ARTS Canada’s auto union is born FINAL OFFER: Bob White and the United Auto Workers Fight for Independence. Produced by the National Film Board in asso- ciation with CBC Television. Directed by Sturla Gunnarson and Robert Collison. Written by Robert Collison. In September, 1985 Canadian auto workers made labor history in a convention establishing their own national union. The move severed all formal ties with the American head office of one of the largest industrial unions on the continent. This landmark event was the result of a long process culminating in a head on collision between the U.S. and Canadian sectors of the United Auto Workers during the 1984 negotiations with General Motors. Final Offer documents those negotiations, taking the viewer behind the closed doors of collective bargaining and unfolding one of the most significant political happenings in this country. Since taking on the Canadian directorship of the UAW in 1978, Bob. White has emerged as one of: the most well-known and respected leaders of the labor movement. His principled stand on economic and social issues has made him a hero among many Canadian workers, but his refusal to make concessions at the bargaining table has led to heated confrontations with the union’s Detroit-based leadership. The UAW’s 1984 talks with GM opened up a battle on two fronts. The company was enjoying record profits after a period of recession. In 1982, it had demanded and won concessions and was out for more in this round. AS negotiations proceed in Toronto, the ees conclude an agreement which trades off annual hourly increases for a company- initiated profit sharing plan. In good years workers would be given bonuses, in bad years their wages would shrink. The Canadian membership views the proposal as a backward step and White warns GM not to bring the U.S. package to Canada. The company remains intransigent and as the countdown to_the first strike at GM in 14 years approaches, the union’s international president, Owen Beiber, pressures White to accept the U.S. scheme. Containing the suspense and excitement of a thriller, Final Offer follows the moves and counter-moves of the principal players. In the process, two fundamental issues emerge: the direction of collec- tive bargaining in the coming decade and the right of Canadian workers to set their own ‘agenda. class struggle stance taken by the Canadian UA W and the collabo- rationist betrayal of the U.S. leadership. Final Offer, which premiered on CBC Nov. 26, is available from National Film Board offices in film and video. “T have never been so disappointed in my own organization,” says White on learning from a secret source that Beiber is dealing with GM behind his back. This is the beginning of the end for the international. Although most of the film’s action takes place in the meeting rooms of Toronto’s Royal York Hotel, the stage is set on the line at GM's Oshawa plant. Percentage increments versus lump sum pay- ments become live issues on the shop floor. Here the front between union and management is drawn. The only protection the worker has against the daily attacks on his human dignity is his collective