- RAE MURPHY

ie 3,000 members of
Elen 504 of the United
Re apical Radio and Ma-
anilton €ts crowded into the
Sr the Sa ey © fo
mmittee of their bargain-

uu
sting * Month prior to this
SStinghon er ees at Canadian
= pre In Hamilton had
rit n Overwhelming ma-
authorize their com:
a Pe action if
Id not come
4 u
areable Offer. On Mey
' pod to hear the re-
. Negotiations.
Pe Committee’s
fier that the company’s
A S unacceptable and
of peamous roar of ap-
4 Membership, West-
4S On Strike.
draftsmen, mem-

Nica] 4 €rican Federation

ty
$

een, building in
ae time. As ear-
‘ ™Mber the union
Botiation pany to open
e Ms before: the con-

Py
J tag, oor

“Opn XDireg,
; the t

:; Middle With the union in
d ‘i until r January. From
( hte through negotiations
Co ae :
ie "pany, ee, Reece with
SO, on Pokesman om ak nt
The ; Selling all the way.” on

ttt. (Mme: f
Ntike are diate issues of the
Whole 28, pensions and
* of economic
‘Marked most
e a ;
;attempt rec Particularly
‘| ” the »: Yestinghouse to
8ains won by the

—_

Tag
fat President of the

ureau and
representa-
Industry,”

oy at Ore eamsters’

Team any oth Prone to violenc
fo. Stare, Der @
fours Nion ane that the

eg Uti is

bamegae oon
8 ue
( Months that .@ to these indi.
a “EO. Issued some

torney Gene-

Hamilton labor gives backing

CARLESS

“HAVE WE FORGOTTEN ANYTHING?”

(Westinghouse worker-cartoonist Roy Carless depicts the com-
pany’'s attitude towards negotiations.)

workers in General Electric.

Beyond these items, however,
there are the years of frustra-
tions and animosities built up
by the workers against the com-
pany. The Westinghouse aitti-
tude toward discipline,. which
has given it the reputation of
having a “Gestapolike mental-
ity,” has been deeply resented
by the workers for years. David-
son told of having about 100
grievances in the mill at almost
all times.

The grievance procedures add
further frustrations. The usual
procedure, I was told, is first to

ral Wishart when he set the
stage for this ‘muck racking.’ If
they have any evidence of wrong
doing on the part of Teamsters,
then lay criminal charges and
bring the guilty parties to jus-
tice.

“It is interesting to note that,
since the attorney general's scan-
dalous performance, which we
believe was at the behest of the
same trucking bosses, not one
teamster has been accused, tried
or convicted of any of the abhor-
rent crimes which he laid at our
door step.

“According to a news report
in the Globe and Mail of May 5,
Mr. Rand said that he would
forward a copy of the MTIRB
brief to the. Teamsters to see If
we wished to reply. It is our in-
tention to study this brief and
at that time we may review out
previous decision against mak-
ing any submission to the royal
commission,

“One thing is abundantly
clear in our opinion, there is one

the foreman, who really just

reads the grievance, then the
“supervision,” which is supposed
to be like a delivery service,
then to the “top stage,” which
involves a presentation to the
Union Relations Department
which is not seriously discussed
by the company nor is any at-
tempt made to work things out
mutually.

So the issues pile up.

This is the first strike against
the Hamilton operations of
Westinghouse since the battle
for union recognition in 1946.
In the intervening two decades

law for the bosses and their
association and another law for
working people and their unions.
The very men who appeared re-
cently before the Rand Commis-

“sion and accused the Teamsters’

Union of being irresponsible and
violent, would come out looking
pretty shoddy .if the trucking
industry were subjected to @
thorough investigation.

many changes have taken place
in Hamilton and inside the UE.
Local 504 has built a reputa-

tion both inside the labor move--

ment of the area and in the com-
munity at large. It has been a
pace-setter in wages and work-
ing conditions and in overall
militant -trade unionism. The
workers in Westinghouse have
built and fostered traditions of
solidarity which have won them
respect in the whole labor move-
ment.

The respect in which Westing-
house workers are held has been
evident in the initial stages of
the strike with offers of solidar-
ity coming in from most unions
in the area. The president of the
Hamilton Labor Council, Stewart
Cooke;: has offered to send let-
ters on the strike to all affiliates
of the council. Such support has
been building since the strike
began. One striker told of being
visited by an auto worker friend
who said the men he works with
still remember the fine support
the Westinghouse workers gave
them during their strike.

The spirit of solidarity is
most keenly reflected within the
local itself. Whole families have
been down on the picket lines,
the ladies auxiliary has taken up
its share of the work load, work-
ers from one of the smaller
Westinghouse plants which
hasn’t been struck have demon-
strated their solidarity. Many

pensioners have been on the

lines.

It is noteworthy that one of
the demands of the union has
been increased benefits for those
already on pensions. I was told
the negotiating committee for
the first time had a representa-
tive of the pensioners as a full

“Such an investigation would
reveal that these virtuous gen-
tlemen and the industry that
they represent have for years
been guilty of violations of the
Highway Traff: Act, The Pub-
lic Commercial Vehicle Act, The
Hours of Work and Vacations
With Pay Act, as well as the

-Federal and Provincial Labor

Act.

| erica has announced that the

Westinghouse strike solid

member. This, to their know-

ledge, was a first in Canada.
The confidence and spirit of

the workers is based primarily

‘on their own unity and strength.

Many feel the strike was a long
time coming. 3

Westinghouse is still sitting
tight, and_may be for some time.
But the strength and purpose
demonstrated so far by the
union is such as to cause even
the toughest of Westinghouse’s
negotiators to think over their
positions.

Salaried
workers win

certification

The United Electrical, Radio
and Machine Workers of Am-

Ontario Labor Relations Board
has certified UE as the bar-
gaining agents for over 800
Westinghouse salaried em-
ployees in Hamilton.

S. L. Farkas, UE national
coordinator, -paid tribute to
the determination and under-
Standing of Westinghouse
salaried employees in bring-
ing about certification. The
hard work put in by many
salaried employees, coupled
with the magnificent assist- |”
ance given by Local 504 mem-
bers, assisted the national
staff of the union in building
up the large majority result-
ing in certification.

Preparations are now un-
derway to draft demands for
negotiations with the com-

pany.

I

} Teamsters reject vicious attacks
on their union at Rand probe

“Such an investigation would
show that many more man

-hours are lost in the trucking

industry hazards than are lost
through work stoppages.

“Such an investigation would
reveal that these gentlemen who
accuse Teamster members of
anti-social -activities have, for
some years, engaged in labor
espionage. Through an agency
set up for this purpose, the
trucking bosses had actually
conspired to recruit employees
who are paid a monthly stipend
to report in writing everything
that their fellow workers do and
say on the job, everything that
takes place at union meetings
and even on the domestic affairs
of fellow members.

“The employers and associa-
tions commit these illegal and
immoral acts and expect nothing
more than a slap on the wrist
when found out, while at the
same time, they press for ever-
increased sanctions against the
trade union movement.”

May 26, 1967—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5