Labor assails Madrid Pact
The 40th National Convention of the
United Electrical Workers (U.E.),
recently held in San Francisco, took a
strong stand against the Madrid Pact.
This stand was expressed in a
resolution entitled "International
Trade Union Unity"
In regard to Spain the resolution
states:
"WHEREAS: U.S. corporations
continually seek to protect foreign
regimes which support them in the
oppression of working people
employed in runaway plants from the
United States. This is seen in Spain
where in response to union
organization and strikes at GE,
Westinghouse, ITT and other foreign
owned plants there have been mass
arrests of labor leaders,
RESOLVED: That this convention
urge the State Department to cancel
the Madrid Pact, to pressure the
Franco government of Spain to free
the jailed unionists, and express its
sympathy with the Spanish workers
fighting for the right to organize
trade unions. The Franco government
uses its military agreement with the
United States to perpetuate fascist
oppression of the people and as a
continuing threat of U.S. intervention
against rising democratic struggles
there.
After
condemning
Franco's
September executions and the U.S.-
Madrid Pact, a resolution of the
Executive Board, New York District
1199, Drug and Hospital Union,
concludes as follows:
"The shameful silence of our
government should not be matched
by the silence of the American
people. Therefore, we in District
1199 condemn the Ford Adminis-
tration's silence on the Franco terror
and its continued support of a
bankrupt and dying Franco regime.
"We call on 1199 members to press
their Senators and Representatives in
the Congress to demand a sweeping
change in our government's policy of
subverting democracy in Spain with
its intervention on the side of the
Spanish dictatorship.
"We urge our members who are
planning to travel abroad to stay out
of Franco Spain.
"And we call upon the AFL-CIO to
speak out against our government's
policy in Spain."
Teach-in at
U. of Minn.
MINNEAPOLIS, Oct. 9 - Several
hundred University of Minnesota
students packed an auditorium
Tuesday to protest the brutal
repressions by Franco in Spain. The
protest, billed as a teach-in, was
organized by Spanish students
attending the University and was co-
sponsored by the Department of
Spanish and Portuguese.
A resolution was adopted urging
the United States to withdraw its
Ambassador from Spain, cease
current negotiations of any kind with
Spain, and halt all deliveries of
military equipment until democratic
rights are given to the Spanish
people.
After the teach-in, an effigy of
Franco was paraded around the
campus and set on fire
A small portion of a picket line of 1,000 supporters of a Free Spain in Los Angeles. Responding
to a hurried call of organizations supporting a democratic Spain, among the Committee for
Democratic Spain, various Spanish and student groups and VALB, assembled at the City
Center to counter a "Columbus Day Celebration" of a small group of France supporters.
