What happens to young people
flooding into the labor market?

N A hard-fought skirmish

with the threat of automa-

tion the International Long-
shoremen and Warehousemen’s
union on the Pacific coast won
a new union contract which en-
sured continued wages, even
for those not working.

At the same time, however,
union leader Harry Bridges ad-
mitted the pact is “narrow and
selfish . . . Automation is a
national social problem,” he
said: “We can only take care
of ourselves.”

This highlights one of the
Sharpening problems of auto-

Iation—even if unions putting

up a tough struggle win guaran-
teed jobs for their present
members, what happens to
young people flooding into the

labor market from school each

year, looking for new jobs?

“The experiences of the past
few years have been anything
but hopeful for these young
people,” says a report of one
trade union which recently
made a study of youth prob-
lems.

The report of the United
Electrical Workers Union (UE)
continues:

“Only a small proportion of
them have found employment,
few of them in the basic and
secondary manufacturing indus-
tries. Even those who found
employment probably wound
up in service occupations ra-

On the
labor front

Today’s yougsters face the prospect of growing up into
criminals unless there is more attention paid to their
needs for job security and their rights as working people.

ther than in an industry of their
choice.

“Those who did manage to
get jobs in industries which
are organized have found. their
job security is limited by the
seniority provisions of union

“agreements when slackness ap-

peared in the industry.”
The union report goes on to

ask about the future for youth:

“What is going to happen to
young people who have energy
to spare, who have hopes un-
fulfilled, who have creative

abilities unchallenged in .the

productive sectors of our eco-
nomy?

“They will rebel! They will
turn against those organizations

which they believe stand in
their way.”

The UE warns that in this
situation there has to be a real
effort by trade unionists to de-
montrate to young people “the
real and useful character of
unionism.” ;

UE National Representative
Ross Hale tells the story of one
17-year-old starting to work.

The youth quit school at
Grade 9, relates Hale, without
a trade, without adequate educ-
ation. In an attempt to equip
himself to earn a living he en-
rolled in the government-spon-
sored vocational training
scheme for youth.

This program, sponsored both
federally and provincially, sent

‘him to work in a chain-owned -

retail meat store. The place-
ment officer told him he would
learn meat-cutting, primary
butchering, handling cash, dis-

‘play and so on.

But this job-retraining scheme
didn’t go that far. What the
trainee actually did was stand
for 52 hours a week at a meat
counter. When not handing out
meat parcels to customers he
cleaned up. He learned nothing
of the trade. '

‘For his efforts, the 17-year-
old received $25 per week from
the government, in cheques
mailed to the employer and
handed over to him. He also re-

ceived $18.70 in cash from his
boss.

Supposedly, the youth va
ed 30 hours per week for '*

government and the remainin8

22 hours of his work week 10
the employer.

The result? Instead of gettin’

It life
train-
embit-

off to a good start in adu
this young man quit the
ing program completely

pe

”
tered. He “thinks he was took

Now he is on_ probation a
theft. He is lucky he didn't?
ceive a jail sentence.

Statistics highlight the dilem”

ma of young people. Figures —

show that the unemployme”
rate for 14-19-year-olds is dour’
the level for all age groups;
has been so for several years:

The increase in 15-24-year oe
population from 1956 to 190
was 19 percent. The increa
convictions of 16-24-year-0
under the criminal code in t
same period was 59 pee
More than two-thirds of ¢
convictions were for |
against property, breaking ie
entering, robbery with violen :

Juvenile delinquecy increas
by 126 percent over the 10-Y
period of 1952-61.

No wonder the UE repr
concludes that youth proble
are “not just an 4a yi
task,” but ug must for progres
sive development of the ah
and security of the work!
people.”

—— 7

The need for a radical left

By WILLIAM KASHTAN

THE JUNE issue of Seven-
O-Seven Reporter, the

organ of UAW Local-
707 at Oakville, featured the

following editorial entitled:
“A Radical Left is Neces-
sary”.

“The seeming lack of con-’

cern in interest shown by
governments, and also by
labor toward their responsi-
bilities can be attributed to
the absence of a Radical Left
from their midst to generate
effective debate and action.

“The anti-Communist crus-
ade reduced the influence of
the left wing to a whisper.
The moderate left found
themselves at the outer li-
mit of respectability, vulner-
able to the charge of guilt by
association. For Communists
are on the left and they are
evil, therefore all left wing-
ers are Communists and evil.

“The moderate left, unable
to refute such logic (if they
did then they would be at-
tacked as fellow travellers)

scrambled to align  them-
selves with. the right wing.
Clear-cut identities of par-
ties and individuals became
blurred.

“Unable to promote mean-
ingful policies or make cri-
tical appraisals for fear of
being accused of lack of faith
in our way of life, led to a
state of inertia that still ex-
ists in our country today.

“It is essential to demo-
‘cratic institutions that there
is an identifiable Left-wing
movement. To be meaning-
ful, it must allow everyone
of. the Left, from centre to
extreme left, to play an ac-
tive role in the movement.
If the movement fails to
exist we shall be well on the
road to a one-party state.”

* * *

It may be well to recall
that it was the coalition of
left and centre which played
such an important role in or-
ganizing the mass_produc-
tion industries in the 30’s

. technological

and helped the trade union
movement to overcome the
stagnation and_ bankruptcy
of policy of the right-wing
leadership.

. This sort of coalition is
sorely needed today to
mount an effective drive to
organize. the unorganized,
bring about a truly united
trade union movement while
strengthening its sovereignty
and autonomy, thereby enab-
ling the workers to achieve
new goals in collective bar-
gaining.

Nor is it only in immedi-
ate goals that such cooper-
ation is necessary.

Automation will, under
continued monopoly control,
prove disastrous to the work-
‘ing people. The question of
who shall benefit from the
revolution is
now being answered in mono-
poly’s favor. To change that
requires that the unlimited
power of monopoly be curb-
ed. That cannot be done

through collective bargaining
alone; it must be combined
with economic and political
action against monopoly and
be aimed at the structure of
capitalism itself.

Obviously the right wing,
tied as it is to the cold-war
psychosis, to stand-pattism,
to anti-Communism, to di-
vision and disunity in the
labor movement, wll never
orientate on such policy.

The yeast that can help
the working class to advance
in these new conditions —
not only to curb monopoly
but advance to socialism —
is an articulate and organized
Left which not only under-
stands the need for coopera-
tion with the Communists, -
but is prepared to cooperate
in practice.

If a “radical left” is to
emerge, and emerge it will
because objective conditions
demand it, it must~begin to
fight for the rights of Com-
munists in the trade unions

but

rate | a ial ri hts”,
not “specia g the

equal rights, including
rhe to be elected and hold
office, to participate in mak
ing decisions, to carty
through union policy.

One of the urgent tasks ©
the “radical left” is to besi?
pressing for democracy

the trade union movement

crimes

dditional

se ns

ere re S° bj
for elimination of the V

tiges of the cold war reflect
ed in union constitutions, 2”
for a truly united trade vu
movement.

What would be the be
way to bring about a “ra :
left” in every union 10 5 if
country? What should be ?
program? This ought t0 by
given close consideration
progressive trade unionls

everywhere. ES
ade

Communists in the Bf
union movement are prep@
ed to do whatever they we
to help bring it about. dp
don’t want to control OF ©.
minate it; nor do we think ?
wiil serve a useful purpose
it is directed against this.
that person, The value % —
radical left is in its progl’,
and policies — all directed ;
help the working class i
the best path of advance re
the complex period wé
new entering.

so? from
I welcome opinions fro
readers on this question.

July 31, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page ©