amilton labor does its thing

WILLIAM STEWART

labor unveiled its weapon last Saturday thousands of workers unto the streets to de- ite against the Ontario ent’s Rand Report on pgislation.

( than 4,000 workers, or- zed by the Hamilton Build-

les Council stretched

for over a mile the main street of that city. A sea of banners js, the like of which been seen in Canada rose and fell ly as the jubilant of the marchers meas- ir opposition to the in-

famous Rand recommendations and their rigid determination that they would never be writ- ten into the laws of this pro- vince.

This was the membership in action. This was the workers an- swer to those who seek to hog tie them with restrictive labor legislation. It was also their an- swer to those among their lead- ers who lack confidence in their understanding and think the only way to defeat such legisla- tion is with slick public rela- tions campaigns. This was the best public relations operation in Hamilton since 1946 when thousands of workers took to the pavement to demonstrate their solidarity with striking

Communist meet

‘By BERT WHYTE

jan open secret that there

ficulties in the world it movement today,”

a said in its leading article

¢ ent meeting in Mos-

representatives of frater-

pr,” the Pravda article ” “preparation for the ternational meeting on ows that, given a sin- for unity, given r, cooperation, a solu- the most complex prob- be found. The objective of the interests of Mmunist Parties, all de- of the world revolu- jovement, are stronger those factors which give Bererences and divergen-

Pravda noted that proletarian oialist internationalism de- eect observance of the epend , equality and sov- ‘ign | rights of each fraternal

Deter at the scientific ses-

ion devoted to the 50th anni-

ersary of the Comintern de-

ioted much attention to the

international parley. Suslov said that the ing of unity on the

| Of Marxism- Leninism was d of our time.”

Principled unity prime need

Boris Ponomarev_ character- ized the June meeting as ‘‘the “central link in the struggle for the cohesion of the world Com- munist movement at the present stage.”

Jacques Duclos, veteran French Communist leader, stres- sed that cooperation between Communist and Workers Parties for joint struggle against impe- rialism “can and must be ef- fected despite existing differ- ences.”

The Communist Party of India believes that world conferences should be held periodically, said S. J. Sarjesai. “This is necessary not only for the strengthening of our unity in the struggle against imperialism, the com- mon enemy, but also for over- coming differences and misun- derstandings between us on various questions. Our mutual relations and the unity of the international communist move- ment must be based on a‘strict observance by each party of the principals of Marxism-Leninism, proletarian internationalism, the independence and equality of each Communist Party.

“It is our supreme duty to rally our ranks and mobilize millions of people in different countries to frustrate imperialist aggres- sion in any part of the world.”

“Darling, look here, I'm devalued two pounds and four ounces!”

steelworkers, electrical workers and rubber workers.

And everybody got the mes- sage.

Mayor Victor Copps, speaking to the demonstrators at the City Hall said, “I am sure your mes- Sage will be heard today by the government at Queen’s Park and your case for rejection of the Rand Report will be strength- ened.”

Stewart Cooke, President of the Hamilton Labor Council, which had turned thumbs down on the demonstration, marched at the head of the parade and in a short speech to the crowd said, “I am obsolutely pleased and proud to be a part of this group today. I congratulate the Hamilton Building Trades Coun- cil for organizing this demon- stration. We have in the labor movement the people and the talent to run this country... This demonstration today proves we can doit...”

Pride of place however be- longed to the Hamilton Building Trades Council who conceived and organized the show. And it was Al Davidson, Secretary of the HBTC who read a short brief from the demonstration to the provincial government, who stole the show.

The brief opened up with a mention of the anti-Rand pro- gram adopted by the BT unions and went on to say, “But more than that we are also echoing the feelings of the men and women of the trade union movement and their many sym- pathetic friends, from the Ham- ilton area and Toronto, Kitchen- er, St. Catherines, Brantford and Other areas who have marched through the streets of Hamilton and are meeting in front of our City Hall demonstrating their repugnance and _ resentment against the proposals of Com- missioner Rand in the full know- ledge that they contain the seeds of disaster for all work- ing people who are endeavoring for a better standard of living.”

“Yet from your seats so far removed from the action you sit back smugly and expect to be accorded respect as honest ar- biters of labor legislation. Men in whom we should deposit our trust.”

“That some trust you is evi- dent. They believe that you are bound to and will abide by some vague tacit agreement be- tween labor and government which goes something like this: If labor treads softly in respect to the Rand Recommendations then government might imple- ment only part of the recom- mendations, but if labor raises its voice and speaks out loudly against the recommendations then the whole kit and caboodle will end up being legislated”.

The brief goes on to warn such people that “Mr. Justice Rand was appointed by an irres- ponsible government who carred not for his credentials but only for his philosophy,” and con- cludes with this stirring appeal.

“We have more reason to pro- test than we ever had before and those of us who have march- ed through the streets of the City of Hamilton are the van- guard of many more to come in the short period ahead: when they too become aware that something is rotten in the state of Denmark”.

The meeting was also addres- sed by Ron Tippler, President of Local 1005 United Steelworkers

eat SS A CT RS MANE We em te me o

Clad Ce ae 3

of America, John Ball, President of Local 504 United Electrical Radio and Machine Workers of America, and Ray Taggart, On- tario President of the Teamsters Union. Reg Gibson, NDP MLA brought greetings to the as- sembly.

At the meeting drew to a close, Chairman Terry Frazer, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Business Agent asked the crowd, ‘Where do we go from here’. They re- plied in unison, “To Queen’s Park.” “Turn in your posters then,” he said, “we will use them when we march on Queen’s Park.”

And in came the signs and banners, two truckloads of them. Banners from _ Steelworkers, Building Trades Councils, Unit- ed Electrical Workers, Carpent- ers, Steamfitterms, Ironworkers, Southern Ontario Port Council, St. Catharines and _ District St. Catharines and District Labor Council, Electricians. Posters from Laborers, Auto Workers, Transit Workers, University stu- dents, NDP Riding Associations,

“Can Workers, Postmen, Printers,

: H

_ABAY

a i Se

Bricklayers, Hoisting Engineers, Longshoremen.

The crowd quickly dispersed, and the workers, many of them young men and women who were experiencing their first taste of labor solidarity, headed back to their homes, or to toss off a couple and relive the heady epic they had just taken part in.

But standing there in the empty square one had the feel- ing that what had started there that day was not finished. That it would reverberate around the province and that the finest sons and daughters of Hamilton, when they went back into the shops on Monday would be a foot taller with a message for their workmates that would come through loud and clear.

“On to Queen’s Park” and away with Rand reports. Away with governments who would tie the hands of labor, and away with leaders who do their bid- ding.

That was the message from Hamilton on March 29. A mes- sage which will evoke a big “than you” from all Canadian workers.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 3, dtc debe. =]

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