RONTO, Ont. — A na-

wage conference ' would embrace al] nions affiliated to the an Congress of Labor --n urged in a letter“to

7 -esident, A. R. Mosher.

—ppeal for the wage con- ' fame from C. S. Jackson, “+ of the United BElectric- & Machine Workers of -- (CIO). Emphasizing the -+such a conference, Mr. inks’ it up with the ito safeguard take-home _ anadian workers and to

a shorter work week in

| provide adequate pur- _power and create em- possibilities.

is, hardly a union in the states Mr. Jackson’s the CCL president, “that _uready, or is not about to grips with these is- in honesty we must

f iat very little has been Each union is strug- ch the same problems » ugh the barriers which _-unters are pretty much

p32

-7stone of the UE pres- iter to the CCL head -ained in these words: a whole cannot afford ith this national prob- / wages) in a fragmen- ordinated manner.”

ser urged that the con- = such a wage conference ' month, that all unions to the CCL be asked to /cesentatives and “thus to reach agreement on “1 general objective and

% 1. effort to realize it.”

fag President A. R. Mo- } sume the leadership and ‘lity for such a wage 2, Mr. Jackson’s letter -s that not only is la- *ing “opposition by in- ‘md organized groups of ‘nployers, but that it is “ed by the policies of the -nd provincial govern- ost particularly by the Fulation, PC 9384.”

that President Mosher he suggestion and take steps to convene such conference of CCL le UE leader stressed: 2cognizes and supports price control, but be= wisleading ery of ‘hold- 1e aganist inflation’ our 3 being pushed back to tippy conditions which before the war.

eed a national policy, ul approach, and a na- fort,” he said.

7 ADVOCATE — PAGE

Bright spot in auto eonflict i Frazer Corp. and United Auto Workers (CIO). Left to right: James

W. Wilson, Public Relations Director

S agreement between new Kaiser-

James D. Riordan of Kaiser-

Frazer, and UAW President R. J. Thomas.

1Defeat Drew’s Attempt To Scuttle Postwar Reconstruction

TORONTO—“Premier George Drew of Ontario has revealed that he and his government are out to prevent ful-

fillment of the Dominion Government’s of limited social reforms and measures to ment,’ stated LPP National Leader Tim Buck

The statement continues:

“The brief in which Premier Drew sets forth the position of his government is clearly the statement of monopoly capital’s opposition to the re-allocation of taxing powers and of Dominion- Provincial jurisdiction which are necessary if social services, health and medical services, pension and edueational stan- dards are to be equalized at a more adequate level for the country as a whole. Itis equally the statement of the opposition of big business to the timid pro- posals put forward by the King government for governmental action to maintain the level of employment. While the Ontario brief is publicized as “counter- proposals”, it is obviously an at- tempt to seuttle the forthcoming conference of prime ministers.

New Firm Grants Highest Pay In Automobile Industry -Bonus Plan

NEW YORK—The first break in the. n ational

with the cost of living came

firm seeking to compete with the three major co 25 to 35 percent above the highest wage now pa cludes a bonus plan and allowance for the firms pledge that it will

granted by the strike-bound

Kaiser-Frazer, which will preduce both low priced and

high priced cars in competi- tien with GM, Ford and’ Chry- sler, agreed with the CIO

United Automobile Workers to a basic wage ranging from

$1.19 to $1.24 an hour, the rate now in effect at the Ford

Motor Company’s River Rouge plant which is the highest paid in the industry. The bonus scheme provides that the com-

pany build a fund of $5 for every car produced, to be dis- tributed among workers at the end of the year.

Union shop and dues check- off are also granted in the con- tract.

In line with recent demands from the other auto firms for “company security” guarantees to prevent unauthorized work stoppages, the contract provides that those participating in wild- eat strikes will be deprived of bonuses for the period of the walkout. This is far more lenient than the proposals made by the UAW to Ford to dock workers’ full pay for taking part in un- official stoppages.

Speculation was immediately

‘aroused as to the possible reper-

cussions of the new agreement on other wage disputes. Although the Kaiser-Frazer contract ap- pears to enhance the UAW’s strategy of striking one firm at a time and encouraging produc- tion among competitors, the new company is as yet only potential competition to the auto indus- try’s “big three” and probably cannot for many months offer enough real competition to com- pel the other firms to settle. De- spite the UAW strategy, the

three established firms are put- 9

this week when the

General Motors Corporation.

postwar fight to bring wages in line Kaiser-Frazer Corp.—new automobile mpanies——agreed to wage rates about id in the industry.

The estimate in- meet any’ pay rise

ting up a united front in reject- ing union demands.

In addition, Kaiser-Frazer’s ability to start producing rests on the outcome of current nego- tiations in the steel industry. If the CIO United Steelworkers should pull out 700,000 of its members on Jan. 14, as it has threatened, the new firm could not possibly get underway until the steel strike was settled, and thus could not be a factor in the UAW’s hopes of forcing a settlement by competition.

It is significant that President Truman has redoubled his efforts in the past few days for a settle ment in the steel dispute. Be- sides appointing a fact-finding panel, his most recent action was to meet with the Office of Price Administration to discuss a steel price increase. An an- nouncement that the OPA might be willing to allow a $2.50 per ton increase on steel followed the meeting and it was also re-

(Continued on Page 12) See AUTO FIRM

French Rly. Workers Halt Franco Food Trade Deal

PARIS—Energetic action

by the French Railwaymen’s

Union put a quick stop to a food deal between the French

government and Franco Spain.

Railwaymen at the Hendaye

frontier station, who keep close watch on passing traffic, observed that between Christmas day and Jan. 2 ‘thirty truckloads labelled sundry goods crossed the frontier with- out hitch because official papers were attached. More loads from the same consignment were due to pass through.

Railwaymen investigated and found that the trucks contained 425 tons of potatoes sent from Brittany to Franco’s food dealers in Valencia—while the potato shortage in France is so serious despite strict rationing that not a single pound has been issued to French consumers for the last two months. A strong protest from the railwaymen drew an admission from Socialist Food Minister Pierre Tanguy-Prigent that the potatoes were part of a larger consignment bartered with the Franco regime against other goods under a trade agree-

ment concluded last summer. The Railwaymen’s Union — which had strongly protested at the time against such an agree- ment with the fascist Madrid government—trefused to handle further foodstuffs for Franco Spain and moved the remaining potato trucks to a sidetrack be- tween Hendaye and Bayonne. Due to their protest and quick action, the potatoes have now been distributed among the local

population, who had not been issued any ration for several months.

proposed program maintain employ- this week.

“The first obvious result ef Premier Drew’s declaration of war against the Dominion Gov- ernment’s proposals is the ques- tion mark already placed against the rapid transit plan voted for by the people of Toronto on January 1. Inasmuch as the Do- minion Government’s contribu- tion to that. plan is contingent upon acceptance of its. general program by the provinces, the op- position of Ontario, if it goes un- challenged, will result in shelv- ing the plan.

“This attempt at frustrating Toronto’s plans for construction of a rapid transit system is but a limited example of the dire ef- fects that Drew’s sabotage will have if he is allowed to succeed. If there is no agreement upon re- allocation of taxing powers and vesponsibilities for expenditures it will be extremely difficult— perhaps even impossible—to press the King government to under- take the large-scale public hous- ing program that is so acutely needed. Certainly the Dominion Government will not be able to carry through any effective pro- gram of nation-wide develop- mental construction. Moreover,

Drew’s maneuver will provide the right wing Liberals as well as the Tories and others in the House of Commons with the ex- cuse to oppose the extension of large-scale export eredits and re- construction loans to our allies. Such a complete frustration of all the post-war hopes of the people must be prevented and the a storm of opposition against the reactionary obstruction now launched by George Drew.

“The fact that Drew’s obstruc- tion can be defeated is empha- sized by the fact that he and his government have been com- pelled, in the Ontario brief, to

admit the need for some re-allo- cation of provincial revenue.

“The admission contained in the Ontario brief, that some measure of redistribtuion is necessary, 1s conclusive proof that the prin- ciple of redistributing the nation’s tax revenue in accord with na- tional needs, is unassailable. Premier Drew’s cunning man- oeuver consists in offering a mere sop of 10 percent: of pro- vincially-raised income and _ cor- poration taxes, for a National Adjustment Fund; and then mak- ing this gesture meaningless by insisting that “the obligations and authority of Provincial Gov-

ernments .must expand rather than contract.” “Drew’s attempt to scuttle

post-war reconstruction: must be met and defeated by an aroused and united ‘people. Canada’s needs must not become a political football of the Liberals and Tories. As part of the struggle to defeat the .Drew-Duplessis block- ade, the King government must be pressed to proceed with its program of social reform. Reform of Old Age Pensions, National Health Insurance, Public Lew- rental Housing cannot wait —-

Canada’s needs come first! FRIDAY, JANUARY 18, 1946