Labour New momentum seen against privatization By SEAN GRIFFIN | It may have been out of the headlines over the past several weeks, but the fight against the Social Credit government’s pri- vatization program is being waged inten- sively among local union membership and at the municipal council level, public sector union leaders said this week. Direct mailings to members, lobbies of school boards and municipal councils anda planned provincial tour by the B.C. Federa- tion of Labour are among the actions being taken by the various unions affected by pri- vatization, including the Office and Techni- cal Employees, Hospital Employees Union, B.C. Government Employees Union and the Canadian Union of Public Employees. The BCGEU has also launched a series of policy grievances under the terms of its collective agreement in an effort to streng- then its bargaining clout against the government’s sell-off plans. They follow the union’s victory in a key court case last month when the B.C. Supreme Court ruled that government laundry worker James Verrin could not be compelled to go with the new employer when his job was privat- ized. Both the BCGEU and the B.C. Division of CUPE have done mass mailings to their members across the province, warning of the threat to jobs and public services posed by privatization and asking local unions to contact their elected representatives to pro- test the government’s plans. Last week, CUPE completed a mailing of a an eight-page bulletin—headlined The Terrible Truth about Privatization and designed to look like a British tabloid — to all its members. In an enclosed letter, B.C. division president Mike Dumler urged unionists to send enclosed cards — one to MLAs and another intended for return to the CUPE office — to MLAs. He emphas- ized that a flood of cards to Victoria was vital if the union was “going to slow down this insane rush to sell off our public assets, resources and services.” At the OTEU, which is expected to be hit hard by the plans to sell off the gas, rail and research divisions of B.C. Hydro, the union has been making a case before municipal councils and school boards, warning of the effects on local boards of the privatization of B.C. Hydro’s gas division. “We're pointing out to school boards and councils that they will face much higher costs if B.C. Hydro gas is sold to a private owner,” said OTEU researcher Jean Greatbatch. .BCGEU representatives have also been on the lobbying trail, going to municipal councils, urging them to oppose privatiza- tion. That was coupled last month with a letter to every household on Vancouver Island, focussed on the impending privati- zation of the bridge and highways mainte- nance department. “Since the letter went out, we’ve been inundated with responses from residents, telling us they’re concerned and opposed to the highways privatization,’ BCGEU communications officer Sheila Fruman told the Tribune. The Hospital Employees Union is set to go in mid-March with a combined membership-public campaign which will focus on the threat to the province’s health care system posed by privatization. Although health care was not mentioned in the Socreds’ privatization plans — the government is acutely aware of the its polit- ical sensitivity — the danger is real, said HEU communications officer Lecia Ste- wart. She said the union’s campaign would be presenting new evidence that U.S. health management corporations have been meet- ing with the business community in this province in an effort to find new investment opportunities. Also set to go at the end of this month isa B.C. Federation of Labour tour that will take B.C. Fed president Ken Georgetti and secretary-treasurer Cliff Andstein to labour councils, local union meetings and other forums throughout the province to high- light the labour central’s opposition to free trade and privatization. Federation communications director Tom Fawkes said the tour was being worked out with affiliates and labour councils in various areas, with actions ranging from town hall meetings to demonstrations being planned. “We've been in contact with affiliates to work out what they want. Prince Rupert said they wanted a demonstration but oth- ers will take different actions — some want town hall meetings and some want :all- union meetings,” he said. BCGEU representative Joy McPhail has been brought on to federation staff to co- ordinate the province-wide campaign which will also include media publicity, lobbying of MLAs and local government representa- tives as well as meetings with community groups. “It’s important that there are connections made with community groups and city councils — to make sure that politicians realize that more than just labour is opposed to privatization,” said Fawkes. Final details were still being worked out at Tribune press time but the campaign is expected to kick off in the Interior, with the first meetings scheduled for Prince George. It will continue until June. The provincial tour is the first co- ordinated initiative by the B.C. Fed since the adoption at the federation’s convention last December of the six-point program of opposition to privatization which called for a co-ordinated education campaign as well as the establishment of local coalitions opposed to privatization afd left open the possibility of job action to prevent privatiza- tion. Much of the punch was taken out of the program at the convention by the BCGEU’s announcement that it was putting forward a union bid to take over the highways main- See eee Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5. Phone 251-1186 eevee Postal Code eee wees lamenclosing 1yr.$200 2yrs.$350) 3yrs. $500) Foreign 1 yr. $320 : i : : : : i | Address .. i : i : ' Bill me later =~ Donation$........ . . : ed | READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOUR 12.» Pacific Tribune, March 9, 1988 attack on | Socred Premier Vander Zal off many B.C. public servic m’s plan to sell es is the latest working people and our families. it Uthirgatenis our jobs ante even our Pui tenance department slated for sell-off to the private sector. And the controversy created by the union’s strategy spilled over into other unions, making it difficult to mount a unified campaign. — - CUPE B.C. division vice-president Diane Jolly said that questions were raised repeat- edly about the BCGEU strategy in mem- bership meetings she has attended since December. “‘We’ve tried to explain to our members that it was a desperate move, created by fears over their jobs,” said Jolly. “But I think it’s important now to emphasize that the union’s bid isn’t an issue any more (it was rejected by the govern- ment). And I hope we can all get on with the job of fighting privatization and working with community groups to do that,” she said. Since that time, the BCGEU itself has shifted its focus to the Supreme Court deci- sion in the Verrin case which will have reverberations throughout the ranks of government workers. The ruling determined that employees have.a right to choose their employer and opened to door to existing contract lan- guage which obligates the government to provide them with alternative employment in the event of contracting-out. The lan- guage was negotiated in 1974 in the union’s first collective agreement. “Legally, our members are in a strong position,” Fruman-emphasized. ‘‘The rul- ing guarantees them a job in their own community and at the same pay.” BCGEU staff began a canvass of the membership last week “‘and the first reports we're getting back are very positive,” said Fruman. “Our members are extremely relieved that they have at least some job security — for the first time since the government first announced its privatization program,” she said. “The majority are likely to stay in the government service.” Fruman said the union has reasoned that if the government is compelled to find work elsewhere in government for employees of government departments which are privat- ized, it will lose any economic benefits and will be compelled to abandon the PEs in many instances. She acknowledged, however, that the — protection could be unilaterally removed through government legislation. It could also be an issue at the bargaining table since the BCGEU contract expires July 31. In sl Migs sii fact, upcoming negotiations could be a bat- — tleground for many unions in the fight against privatization and contracting-out. Still, the decision has “totally changed — the ground we were fighting on,” giving the trade union movement some high ground, said Fruman. The intensive research work and the pub- — licity campaigns that has been going on intensively inside unions over the past sev- eral weeks has also opened the possibility of a major push against the government’s sell- _ off program. The HEU’s Lecia Stewart noted that “most people haven’t been aware of what many unions are doing on privatization. “We’re really impressed with the material — that’s been produced and the work that’s — been done. But the campaign hasn’t yet — been given a public face — and that’s where we should be going,” she said. So far, the main public campaign against privatization has been initiated by the Council for Public Services, a trade union- — community group coalition established in — December at the initiative of the Vancouver and District Labour Council. The council has printed some 50,000 copies of two bro- — chures on privatization and third is slated to — come out over the next few weeks. Council secretary Jean Greatbatch said the council recently covered the Vancouver — Home Show with copies of its brochure — opposing the privatization of B.C. Hydro and other Crown corporations and other — actions are being planned. A major press _ conference aimed at dramatizing the envir- _ onmental threat posed by the privatization — of the government’s labs is slated for later this month. More than anything, the labour-commu- nity coalition is seen as the way to go in the — campaign against privatization. “T think the key to success is to bring — together unions and community groups,” said Stewart. ““We’ve go to start with mem- bership awareness, then public awareness ‘| and then coalitions and alliances.”