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t “Marked the leader

tive prejudic

SPECIAL REPORT FROM CLC

Steel shifts from
cold war stance

By RAE MURPHY

“whereas the urgent need of
working people in all countries
is an atmosphere of world peace
in which energies and time can
be turned to the creation of an
abundant world free from the
fear of hunger, oppression and
war...” Thus begins one of the
key political resolutions of te
Canadian Policy Conference 0
the United Steelworkers of
America. ‘

The. resolution which was
later adopted unanimously by
the representatives of the 150,-
000-man union went on to state:

“RESOLVED that this Confer-
ence welcomes any diminution
of friction between the words
great powers, that it urges tha
efforts to achieve total nuclear
disarmament must be continued
to be followed by disarmament
in the area of the so-called con-
ventional weapons; that the
United Nations, expanded to In
clude those now excluded from
its ranks, must be reinforced BS
an agency for world peace; tha
national prerogatives in externa
power struggles must give oy
to international overseeing ©
peace in the world; that we ee
Ognize that forms of govern
will differ in various parts of the
World out of differing experien-
ces in history, different cultures
and different ideologies; that
need for survival and for im-
proved social and economic con-
ditions rest clearly on congiiony
of peace in the world; that oe
tural exchanges at all levels of
activities between various na-

: ‘ hieve
ti re desirable to ac
aaa derstanding be-

may be reduced.”
The resolution, which was

widely interpreted in the -daily

‘press as a policy shift away

from the cold-war grance oF se
i- munism whi

dent anti-com ae can

ince the

ada’s largest union sinc

late 1940’s, came In the form of

a substitute resolution replacing

: d

hich called ¥.

pon the union »

to “back the freedom loving

countries .--
to halt the spread of commyn.

Commenting on the resolution
which opens the way for ey:
change delegations between the
Steelworkers and trade unionists
from Socialist countries, Wilfreg
List, labor reporter of the To.
ronto Globe and Mail, Wrote:
“The Steel union began the
transition last summer when jt
completed the merger with e
left-wing-led International Union
of Mine, Mill and Smelter Woy,
ers.” However, other observers
feel that the positions advanceg
now by Steel have been part o¢
a process taking place insiqg
the giant union before the mer.

er, a process which in fact
made the merger possible.

Since the merger has heen
carried out in the United State,
the combined strength and unjty
of the workers in the copper in-
dustry battled a successful ning.
month strike, which was able to
unite over 26 unions in a com.
mon front against the COPper
monopolies.

In Canada the successful mer.
ger has presented the opportyn.
ity for the union to cast itself jy
the role of a natural resource,
union. This development was a).
luded to by Larry Sefton, direc.
tor of the 120,000-member qig_
trict six section of the ‘union, in
his report to the policy confey_
ence when he said, “The merge,
; provides us with a launch
Pp :
source i

ized.”
This concept of the union wy,

developed further by Sefton -
the section of his report tha
dealt with Structural changes in
the Canadian trade union Moye.
ment. “The industrial unions»
he said, “must look in their ow,

backyards. Though most of the

are merely Over 30 years old the

too can stand updating. For jp.
ce it is our fond hope thay
we can develop into a natura)
resources Union taking in aj

Fe @ Cont'd on page 4

7

ndustries still unorgay.

stan

in their endeayor

ad to tackle other natural yo_.

Hj

RNS
4 Om SS:

Fale

"Structure is priority at CLC

By ALF DEWHURST

The report of the commission on constitution and
structure being brought before the convention of the
Canadian Labor Congress this week is a priority ques-
tion for the whole labor movement.

The proposals made in the report reflect the deep-
rooted sentiments for unity existing in the ranks of the
movement. Generally the commission’s suggestions
move in the direction of unification, modernization of
structure and democratization of processes of decision

making.

This is not to say that the document meets fully
the needs of the times and the movement. For the times
ahead promise to be not only stormy but full of great
promise for labor and social advance. Proceeding from
this assumption it can be taken for granted that many
proposals will come from the floor for improving the
document in this or that direction.

The commission’s report underlines that one of the

all workers

By PHYLLIS CLARKE

The new day in the Canadian
trade union movement, already
heralded by advance proposals
for the Canadian Labor Con-

gress Convention and the deci- .

sions of the Steel Workers Union
policy conference. It could be
seen in the presence at the CLC
of a number of delegates who
had been out for 20 years. It
also was clearly seen in the first
day’s debate on organization.

Two resolutions, one referring
the question of the admittance
of the United Fishermen and
Allied Workers Union to the
executive and the other provid-
ing for affiliation of other unions
how outside of Congress “pro-

Viding that such admission does:

hot add further to the prolifera-
tion of Unions within a given
jurisdiction” were proposed by
the Committee on Organization.

Starting with the first speaker,
On the first resolution, delegates
Popped up all over the hall to
Say, that’s not fast enough or

good enough for us.

Jack Phillips, Canadian Union
of Public Employees in Vancou-
ver, who had been barred 18
years ago from the old Trades
and Labor Congress without even
a hearing, was first at the first
mike saying, ‘“‘Let’s say good-
bye to the past.” He spoke of
the need for unity in British
Columbia in the face of Bill 33
and how he hoped the intent of
the resolution was to bring in
the Fishermen.

Then another veteran of the
labor movement, excluded from
the old Canadian Congress of
Labor twenty years ago when
his union, Mine Mill, was’ ex-
pelled, Harvey Murphy, delegate
from the Steel Workers Union
took the floor. He spoke of the
effect of the cold war “a foreign
import” on the Canadian trade
union movement and asked “why
should there be a question of
working men who want to join,
having obstacles placed in their
way?”

ee aan i

major purposes of the Congress
is to work towards a completely
unified labor movement. It states
that efforts towards this end
must be intensified. And the re-
port proclaims that these efforts
“must involve not only the offi-
cers of the Congress and mem-
bers of the Executive Council,
but all trade unionists of good-
will in Canada.”

It is in this spirit that the fol-
lowing suggestions for strength-
ening the basis for unification of
the trade union movement are
advanced. ;

‘On page nine of the report the
commissioners expound their
views on Canadian unity. They
comment that “trade unionists
have a special stake in making
Confederation work because di-
visions within the country as a
whole will undoubtedly affect
our efforts towards unifying the
labor movement itself and also
have other damaging conse-
quences.” But the remedy sug-
gested is simply the one advanc-
ed by the ruling class on the
state level; i.e., intensifying ef-
forts “with a view to improving
the bicultural and bilingual na-
ture of all its operations and
those of its affiliates.”

Equality of language is vitally
important to French Canadian
workers. But it is not the whole
answer. The equality which is
fundamental is that which must.
exist between two _ sovereign
peoples free to make their own
choices as to the basis upon
which their fraternal and struc-
tural cooperation shall be built.

If Confederation is to work
it must be based on an equal

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