LABOR

Ontario leader backs challenger in union elections

By MIKE PHILLIPS

TORONTO — United Steelworkers Ontario director Dave Patterson expects to be somewhat lonely during the next few weeks as he bucks both the inter- national and Canadian establishment of his union in the fight to pick a new leader for 700,000 North American steel- workers. —

Patterson flew into his home local, Sudbury’s Local 6500, Inco, Jan. 18 to formally announce his support for Frank McKee, the union’s international trea- surer who is opposing Lynn Williams, elected international secretary in 1977.

Since the death of USWA president Lloyd McBride, Williams has been oc- cupying the president’s chair under International Executive Board appoint- ment. The presidential byelection is slated for March 29.

Patterson, who shook up the establishment and the right wing of the Canadian labor movement with his stun- ning defeat of former Ontario director Stew Cooke in 1981, cited McKee’s pub- lic commitment to greater Canadian au-

- tonomy within the international as one of

the reasons for his support.

Williams, on the other hand has de- clared his intention of continuing the same kind of business union stewardship that characterized McBride’s tenure. Concessions to the steel corporations were the main legacy of that leadership

and contrary to what they had promised, -

concessions didn’t save union members from massive layoffs.

‘An indication of how high the stakes are in the leadership contest, may have been shown last week when Patterson, in a scene reminiscent of the cold war 50s, was barred from entering the U.S. at Pearson international airport in Toronto. He was on his way to union headquarters in Pittsburgh.

The reason given for denying him ac- cess to the U.S. was his previous con- victions on assault charges. The first dates back to 1970 and what Patterson describes as a “‘youthful indescretion”’ where along with 26 others he was ar- rested in a tavern brawl] following a local baseball tournament.

The second was in defence of strikers at Irwin Toy, in Toronto, a bitterly con- tested struggle in which the employer backed by the police did everything pos- sible in an unsuccessful bid to break the Steelworkers.

“Tt was the day the members of Local 1005 (Stelco) came down to the picket line’, Patterson said. ‘There were about 300 of us and a whole army of cops was

sent in. When the pushing started I was _

picked out as trade unionist of the day

and was arrested and later convicted ona

charge of criminal assault.”’

U.S. immigration officials maintain Patterson’s experience at the border re- sulted from a random check. But the On- tario union leader doubts this because he’s crossed the U.S. border and

answered the same questions, including those concerning his so-called criminal record, many times. He’s travelled to international union headquarters at least once a month since his election in 1981, all without incident.

Autonomy Demand Highlighted

“‘Somebody could have fingered me’’, Patterson speculated in an interview. ““My boarding pass had three different

codes on it, I don’t know what they were _

for.”

Asked if there could be a link between this incident and the international elec- tions he replied, ‘‘could be, it certainly

takes me out of the election process in -

the States if I can’t get across the border.”

The incident also highlights Patter- son’s view of the need for greater Cana- dian autonomy for the Steelworkers. As a duly elected officer of the union he’s prevented from carrying out his duties, yet the destiny of the Ontario district is in the hands of the Pittsburgh establish- ment.

Patterson has been told that if he sur- renders his criminal record to U.S. im- migration authorities to assess-whether he is admissable to the U.S., his barring could be lifted. Crimes of moral terpitude — heavy convictions such as for murder, rape, narcotics convictions and some de- grees of assault — are the basis for deny- ing entry into the U.S. on criminal grounds.

Patterson, however is adamant about

Patterson border-ban linked to steel vote?

turning his record over to the American authorities. ‘‘There’s no way that I’m handing my finger prints over to the FBI, and that’s where the information goes, it Says so right on the forms,’ he said.

USWA presidential candidate Frank McKee expressed ‘‘shock and dismay”’ that Patterson would be prevented from crossing the border. He said he expected Patterson, however, would continue to play a key role in his campaign and that his contribution in helping to unite Cana- dian steelworkers behind him would as- sure McKee’s victory.

Steelworkers’ Canadian director Gerard Docquier on the union’s behalf called on the external affairs department to look into the matter. Williams, on be- half of the international union, said they were “‘greatly disturbed’’ by Patterson’s treatment at the border and that it is hav- ing the matter fully investigated by the union’s lawyers.

In the meantime, steelworkers will be looking very closely at the candidates, and their policies on Canadian au- tonomy, peace, and economic fightback and other questions will tell the tale. The establishment and right wing in the union have been quick to rally around Williams and among the other directors in Canada. Patterson stands alone in his support for McKee.

“I guess it’s going to get pretty lonely for me for a while’’, he said, ‘‘but I’m used to it. I’ve been lonely for the past two years because of the issues I’ve been supporting.”

Those who watched the Canadian Broadcasting Cor- y poration’s ‘‘The Journal’, Jan. 16, were given a tiny : glimpse behind the U.S. cold war curtain of the 1950s and sixties — the U.S. border-crossing black list.

; In order to protect the free air of that great citadel of ro democracy, the U.S. Immigration Department, (read "| CTIA), with the cooperation of the RCMP, made lists of 4 everyone in Canada who was a Communist, was asso- . ciated with, or was suspected of being a Communist.

; Readers of the left press as well as members of progres-

. sive organizations of all hues, were added to the lists of

e those not permitted to enter the hallowed sanctums of’

, democracy-land.

a One of the major functions of the “blacklist” was to

3 4 finger and help to remove from office all progressives in 4 the Canadian trade union movement. At that time most

; Canadian unions were part of internationals with their

head Offices, conventions and real business centres in | the United States.

Vi An essential part of the duties of trade union leaders was therefore connected with travel to and from the d U.S. By shutting off the borders to leftwingers the U.S. 1 government thus undertook two objectives.

n ds The first was to make it impossible for those barred g from the U.S. to perform their union duties. The second was to set them up for expulsion from their unions under anticommunist provisions written into U.S. inter- | Hational constitutions through the regulations of the ; Taft-Hartley Act.

Where expulsions were not entertained, the objective pursued was to use the border crossing restrictions for

red-baiting attacks and for defeating left leaders in elections.

Clear Collaboration There was clear collaboration between right-wing trade union officials on both sides of the border and U.S. ‘authorities to set up trade unionists who opposed the leadership's support for the Korean and Vietnam wars as well as their sell-out policies on the economic front. We were told by a top U.S. official on the Journal last week that the blacklist had been closed several years ago and that no new names have been or will be added to it. Imagine the surprise of Canadians, the very next day,

Labor in action _ | William Stewart

when they awoke to the news that Canadian Labor Con- gress executive council member, and United Steel- workers Ontario director Dave Patterson had been bar- red from entering the U.S.

Patterson had upset the U.S. establishment two years ago when he defeated Stewart Cooke for District Direc- tor and provided encouragement to progressive ele- ments in the union striving for change.

Why now? Patterson has been travelling back and forth across the border regularly since his election. Per- haps the answer may lie, as he suggested in a press interview, in the elections now under way for interna- tional president of the union.

Lynn Williams, a former District 6 director, and International Secretary, (prior to his appointment by the International Executive Board to replace deceased president Lloyd McBride until the March 29 member- ship-wide vote), has been given the nod by the Steel- workers’ establishment to succeed McBride.

Curtain Raiser

Running against him is International Treasurer Frank McKee, who last week described Patterson as his ‘‘prin- cipal Canadian supporter’. Elections for all union of- fices are coming up in 1985 and the March 29 presidential by-election will serve as a curtain raiser for next year’s vote.

Thus it might seem to some people in the U.S. that by barring Patterson from crossing the border it would raise doubts of his ability to do the job for which he was elected, in the minds of the members of District 6. (Ontario).

Additionally, being victims of their own wishes rather than reality, they may assume that insinuating Patterson is a communist or sympathizer, neither of which un- fortunately is true, he may be devalued in the members’ eyes. This would, they may believe, both hinder him

Visions of McCarthyism revived

from helping influence Canadians to vote for Frank McKee, and also set him up for defeat in the 1985 elec- tions.

Globe and Mail labor reporter Wilfred List was already busy by Wednesday, (Jan. 18), connecting Pat- terson with “the Canadian Party of Labor, a Marxist- Leninist group.” ‘

It appears that some elements in the trade union movement in the U.S. and Canada, as well as the U.S. government have forgotten nothing and learned nothing. Their smear and innuendo campaigning, McCarthyism and red-baiting have fallen on deaf ears for some time. The same kind of smear campaign was used against Dave Patteron in his campaign to be elected District 6 director. It was rejected then, and we expect it will be rejected now. :

Irreversible Process

The issue in the election of a new president for the United Steelworkers is what policy the successful can- didate intends to pursue in the face of the deepest crisis ever to grip U.S. basic steel. Lloyd McBride followed policies of concessions to the U.S. steel industry hoping that if workers bailed the industry out of its crisis, the workers would get some crumbs off the table.

Lynn Williams promises to follow the same policies.

If Frank McKee is willing to break with these positions an issue on which, so far, he is blowing both hot and cold, and if he is wiling to face up to such issues as Canadian autonomy and peace, it could be a step in a new and important direction for both the U.S. and Canadian steelworkers.

Canadian steelworkers aren't likely to have their eyes closed to this objective by government or union-inspired red-baiting. It is more likely they will decide that if U.S. authorities are going to take part in determining who is, and who is not able to participate fully in the affairs of the USWA, they will re-organize their relations in such a way as to remove the U.S. connection from consideration.

The time is long past when U.S. head offices, or Cana- dians hiding behind them, can push Canadian unionists around. Canadian autonomy leading toward a complete- ly sovereign and independent Canadian trade union movement is an irreversible process. :

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JANUARY 25, 1984 e 7