SSS |... piaamnaacmcamamaaan NL Lib i WIN

SS

Demand action over prices

Farmers lobby in Regina

By W. C. BEECHING

REGINA — The National Far-
mers Union led between 800 and
1,000 farmers on a mass lobby
to the Saskatchewan govern-
ment last week. The farmers
were met on the steps of the
provincial legislature by Premier
Allan Blakeney.

The NFU brief stated that
“the situation facing beef pro-
ducers today is a classic exam-
ple of the exploitation by the
packinghouse industry, at whose
hands they have experienced
similar shoddy treatment during
the Alberta lockout of packing

RA REON RITES Ar

BY BRUCE MAGNUSON

“An analysis of our AFL-CIO
Role in Latin America” or “Un-
der the Covers With the CIA”
is a pamphlet authored by Fred

Hirsch, who is a member of
Plumbers and Steamfitters Local
383 in San Jose, California: The
pamphlet developed out of a
working paper presented to a
trade union conference in the
U.S. that was called to examine
the role of organized labor in
Latin America. It has been pub-
lished by the Emergency Com-
mittee to Defend Democracy in
Chile, in San José, California,

and can be obtained by writing

to this committee. Price is $1.

The pamphlet says that the
AFL-CIO has béen_ involved
through the American Institute
for Free Labor Development
(AIFLD) in some very question-
able activities. It traces AIFLD’s
development through an all-but-
hidden history of government-
labor-CIA and corporate involve-
ment. It produces evidence. to
show AFL-CIO complicity in the
overthrow of democratic gov-
ernments elected fairly by the
people of Latin America and the
Caribbean, including the, mur-
derous fascist coup in Chile,
which outlawed the Chilean
labor movement, killed tens of
thousands and abolished the
civil and human rights of the
people.

Worked for splits

The American Institute for
Free Labor _ Development
(A'FLD) was formed in 1962.

Its president is George Meany,

who is also the President of the
AFL-CIO. The _arch-reaction-
ary international affairs policy
of the AFL is well known from
as far back at the time of Sam-
uel Gompers. After World War
Il, such hawks as Meany, Dub-
insky and Lovestone, set out to
split world labor and to expel
left-led unions on its home
- ground. Abroad it worked to

plants in June and July this year,
and the recent wide disparity in
market prices between A-1, 2
steers and heifers.”

The NFU brief warned _the
New Democratic Party Govern-
ment that the farmers expect
and want action by it: in their
defence. The brief reflected the
desperation of cow-calf operat-
ors in this province. One farmer
from Swift Current reported
that five cow-calf operators had
closed down in one day, and
that trucks had come in to haul
off at $150 per head cows which
‘had been fetching $450.

CATE

Farmers at Regina's provincial legislature.

The brief opposed the propo-
sal of the provincial government
to extend loans of $100 per calf
for the cow-calf Operators, and
demanded instead an outright
grant. Later on at an analysis
session, farmers voted for this
Clause, rejecting Premier Bla-
keney’s claim that the provincial
government couldn’t afford an
outright grant.

In addition the NFU called for
support for its demands on the
Canadian government for a pur-
chase and processing program
for plain quality cattle at levels
M©o less than the 1973 average,
beef which could be utilized by
government as part of Canada’s
food aid program.

The NFU also is requesting a
country-wide stabilization pro-
gram for cattle. “We do not
want a LIFT (lower inventories
for tomorrow) program in beef,”
the brief said.

A report was made later to
the farmers on the success of
Operation Country House in
which farmers occupied the of-
fices of the Department of Agri-
culture all across Canada for a
day.

The meeting also called for a
one-day boycott of sales to
packing houses.

LABOR SCENE AFL-CIO role in Latin

America exposed

split unions everywhere and
force leaders to fall in line with
U.S. imperialist policies. After
the merger of the AFL/CIO in
1955/56 it helped to prepare and
support the consolidation of the
counter-revolution in Guatema-
la, Guyana, Cuba, Dominion Re-
public, Brazil and finally Chile. -

Today, when the top leaders
of the AFL-CIO are becoming
more than ever isolated from
the mainstream of world labor,
it is important that the facts
about their policies and activ-
ities become fully exposed.
While the president of the
AIFLD is George Meany of the
AFL-CIO, the chairman of
AIFLD’s board of directors is
J. Peter Grace, chief executive
officer of W. R. Grace and Coa
multi-national corporation with
extensive holdings in Latin
America. Most of the funding of
AIFLD (92%) comes from the
U.S. government and private
corporations with interests in
Latin America.

Keeping an Eye on Canada

How active is the AIFLD and
its AFL-CIO-CIA sponsors in
Canada? Judging from recent
statements of such men as U.S.
President Ford about U.S. claims
to the right of intervention in-
ény country where the USS.
state department considers U.S.
interests as being threatened,
we can be sure that an eagle
eye is always peeled in our di-
rection. :

The growing struggle in Can-
ada for an independent, sover-
eign and united trade union
movement is far from popular
with the establishment south of
the border, in the USA. It fears
that its economic control and
dominant position over Cana-
dian raw materials and energy

_ Fesources may be in question if

the working class takes up in
earnest the fight for Canadian

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 1974—Page 8

independence from foreign and
monopoly capitalist domination.

Even the mild and inocuous
guidelines of the Canadian
Labour Congress, governing
Canadian autonomy for mem-
bers of U.S.-based unions in
Canada, is presently under at-
tack because of provisions for
enforcement, including penalties
for non-compliance,

Should Order to Ottawa

The AFL-CIO hierarchy in
Washington, particularly its
Building Trades Union Depart-
ment, has decided to impose
sanctions on the Canadian
Labour Congress by withholding
per capita payments due on its
CLC-affiliated membership. This
unconstitutional and illegal ac-
tion, taken without consultation
with Canadian members is un-
doubtedly calculated to bully
the CLC leadership into abject
Surrender, as has happened on
several occasions in the past.
(The cap-in-hand delegation to
Washington by CLC officers
shows that the squeeze is hurt-
ing..- However, humiliating sur-
render is not going to help. In-
stead the hold-up men south of
the border, and their agents in
Canada, who say ‘the CLC can
80 to hell’, should be ordered to
Ottawa for a long overdue ex-
planation.) ,

This time the bullies have mis-
calculated the mood of the mem-

-bers whose interests they are

Supposed to -defend and fight
for. But more of that in this col-
umn next week.

In the meantime, if you have

not seen the pamphlet on the —

“AFL-CIO Role in Latin Amer-
ica or Under the Covers With
the CIA”, get a copy for your-

‘self or ask your union to order

copies for all members, by writ-
ing to: Emergency Committee to
Defend Democracy in’ Chile, 316
South 19th St., San Jose, Cali-
fornia, 95116, USA.

BANZER THREATENS
STRIKING MINERS

LA PAZ, Bolivia — President
Hugo Banzer’s government
threatened to fire factory work-
ers and miners unless they re-
turned to work as a cripping

‘Strike wage tightened its grip on

Bolivian life.

The country’s 30,000 tin min-
ers began a 48-hour strike
last week in protest against
Banzer’s decision to postpone
promised elections and ban all
political activity until 1980.

The measures, announced by
Banzer after an abortive civilian
and military uprising in Santa
Cruz, also outlawed labor union
activities,

Factory workers and students
also went on strike in supvort of
the miners, Bolivia’s most mili-
tant labor group.

UNITED AIRCRAFT
RESUMES NEGOTIATIONS

QUEBEC — For the first time
since February both sides in the
10-month-old strike at the Mont-
real plants of United Aircraft of
Canada Ltd. voluntarily resumed
negotiations last week.

Representatives from _ the
company and the union, Local
510 of the United Auto Workers
of America (UAW), were
brought together at the request
of Labor Minister. Jean Cour-
noyer.

Mr. Cournoyer, who earlier
this month summoned the two
sides to discuss their differences
before a legislative committee,
threatened to force a resumption

Of negotiations if either side was

unwilling to negotiate voluntar-
ily any issues in the dispute.

STRIKES IN PUBLIC
SECTOR HIT FRANCE

PARIS — Fresh strijikes
gripped France last week with
gas and electricity workers join-
ing a walkout by post-office em-
ployees and selective stoppages
by thousands of other public
sector workers.

The electricity workers’ ac-
tion hit factories and homes in
northern France and the south-
ern half of the country.

The postal workers’ strike,
which paralyzed the mail and
gave impetus to the latent dis-
content of thousands of other
workers, ended its fourth week
with no sign of a settlement.

picket duty in front of the entrance to Megis No. 2 mine of

Southern Ohio Coal Company.

rs
s

HOFFA TO TRY
FOR OFFICE AGAIN

DETROIT — Former Teal

sters president James Hoffa 54

: of
he will seek the nominativt tt |
lead his old Detroit Local 29%

Hoffa, who was barred ir
engaging in union activity we
1980 under terms of his a
on a jury-tampering cone
said his nomination for the
presidency would not violate ;
parole ban.-

He said he had overwhel mals
acceptance from the 10 fie
membership to run for 7a
unless U.S. Attorney Gene
William Saxbe rules otherW

ming 7

ise

e
He added that in the meant
“my decision is I’m go0iné ay

run.”

—_——_

B.C. ORDERS STRIKING
RAIL WORKERS BACK

VANCOUVER—Striking
Railway employees begat
turning to work after they ¥
ordered back on the job by
B.C. Labor Relations Board:

Union leaders urged me
to comply with the board
der, issued last week, which

clared their walkout iNegal id F

der the terms of the provi
labor code. i
Operations of the prov

f
ly-owned railway have bee? wi

tually shut down since Nov i

following a strike by about
northern division work ena
longing to five shopcraft ul 4

CONFUSION STILL ‘
REIGNS IN POST OFFICE

‘of

OTTAWA — The deadline fy

applications to represent ne of

35,000. postal employees pass

last week and its still unsure
will negotiate for the emplo

in the next few months.
The Letter Carriers’ Unio®
Canada, which represe™
about 12,000 mailmen wher :
defunct Council of Postal U®! de
was dissolved last month, 4.”
applied for reoresentation M8 ff
for its old members and 4” —
2,000 mail service carriers.

The Canadian Union of P® y |

Workers, representing ne ipb
20,000 inside workers is bid e
for bargaining rights for al ata
postal employees formerly ©
ered by the council. : the

Yet to be heard from iS 68

Teamsters’ Union, which

Lg
been recruiting some, of theta

service couriers in
Canada and Ontario.

BC
re

cial

yea
when they begin contract

ai

ey