Continued from page 1

- This week, delegates to the Van-

couver and District Labor Council
voted unanimously to wire the at-
torney-general protesting the se-
verity of the sentences. The vote
followed a moving appeal from
Maureen Black, one of those on
strike at the Surrey plant.

The council also voted to call on
* the B.C. Federation of Labor to

filiated unions to discuss ‘‘ways
and means of assisting the
RWDSU in winning this dispute.”

The Federation met last week
with the RWDSU to discuss the
court actions, following which
president Jim Kinnaird announc-
ed the Federation’s- intention to
file a protest with the attorney-
general regarding the treatment of
the strikers following their Senten-
cing.

According to the RWDSU,
even those fined were held in de-
tention cells and were also led
handcuffed out to the street. One
of those sentenced to 10 days was
led directly to jail without being
allowed any opportunity to pro-
vide for the care of her children
even though 'she is a single parent.

In outlining the Federation
statement to the labor council
meeting, Neale noted that ‘the
judge, Supreme Court Justice G.
L. Murray, who had heard the
ee and pronounced sentence had

call a staff conference of all af-—

been the prosecutor 13 years be-
fore when Neale, Jeff Power and
Tom Clark were sentenced to six
months for defying an injunction:

“*I want to be very careful how I
say this,’ he added, noting the
concern with contempt charges,
“but he is one of the most anti-
labor men in the judiciary today.”

Neale also noted that the in-
creasing involvement of the courts
shown in the 1960’s during the
battle against. injunctions ‘‘seems
to be recurring again.”’

The heavy weight of the. court
sentences, coupled with RCMP
protection for scabs and trucks
carrying hot products has occa-
sioned particular bitterness with
the strikers themselves who have
contrasted the police action on the
employer’s behalf with the failure
to investigate incidents reported
by strikers — including one in
which a young woman’s car was
extensively damaged by a man
“swinging an axe or something
like an axe.”’

Picket captain Al Valente told
the Tribune Friday that strikers
are also concerned that nothing
has been turned up in the investi-
gation of the stabbing of striker
Ron McCann even though he pro-
vided detailed description of his
assailant and made a positive
identification from police files.

The stabbing incident has been
linked to the strike because Mc-
Cann’s assailant reportedly

Fed meet sought on Adams strike

shouted to him to ‘‘come down to
the picket line”’ in order to get him
outside his home early in the mor-
ning. He was first beaten and
stabbed several times.

There have been no negotia-
tions with Adams since the strike
began February 21 and co-owner
Keith Robinson told the Tribune
bluntly last Friday: ‘‘There won’t
be any until the union changes its
mind,’’

Most of the employees were ear-
ning $3.50 to $3.75 at the time of
the strike, but even more funda-
mental issues — a closed shop
agreement, curbs on contracting
out. and standard contract lan-
guage — are in.contention, with
the employer apparently refusing
to offer any compromise on them.
Several members of his family are
among the strikebreakers.

A Federation ‘‘hot’’ edict was
placed on Adams Laboratory pro-
ducts earlier this year although
Robinson declined to comment on
its effectiveness in reducing
business.

The boycott of Adams products
— marketed under the Adams
label as well as various house la-
bels — has been stepped up in the
wake of the court actions, as has a
boycott of London Drugs stores
which market Adams products
under the London name.

=

‘idleness

ae

#o

AL VALENTE ON ADAMS PICKET LINE . .
urged in difficult strike.

str

OT i

ADAMS LABORATORIES LID,
‘AND PROPHARM LARORATORIES

ADAMS La LaboRATORES {7 2,
AND PROPHADN utes

. full labor assistancé
—Sean Griffin

B.C. Fed

In my Labor Comment of April

27 1 dealt with the liaison program
“involving the RCMP and the trade
- union movement in B.C.

I quoted the clear-cut position of
the Vancouver and District Labor
Council as reported in the Tribune
April 6, instructing council officers
“to write to the B.C. Federation of
Labor demanding that it withdraw
from the labor liaison program with
the RCMP and call upon the Cana-
dian Labor Congress to establish a
clear and unequivocal national pol-
icy On non-cooperation with the
RCMP whose actions through the
security services have not been in
the best interests of the trade union
movement, its members and other
workers.”’

Recently, | obtained a copy of the
current police/labor director with
its covering letter from W. J. Neill,
Chief Superintendent, Criminal In-
vestigation Branch, District 1, ‘‘E”’
Division, Vancouver.

The directory stated that the Ad
Hoc Police Committee responsible
for police/labor relations in’ B.C. is
made up of the following officers:
Chairman, Supt. B. L. Northorp,
RCMP, Vancouver; Supt. C.
Thomas, RCMP, Burnaby detach-
ment and Insp. D. Westover, Van-
couver Police Department.

The Ad Hoc Labor Committee
was listed as follows: Jim Kinnaird,
B.C. Federation of Labor; Dave
- McIntyre, B.C. Fed and Jack
Munro, International Wood-
workers of America.

Attached to the sheet listing the
top Ad Hoc Committees was a
directory of the police/labor rela-
tions: liaison committees, showing
that committees are in existence
throughout the province.

In every case, senior. police of-
ficers at the local level were -listed
along with senior labor officials. In
most cases, the senior labor officials
were the top officers of the labor
council. Syd Thompson and Paddy
Neale, president and secretary re-
spectively of the Vancouver Labor
Council were listed as liaison mem-
bers, as of May 31, 1979. Listed for
the New Westminster and District
Labor Council were Gerry Stoney,
president and Tom Baker, secre-

courting

tary. For the Victoria Labor Coun-
cil, the names: given were: Larry
Ryan and Jim Stewart.

Superintendent W. J. Neill made
the following comment on the labor
directory:

“‘In general terms, the purpose of
such a directory is to provide an ef-
fective and open means of com-
munication between labor and

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS

police in the event issues arise at any
time that relate, in the main, to the
police involvement in a_ labor
dispute either before or during it.

_ “Fam also given to understand
that the names of the various per-
sons shown as belonging to the
labor councils, are receptive to their
names being shown and are the
labor counterparts to the named

_ police officers in the various police

‘Jurisdictions.’’

Receptive means open and
TespOnsive to ideas, impressions or
suggestions and fit to receive and
transmit stimuli. This raises a very
important question: Did the police
receive official or unofficial consent
to use the names of the labor
leaders listed in the directory—for
example, Syd Thompson and Pad-
dy Neale of the Vancouver and
District Labor Council? Frankly, |
don’t believe they did in that
case—or in a number of other
cases.

However, a statement adopted by
the officers of the B.C. Federation
of Labor at a meeting held on May
30 will, in my opinion, encourage
the RCMP to promote their liaison
program at every level of the labor
movement.

The Federation statement can be
summarized as making the follow-
ing points:

¢ The recent articles exposing
RCMP undercover activity in the
labor movement and other spheres
of public life which appeared in the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 22, 1979— Page 12 .

troubles in RCMP prograt

opening, theft of membership lists,
breaking and entering, bombing,
unlawful detention, provocateur ac-
tions, planting of agents in trade
unions and the creation of conflict
and divisions within organizations.

New Westminster Columbian
“‘were written by a reporter seeking
only the sensational aspects of the
RCMP involvement.’’

e The Police/Labor Liaison
Committee was set up over two
years ago, but never received nor at-
tempted to receive official status.
“A number of people from the
labor movement and the police
community met infrequently to set
up informal lines of communication
between labor and _ police
throughout the province.’’

e The Committee has been in-
strumental in having labor
educators teach at police seminars
in an attempt to educate police per-
sonnel on the history, function and
goals of the labor movement.

e It is our opinion that such com-
munication is not detrimental to the
functions or goals of the. labor
movement.

e We are under no illusion that

such communication between labor .

and police will eliminate trouble on
picket lines or interference by police
in strike Situations, but we do
believe such communication _ is
beneficial to our members.

e There is no room for any of-
ficial link between labor and the
police. Neither is it acceptable in
any form to have the Security Ser-
vice of the RCMP involved in such
a link, or with any aspect of the
labor movement.

The last sentence of the ‘Federa-
tion statement gives the essence of
where the Officers of that organiza-
tion stand on the issue, at this time:
““We are satisfied at this point that
there is no Security Service par-
ticipation in the communication
program, and have informed the
RCMP that we will not tolerate any
participation of that group in the
program.’’

The Federation makes no men-
tion of the fact that the RCMP has
been accused by a number of trade
unions across Canada of surveil-
lance, espionage and internal dis-
ruption directed against organized
labor, ae

Neither does it offer a single
word of ‘criticism of the unlawful
activities of the RCMP, activities
which have been publicized by the
news media. For example: mail

statement makes no mention of
these crimes can only be construed
as suggesting that Federation of- -
ficers are prepared to overlook any
crimes the RCMP committed, or
may commit in the future, provided
there
* Security Service will not be involved -
in labor liaison committees. Frank-
ly, such as assurance would* be
meaningless. Who on the labor side
is in the position to know whether
this or that RCMP officer posted to
labor liaison work is not a member
of the Security Service? And who
could - guarantee
RCMP officer would not. pass in-
formation to the Security Service?

tight military discipline. Its movement itself. When the politié
members are carefully selected and climate is favorable for the rest!
thoroughly indoctrinated in. a_ tion of popular liberties and for™ |

fashion designed to create an elite
force firmly committed to the social
system as
Members of the RCMP who are
sympathetic to trade unionism and
deep-going changes in the power
structure are so few and far between
that for all practical purposes-they
don’t exist.

While union members should not
indulge in the type of police baiting
carried.on the ultra left, because it
is counter-productive and plays into
the hands of reaction, they should

;
:
:
l
;
f

never forget that we live in a dl
divided society. Objectively
the role of the RCMP emerg
that of a para-military
dedicated to the status quo Ww
acts as a shield against radical sot
change. The other police force
Canada fit into the same ové
pattern, but under certain co?
tions they are more responsib
popular opinion, for example,
the municipal level.
If organized labor is to play
positive role as the defende
liberty, then it must be the fi
expose the kind of wrongd
committed in recent years by
RCMP. It must do nothing, a
by commission or omission, tO §
gest it is not concerned vith il 2
matters as the stealing of mem»):
ship lists from the Parti.Que
in Quebec and the bugging of
offices of the Communist P
Such lack of concern would, int
long run, hurt the trade u

The fact that the Federation

is an assurance that the

that a_ regular

The RCMP is run on the basis of

_launching of wide-scale police. pio
vocations, organized labor
evitably becomes a major targe'

It is one thing, and neces
consult with the police from time el
time in order to make arrange™
for-a parade or demonstratiom, ©
to minimize potential violence a :
ing strikes. It is another thing,
morally wrong, in my opiniO?,
be co-opted into a liaison pro
designed to help the cloak and dd ;
ger squads in their unlawful
_tivities.

we know it today.

RIBUNE

Read the paper that fights for labor :

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