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[LABOR FRONT |

An interesting precedent has been established by the
Canadian Labor Congress in its decision to establish the Can-
adian Maritimes Union. This union was set up to fight the
Seafarers International Union (SIU) and eliminate it from the
Canadian waterfront. As far as is known the new union has
no members and the extent of its influence remains to be seen.

This is not a rank and file development. The decisions to
@stablish the Canadian Maritimes Union was made on top, not
by the rank and file seamen.

One rather suspecis that some of the companies were in-
volved in this development — the same companies which
@ecided to destroy the Canadian Seamen’s Union a number
of years ago. The SIU was brought in for that purpose by the
leadership of the old Trades and Labor Congress ,by the AFL,
by the Liberal government and by the companies. But having
invited the tiger into the house it has become increasingly

difficult to chase it out.

% * %

What galls the companies is not the undemocratic character
of the SIU constitution, not its high initiation fees, nor the
practices of its top leadership. Their concern is in the fact that
the SIU leadership, which was brought into Canada to lower
the living standards of Canadian seamen and impose cold war
policies on them, was compelied, under pressure of the member-
ship and the militant traditions of the. CSU, to strive for im-
proved conditions,

ust the SIU from the Canadian waterfront is to change this
- state of affairs,

On the other hand the decision of the CLC leadership to
establish a Canadian union and oust an American union is
certainly an interesting development. It marks a complete turn
of the circle because in the late forties the Trades and Labor
Congress t00k an entirely opposite course. It destroyed a
Canadian union, brought in an American union and imposed

Gf on Canadian seamen.

* * *

Not only is it a turn of the cycle. It flies in the face of
“Speeches and articles by CLC president Jodoin who has re-
‘peatedly stated that the unions in Canada enjoy all the autonomy
they need; that there is no domination or control here by the
US. unions. Now this same Mr. Jodoin seems to be compelled.
to acquiesce in a policy directed to destroying an American
* union.

But if this may be done to one union, what is to prevent
it from being done to other unions with headquarters in the
‘USA? A growing number of workers in Canada may well ask
themselves: why only the SIU? How about other unions whose
Practices are not very much different.

The leadership of the CLC unwittingly opened up a Pan-
@ora’s box. Who knows what will pop out as a result?

* * * :
The CLC decision also has its dangerous sides. It is not
‘ @nly a top operation which by-passes the rank and file of the
_ 6eamen. It is also a dangerously splitting device, part of the
“mew technique” which some of the leaders of the AFL-CIO
“and CLC seem to have embarked upon.
It is based on the idea of expelling unions, then considering
* them open game for raids and for destruction. Such an idea
‘fis now being toyed with in the USA, where it is being proposed
“that the AFL-CIO set up a new teamsters organization with
“the hope of breaking locals away from the present Teamsters
“anion and finally liquidating it.
The same technique is being practiced in Canada in con-
*mection with the CLC-Steel raid on Mine-Mill, :
; # % %
> “This is not the path to strengthening the autonomy of the
“anions in Canada and the eventual achievement of independ-
“ @mte and sovereignty for the Canadian trade union movement.
nthe contrary, it is calculated to further divide and weaken
* @hat movement and make it easier for monopoly interests, with
. the assistance of governments, to legislate against it,
‘Jodoin and company are using the legitimate, honest desires
-@f a growing body of Canadian workers for autonomy and
‘@emocracy in their unions to sidetrack it into channels which
’ wan do no good. There is need to take up the battle for autonomy
> @nd democracy in all unions which do not enjoy it and if Mr.
“Jodoin is prepared to lead such a battle, he will get wide

support for such clear aims. :

So far, however, neither he or most
CLC executive council, most of whom represent international
‘unions, have shown that they intend to do so. It thus falls upon
the ‘shoulders of the rank ang file everywhere to press for it
fand achieve it. 2 :

; = ae
U.S. Nazi aims exposed

An undercover private detective has revealed. that mem- ||
bers of the American: Nazi Party are taught that Jews should
be “gassed” and Negroes should: “be sent back to Africa.”

_ The detective, Herman Hornsby, exposed the aims of
the fascist organization at a press conference called by the
Jewish War Veterans of Illinois. Hornsby had joined the
“Chicago branch of the Nazi Party.

He said that the “front” organization of the Nazi Party
in IHinois is the Fighting American Nationalists, The youth-
ful detective added that “they think George Lincoln Rock-
well (national head of the American Nazi Party) will be

of the members of the

“The last raid of the United
Steelworkers of America on
jurisdiction of the Mine Mill
and Smelter Workers Union
cost the Steelworkers Union
more than half a million dol-
lars and failed to make any
appreciable dent in our union.
This present raid will cost over
a million at the rate they are
presently pouring the workers
money down the drain, with
even less results for the Steel-
workers,’ Harvey Murphy,
Western District Mine Mill
president, told a meeting of
trade unionists at the Pender
Auditorium last Sunday night.

Turning to the charge that
the Mine Mill had been thrown
out of the Canadian Labor
Congress because it was com-

F eS :munist - dominated Murphy
One of the aims of the companies in the present effort to ;

told the gathering that at that
time (1949) there was no pro-
vision in the constitution of the
CLC denying Communists the
right to affiliation to the Con-
gress. “The issue was plain and
simple’’, he said ‘‘we were ask-
ed to relinguish our jurisdic-
tion of the miners in the gold-

Appeal for old
publications

In preparation for a lit-
erary exhibit at the 17th
national convention of the
Communist Party of Cana-
da, scheduled for January,
1962, the PT editorial staff
are appealing to subscribers
or others who may have old
Communist Party publica--
tions in their possession.

Publications dating from
the early 20’s and through
the 30’s would be most ap-
preciated, All such dona-
tions to the .CP exhibit
should be mailed to this of-
fice, where all will be in-
dexed, and later returned
to the donor if so desired.

Will defeat Steel raid 4
say Mine-Mill speakers L

fields in Northern Ontario to
the United Steel Workers. This
we refused to do and were ex-
pelled for this reason.

“The Steelworkers bought
our jurisdiction from the Can-
adian Labor Congress for $50,-
000, a fact subsequently admit-
ted by Donald McDonald see’y
of the CLC. This is why we are
refused admittance to the CLC
Steel, an influential union in
that body insists that the $50,-
000 pact be honored and we
now have the spectacle of the
sec’y of the Canadian Labor
Congress, Claude Jodoin, lend-
ing his personal assistance to
a Steel raid on Mine Mill at
Sudbury and Pt. Colborne. to
keep his bargain with the Steel
Union.”

Murphy, who has just re-
turned from Sudbury and Pt.
Colborne, said “I know the
workers at Sudbury and Pt,
Colborne. They will reject the
raid by the Steelworkers. I am
positive that the Steel attempt
to take over our union in these
centres will go down to de-
feat. é

“The splits will remain how-
ever, and this is the tragic
part of this cannibalism in the
labor movement.

“This American gangster
style of work, along with its
McCarthyism counterpart,
must be destroyed in Canada
before it destroys the entire
labor movement.

“Tt is not just Sudbury or
Mine Mill which is at stake
here, this is a threat: to all
labor.

“All labor must speak out.”

Yves Lemay, and Tom Tay-
lor, from Pt. Colborne and
Sudbury also addressed the
gathering.

Lemay, president of the Pt.
Colborne local, told the meet-
ing that the Steel raid in Pt.
Colborne has already been de-

Urge ‘tight back’ program
in woodworking industry

A leaflet setting forth a
“fight back program” for coast
woodworkers was distributed
this week to mill workers and
loggers under the signature of
the Trade Union Commission
of the Communist Party of
B.C.

The leaflet shows how large
scale mechanization, accom-
panied by speed-up, is leading
to layoffs and a steady reduc-
tion in the work force in the
lumber industry on the coast.
It cites a drop of about 5,000
workers in the last 15 years.
. Threats of layoffs and heavy
pressure on workers in the in-
dustry, including production
competitions between plants
with the inference that the
plant which loses the competi-
tion will shut down, are men-
tioned.
_. The: Communist _ statement
charges that working condi-
tions are deteriorating rapidly,
grievances piling up and com-
pany intimidation growing.

It also charges that Joe
Morris and- the leadership of
the IWA is doing precious

fuehrer of America in 1970.”

little to meet this threat, and

claims that IWA leaders are
more concerned about aping
the bosses line about “the men-
ace of communism,” which’
they use to clobber anyone
who challenges their policy.
The result, it is said, is that
many capable and_ honest
workers have become discour-
aged and demoralized, and that
only a small percentage of the
workers are playing any active
part in union affairs.
The Trade Union Commis-
sion sets forth a four-point pro-
gram for the membership to
take up to meet their prob-
lems:

(1) Throw out red-baiting as

no substitute for a~ free
change of ideas;

ex

(2) Activize and reorganize] |

a comprehensive shop stewards
movement;

(3) Develop an all out fight
against speed-up;
(4) Discard the job-evaluation
program and win a program
which would pass along to the
workers the benefits of mech-
anization and automation. A
program which would include
shorter working ‘hours ‘and

HARVEY MURPHY, (above)
Mine Mill’s Western District
president, exposed reasons bé@
hind Steel raid.

feated. The workers there have
made their feelings abundank |!
ly clear to the raiders, and aS |
they have done before, they
will give them short shrift.
He told of how a Steel
effort to organize a mass meet
ing in Pt. Colborne, including é |
planes flying overhead adver |
tising the meeting, full page |
ads in the. paper, TV and a
radio, produced a meeting of |
two hundred at least. half “of
whom were hostile to Jodoin
and Mahoney of the Steel
workers, who were on the plat
form. : |

a
een ©

Taylor, executive member j}
of the Local 598, Mine Mill ]
local in Sudbury, was the perm! }
son who tripped the - wholk
battle in Sudbury when he ex-
posed the plot by the execu:
tive board (of which he was a ]
member at that time) to take, |
the local into Steel. Re) |

Taylor left the audience «
with no illusions about how J]
tough a job Mine Mill faced Jj
in Sudbury. However, he ex-
pressed his confidence that
when the smoke cleared Mine :
Mill would still remain the Bs. |
bargaining agency at the Sud+ ©
bury operations of Interna:
tional Nickel Co., and that
Steel would be once and for
all excluded from the rightful
jurisdiction of the Mine Union.

All three speakers appealed
to the delegates to go back to ©
their local unions and pass
resolutions condemning — the
CLC Steel raiding at Sudbury :
and Pt. Colborne, and to de- |}
mand that the Congress get on _
with the job of organizing the~ }
unorganized, and winning
higher wages and working con-
ditions for their members,

—)

~

OTTO KUUSINEN, one of the
outstanding leaders of the
Communist Party of the Soviel
Union and of ‘the international « —
Communist movement, wa5 —
named a Hero of Socialist L@ =~
bor and awarded the Order of.
Lenin on the Occasion of his

higher wages,

: -| 80th birthday on October 2,
October 27, 1961—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 8