CANADA'S | parliament will assemble at Ottawa Janu- ary 26. It is the fifth session of our country’s 20th parlia- ment. It will likely be the last session before we fight the next general election. Over 100 items are on the agenda—and the most important one of all should be the so-called Atlantic Pact. This Atlantic Pact, misnam- ed a regional security pact for defense, is, in reality, a Segment

plans “The big brass and money which dominates Truman’s ad- ministration steadily press for the - following objectives: ~ I Rebuilding the German Ruhr as its massive European war material base for production of - guns, tanks, poison gas, etc. 2 Whipping together, under * Marshal Montgomery, of a Western Union army of 15 to

cenaries ready to fight against their own peoples and the Soviet

_ Union and New Democracies. 3 > Linking up this Westem Un- ion with the so-called Atlan- tic Pact, and binding Canada

tughtly to an agreement to allot huge sums from the federal treas-

idly increase Canada’s armed

forces, and to vigorously push

ahead the building of aggressive war bases in Canada and New- foundland.

Make no mistake about it Wall Street is pushing desperate- ly hard. Over the protests of France and the opposition of all German political parties, the U.S. has decided to build up the Ruhr as an arsenal. Even the ‘German Social Democratic party

_—-which supports the Marshall _ Plan—has been forced to say: “The U.S. Ruhr plan is worse than our worst apprehensions.”

Montgomery is busy tying to- gether his Western Union army, and it significant that in a Lon- don speech he said that this army

was going to have’ to do police _ work, clearly implying that he figures it will be used first of ‘all against the workers and de- mocrats of the Western countries it is supposed to defend!

The news leaking out from secret meetings in Washington indicates that the Atlantic Pact is almost ready for signing. It is

‘sign it for Canada before Janu- ary 26, before parliament or the

people have any chance to learn 5 Le full far-reaching commit-

a of this mncerinee the des- ieee} haste with which Wall ; pushing its actual war preparations under cover of a myriad of stories which strive to make the people believe that it the Soviet Union which wants ar.

- next months will be dan- eat ones if they get away with their present plans. Why?

use, let those trigger-happy - hats and bankers of the

US. get Montgomery's army in x let them get the Ruhr

es of war material, let them = Canada committed — and

Il feel they can give the signal for war. They'll become more itchy for that shooting war are constantly talking about. Tt is indeed encouraging to read that in France, Germany and at ee there are strong ‘protests and struggles against America’s Ruhr _ arsenal ee z is Sgainahy hee to save _ Europe from being the supplier of the Sppnbirfodeler and vetim

Pa

of Wall Street’s aggressive war

20 divisions of European mer-—

ury for war preparations, to rap- ~

predicted that St. Laurent will .

turning out great quan-

of a Wall Street war against socialism and democracy. Canada too, faces the same fate unless labor and the people unite to condemn and frustrate a cold-blooded scheme to drain our country of billions of dol- lars and millions of men td serve the aggressive war plans of Wall Street. That is the issue of the Atlantic Pact.

Atl

By CHARLES SIMS -

What the antic act means

Therefore, it behoves all pat- riotic Canadians and in the first place the labor movement, ‘to fight this St. Laurent - Pearson * scheme to railroad the Atlantic Pact * through parliament. A heavy responsibility falls upon the CCF. The pressure from all over this country from the peo- ple can and must compel MP’s at Ottawa to oppose, to. speak

against, and to vote against this Atlantic Pact and to demand a policy of friendship with our northern neighbor, the Soviet Union. Peace and progress for

‘Canada’ does not lie in surrend-

ering our national independence to Wall Street; it lies in the op- posite direction.

‘The people can and will pre- serve peace, and make great so-

cial advances—but only on con- dition that: they fight the war- mongers. A new chapter i in Can- ada’s struggle for peace is open- ing up over this misnamed At- lantic Security Pact which is no- thing but a thinly veiled plan to involve Canada: up to her neck in the diabolical war schemes of U.S. imperialism to dominate

the world.

A union shop for civic workers

In view of widespread at-

- tacks -upon the rights of public

employees to belong to organ- izations of their own choice and constant efforis to, deny them union security already won by workers in many other fields, the Pacific Tribune> invited Jack Phillips, secretary of Vancouver Civic Employees (Outside Work- ers) Local 28, to contribute this article.

N 1948, the Vancouver Civic

Federation embracing at that time the outsidq workers, the firemen, and the, city hall staff, were in collective bargaining with the city. One of the demands was for the union shop.

The arbitration board finally referred this question to the joint conciliation committée composed of four aldermen, four represen- tatives of the employees, and the mayor as chairman. But, although nearly six years have passed, the unions have not been successful to date in ‘winning the _union shop.

The minority finns of that board set up in 1943 has been the majority opinion of successive Non-Partisan city councils since that date. Some of the aa a used are:

- “The union ne would give -the union power to discharge a

city employee from his employ- ment; the city council has no au- thority under the city charter to give such power to a union or any other body;

e@ Granting of the, union shop: ta civic unions would give un- ions absolute control: over who shali be engaged as employees

by the city;

@ The city of Vancouver is gov- erned by a democracy; if any civic employee has a grievance against the council such griey- ance may be submitted to the judgment of a democratic ypte of the people.

-@ There is no resemblance be-

tween the government of Vancou- ver and a private corporation or-

ganized for gain and controlled ©

by its directors elected by. share- holders interested in- gain.

@ In 1948 the outside workers,

Civic Employees’ Union, Local 28, bargained for a wage _ in-

crease, the union shop, and other ‘demands. The city maintained that the city charter did not per- mit any form of union security and tried to strike a bargain whereby they would seek an amendment to the charter allow- ing only a maintenance of mem- bership clause.

When this amendment came be- fore the Private Bills committee in Victoria, a joint delegation of Vancouver civic workers and the International Brotherhood of El- ectrical Workers of Vancouver, appeared before the Private Bills

\ committee in opposition to the amendment,

This, delegation took the posi- tion that the city of Vancouver is a corporation under the law and under, the’ provincial ICA act, and as such should be bound by all the provisions of the act and

not just those that were ac- ceptable to the city council.

Spokesmen pointed out that the ICA act permits the union or the closed shop where employers and

employees agree, and that if the city council were sincere in seek-—

ing an amendment to the char- ter it would press for an amend- ment whereby the city charter would be brought completely in line with the labor legislation of the. province, ;

A few months later, the City of Vancouver signed a_ collective agreement with Local 28: with the following clause in the pre- amble: :

“It is agreed that Local No. 23 may by itself or in concert with other unions, press for an amendment to the city charter which will authorize the inclusion of a union secur- ity clause (not necessarily lim-

ited to a maintenance of mém- —

. bership clause) in collective. agreements with the city and

on the spot.

it is understood that the pres-

ent council will: recommend to ©

its successors in office that such legislation be sought.”

The signing of this contract was delayed for several months by stubborn refusal of the city council to include this clause in the agreement. The union match- ed this stubbornness with a re- fusal to sign unless it was in- cluded in the contract. Its ace card was a document initialled by the city solicitor and the comp- troller, whereby they agreed, on behalf of the city to include such a clause in the agreement.

e -

With the city committed as it

is to seek a charter amendment

_ Which would permit any form of

union security permissible under the labor law of the province, and with the big three civic un- ions and the police determined to win union security this year, the Non-Partisan majority is really

On December 2-3 a province- wide legislative conference was ‘held by Trades and Labor Con- gress affiliates in the province. This conference unanimously en- dorsed the principle that civic workers should have the. same rights before the law as all other workers, and that the labor law of the province should deal equally with all groups of work- ers.

A number of civic unions in B.C. have been granted the un-

- ion shop. In no case has the pub-

lic welfare or the efficiency of the service suffered,

More than 90 percent of the outside workers employed by our city are now members of the union. The ‘city’s argument that a union shop would mean com- pulsion and denial of democratic rights does not hold water.

The 90 percent who belong to the union are recognized by the city as the bargaining agency for all of the employees in the group. Through their collective strength this 90 percent have compelled

the minority to accept | ywage in- .

creases of 22c ‘an hour in the last’ two years and a 40-hour week in place of the 44-hour week. The city has never raised the ques- tion that the 10 percent are being compelled to accept the stand- ards laid down by the union.

The union shop would draw this small minority into union affairs and would give them full opportunity, to participate in the shaping of policy and in the vot- ing on all vital, questions that directly effect their welfare. Thus the union shop would be an ex- tension and not a limitation of © democracy.

Local 28 is seeking the union

‘shop whereby all new employees

will automatically become mem- bers of the union within 30 days of commencing employment with the city and remain members as a condition of employment. This would give the union the secur-

.ity it desires’ and would not in-

owned by the

terfere in any way with the rights of the city to hire whom they choose, to dismiss for cause other than union activity, and to promote to confidential posi- tions.

The main argument used by municipal authorities in denying union security is that a civic corporation is a public body taxpayers and

therefore a city council cannot

~

Ee aR Ee _ JANUARY U4, =4p4D oo ‘PAGE 4

logical.

legally grant the union shop to civic workers.

This argument is highly il- The voting public in- cludes a majority of wage earn- ers and a minority of employers. Both the workers and the em- ployers are permitted to enter into union shop agreements un- der the labor laws of the land. If it was put squarely to them, they » could not, in all fairness, deny their public servants. the right to enter into pet shop con- tracts. .

Perhaps the Se iieere will fight this demand of the union, but we feel sure that organized labor will back the civic workers. 4