,
:
'

|

note speech on Saturday,

nA

Signing, of a new

ek

‘out the industry,

rejection. of 33 operators’
The 40-hour week had
% some phases of the industry

out the “industry,

? 15-cent boost in January.

‘between 18 and 18%

The new

woodworkers haying five
second holiday week being

days be taken only between

s

\PP APP PO

proposals was seen in sharp
Canada,

imerease,

desire for profit.

3 workers in this province to
¢

U.S. Lumberworkers
| Win 1946 Demands

agreement between the Interna-
tional Woodworkers of America and operators in the
states of Washington and Oregon
pay increase, establishment of the 40- hour week through-
and a two-week vacation
plan, was greeted by District Number 1, this week, as
a eparmenidons victory for organized Tabor.

Achievement of an amicable settlement on the new
agreement without recourse to a sirike, and complete
proposals was seen as a tri-
bute to the strength of the union,
woodworkers in. ae two nor ehorest States.

of the agreement stabilizes the new short ayeakk through-
with no exceptions.

20 CENT INCREASE

The fve-cent pay increase brought to twenty
cents the across-the-board increase for workers in
the American industry, and was seen as a particu-
larly precedent shattering victory. They

; all other industry in the United States has ranged
cents,
places woodworkers ahead of other industries
wage boosts recorded since the end of the war.
‘vacation with pay’
agreement, provides two weeks a year with pay for all
years’

the year. Previous holiday plans had provided that holi-

AVOIDED STRIKE

The signing of the agreement in the United States
without a strike, and with acceptance of all of labor’s

where operators have ganged up to block la-
bor’s attempt to raise the living Standards of the people
by achievement of a twenty-five cents across the board
the 40-hour week,
% security throughout the industry. ‘
Operators in Canada could be accused of subverting
the interests of eight hundred and fifty thousand British
Golumbia citizens to their greedy selfish interests and

@anadian operators welcomed the achievement of
a new industry-wide agreement in the northwest states,
and urged Canadian members of the TWA to carry for-
ward the just battle of thirty-seven thousand Wwood-

including a five-cent

with pay

and will affect 50,000

previously been enjoyed in
across the line, but signing

gained a
The highest increases in

and the 20-cent rate b
in

plan, included in the

seniority, with the
taken at any time during

May and September.

‘contrast to the situation in

and assurance of union

a successful conclusion.

LPP Convention Aim

Jobs, Homes,

Security

With 283 delegates from coast to coast thus far regis-
tered, the Second Annual Convention of the Labor-Progres-

sive Party opened in Toronto on Saturday, June 1.

When

all credentials are in, more than 300 official delegates are

expected to take their seats at

and Linden Streets.

Controller Stewart Smith of
Toronto will welcome the dele-
gates and observers to the LPP

convention. / 2
A number of the delegates will
have come straight from the

picket lines where striking sea-
mien are struggling for the eight
hour day and from British Cc-
jumbia where 37,000 woodwork-
ers are out for a 25 cent an

hour wage increase.

LPP National Leader Tim Buck
will deliver the convention’s key-
June 1.

Indications: are that the main
points to be stressed by the con-
vention will be the securing of
the peace; support of labor’s leg-
itimate demands for adequate

Ask Higher Grants

At a mass rally of more than
800) student veterans called by the
UBC branch of the Canadian Le-
gion on Wednesday last, the fol-
loans resolution was passed
unanimously: “Resolved, that the
Chairman of this meeting wire
Hen Yan Mackenzie for speedy
lepislative enactment of increas-
ed educational allowances.”

A delegate to the recent Do-
minion convention of the Legion
fave a short report, and a mem-—
ber of the Legion action com-
mittee, which is carrying forward

a campaign for the increases also
reported progress.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE PAGE 3

Columbus Hall at Sherbourne

purchasing, power; a full housing
program and jobs for all who
wish to work. Particular atten-
tion will be given to the mass
building of the Labor-Progressive
Party and the spreading of its
influence among the workers,
farmers and veterans of Canada.

Foster Given
Canada Welcome

TORONTO. Wm. Z. Foster,
leader of the Communist Party
of the USA, visiting Canada to
address the second national con-
vention of the
Labor - Progres -
Sive Party, held
in Toronto
over the last
week-end, was
arrested and
held in jail for
several hours
on a charge of
‘Wegal entry.”

The ReEMP
who detained
the communist leader acted upon
an order issued several years ago
under wartime immigration regs-
ulations. Foster’s entry into Can-
ada last week complied with all
necessary immigration resula-—
tions. The LPP convention gave
the American communist leader
a great ovation,

FOSTER

Rolling the big Sitka spruce (14 feet in diameter) up in the Oe Charlottes, requires
good stamina, good chuck, and above all, a good union.
ments and the strike for the 40-hour week and union security is solid.

The IWA fills all require-

Police Terror, Operators’ Stalling,
Fails To Break Unity InCSU Strike

-The strike of the CSU on the Great Lakes and inland waterways has every indica-
tion of extending to the Atlantic and Pacific séaboards, unless Ottawa compels the ship
operators to meet jointly with the government and the union to negotiate a satisfactory

settlement.
The Canadian Seamen’s Union
is fighting for an 8-hour day, 56-

Communist Gain
In French Vote

Last Sunday’s French _elec-
tion returns show the possi-
bility of another “coalition”
government in France, with
the Socialists holding the bal-
ance of power.

While the Communists made a
big gain in yotes they have sus-

tained a loss in seats in Sun-
day’s returns. The latest stand-
ing is as follows: De Gaullist
‘Mouvement Republican Popu-
laire’ (MPR) party: 5,491, 180
votes representing 162 seats; a
gain of 648,809 votes and 12
seats over last October election
results.

Communist Party of France,

5,136,334 votes, representing 149
seats: a gain of 318, 731 votes,
but a loss of 10 seats.

Socialists, 4,165,813 votes, repre-
senting 127 seats, a loss of 329,-
589 votes and 19 seats with the
corresponding returns of last Oc-
tober.

Maurice Thorez,
eral of the C.P_

Secretary Gen-
of France was

returned with a Sweeping ma-
jority. :

The last ‘coalition? government
of Communists Socialists and

MPR’s went down to defeat on
the plebiscite for a new Com-
munist-Socialist sponsored consti-
tution for France. The returns
of Sunday’s elections have _ still
to come in from some of the
French colonies, which held ap-
proximately 60 seats in the
Chamber of Deputies.

Influence of the British top
Labor Party spokesmen has been
in Support of a Socialist victory
jm the present elections. Thus the
Socialist losses at the polis also
represent a rejection of Bevin’s
“western HMuropean bloc” policies.

Vatican circles also made strong
representation to the women of
France and Italy in the present

elections to “defeat the forces
of materialism,’ which in part
explain the gainS of reaction

which seeks to consolidate itself
within the De Gaullist party.

of these

hour week, in place of the 12-hour
day, 84-hour week, enforced un-
der the arbitrary and medieval
decrees of the obsolete Canada
Shipping, Act.

During the past week the in-
tensity of the CSU strike in the
Welland-Cornwall area has been
marked by police repression and
brutality. Union pickets have
been attacked and beaten up,
while heavy police protection has
been given to the manning of
ships with scab labor. In a num-
ber of cases the union pickets
have effectively tied up Ships and
cleared them of their scab crews,
only to be faced with heavy pol-
ice attacks and mass arrests, A
few days ago the minister of jus-
tice St. Laurent in a letter to
€SU headquarters, disclaimed any
“knowledge” of arrested seamen?
Premier Drew of Ontario has
guaranteed to the shipowners that
sufficient police forces will be
maintained to see that the ships
are manned.

A great majority of the CSU
members now on strike for an 8-
hour day are members of Can-
ada’s Merchant Marine, who run
the nazi submarine and mine
blockades to get the tools’ of
war to the Allied fighting forces.

June 15 is the deadline for the
Strike of the U.S. seamen, which
which will tie up the nation’s
shipping unless the operators are
prepared to negotiate a  settle-
ment of wages and hours de
mands of the seamen. President
Truman, following the technique
adopted in breaking the _ rail
strike, ie, by calling upon the
troops to man the trains, has
néw called upon US. army and
Navy personnel to sign up for
“emergency duty,” meaning to
Sign up for organized scabbery
against the seamen.

In Canada the department of
transport, eovering government
owned and operated vessels last
week granted the 8-hour day to
the CSU, and requested the oper-
ators to meet in conference to

work out a like settlement. This
the operators refused, relyins
rather upon police repression and
tory reaction to break the sirike.
The Canada Steamships, Patter-
son and Mysner lines rejected
the government’s offer. The CSU
has urged that the government

take over and operate the lines
shipping monopolists.

J. A. “Pat” Sullivan has stated
that if the arrests of seamen
continue and the operators disre-
gard government and union de-

mands for settlement, that sea-.
men on both Atlantic and Pacific
coast ports will join the strike in
sympathy. District headquarters
of the CSU on both coasts have
orders to “stand by” for action.

Meantime labor leaders. in  WVan-
couver have voiced their condem-
nation of the terror against strik-
ing seamen, and support the de-
mands of the striking séamen for
an 8-hour day, 56-hour week.

Wm. White, president of the
Marine Workers’ Union wired the
government, protesting the arrest
of striking seamen, demanding:
that the Canada Shipping Act be
modernized, and urging the gov-
ernment to take over the ships
of operators refusing to meet
with the government or union.

The Wishermen and Allied
Workers Union sent a similar
wire, adding that the arrest of
Seamen under such an obsolete
act, is “doubly shameful,”

Harvey Murphy, western direc-
tor of the TUMM&SW urges sup-
port of the seamen, and declared
that the time had now come for
the enactment of a Bill of Rights
for Canadian seamen. John Turn-
er, secretary of the Vancouver
Labor Council urged the govern-
ment to confiscate the ships of
those operators who refuse to
meet and negotiate with union
representatives. :

Bert Melsness, district — secre-
tary of the IVWA stated that the
attitude of the operators is at
variance with the promises made
to our merchant seamen during.
the war, and demanded prompt
action on the part of the -govern-
ment and the trade unions to
back the seamen’s demands.

At the-time of going to press
it was indicated ‘that the ship
operators had finally agreed: ‘to
meet government officials to. dis-
cuss settlement of the strike.

It’s Mlegal’
NEW YORK—People who be
lieve that they can stop trade
union action by passing laws are
living in a “foci’s paradise,” Sir
Walter Citrine, British labor lead-

er, said here this week, just prior

to his departure for England.

Aithough stressing that he was
not referring specifically ta the
U.S., the British labor leader said:
“In my trade union life I have
noz yet seen any legislation that
could restrain any trade imnion
movement if the movement want-
ed to act”

ERIDAY, JUNE 7, 1946