OTTAWA IGNORED JUST GRIEVANCES

INTERVIEWED BY PT:

Postal workers speak out against injustice

By BLAKE ALLEN

“The government will have to:

give us what we want,’

Spoken in quiet confidence, this was the prediction of the 26 year postal service veteran I was walking with on the picketline at the main post office, His opinion was not just his own, Every picket I talked to said the same thing,

“How come it’s only now that we get a committee to investi- gate?” asked one picket, He went on to explain that back in 1962 the postal workers had pub- lished a booklet presenting their case,

“We've been talking for years and got nowhere, Now they’re taking us seriously!”

“I voted for Pearson last time but I won’t next time unless he gives us what we want,”

“A friend of mine’s 17 year old. kid just started work as a laborer, I’ve been working more than 20 years and I get $90,”

These are just a few of the comments that were expressed by the strikers that reflect their anger and frustration,

“I’m married with three kids,” a young fellow in his late 20’s

Eccles tBritisle-Daily Worker}

He gets $95 a week,

said, “I take home $150 every two weeks, Try raising a family on that!”

A supervising carrier of over 12 years experience said that he was paid $405 a month, “It comes to $165 every two weeks, And I have a different route every day,”

“If I remember right I started

over 25 years ago taking home,

about $115 a month, Now I take home about $292,” an older picket commented,

“How many of you are vet- erans?” I asked, since the post office gives preference to vet- erans in hiring...

“Oh, I’d say about 60 per- cent are veterans,” he replied,

It would seem that the gov- ernment’s appreciation leaves something to be desired,

As we walked back and forth many passers-by stopped to talk with the pickets and wished them luck, They reported hardly any- one saying anything against them,

It would seem that their years of service, in all kinds of wea- ther and conditions have won overwhelming respect and sup- port and earned them the right to a decent wage.

“it may well be China down there, | wouldn't recognize it if ae

saw it...”

Why did half of Canada’s post office workers go on strike, with the remainder determined — to work to the rule? Why did 90 percent of British Columbia's postal-employees walk out? ‘Why did the strikers defy a national leadership who were opposed to strike action?

The answer can be found in the fact that postal wages have slipped badly since 1939, In that year, a postal clerk in Vancou- ver earned as much as a fire- fighter. In January of this year the clerk was $1260 a year be- hind the firefighter, This is generally the picture across the country, for all categories of postal workers,

- There are three unions in the Canadian Brotherhood of Postal Employees: The Federated As- sociation of letter Carriers (8,000- members), the Canadian Postal: Employees " Association (sorters and clerks — 10,000 members) and the Railway Mail Clerks (600-members),

After years of frustration be- cause their wages were falling behind, and because as federal civil servants they had no bar- gaining rights, the postal em- ployees exploded, The wonder is that they didn’t explode sooner,

After they scaled down their wage demand to $660 a year, the federal government decided on increases ranging from $300 to $360, This is what the Civil Serv- ice Commission recommended, approximately half of what the Pay Research Bureau of that body proposed, The Bureau recom- mended what the employees are demanding, $660 a year.

On Thursday, July 22, the sec-

_ ond day of the strike, the federal government issued an ultimatum

to the strikers; BACK FRIDAY OR ELSE, At the sametime, they applied for injunctions against picketing in Montreal and Van- couver, They also appointed

Judge C, Anderson as Commis- sioner to enquire into the pay seales of postal employees and report back, In short, the stick. and the carrot,

Despite the fact that an in- junction in Montreal limited pickets to six persons on abuild- ing andanother, in Vancouver, prohibited all picketing, the strike spread to Toronto and

other cities. In Vancouver, citi- |

zens without placards took the place of strikers,

While Judge. Anderson was meeting with top executives of

WAGE

Cont'd from pg. 1 tional strike vote would be ordered in about two weeks.

Postal workers and many of their leaders have been highly critical of the pressure and threats employed by the govern- ment in attempting to force the men back to work, There were also vague assurances given to postal union leaders that Judge Anderson will bring down some recommendations for wage boosts,

Despite the confusion and dis- unity caused by the latest turn of events in the postal strike, the postal workers across Canada

Why the postal workers went on strike

By JACK PHILLIPS

“OOTAL EMPLOYEES

ON STRIKE

BETTER YiGES

“ON STRIKE FOR BETTER WAGES”’. This was the scene outside Greater Vancouv" postal stations and in other centres across Canada as postal. workers mani lines to’ back up their demands. These two postmen were photographed at P Station D, Zone 9 on Broadway near Granville in Vancouver.

the Brotherhood and strike lead- ers in Ottawa, the leader of the opposition, John Diefenbaker, called upon the strikers to think twice before going back to work without gaining their full de- mands, Diefenbaker is no friend of labor, but he is acutely aware of the weak position of the min- ority Liberal government, Fur- ther, he recognizes that postal’ employees have an excellent case for their full demand and enjoy wide support,

It is a pity that on the same day that Diefenbaker made his statement it was necessary for Pat O’Neal, Secretary-Treasur- er of the B.C, Federation of Labor, to wire Claude Jodoin, president of the Canadian Labor Congress, urging national sup- port from theC,L,C, To that date, the C,L.C, had made no state- ment,

It would appear from state- ments by Northern Affairs Minis- ter Arthur Laing that a bill to

BOOST KEY ISSUE

remain determined to put an end to the scandalous low wage scales prevailing in the postal industry, and to win collective bargaining,

In these demands the postal workers have overwhelming sup-. port in Canada among all sec- tions of the population, Last Friday four United Church minis- ters in Vancouver issued a joint statement addressed to the Fed- eral government urging “that postal workers should have the Same rights and privileges as

‘other employed groups in indus-

try . . . including the right to strike, opportunity for bargain- ing with an employer and the use of conciliation procedures.”

July 30, 1965—PACIFIC TRIBUNE—P°

PIAL EMPLOVEES

BE TTER WAGES

.. Jack Phillips phot?

eS

give Canada’s 190,000 federal employees collective bargail rights will be placed before ‘- 2: next session of Parliament. Ie long overdue. However, orga ized labor must demand no rer striction on the right to strike because without this right, the postal employees # learned, workers have no P gaining power.

rd

Federal employees are ei, tially organized, in 65 unions associations, and with very co-ordination, The majority ca low paid in relation to worke™ protected by union agreemel’ The successful conclusion Of postal strike should lay hen for an extension of trade organization in this field and £08 t consolidation and mergers i” should also bring federal © ze 3 servants closer to orgaMiZ@ labor, One thing is certain: er pay for postal employees © y bring demands for higher P throughout the civil services a demand is justifiable.

NDP MP’s Barry Mathe” , | Harold Winch have urged P* pe | ‘Minister Pearson to mee Ke wage demands ofthe postal We ers,

Last Friday Nigel mote | B.C, Communist Party !¢ est 4 wired the Prime Minister 4! him to meet the union dem The wire said; “You canne cape acknowledgment ie on got” are grossly underpaid, YO ernment had no difficul yourselves an extra inde™

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The postal workers have pe

received overwhelming SYP i from the public and the ¢

union movement in theit be)

for recognition and decent 8