Labor needs new outlook
to meet problems of ‘60s

By CHARLES CARON

Rees Columbia labor re-
clulres an outlook that is in

: aa the new conditions of
ait - World social changes
evolution in science im-

Pel
oe fresh look at the world of

aCco

ee Bement of Senator Full-
States ¢ hairman of the United
Com a Foreign Relations
a €e, to the effect that it
Beenie to believe that no
Our Pe] y existed of altering

ations w

the é

a ipommnunist block, is indeed

ae Portant departure from the
ing of the last decadeand a

hal¢ Of that Committee,

It express
fact ¢

Quire
Must
Means

€s recognition of the
hat the United States re-
$4 change in policy or
face disaster, Simply, it
ruptey . admission of the bank-
itiatea : cold war policies in-
Pulton am Winston Churchill at
examp! tssouri, in 1946. Many
failure €S could be given of the
Social of the cold war to block
line i Progress—al] along the

© forces of progress have

Tegist
€red adva: i
nees 2
or another. in one form

labor stronger

: The so
tion

Cialist system, the bas-
ass, Ae international working
Mora} . nds as a mighty force
has ae materially, which
Dility ; Oped beyond the possi-
j Olntries In the capitalist
in depeng and hewly-established
€nt countries, the work-

Cla,
Organ; SS has grown greatly in

z
n ans erenath, as well as
epee, Maturity. Fifty new

© shacks States have broken
am ae of imperialism, and
People 1shemisphere the Cuban
are building socialism.

T: ;
ee Victories not only mark
Peace gcmess of the policy of
a ©0-existence and peace-
So Petition between the two
the Pee cms; they show that
forwarg Part of a single process

.

«Cana,
f the da, under the leadership

etoment Laurent Liberal Goy-
th ‘ » actively supported by
tener vative Party, became
*sral part of the cold war

but by Snly in a political sense,
’ = Subordinating Cana-
aim Ee Test to the cold war

World imperialism.

Mtomation

S
crisig ementary to the present
dian United States and Cana-
: Icy is the revolution in
Ran nested through the
ho advance in production

ds
Commonly known as
at: On,

Kar]
Engels Marx and Frederick

fest, sa the Communist Mani-
Pointed €r a hundred years ago,
“Abita, Ne contradiction of
tion St Society in the illustra-
brough _the “genie” that had
its into being forces beyond
Stryy.* © control, namely in-
Xo i of production that are
Ing “®t Compatible with exist-

‘0
ee relations. Science,
War » In its great surge

?

becomes an enemy of

ith the areas of -

capitalism and inversely social-
ism's best ally.

The present period is widely
touted as one of prosperity. Yet
in Canada, in 1962, six percent
of the labor force was out of work
the year round compared with 3.4
percent in 1956. In the United
States, 5.6 percent were out of
work in 1962, compared with 4.2
percent in 1946.

The rapid automation of in-
dustry is eliminating jobs in
Canada. Yet, to maintain full
employment, industry would have
to expand fast enough to absorb all
those displaced and, in addition,
create new jobs for 100,000 new
workers added to the labor force
each year.

Needless to say, present day
capitalism. has no policy to cope
with this problem. If attimes jobs
are provided, it is the accidental
result of the search for profit.
The past policies of labor unions
contributed little to resolve these
problems. ;

Anti-Communism harmful

The cold war with its anti-
Communism had a very detri-
mental effect on the labor
movement in North America and,
not only in regard to.the question
of peace or war, it also served
as the main instrument for the
monopolies’ policies of class col-
laboration in all aspects of labor-
employer relationships.

Another strong influence on
the North American labor move-
ment was the dominant position
achieved by United States im-
perialism in the capitalist world
economy after the war.

U.S. imperialism andits Cana-
dian couterpart were able, as a
result, to provide a relatively
high standard of living to a large.
section of its working class. This
factor, together with the effect of
the cold war on the labor move-
ment, combined to stultify the
militancy and the political con-

sciousness of the workers of-

North America,

Now the chickens are coming
home to roost. In 1963, a study

B~

conducted by the Ford Foundation
for Studies of Democratic Insti-
tutions published a booklet entitl-
ed ‘‘Labor Looks:at Labor.’’ Its
main thesis consists in thead-
mission that a mistake was made
when the C.I.O. expelled unions
for alleged Communist policies.

This mistake, in the opinion of
two staff members of the Foun-

‘dation and ten officials of the

Auto Workers of America, was
a serious error anc was most
damaging to the whole labor
movement. This was also ex-
pressed by a number of delegates
at the International Convention of
the I.W.A. held in Vancouver last
year.

The effect of automation is up-
setting the leadership of the labor
unions. Walter Reuther gave ex-
pression to that anxiety at the
International Woodworkers Con-
vention, where he spoke at great
length on the problems of auto-
mation, but brought forth no
solution to the problems. An-
other example was the C.I.O.-
A.F. of -L. Convention, calling

YIU

|
pitt

Notwithstanding their enormous profits, the big monopolies, mostly U.S.,
are arrogantly refusing to grant any of labor’s demands for improved
standards. The strike of B.C.’s shipyard workers, shown in the picture
above, illustrates this fact. The hard attitude of the monopolies makes it
essential this May Day that B.C. labor stand more united than ever in its
support of every union forced on strike by the employers. The motto must

be: “‘An injury to one, is an injury to all.”

for the shorter work day and
week.

Lessons for labor

Although monopoly capital is
forced more and more to accept
peaceful co-existence and com-
petition between the two social
systems, it does not, and will
not, change its nature or aims in
domestic affairs. Its predatory
reactionary role is much in evi-
dence in our country and prov-
ince. To establish that, we have
only to look at what took place
on the Allied Engineering and
Zellers picket line in 1962; atthe
expanding amount of anti-labor
legislation in British Columbia;
at the wide-spread use of in-
junctions handed down by the
Courts against labor; at monopoly
price-fixing; at the criminal
give-away of our future—the re-
sources of this province—hydro,
gas, oil, timber, minerals,
fisheries, etc.

It is also shown by the Labor
Management Conference on In-
dustrial Relations held last year,
for labor-management “co-oper-
ation” to the detriment of labor,
and by the growing uncertainty of
employment due to automation to
provide security of employment.

W. A. C, Bennett’s jovial coun-
tenance on his return from a holi-
day in the Bahamas, after the last
session of the legislature, did
nothing to change that state of
affairs. Big business is conspir-
ing at this very moment to de-
vise ways and means of sac-
rificing the working people of this
country and province on the altar
of greater profits.

They are solely responsible
for the Shipyard Workers’ strike.
They are preparing to fight the
woodworkers’ reasonable wage
demands, notwithstanding their
enormous profits. They have
hoodwinked some of the building
trade unions into the acceptance
of long-term contracts for the
purpose of continuing without int-
erruption their growing profits
without acceptance of responsi-

bility for labor displacement by
automation.

They are behind the Bennett
government wholesale give-away
of our resources to the United
States at the expense of Cana-
dian development and jobs.

Way forward

The question automatically
poses itself—where does labur go
from here? Obviously, a new
policy is required that corres-
ponds to present conditions:

* Labor has to assume amuch
greater role in the affairs of
our country and province, An
end must come to the policies
endangering the lives of Cana-
dians, brought about by the reck-
less policy of big business prin-
cipally as it relates to turning
Canada into a United States nuc-
lear base.

* Labor must demand removal
of nuclear arms from Canada and
call for complete disarmament.
An end must be put to the policy
of export of our natural resources
for a fast buck at the expense
of our future.

* Labor must demand nation-
alization of these resources and
their development in Canada for
Canadians. An end must be put
to monopoly policy of rejecting
any of their responsibility for un-
employment.

* Labor must have asay onthe
lerigth of the work day, over the
rate of speed of work, and con-
trol over the effect of automation
to guarantee the right of employ-
ment in industry.

* Anti-labor legislation must
be replaced by a Bill of Rights
for Labor.

This new role in labor can only
be achieved through a united,
autonomous labor movement. It
will require great effort to organ-
ize the unorganized, who have
grown in numbers because of
changes in the composition of
the working forces by automation
and failure of the labor unions to
come to grips with this prob-
lem. It will require the sharpest
anti-monopoly struggle on the
job for a new kind of contrac-
tural agreements and greatly
extend parliamentary activities
to gain Sweeping reforms,

May Day represents a histor-
ical way-point in the struggle
of the international labor move-
ment, and needs to be commem-
orated as such. But this occasion
should also serve as another way-
point to chart new objectives
ahead on the road to social ad-
vance and Socialism.

We feel confident the working
people of British Columbia will
meet the challenge ahead and ac-
quit themselves with honour.

May Day Greetings
to all our patrons

TOM’S GROCERY
600 Main St. MU 1-2614

Specializing in Delicatessen products
and European Style breads.

May 1, 1964—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 5