LT TMT TN AT UE local fights strikebreaking ST. CATHARINES, Ont.—The 127 workers at the Eaton Yale Suspension Co. Ltd. are conduct- ing a tough strike against a company that refuses to. offer what the workers could consider a just Settlement. Shortly after the strike began the company,* which produces suspension springs for Ford and General Motors automobiles, called the union into a meeting to inform the union that the St. Catharines Sheriff had issued an order from the Ontario Supreme Court ordering the transport of parts from the struck plant. Rented trucks from Michigan, driven by professional breakers, crossed the picketline shortly after the court order was har Sale LABOR SCENE BY BRUCE MAGNUSON The Speech from the Throne which opened the present 30th Parliament termed the interna- tional economic situation as “serious”. “For Canada as well as for most of the world the most serious problem is _infla- tion; it is necessary both to deal with its causes and to mitigate its effects”, the speech empha- sized. But it confined itself to generalities on both counts. It promised: “To monitor food pri- ces”; “To help home buyers”; “To protect consumers”. But the measures the government pro- posed to take in these areas were hopelessly vague and hold no promise of coming to grips with the real culprits in the in- flation picture, namely the cor- porate profiteers, monopolies, speculators and landlords. The Throne Speech lumped labor unions, trade and profes- sional associations, together with corporations and govern- ments, as groups who are all able to adjust to inflation. But then it referred to Canadians on fixed incomes and others lacking economic power whose incomes are not rising as rapidly as the rate of inflation and for whom the consequences ‘of inflation are a cause for concern. This ap- proach seeks to-cover up the fact that it is the system of state monopoly capitalism which is out to rob both organized and ' unorganized working people, in- cluding small businesses, farm- ers and professional people. 30% More A recent study by the ‘Onta- rio Food Council shows Toronto food prices 20.7% higher than last year. A typical family of four now spends 30%. more than it did two years ago to maintain a comparable standard of living, states a Metro Social Planning Council report of Sept. 25, 1974. The Council estimates that a family of four spends about 43% more on food, about 42% more on housing, 32% more on recre- ation and 30% more on trans- portation. (A family, which in 1972 could live on a net income of $6,949, now requirés at least $9,000 to maintain physical. and social well-being.) The Conference Board in Can- ada says the consumer price in- dex is expected to rise 11.1% this year, while unemployment will rise to an average of 7% in 1975. But CPI measures the ef- fect of rising prices on middle- income families and consequent- ly it does not show the real im- pact on low income families who spend a much greater part of their meagre income on food. ST’ CATHARINES, Ont. — Workers at Eaton Yale Ltd. here, members of UE Local 535, hit the bricks Sept. 29 to back up demands for higher wages and other contract im- provements. The old contract expired Sept. 15 and the workers voted strike after lengthy bargaining talks, in- cluding labor department con- ciliation efforts, failed to pro- duce a settlement satisfactory to the workers. strike’ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, OCTOBER 25, 1974—Page 8 issued, The strikebreaking driv- ers crossed the line with the aid of the police. Five more trucks attempted to cross the lines last Tuesday, Oct. 15. Six union members were ar- rested when they tried to-pre- vent the truck, loaded with springs and raw materials, from leaving the yard, Then on Oct. 26, eight more trucks crossed the picket line and later when coming out they were aided by the police. The strikers tried again to stop the trucks and were partially suc- cessful when a truck hit and burst a fire hydrant. John Trufal, the regional co- ordinator of UE and Alderman for the City of Welland told the Tribune, that the company’s tac- tic of strikebreaking isn’t work- ing. “The pickets are now more determined than ever,” he said. It's time to labor's step up wage battles Bruce Magnuson, Communist Party labor secretary. and housing. The housing com- ponent of the index does not re- flect prices which are a major factor in the sky-rocketing hous- ing costs. Officially statistics now has inflation running at a rate of 14.5%. Wage settlements in the second quarter show an average increase of 12.6%. These are the large contracts, but even here workers are falling behind regardless of rising productivity. Three Contract Needs The Toronto-Dominion Bank projects Canada’s Gross Natio- nal Product at $138-billion. by the end of 1974, or 16% more than 1973. A further 13% in- crease in GNP is forecast for 1975. So it is not a motto of Canada being a poor country. It is the system of monopoly ex- ploitation. What labor requires now, as a defence against eroding stand- ards, are short term .contracts, substantial wage increases to catch up with prices and to com pensate for productivity in- _ creases. On top of. this there is a need. for cost-of-living-allow- ance clauses (COLA). in all union contracts. According to Labor Department: officials only 4.2% of the total work force of nine million are presently protected ~by such clauses. Presently such clauses are of two types: a) a Straight wage increase at the same rate as inflation; b) a one- cent per-hour increase for every 0.3 or 0.4 increase in the con- sumer price index. (Now that the point-system of the CPI has been dropped in favor of per- centage increases, perhaps the straight percentage COLA is preferable.) Complementing the battle for wage increases and COLA clau- ses to catch up and maintain liv- ing standards, it is necessary now to combat growing inflationary price rises and to campaign for a re-distribution of national in- come in favor of working people. _ who produce the wealth, and at the expense of monopoly profits. Second Front The trade union movement should open up a second front attack on monopoly profiteering by entering into the battle to stop price increases, and to roll back arbitrary price increase implemented by private corpora- tions without any rational public accountability or justification. The recent rash of price in- creases in steel and other basic commodities must be stopped and rolled back. In areas such as food and housing subsidies may be called for. The recent removal of the milk subsidy must be condemn- ed and subsidies reinstated. The trade union movement across Canada should undertake to lead a mass campaign on this particu'ar front to reinforce its struggle for more wages. There is a need to put an end to purely positional and defen- sive warfare on the economic front, and to go over the top and into an attack on both the economic and political fronts against price gouging and mono- poly profiteering. For this a broad mobilization of al] labor and democratic Canadians is needed. The trade unions, as the organized sector: of the working class, has now to assume respon- sibility for leading such a cam- paign. YOUNG WOMAN TYPIFIED AS LOW-WAGE EARNER - TORONTO — The typical low- wage earner in Ontario, accord- ing to the research branch of the Ontario Ministry of Labor, is a young married female, under 25, with no dependents and with a Grade 10 to Grade 12 education. : : The profile comes from a Study, the first of its kind com- pleted in Canada, of character- istics of low-wage workers in Ontario. Surprisingly, among the male low-wage earners; 73.3% were Single, in contrast to 35.6% of the women in the same level who were single. The definition used in the study of a low-wage earner was someone whose income was $2.50 an hour or less, or a $100 a week or less, for full-time em- p!oyment. The minimum wage then was $1.80 an hour. It has since went to $2.25 an hour on Oct. 1, “UE News ANGUS SHOPS HIT BY WALKOUTS MONTREAL — About 800 machinists at CP Rail’s Angus Shops walked out Oct. 17 to af- firm their right to independent bargaining. The protest came as the As- scciated Railway Unions — a common front which aims to represent all rail workers — an- nounced affiliation of eight shop- craft unions, including the Inter- national Association of Machin- ists. : Judge Claude Prevost of Su- perior Court, meanwhile, issued a temporary injunction ordering ‘strikers back to work and pro- hibiting pickets or other inter- ference of CP Rail operations. The strikers insist rail shop- craft unions should maintain their right to bargain as a dis- _tinct group. 29TH LEGISLATURE - TO FACE LABOR LAWS — The Ontario -~ TORONTO government’s confrontation with 170,000 teachers and civil ser- vants will probably be in the forefront: of the fourth session of the 29th legislature which re- sumed Oct. 22. One of the 75 new bills or amendments to old ones proposed by the govern- ment is legislation affecting 110,000 Ontario teachers — leg- islation that would take away their right to strike. There is _also the threat of a strike Jan. 1 by 60,000 Ontario civil servants who are entering negotiations with the government and are demanding a 60% pay increase. FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WIN NEW INCREASES OTTAWA — About 1,200 fed- eral employees in the purchas- ing and swnply groun will receive pay raises of nine per cent, re- troactive to Sept. 24, 1973, under a new contract signed last week, the treasury board has an- , nounced. The contract, based- on terms ‘agreement expires Dec. - stage, with management © 10 MILLION JOIN of an arbitration award, provides a raise of $269 nual rates effective 1974, and another 9% nit ing back to Sept. 24, 197 UNITED AIRCRAFT STRIKE REACHES ‘COLD WAR STAG MONTREAL — The 10% strike at the United Al plant in Longueuil appeals have moved into the cold ing that it’s .over Ree leaders declaring they tT the trenches. Regardless of what till? the vai) strike, Louis Laberge, pres! of the Quebec Feder Labor, said. i : His statement came chil) wake of one from. d ont! Morse, the U.S. vice-pres' ; United Aircraft, who $4” strike. has been broken 4? ha'f of the original 2,3 itl ers who went on strike * A uary have returned to W net Contrary to these statel ini) however, Laberge insist? sy not only is the strike it effect but the entire fig produced a solidarity Hel ’ workers without paral” ~ Quebec. ITALIAN GENERAL S™ ROME — A four-hour if, H strike idled Italian factor" fices, docks and ai fi week and workers ™ through cities demanding i ff tection against inflatio® © emplo’ nt. iis peacatul protest by than 10 million workers on the 14th day of 4 & ment crisis which has ern | ed the. state of a ome jst" number of sveakers | rallies called on politicia® settle their disputes at bh th? form a new, government riot] than -old new general ele Among victims of inflation are these calves, being slaugh farmers to dramatize the protest against the price squeen the feed and meat trusts. These farmers are Wisconsin 40 of the National Farmers Organization. These livestock 9 4 jf “animals are shot by revolver and their carcasses are dum ‘a large trench.