Canada’s leading unionist

Irades Congress head |
|seeks mass security

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By PERCY BENGOUGH
President, Trades and Labor Congress of Canada, AFL

Labor Day, 1946, finds Canadian workers in a somewhat
unsettled state. In fact this condition is general the world
over. Conditions internationally and locally are in a state
of flux with issues beclouded and uncertain. Some subscribe
to the theory that the present unsettlement is a natural follow-
up after a period of war. However, when one gets down to

the basic reason, we find it is

The old worries of getting a
job or how long will it last; how
are we going to get along if we
become ill and» have to meet a
flock of doctor bills, to say noth-
ing.-about what are we going to
do when we get old, are still
real. We cannot fool ourselves.
These are the worries of most
people @nd little has been done
so far te rid the people of Can-
ada from their real fears that au-
tomatically bring an unsettled
state of mind.

Some ask, what is it that the
workers want? The answer is
simple. They want economic
and social security. The Cana-
dian worker, able and willing
to work, wants an income suf-
ficient to guarantee a good
home and a comfortable living
for both himself and his family
that will free them from the
fear of want for the whole of
their lives, with an all-embrac-
ing scheme cf health imsurance
for all, and 2 real geod aged
citizens’ pension when too old
te work.

Surely this is not too much to
expect in a country so rich as
Canada, 2 country with untold
natural resources and with such
productive advantages both in in-
dustry and in agricultural pro-
ducts? All that is in the way of
the citizens of Canada from en-
joying a life of full employment
and social security is an artificial
scarcity caused by hanging on to
an outmoded monetary system -in
a streamlined age.

There is' no greater asset to a
nation than that of a healthy cit-
izenship. The blame for not bring-
ing in national health insurance
was placed on the failure of the
Dominion-Provincial Conference to
reach agreement on the readjust-
ment of taxation fields. It sounds
like something serious but what
is more serious is the fact that
while Canada lost some 40,000,
killed and missing, during the
war period, 130,000 Canadian chil-

still the fear of insecurity.

PERCY BENGOUGH

«... they want economic and
scecial security.”

dren under one year of age died
during the same period. A large
percentage of this terrible loss of
life was caused by a lack of
proper health services. To this
can be added the misery of
thousands as a result of illness
conclusively shown in the many
rejections for health reasons of
those called up for service in the
armed forces. * i

The time has gone by for our
governments to squabble over
who is going to collect the
money. Consideration must be
given first to the well being of
the people. Good health is more
important than figures in a
dusty bank book. The citizens
of Canada want and are entitled

to expect full employment and
full social security.

AFL-CIO unions stand
to lose in China war

By ISRAEL EPSTEIN 7

NEW YORK.—The protests by Presidents Philip Mur-
ray of the CIO and William Green of the AFL, against
Chiang Kai-shek’s raids on trade union hospitals and recrea-
tion centers built with American workers’ money highlight
the importance of the civil war in China to American labor.

Raiding of union property, built
with AFL and CIO war relief funds,
was accompanied by the arrest of
a number of ‘trade union officials.
Chinese labor regards the suppres-
sion of unions as part of the civil
war drive, pointing out that Chiang
is seeking to silence workers’ de-
mands for peace and to smash the
unity recently achieved by the
unions in Kuomintang and Com-
munist China.

Both Murray’s and Green’s pro-
tests went beyond requests for the
restoration of trade union property.
Murray called the Chinese dicta-
tor’s attention to the hope of
“American workers and the people
in general for a unified democratic
China in which freedom of labor
organization is guaranteed.” Green
asked the U.S. State Department
to take action to help “free trade
unionism to function in China.”

American labor has an immediate
stake in the entire Chinese situa-
tion. First, gq civil war, with the

PACIFIC TRIBUNE — PAGE 2

U.S. government giving aid to one
Side against the other, makes the
Far Hast a major danger spot for
a new world war. é

In addition, the civil war has al-
ready led the Chinese government,

a big potential buyer of machinery

and heavy construction goods, to
confine its purchases to army sur-
plus property. The consumer’s
goods market is also non-existent
because workers are paid such low
wages and peasants have to meet
exorbitant rents and war taxes.
Thus, potential jobs for American
workers are eliminated.

The starvation wages paid to
Chinese workers represent a threat
to U.S. workers in another way.
Before the war, for instance, many
American ships refitted in Hong-
kong and Shanghai docks instead
of those at home, because it was
cheaper to use the underpaid Chi-
nese craftsmen than American
labor.

CCL president greets labor with
program of tasks to win peace

By A. R. MOSHER, President, Canadian Congress of Labor

The people of Canada have naturally been concerned by the strikes which have oc-

curred during the past summer.
widespread evidences of unrest
They are also aware that, while

They realize that there must be some reason. for such
and dissatisfaction on the part of large groups of workers.
wage-increases have been prominent in the demands of the

‘workers, more than simply higher wages and shorter hours of work are involved. Workers de
not go on strike and give up their incomes unless they have what they feel to be ample

justification for their action.

In my opinion, the attitude of
the workers results largely from
a feeling of disillusionment and
apprehension. The effects of the
war, not only on those who
served in the armed forces and
haye now returned to their form-
er employment or to new occu-
pations, and those who worked
hard to provide munitions and
other war-supplies, are far more
deep-rooted than is generally rea-—
lized. Quite apart from the ner-
vous strain caused by long hours
and intensified production, there
was a constant overtone of ten-
sion and worry in the minds of
the workers, Almost every one
of them had sons or brothers or
other relatives in the fighting
forces, and, even in the best of
circumstances, there was 2 con-
stant fear as to the safety of
those who went overseas.

To keep up the morale of the

people, our politicians promised
that victory would usher in a
brave new world. Peace would

make possible an era of justice
and economic security, such as
had scarcely been dreamed of
the past, and new techniques of
production would provide higher
standards of living for everyone.
Unfortunately, those rosy dreams
have been dissipated in the cold,
hard light of reality. First of all,
war-workers were laid off in
huge numbers without any pro-
vision for dismissal pay. Recon-
version has been incredibly slow
and inefficient. Shortages, espe-
cially of homes, have been a
source of aggravation, and the
government appears to have no
Plan for the bright future it
had promised, except the reten-
tion of wage-controls and at least
a partial lifting of price-controls
and elimination of subsidies. Un-
employment began to increase,
and the workers became more
and more afraid, not only that
the improvements in their eco-
nomic position and the status of
their unions which had been won
during the war, would be lost, but,
still worse, that the country was
headed for another depression.

The workers felt, in the cir-
cumstances, that they had no
alternative but to lay down a
definite wage-hour program call-
ing for increased incomes,
which would give them a high-
er standard of living, and short-
ter hours of work which would

not only provide leisure, but
also greater opportunities. for
employment. It included price

control by which to prevent the
passing on of wage-increases to
the consumer instead of taking
them out of profits and increas-
ed production, and finally,
unioh security in the form of
the union shop and the check
off.

This program is, in the opinion
of labor, wholly fair and reason-
able, and is baseé on sound eco-
nomic principles. It is highly de-
Sirable that the purchasing pow-
er of the people be increased,
and this purchasing power is pro-
provided almost entirely out of
wages. However, in spite of the
reasonableness of the program, it
was opposed by the leaders of
industry and of government. The
unions had greatly increased fheir
membership during the war, and
thus improved their bargaining
position. Apparently, however, : em-
ployers in a number of industries
had made up their minds to op-
pose any progress of labor, and
to undermine the unions as far
as possible. While the workers
looked to their unions to pro-
vide economic security and pro-
tection - against unfair treatment
by employers, the latter in many

in |

eases considered that the ideal
situation was one in which work-
ers might be laid off at the will
of the employer, and wages be
kept down by the competition of
a pool of unemployed constant-
ly looking for work The attitude
of the employers stirred up feel-
ings of distrust and ill-will among
the workers, and their refusal in
some instances to give any con-
sideration whatever to the re-
quests of the unions, precipitated

serious disputes and strikes in a

large number of Canadian in-

dustries,

It is evident that such a state
of affairs is abnormal, and that
it is harmful to all concerned.
The workers are fully aware that
the attainment of higher stan-
dards of living depends upon
greatly increased production, but
it is only when the workers re-
fuse to produce that any attention
is paid to their demands.

Undoubtedly, many of the
strikes which have occurred in
Canada in recent months could
have been avoided if govern-
ment and industry had adopted
2 more favorable attitude to-
ward the program advanced by
the labor unions. We are coen-
cerned wth the past, however,
only in order that we may learn
from our mistakes, and thus act
More wisely in the future. It
must be recognized by govern-
ment and industry as well as
by Canadian imstitutious gener-
ally that labor in Canada has
attained a status and strength
which cannot be ignored. —

Labor is now an important and
integral part of the economic and
social structure of the nation, and

the sooner this 1act is recognized

and appropriate action is taken
to deal with labor in accordance
with the principles of political
and industrial democracy, the
sooner will Canadian industry be
placed on a sound basis:

Wot only must labor unions be
recognized -as the bargaininge
agency for the employees they

represent, not only must they be -

granted union security in the form
of the union shop and the check
off, but industry must be pre
Pared to accept the unions of
their workers as partners repre—
Senting the investment of human
life and at least having equal
claims to consideration with the
investment of capital. Through
industrial councils and similar de
vices, the workers must be given
an opportunity to participate in
the making of industrial policies
and to have some voice in mat
ters upon which their very - lives
depend.

The old but still prevalent idea
that labor is a commodity to be
treated as simply one factor in
the making of profits must be
abandoned by industry. Workers:
are human beings; they are citi-
zens of their countries and of the
world, and they are entitled to
be treated with consideration and
respect. : =

The future of Canada and of
the other nations depends upon
the recognition of labor’s rights
and the sharing of responsibil-
ity for the control of both pol-
itical and industrial affairs with
the workers. Only in this way
will it be possible to achieve
peace on the homefront and
throughout the Wworid. This is
the message which the workers
would give te their fellow-cits
zens on Labor Day, 1946.

Victoria LPP picnic also
rally against warmongers

VICTORIA. The Labor-Progressive Party’s Picnic held
August 18 at Curlew Park, Elk Lake, was voted by all whe

attended as one of the most

successful ever held.

The day was marked by a full program. Sports and

off
and Len

races
Hans

were run
Kroeger

smoothly under
Clark.

the
Bingo,

direction of
Tun by Jack

Cornthwaite and other games of chance attracted large num-

bers of ‘players. Refreshment
stand workers, Betty Thompson,
Jim Mayer and Mrs. Noble toiled
overtime to provide hungry and

thirsty picnic goers with  ice-
cream, hot dogs, lemonade and
coffee.

A feature of the afternoon was
the Popular Girl Contest te
choose Miss Victoria Industry.
Miss Anne Ziobro, -campaigning

as Miss Machinist and sponsored
by the Centre Club, was victori-
ous over Miss Elsie Pakulak as
Miss Shipyard Worker, sponsored
by the Norman Bethune Youth
Club. The final count was 14,467
votes for the winner and 2,600 for
the runner-up.

Speaking to the holiday crowd
on behalf of the party was Bruce
Mickleburgh, Vancouver city di-
rector. Stressing, the urgency
of the campaign for peace, he
recalled the recent statement of
the German Communist Party
accepting its Share of the re-
sponsibility for Fascist victory in
Germany:

“The only guarantee that we
will never in the future, gather
together the shattered rem-
nants of our party, to make 2
sinilar declaration, is the work
that we do now toe combat
monopoly capital’s drive to

war.” He struck out vigorously
at the war mongers and brand-
ed as lies the present hysterical
campaign against the Soviet
Union and the democratic gov-
ernments of Europe. “Canada
will be the Belgium of World
War I,” he asserted, “unless
the labor movement rallies its
strength to defeat this propa-
ganda.” i

Seelis Labor’s aid

YENAW.—A new appeal to Am-
erican workers to halt interyen-
tion by “American reactionaries”
in the Chinese civil war was sent
this week by trade union leaders
of the Shansi-Chahar-Hopel Bor-
der Region.

US. Marines are “openly and
unrestrainedly” taking . part i
China’s civil war, said a message
sent to AFI, President William
Green and CIO President Philip
Murray on behalf of 400,000 wor-
kers. The Chinese workers ap-
pealed to U.S. labor to demand
withdrawal of American troops
from China. They called upon
American railway and dock work

ers to refuse to handle supplies
which May intensify the civil war.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 30, 1946

s greet Labor Day -