“We have a heavy moral obligation to imm
cease the bombing of North Vietnam, without condi
and to offer unequivocal indication of U.S. willing
move to the conference table with both the Hanoi g
ment and the NLF.

“Our obsession with Vietnam is permitting &
erosion to take place on other vital fronts of foreign P?
decision-making. Recent years have seen a rash of mill
take-overs of constitutional regimes, especially 1
America. U:S. economic and technical assistance Pf
to Third World nations are declining in size and effect!
ness at precisely the time when they are most despert
needed... There is a sharpening polarization 7)
attitudes toward Eastern Europe and China at a time
world opinion, as reflected in the U.N., is moving towor
healthy easing of cold-war attitudes. Once its leaden

Labor assembly
aids peace fight

the discussion for the adoption
of the policy statement. It was

then referred to the standing
committee and agreed that pro-

a

James Bridgewood from Burlington was the only Cana-
dian trade unionist in attendance at the National Labor
for Peace in Chicago Nov. 11, 12. The following

‘is an interview with him upon his return on

his impressions

What union are you in? And
why did you go to the trade
union peace conference in
Chicago?

I'm from Local 707 Auto Work-
ers. The main reason for going
is I am chairman of the human
rights committee in my local.
Also I’m very active in the peace
movement as one of the three
co-chairmen of the Ontario Mo-
bilization Committee Against
the War in Vietnam and the Ha-
milton Co-ordinating Committee
against the war in Vietnam.

Were you the only Canadian?

Yes I was.

Was it a fairly representative
conference?

It was the most representative
conference of its kind I’ve ever
seen or heard about. You had all
the contradictions of the trade
union movement. The outspoken
liberals are moving very quickly
and strongly to the left and a
militant policy. To elaborate, the
school teachers from New York
and the social workers, who
were in the same category, were
the most outspoken militant
people at that conference. This
group included some professors
as well who introduced them-
selves as trade unionists, be-
cause they belonged to the Fe-
deration of Teachers.

What are some of the high-

_ lights of the Conference?

The major highlight was the
range of speakers. Dr. King tied
the whole question together, the
trade union movement, the civil
rights movement and peace

alf dewhurst

.#T°HE North American trade
union movement, includ-
ing B.C. trade unions, has

not accepted its full responsibil-

ity in bringing an end to the
war in Vietnam.”

This criticism was made by
the international affairs commit-
tee of the B.C. Federation of

Labor to that body’s recently-
held convention. It became an
official statement of the BCFL
with the adoption of the com-
mittee’s report by the conven-
tion.

The statement went on to re-
-proach the Canadian sections of
the international unions for not
making “strong enough repre-
sentation” to their respective
parent bodies to take a “strong-
er stand” to help bring the war
in Vietnam to an end.

Another part of the BCLF’s
criticism was directed at union
members when it stated that
trade unionists “must not be
-content with mere lip service
toward peace, but must be ready
for constructive action.”

An example of what the BCFL
regards as constructive action
is its proposal forthe Canadian

movement, and placed them in
context of the major question of
the day. Another was .a eV:
commentator, David Schoen-
brum, who was the most arti-
culate and most informed man
on the war in Vietnam that I
knew of, spoke outstandingly
against the war, despite the fact
he was on the government pay-
role at one time. Then you have
Senator Eugene McCarthy’s
statement, a lengthy expose of
the truth that is being hidden
from the American people by the
establishment. He revealed
things the average person doesn’t
know about.

Would you say there is a shift
in the American trade union
movement over the Vietnam war
issue?

I think the moral aspect is
coming out. This was reiterated
time and time again, that this is
the most immoral war. Then
there is another element, the sur-
charge, the economic thing is
just choking the people in the
U.S. Women also played a very
major role. Some of them have
children in Vietnam and they
were concerned about the policy
statement. They shifted its em-
phasis in order to present it to
people who had children over
there and might be killed. One
woman said, “Bring the boys
home” should be the top slogan
because she had a boy over
there.

Was there much support for
that slogan?

Some support. It popped up in

posals that came from the floor
will be taken under considera-
tion. But any delegate can use
the statement or put meat on the
bones of the statement or with-
draw from it a little. What ever
would suit your purpose in an
individual union local.

Is the standing committee that
was established fairly represen-
tative of the trade union move-
ment in America?

I would say so. Their names,
union and states were read out
and it was quite broad. There are
over forty states represented.

How do you think this confer-
ence will affect the trade union
movement in Canada?

There will likely be a spilling
over effect into Canada. This
conference expressed unity with
the peace movements around the
rest of the world, the tying to-
gether of these organizations
which the October 21 demonstra-
tion did, means closer contact. I
think their optimism and their
militancy to end the war will af-
fect Canadian trade unionists.
There should be a major break-
through now because the Inter-
nationals should have a tremen-
dous effect on the Canadians
who have been a little uneasy
about moving because of Inter-
national union pressure. One of
Meaney’s paid functionaries
made a very impressive speech
at the conference and this will
have a big effect on Canadian
unionists.

Do you have any plans to do
anything to popularize the state-
ment now that you’re back in
Canada?

Press releases have gone out. I
hope to publicize it as much as

by the rank and file.”

U.S. is increasingly out of step with world opinion «+
~ “The objective of the National Labor Leadership
bly for Peace conference sho
within the AFL-CIO, not to launch a
movement, not to make of U.S. labor the tail to the
any political party, old or new. Rather, our objective
be to stimulate free discussion of all aspects °
policy within each and every trade union in the lan
is a worker's right which has been all but stifle
attitudes of the current AFL-CIO leadership. The
aticn of foreign policy within the labor movement |
not be permitted to remain the vestpocket operation
individual or small leadership group. As with union
tive bargaining objectives and domestic legislatt
foreign policy decisions should flow upward from tf
bership, following the widest possible discussion 17

uld not be to build a ©

ire | John!
1 to the kil

f for

Victor G. Reuther,
International Affairs Dept., UAW-
at National Assembly for Peace

possible. I will be making an
extensive report when all the
material is available. My con-
tacts in the peace movement will
be fully informed of the confer-
ence. An educational program
should take place within the
union using the material provid-
ed by Mazey and others to carry
on and expose the Canadian gov-
ernments shameful role in this
war.

Would you like to see a con-
ference of this kind take place in
Canada?

Oh yes I would. In fact I will
work very diligently toward such
a conference. It is shaping up
for a demand for that now. It
would be an encouraging factor
if we could have the same kind
of broad representation there as

at Chicago and let people ex-

press themselves freely
the war in Vietnam. —
There were many §.
material put out. One ey
was a reprint from
Street Journal of Novell
It is the description va

‘sign on top of
which read:

not a church, but
praying that the
nam will soon end.
thing astonished m®
women by their milit@
the war now. They

jor factor toward theF
conference in driving
stronger policy of Dt
the troops now. Toa
on that issue, but ¢
big impact.

”

Vietnam an

the unions

a

Labor Congress to lead a mass
lobby to Ottawa to urge the
federal government to invoke
the provisions of the United
Nations Charter to class the
U.S. as an aggressor, to press
for.an immediate cessation of
the bombing, and for a return to
the 1954 Geneva Agreement.

The BCFL has earned the right
to make the criticism is does.
For it has proceeded to act be-
yond the passing of resolutions
cpposing the U.S. war in Viet-
nam. It has participated as a
major sponsor in public demon-
strations of such apposition, as
for instance, the Peace Arch
rally at Blaine on the U.S.-Cana-
dian border last August, and the
October 21 mobilization in Van-
couver.

What the critical remarks of
the BCFL actually amount to is
a call. for more action, by unions
and individual trade unionists,
to bring an end to the war in
Vietnam. This call, coming as it
does from an important section
of the trade union movement
with some achievements along
this line to its credit, deserves
earnest consideration by union-
ists at the shop, local and coun-

_ DECEMBER 1, 967-BAGIFIC.TRIBUNErr Page 4

The issues involved in the
U.S. aggression in Vietnam are
vital ones for trade unionists.
The right of a people to deter-
mine their own destiny without
outside interference certainly
applies to Canadians. The danger
of the war in Vietnam triggering
off a world nuclear conflagration
is ever present, while the im-
morality of the U.S. aggression
against the Vietnamese people
shocks the conscience of every
decent person.

In addition to these para-
mount questions, the war in
Vietnam is costing Canadian
workers millions of dollars in
terms of higher consumer prices,
interest charges, rents and taxes.

Telling evidence of this is con-
tained in a major article publish-
ed in the Financial Post last May
which charged that the war in
Vietnam is responsible for one
third of a three percent consum-
er price increase in the U.S. dur-
ing 1966. The article went on to
correctly observe that this in-
crease logically spills over into
Canada.

Adding his evidence, Trade
and Commerce Minister Winters

money, particularly affecting
housing mortgages, are too high
and that the war in Vietnam is
the root cause of this.

Now, the Financial Post does
not particularly concern itself
with taking up the cudgels on
behalf of the common man. Nor
has Mr. Winters ever won any
honors in that direction. Rather
their interests have generally co-
incided with those of big busi-
ness. Therefore, neither can be
accused of giving evidence that
is biased in the direction of con-
cern for working people’s living
standards.

If further evidence is needed,
a witness in the person of Fin-
ance Minister Sharp has come
forward to inform us that we are
to get an income tax increase
very soon. He has also warned
that medicare might also be sac-
rificed as a result of the infla-
tionary pressures the country is
now experiencing — which pres-
sure is rooted in the war in Viet-
nam.

Consequently it can be uniqui-
vically stated that the real
wages and incomes of Canadian
workers, farmers and pensioners

(s
spiralling consumer Pi
est rates, rents 4"
cut-backs in soci@ "of
constitute a lowering
chasing power 9 5
lar.

It can be stat
condition will no
as the war in VI

ed als?

ton “ape
an

etraait

ped.

There is only
way by which t
ended. Tha
stop bombin
and to pull out
nam in order th re oF
ese can settle thet int!
without outsidé
And, that is thelt : jo

To this end ev@> i
and labor council fol
voices to the
to lead a mass
And if such 4
backed up by ™4 nis
rallies of trade yee
panied by we
sons and dau “(
in every city actor
whole operator apn

tute a really ¥