ICA ACT

are taken over by the state through
costly damage actions and legal
fees. :

“This union, therefore, demands
that Section 3 (1) be amended to
read as follows: ‘Every employee
shall have the right of membership
in any trade union of his own
_ choice, and maintain. his member-
-ship, if accepted, in good standing
and have the right to participate in
the activities of said union, provid-
ing he abides by the constitution
and bylaws of that organization’.”

Assumed powers of the Labor
Relations Board were also rapped
by the Mine-Mil} delegation. —

“The LRIB has taken upon itself
to interpret union constitutions and
to intervene between two unions in
any situation they deem fit, to the
exent of denying collective bargain-
ing to workers because they di
not wish to join a trade union
which the board designates for
them. Members of the LRB, ap-
pointed by the government, with
the authority they have at present
at their disposal, can annihilate
trade unions.”

The Mine-Mill presentation de-
clared that questions of retroactive
pay should be settled during con-
ciliation and not left to the LRB;
asked that the government pay the
costs of conciliation and arbitra-
tion hearings.

The union letter further recom-
mended more provision for unjon

ity: “Specifically we would
ask that legislation be enacted
making union shop compulsory
where the majority of workers
express this desire.” “Unalterable
opposition” to government con-
trot of trade unions was voiced.

“It has been the experience of this
union that the ICA Act, which con-
tains so many teeth against trade
unions, is — practically toothless
against employers,” charged Mine-
_ Mill. “Employers can come before
the LRB and openly declare that
_ they will not abide by its provisions
- and the LRB adopts the following
procedure: it tells the complaining
union that it will consent to a pro-
secution, but meanwhile the union
must keep its membership at work
for the employer, and since the em-
ployer does not need certification
in order to bargain, the board has
the authority and can, under Sec-
tion 60 (b) ‘cancel the certification
of a union and establish such pro-
cedures as it thinks proper to en-
able the employees and their em-
ployer to negotiate for settlement
of the strike, should a strike re-
sult from the employers’ action in
violating the agreement.

“Of course, the union can pro-
secute and the employer, by ap-
peals from one court to another

should he be judged guilty of an

offence, can bankrupt the union
and destroy its organization by
the time the courts have finally
acted, The ICA Act as it is pres-
ently worded, with its present ad-
ministration, is in reality a full
employment act for the legal pro-
fession at workers’ expense.”

The Mine-Mill letter was signed
by Harvey Murphy, regional direct-
or; K. A. Smith, president; D. Mc-
Ghee, secretary-treasurer; R. C.
Billingsley, Local 480, Trai J,
Beattie, Local 587, New Westmin-
ster; G. W. Anderson, Local #649,
Copper Mountain; H. Whelan, Lo-
cal 651, Kimberley; and G. A, Ben-

nett, Local 653, Britannia.

 £. H. SKEELES
Transfer & Fuel
CEDAR, BC.

/ EAST END
. TAXI

UNION DRIVERS

0334
FULLY | 24-HOUR
2 INSURED SERVICE
Vancouver

Strikers on the tracks

—

be
Ten union members were arrested after. this silent sitdown on

the tracks of the Santa Fe at Carlsbad, N.M., blocked removal of ore
from mines of three potash companies against which members of
the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers have’

been striking since November.

e

Civic Reform to fight
for better enumeration

Extension of the civic franchise. better methods of enumeration of
voters and restoration of a revised ward system will be fought for during
1950 by the Civic Reform Association, a special meeting of the execu-

tive committee held this week decided.

\

x
“We have a great deal of work to do this year and are streamlining

our organization in order to operate
in high gear between now and
elections next December,” said hon-
orary president Effie Jones.

“New CRA cards for 1950 will
soon be issued. Our CRA brief on
the business tax, issued two years
ago, correctly predicted the discri-
mination in application of the tax
which is now so glaringly evident.
Consequently, we are sending cop-
ies of the brief to all ratepayers
and community organizations this
month, with a covering letter, as
the opening move in our campaign
for classification of industries and
the introduction of a graduated
business tax.”

The Civic Reform Association has
decided that next December it will

run a full slate of candidates for

civic office. “Our success at the
polls depends in great measure on
the tenants’ vote,” continued Mrs.
Jones. “In the past the method of
enumeration left thousands of ten-
ants off the lists. We must rectify
this deplorable state of affairs.”

Under the present system, the

city clerk sends out enumerators ,

who are paid an hourly rate. They
operate on a _ hit-and-miss basis,
seldom calling a second time at
homes where tenants are out; more
often talking to only one person in
a house and missing names of
many tenarts.”

Enumeration ends June 30 and
the rolls are prepared. CRA of-
ficials say they will lead an in-
tensive registration campaign in
August and September, aimed at
getting every eligible voter who
has been left off the lists to visit
city hall and register.

A brief will be sent to city coun-
cil shortly advocating a return to
a revised ward system in order to
give all parts of the city fair repre-
sentation. :

This week the CRA wrote the
Public Utilities Commission in Vic-
toria, requesting a copy of the 1948
financial report on operations of
the BCElectric in order to prepare
material to submit to the PUC hear-

ings on the transit fare increase,
scheduled to open in Vancouver,
February 9.

‘Let the Rail-Splitter Awake’
feature of Lenin Memerial

A capacity audience is expected
at Pender Auditorium this coming
Sunday evening, January 22, when
of Vancouver's

supporters labor

and progressive movement com-

‘|memorate the 26th anniversary of

the death of V. I. Lenin, founder
and first head of the world’s first
socialist state, the USSR.

Doors for the anniversary meet-
ing, which has long been an annual
event in this city, open at 7.30, and
the meeting starts at 8 p.m.

_ Main speaker at the meeting will
be Maurice Rush, provincial, orga-
nizer for the Labor-Progressive
party, who last Sunday addressed
a similar anniversary meeting held
at Nanaimo, B.C.

Feature of the hour-long concert
program will be a dramatic presen-
tation of Pablo Nerjida’s great
poem, “Let the Rail-Splitter
Awake” by members of the Van-
couver Theater of Action. Two of
the world-renowned Chilean poet’s
poems, “Let the Rail-Splitter
Awake” and “The Fugitive’, a
newly-published work, have been
combined and adapted by Hal Grif-
fin for this dramatic presentation,

which is being directed by John
Goss.

In addition, an interesting musi-
cal program has been arranged,
highlights of which will be songs
and orchestral numbers by the
Russian Choir and Ukrainian Or-
chestra here.

KUZYCH DENOUNCED

Press blacks out
labor’s support

for Boilermakers

Vancouver Trades and Labor Council (AFL-TLC) went on record
this week in support of the Marine Workers and Boilermakers Union’s
fight against union-disruptor Myron Kuzych—but the daily press refused

to print the story.

The founding convention of the West Coast Seamen’s Union passed

a strong resolution condemning the
actions of Kuzych — put not a word
appeared in the daily press.

Two pro-Kuzych and anti-union
articles dealing with matters which
are still sub judice were featured
in the Vancouver News Herald re-
cently — but the publishers failed
to retract the stories on request
of the union. a

Because the Kuzych case is a
threat to trade unionism in B.C.
and across Canada, the labor move-
ment is springing to the defense
of the Boilermakers. By the same
method of reasoning, the commer-
cial press obscures and distorts
the real issues at stake in an effort
to assist the union-smashing pro-
gram of Kuzych and the bosses.

Kuzych, expelled from the union
for his anti-labor activities, won
a judgment ordering his reinstate-
ment. Boilermakers’ officials Bill
White and Bill Stewart were sent
to jail for “contempt of court”
when they refused to give Kuzych
a union card. The union backed
their leaders’ stand, 979-28 in a re-
ferendum vote. White and Stewart
were released from jail on a stay
of execution of the committal or-
der, are appealing the case. This
week Kuzych lost an attempt to
have the appeal struck out and
the union leaders returned to jail.

The Boilermakers’ Union is send-
ing copies of the News-Herald con-
taining the offending articles to
the provincial attorney-general and
the premier, demanding action.
Copies and a covering letter are
also being sent to the provincial

secretary to bring the matter to the
attention of the executive council
for immediate action.

i e

Scramble out
of egg mess

—REGINA

Minister of Agriculture James
Gardiner gave Saskatchewan fgr-
mers another glimpse into the
grim future in an address to the
Chamber of Commerce here last
week.

Gardiner said emphatically that
the federal government is “not
going into the egg. business.” The
egg industry, he is reported as
saying,, is now in the position
where “some responsible part of
‘the trade or some new organiza-

tion” should come forward with
a proposal which would allow
action under the Agricultural

Prices Support Act to secure the ~

position of the egg producers. He
warned that in six months the
hog industry would be in a posi-
tion, similar to the egg business.

Through this double talk it be-
comes increasingly clear that the
federal government is going out
of the marketing busines, now
that it has ruined the farmer's
markets. The next move is up to |
the farmers themselves.

~

Ca UN a mS th A A

English Commentary

STATE THEATRE |
Jan. 26th, 27th, 28th.

; THE STORY. OF THE
: NUREMBERG TRIALS ‘
“Nine Men in Hell’

Added: HANGMEN ALSO DIE”

. «  hurs., Fri., Sat. ~

BE SURE TO HEAR

SE gg EF TI AR ETS

Pierre Van Paassen

distinguished author, lecturer, and press correspondent

SPEAK ON TEE SUBJECT: LF

“THERE IS STILL TIME”

At the Auditorium, Denman Street

Wednesday, January 95. Q

Be 8.80 P.M.

udoices of National Council of Jewish Women

Tiekets' on ae at Modern Music and Kelly's ErSerour St.

i

v4

; :
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 20, 1950—PAGE 6

q