12 Link Teachers’ Wage With Union Affiliation A\ TTENTION was once more turned upon the necessity for decent living standards for school teachers this week in provincial and federal houses alike, when both MLA’s and MP’s took the floor to defend teachers’ demands for higher wages. In Ottawa, Robert Fair (Social Credit, Battle River) told the house that: “Teachers are not nearly as well paid as even laborers in industry, although they are compelled to dress well and to spend consider- able time and money in securing the qualifications mecessary to teaching. There are some who fail to see the importance of the teacher in the everyday life of our children, whom we entrust to them for five days a week.” A few days later, Tom Uphill (Gabor, Fernie), described, for the benefit of the legislature meeting in Victoria, the “gloomy picture” presented by the lot of rural school teachers, “burdened down with troubles, trials, and tribulations.” “T would like to see more school teachers affiliated with labor or- ganizations, for that is their only salvation,’ he stated, mentioning incidents of discrimination shown to favored employees by school boards in the matter of salaries and treatment. “Salaries for teachers are entirely too low, the profession is one of the lowest paid in B.C., and salaries here are higher than in some other proy- inces.” These statements are particu- larly interesting, say provincial labor leaders, in that they are made at a time when the BC Teachers’ Federation is consider- ing whether or not to affiliate its body to a labor organization. Results of a recent referendum vote on affiliation gave a majority of 56-44 for the move. The whole question will be threshed out at the Easter convention, when teach- ers from all over the province meet to decide whether such a majority is sufficient to warrant gong ahead with investigations to discover which labor organizaion would best suit teachers’ purposes. The question of whether or not teachers—as members of a pro- fession—would in some way be Gebased by aligning themselves with the organized labor move- ment appears to be the main bone of contention, it is reported. Those who prefer to hold the teaching profession aloof maintain that “the policy of the BCTEF is, and should continue to be, the achiey- ing of a self-governing profession. This policy can best be achieved if the Federation, which consists of members of all parties and various group affiliations, is not definitely affiliated with any poli- tical group or party.” (From Re- port on Labor Affiliation of BCTE.) Advocates of affiliation submit in answer to this the point that demands presented by this “self- governing profession” to the gov- ernment in sessions for a fair wage scale brought little response. In the words of BCTF President A. T. Alsbury, speaking before Vancouver Labor Council, “we (the teachers) have found out that our best friends are the working people.” Affiliation with trade unions, insist those in favor of it, would bring behind all teachers’ de- mands the combined strength of provincial organized labor, and would breed “confidence born of mutual understanding of common problems.” Evidence that teach- ing can no longer be regarded as an “independent profession,” it is maintained, is presented by government-prepared wage tables showing that in Canada hundreds of teachers receive less than $500 yearly, while the greatest number in any wage grouping receive only from $600 to $700. “Many of us believe that affilia- tion will give teachers the oppor- tunity to bring themselves into closer contact with a large organ~- ized body of citizens that has never placed economy above the need for progressive education,” A. T. Alsbury told The People this week on his return from Vic- toria where he met members of the Legislature to discuss better distribution of a recent grant which provided a minimum sal- ary of only $840. “While some BCTF members maintain that our ends could not be served by closer contact with the mass of Cana- dian workers, others feel that we should “follow the example set by our fellow teachers in the United States, who, organized into the American Federation of Teachers (AFL) can now boast of 30,000 members.” Absenteeism Laid To Conditions On The Job By FRANK RYHLICK A WASHINGTON. SURVEY by the CIO revealed that the greatest cause of absenteeism are beyond control of the workers, and must be met by joint action of government, management and labor. The survey, published in the Economic Outicok, monthly pub- lication of the CIO, threw a bright light of realism on a picture that has been distorted by Captain Eddie Rickenbacker and the other anti-union front men into @ caricature that maligns the entire labor movement. Voluntary absenteeism, the CIO points out, is a relatively minor part of the problem. Labor already has taken steps toward meeting it, CIO President Philip Murray has written all affiliated unions urging that every effort be made to reduce the extent of absentee- ism in industry. ‘Voluntary absenteeism can be reduced,” says the CIO, “by edu- eating the worker to understand that absenteeism is a serious hind- rance to the war effort.” There are a preat many reasons for involuntary absenteeism, by far the biggest part of the prob- Jem. These reasons include: Accidents — Inadequate safety programs by management and the failure to support and promote safety campaigns cause increased accident rates; therefore, higher absenteeism. Hilmess — Within recent weeks doctors have reported an extensive epidemic of colds. Nothing so widespread has occurred in the United States since the flu epi- demic of the last war. There is an increasing shortage of doctors in communities due to needs of the + armed forces. In addition, experts find that one big cause of absen- teeism lies in permitting men and women who are feeling badly to continue working. A day or two off will save several weeks loss of work through serious illness or accident. - “Plant health programs, ex- tension of community health services, and the elimination of health hazards would help con- siderably to reduce illness,” says the Economic Outlook. It adds: “Bad housing conditions, in- adequate transportation, poor eating facilities, dual and triple home responsibilities of women all contribute toward increasing illness. Elimination of the above causes would substantially re- duce absence because of illness.” Material Shortages—The work schedule is reduced by faulty al- location of materials to war plants. Many plants hoard labor on the excuse that there will be sufficient work as soon as materials become available. Waiting around for work inspires laxity and absen- teeism. Housing—Employment has in- creased in industrial plants with- out much regard to available housing facilities for the workers. Men are forced to leave their families and live in cheap hotels or rooming houses, where fre- quently beds are used in shifts. They desire to see their wives and children, so they take time off to travel to their homes, or spend much time trying to find adequate housing in the vicinity of their work. “Tf decent housing facilities were provided for these workers, this cause of absenteeism would certainly decline,” said the CIO. “Part of the solution to the housing problem,” it continues, would be the proper distribution and allocation of government con- tracts to communities where plant facilities, housing facilities and workers are available.” Longer Work Week—As work- ing hours are increased, absen- teeism is bound to grow. The fatigue factor becomes quite im- portant as hours are increased beyond 48 to 54 and 60. British experience shows that a worker is unable to maintain a 54-hour week over a long period of time. The most successful work week has been found to be between 40 and 48 hours, depending on the operation. As part of the work week factor is the growing use of older workers, men over 40 and 50, to replace young men drawn into the armed forces. Women Worlers — The illness rate of women is greater than that of men. The U.S. Public Health Service found that 153 out of every 1,000 women workers were ill or injured against 96 out of every 1,000 men. The CIO stresses that “a good industrial health program and provisions for health facilities in industry plants would go a long way toward reducing absenteeism resulting from these causes.” It also emphasizes the need for child care programs to aid working mothers, Trade unionists in Canada and United States are thro: their full weight behind the current Red Cross campa as witness the above group of New York union lea i pictured in the act of handing over a check for $50,019 Red Cross officials. Continued Marxism - AA Legac For All OF Mankinc this because it was able to bribe the upper strata of the working class in the advanced industrial countries as a result of the im- perialist super-profits derived at the expense of the native workers of the colonial countries. At the same time, the working class movement was weakened by this bribed section of highly skilled workers who, having sold themselves to the service of capi- talism, helped perpetuate the sys- tem of wage slavery. With such working class lead- ers, Marx’s great contributions became stifled, altered and dis- torted beyond recognition. The workers of the world remained disunited. Marxism, which gives to the labor movement clarity of orientation and charts the road ahead for the working class as an independent | social force, was mummified and buried. Capital- ism in the midst of each crisis was able to get its labor lisutenants to hold the labor movement in check. T was Lenin and Stalin who re- stored Marxism to its rightful place in the labor movement. They enriched and developed thi ¥ ies of Marxism. They 1] working class to victory in. Czarist Russia, and raised tire new generation in the « Marxian training. This new tion is today Im the vanguar forces defending world den and the future of mankind the cannibals of Hitler fas Marx often said that o idea seizes the masses it b a power. Today MHitler i with hundreds of thousa Nazis dead on the Russia: | has evidence in plenty « truth. Confronted by a p: army reared in the traditic spirit of Marxist-Leninist: ing, Hitler is finding ov bonfires of Marxist litera’ Berlin did not wipe out thi movement of liberty and racy. Hitler fascism is fa covering from the ends c sian bayonets that Marx’s name will endure throu; ages and so also will his w On this memorable occas of the Canadian working honor the memory of Kari His name will forever sk the annals of the history o kind. He will endure fore at Grenier, Massigli Urge Western Fro LONDO pela. GRENIER, French Communist deputy Rene Massigli, French diplomat, both of whom rev arrived in England to support the Fighting French of Ge Charles De Gaulle, praised the French underground 1 ment against Hitler and urged a new military front in Europe, the London Daily Worker re- ports. Addressing a big meeting in Cambridge organized by the Lon- don School of Heconomies and the Cambridge French Society, Fer- nand Grenier declared: “The partisan mevement has spread so much that it now has a central organization which or- ganizes the training of men and plans their raids. They publish a paper and also a daily com- munique.” (Rene Massigli in his press in- terview also paid tribute heroism of the scores of ands of French patriots whi faced and are still facing rible results of their rest to the occupation authoritit “The secret army of these nificent men and women types and origins,’ stated sigli “is carrying out at thi ment the imperial and pa unity of France. This secret is important.” Both Grenier and Massig: French patriots that there” phasized the desperate hope soon be an Allied landing ¢ territory of France.