loss of take
home pay. He is reported to be
particularly incensed at labor’s
demand for a seven hour day and
fears that if the shorter work day
is established in the construction
industry it will soon spread to
all basic industries,

Bennett and other Socred gov-
ernment leaders are attempting
to justify their stand against
labor with the argument that
costs on the Peace and Colum-
bia projects are getting out of
hand, This has been branded as
false by a leading Vancouver
economist, He told the PT that
the actual costs of the Peace
and Columbia projects are far in
excess of what Bennett’s en-
gineers estimated, entirely apart

from any wage rates on the jobs
involved. ,

He told the PT that this was
particularly true of the High
Arrow Dam, “Bennett is now on
the spot because he _ rushed
through his deai with the U.S,
Now he is looking for a scape-
goat and he thinks he has found
it in labor, on whom he is trying
to put the blame,’’ he said,

This view was also confirmed
Wednesday by an official of the
Vancouver local of the Carpen-
ters’ Union who charged that
Bennett’s announcement that he
will curtail public projects is
a “smokescreen’’ to cover up his
mistake in agreeing to cost esti-
mates on the power dams which
were away out of line, *He
has now got together with the con-
tractors to attack the construc-
tion workers in order to shift
the blame on us,” the union
official said,

At the time of the Columbia
sellout, and later with the Peace
project, opponents of the Ben-
nett Giveaway plan warned that
the money B.C, was getting from
the U.S. was not enough. How-
ever, because of Bennett’s deter-
mination to go ahead with the
deal, B.C. is now stuck with
exhorbitant costs of building
these projects. The chickens
are coming home to roost and
the public must not allow Ben-
nett to get away with this man-
oeuvre,

Meanwhile, employer groups
in B.C,., taking a leaf out of
Premier Bennett’s book, are
stiffening their attitude to the
unions in contract negotiations,
There has been an almost unan-
imous rejection by employers of
union demands in every industry
where new contracts are being
negotiated,

A total of 48,500 workers are
involved in contract talks, These
are IWA, 26,000; Pulp Workers,
7,000; Carpenters, 7,000;

‘Miners and Smelter Workers,

4,000 in Trail and Kimberley;
Civic Workers, 2,500 and Alum-
inum Workers, 2,000,

In the giant forest industry,
mediation by conciliation officer
Jack Sherlock broke off last Fri-
day.

Also this week contract nego-
tiations between the Aluminum
Co,, of Canada, at Kitimat, col-
lapsed after two months

Meanwhile Vancouver City

‘Council hangs tough on refusing

to negotiate further with the Van-
couver Civic Employees Union
who have set a strike date of
May 7.

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