LABOR ROUNDUP: ‘City Council blocking

—IWA Barker

U.S. warned to halt new attacks on Cuba

Cuba, tensed on a semi-war alert, mobilized more reservists this week to repel a feared Ameri- can attack, Premier Castro de- clared last Saturday that U.S. claims of an incursion by Cuban soldiers into the Guantanamo base might hide a plot for aggression against Cuba,

As tension around the American -

base heightened, the Soviet Union this week warned the U.S. to stop hostile actions against Cuba, A statement by Tass, official Soviet news agency, pledged that the Cuban government could rely on reliable friendship from the Soviet Union.

The calling of a state of alert by Premier Castro followed the shooting of a Cuban soldier by U.S, troops, Tens of thousands of Cuban troops stood at readi- ness throughout Cuba while re- Servists manned anti-aircraft and Machine-gun enplacements and dug trenches along the coast at Havana,

The U.S, forced Cuba, 65 years ago to “lease” it the Guantanamo base at the eastern end of the island, and has made it a giant, strongly fortified naval, air and troop base,

The Soviet warning said that “Those who harbor aggressive designs against the Republic of Cuba should not forget that Cuba has true and reliable friends,

“The renewed provocations against the Republic of Cuba show again what a danger the forces of imperialism, who do not stop at any crimes, constitute for peace, freedom and independence of the peoples.”

FIDEL CASTRO

North Shore parents air protest at School Board

About one dozen irate North Vancouver parents attended their School Board meeting Monday night to protest statements made Board chairman Peter C, Powell, that parents would be called upon to clean the schools if the pres- ent strike continues.

The citizens, many of them members of the PTA, said that this was not the role of the PTA. They also denounced statements and pictures which appeared in the daily press of Mrs. Elizabeth Landry, regional representative of the PTA, appointed by the B,C. Parent-Teacher Federation.

Mrs, Landry’s picture appear- ed on the front page of one of

# Vancouver's daily papers last 5 “ SAL Re ao yas :

hes

Jun 3, 1966—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—Page 3

week showing her with bucket and brush ready to clean up in the schools to do the work of striking school employees, ;

School trustee Dorothy Lynas told the meeting it was *time the elected representatives got back to the negotiating table* with the union, She expressed concern over the stalemate in the North

Vancouver strike and charged

that there had not been real nego- tiations, She said the Board’s position had been predetermined by an outside Metropolitan group,

Mrs, Lynas said the guidelines

- for a settlement had to include

consideration of increased living

“costs and prosperity conditions

in the country.

Latest offer of City Council in the 22-day strike of Vancouver Civic Employees Union (Outside Workers), arrived at Tuesday’s Council meeting, includes a 14- cent an hour increase, retroac- tive to January 1, an immediate

return to work, with other points ~

of dispute left to a mediator to be appointed,

According to a union spokes- man this 14-cent offer is half-a- cent below what was previously offered, and for one year only,

A statement issued by-the Civic Employees Union executive Wed- nesday states that “Executive met this morning and unanimously voted to recommend non-concur- rance to a membership meeting being held Thursday at 10 a.m, A meeting of the 125-member Strike Committee Wednesday night will be asked to join with the executive in recommending non-concurrance,

“The union proposed on May 12 that City Council and the union should jointly apply for an industrial commission, with no strings attached, City Council considered this proposition on May 16, then shelved it for two weeks, ,

“If they had agreed at that time, it-is most likely the strike would have been settled before now, On shelving this proposition, City Council, with honorable excep- tions, showed a complete dis- regard for the welfare of the community and its citizens, They now stand condemned for the in- convenience and the blight they have inflicted upon the people of our city.

“Should the union membership endorse our recommendation of non-concurrance, the union will

then apply directly to the Minis-.

ter of Labor for the appointment of an Industrial Inquiry Com- mission—with no strings attach- ed,

“The present proposal by Min- ister of Labor Petersen, for “back-to-work” during media- tion, fits into the strike-breaking plans of the majority of City Council.

“They say, take 14-cents, go back to work, mediate, and as far as we are concerned, you'll never get another penny, They have lost all sense of perspective and responsibility to the public who elected them to office,

“They are obsessed with the idea of smashing our union, but they will never succeed, They are flying in the face of public opinion, and they will be com- pelled ultimately to sit down and work out an honorable set- tlement.” :

While City Council sat in ses- sion Tuesday morning of this week, grim-faced and at times stormy, between. six and seven hundred pickets of the Civic Em- ployees Union (Outside Workers) encircled City Hall, on hand to help Mayor Rathie and his NPA aldermen get busy with a nego- tiated settlement of the 22-day old civic tieup,

This was indeed a colorful picketline since each _ picket carried a red placard, all ad- dressed to Mayor Bill Rathie,

Some ofthe slogan’s read: “Mayor |

settlement’

Rathie, Negotiate Now, Think of the Public, settle by negotiation”; “Don’t Ruin TouristSeason*; *No More Delay... Negotiate Now”; “Union Here To Stay, Negotiate Now”; “End Inconveniences, Ne- gotiate Now”, etc. Many of the civic employees’ wives and chil- dren joined them in this colorful mass picket,

Terminating its parade, the pickets gathered in front of City Hall where they heard short ad- dresses by union officers, Presi- dent Alex Ellis in opening the meeting told his fellow unionists: “You are a credit to the working people of Canada”. Union Busi- ness agent Don Guise said: “Now, only today, they are thinking in- Side about seeking an industrial inquiry commission. This union sent them a letter proposing this on May 12, and they only get around to it on May 31, Why wasn’t such a commission ap- pointed before the strike began?

Union secretary Jack Phillips told the gathering that if no in- dication of a settlement is seen today at the conclusion of the Council session, we will intensify our strike efforts.” A number of

aldermen were prepared to find -

a media of settlement but Mayor Rathie and a few of his “bone- head” aldermen insist “in doing a disservice to us, our families, and the people of Vancouver.”

* K *

With the appointment of Mr, Justice Nathan Nemetz as indus- trial commissioner in the IWA- Forest Industrial Relations (FIR) wage contract negotiations, both parties are expected to get together and begin contract talks this week under the auspices of the commissioner,

Prior to the appointment of a .commissioner by the Minister of Labor, FIR as representative of the majority of B.C,’s big lumber operators had blocked all efforts of the IWA to get serious

TUnt's Tougd= OUR FASTEST WORKER!"

contract negotiations underway, but instead had mounted a cam- paign for more restrictive anti- labor legislation to end so-called ‘‘wildcat strikes’? in the industry, and the insistence of a 7-day working week,

In a later statement IWA Re- gional President Jack Moore charged that the operator’s insis- tence for a 7-day working week, and placing responsibility for “wild-cat” strikes on the union, could become “strike issues’’,

With an industrial commis- Sioner now on the job it is expected that the prime issues of a new wage contract, wage de- mands, working conditions, and numerous other fringe benefits, will now get under way. In a re- cent government - supervised strike vote IWA membership turned in a record 94-percent vote in favor, The present TWA wage contract terminates June 30.

* * OK

A vote by the International Pulp and Sulphite Workers Union of B.C, shows a 92-percent in favor of strike action in support of wage demands, A similar vote by the United Papermakers is alsc being taken and a like result is expected, according to union of- ficials,

These unions are awaiting the report of a conciliation officer, at which time, if unsatisfactory, they will apply for agovernment- supervised strike vote to back-up their wage demands, Both unions are seeking a 10-percent pay hike in a one year contract, The companies have offered a 4- percent boost.

Application for Certification for the 750 man Crown Zeller- bach Mill at Elk Falls has been filed by Local No, 7, of the Pulp and Paper Workers of Canada,

This is a continuation of the rift that besets the International Brotherhood of Pulp, Sulphite and Paper Mill workers, as 950 of it’s members at the McMillan Bloedel Harmac mill bolted to join the Canadian Union, only a week ago,

At present the Canadian Union is working to wrest bargaining rights away from the American- run International in a number of other B.C, Pulp and Paper Mills,

Commenting on“ Alderman” Rathie (now Mayor), the Van- couver Sun edition of Aug. 4,°60 editorialized thus: “The surest way to invite suspicion of being a cookie-snitcher is to be seen hanging around an open cookie

jab.4

This comment referred to the July, 1960 hassel at City “Hall when “Alderman” Rathie -was working overtinie to coax the City to “contract out” its city garbage disposal to “his® company — anewly setup busi- ness to handle the job, Its ‘joint? ownership consisted of the following: A,I,Smith of the Smithrite waste disposal out- fit, Ken Calder of Merchant’s

tt i

&

‘Cookie-snitching’ mayor

Cartage, and “Chairman” Bill Rathie of Transco Truck Lines,

Rathie’s company didn’t land the contract, but the fact that the Outside Civic Workers Union were the boys who toss- ed the original monkey wrench into his scheme, hasn’t helped “endear® that fine union to His Worship.

Could his present “hard line” be an attempt at revenge on the part of the anti-labor mayor? Or does he hope to smash the Outside Workers Union to pave the way for his aim to “contract out” to pri- vate companies the work now done by civic employees?

=