LABOR -—— If the provincial government is successful in imposing legislation on construction workers at Expo 86, it will have repercus- sions all across the province and even across Canada, Vancouver alderman Bruce Yorke warned several hundred Building Trades workers at a rally outside B.C. Place sta- dium Apr. 18. And the answer to that legislation, Yorke and Carpenters Provincial Council secre- tary Lorne Robson agreed, “should be unity and total mobilization — of the kind the labor movement showed last fall.” Called by unemployed Building Trades workers, the noon-hour rally levelled pro- test at the provincial government for its threatened legislation declaring “martial law for labor” on the Expo construction site and for the government’s support of non- - union contractors like J.C. Kerkhoff and Sons. 5 The rally also coincided with plans by Kerhoff to bring non-union workers in from Alberta — hired by a non-union Cal- gary sub-contractor for Kerkhoff, Rego Forming Ltd. — to begin structural work on the contentious Harbor Cove condomi- nium site at False Creek. But it was the impending legislation and the need for the labor movement to wage a vigorous campaign against it that was the clear message from the platform. “We're here to voice our inalterable ' Opposition to government intervention with legislation that would deny us our rights,” Diana Kilmury, a Teamster unemployed for nearly two years, told demonstrators. _ She charged that the legislation conte- plated by Bennett was “right-to-work legis- lation pure and simple.” out the framework for its legislation — announced by Bennett during a televised news conference Apr. 13 — during the Easter break. It was widely expected to be introduced into the legislature May 1. Kilmury told the rally that the govern- ment’s plant were part of “a legislative campaign in this province to deny workers’ rights.” B.C. Federation of Labor vice-president Norman Richards echoed Kilmury’s warn- ing that the government legislation was “attacking rights that we thought were won long ago.” But the government’s attack can be beaten,” he emphasized, “if we stick together.” Richards, the president of the B.C. Government Employees Union, told the rally that the BCGEU would support fully any action taken by the B.C. Federation of Labor in support of the Building Trades at Expo. And the federation and the Building Trades should begin immediately to work out a plan of action and bring together all the unions affected by the impending Expo 12 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, APRIL 25, 1984 . Renew Solidarity, rally urged The Social Credit cabinet was to work ~ IN VES ¢ CONDITIONS CCONSIRUCTION WORKERS SAAR ARI LORNE ROBSON...crisis over Expo nothing but a pretext for Bennett to introduce legislation. legislation, said Carpenters secretary Lorne Robson. — Robson charged that the crisis over Expo was deliberately contrived by Bennett to provide the pretext for legislation to be brought down against the labor movement. The Building Trades had already made significant compromises, with their agree- ment to work alongside non-union workers if union-scale rates were paid to everyone and with their no-strike pledge, he said. In contrast, the contractors, represented by Construction Labor Relations Associa- tion (CLRA) were not prepared to renounce a lockout, he emphasized. CLRA had stated during negotiations with the Trades that if a general lockout were declared, the Expo site would be included: In fact, the legislation has been consi- dered by the government for some time, as part of its assault on union rights. Citing the confidential Draft 34 of amendments to the Labor Code leaked last. summer, he warned: “That’s the kind of legislation we can expect the Socreds to bring in.” The draft included a provision allowing the government to designate economic development zones which would be exempt from the Labor Code and subject to what- ever laws the government decides to impose. Robson pointed to a job action taken by Building Trades workers during construc- tion of the B.C. Place stadium to highlight the impact that Bennett’s contemplated law would have on workers’ rights. Workers staged a two-week strike during construction to demand the removal of soil from the site that had been contaminated by the highly toxic and carcinogenic com- pound PCB. The contamination came from ‘the dip tanks for a sawmill that had for- merly occupied the site. “Our people were going home from here sick every day,” Robson said. “So we walked out and forced the contractors to remove the soil and also forced them to set up a safety committee.” . That safety committee became a model for the industry resulting in such employer savings on compensation premiums that the Employers Council called the commit- tee in to discuss how similar agencies could be set up on other sites, Robson “emphasized. : “That job. action wouldn’t be allowed under the legislation that Bennett is going to bring in,” he warned. “The government wants to force us to work whatever the conditions.” “But we won’t work under martial law,” Robson declared. The Carpenters secretary emphasized that the labor movement needs to wage a major fight against any proposed legislation ~ and urged the federation and the Trades to begin to mobilize immediately. “T1_ast fall we were in a position where the labor movement was calling for a- general strike and the membership was prepared to go,” he said. ““We need to work towards _ that again.” $ : Yorke also noted that the site of the rally was the starting point last October for the huge 60,000-strong demonstration against ° the Socred budget. “It’s time we took to the streets again,” he said. “The fightback has to begin now — and Solidarity has to be revived.” ACF al Notes Pulp contract rejection seen Pulp workers across the province were widely expected to reject the inal offer put to them by the Pulp and Pa Industrial Relations Bureau — an which, with the companies able to fall ] back on a government-imposed © tract was little changed from the © turned down weeks before. = The results of the vote among 13, members of the Pulp, Paper Woodworkers of Canada and the adian Paperworkers Union were t0® announced following the final day voting Apr. 25. Pulp union leaders recommene rejection and initial results from $0 locals appeared to be backing up recommendation. 2 The Socred government put throu, Bill 18 earlier this month providing 10h} the unprecedented government imposk | tion of a collective agreement if negous tions failed to reach a settlement. - With the prospect of governm! compulsion to settle the contract ¢ pute, the companies had little incent! to make any concessions. May Day even Under the banner “unity will wi the Vancouver Trade Union May D: Committee May Day march 8 underway at 12 noon at Vancouvel Clark Park at 14th and Commercial on Saturday May 5. Z Marchers will proceed down C mercial Drive to Grandview Park, south of Britannia, where the rally scheduled for 2 p.m. Speakers inclu! representatives from the B.C. Fede! tion of Labor, the New Democra Party and the Communist Party. Earlier, on May Day itself, May Canadian Union of Postal Workers president Jean-Claude Parrot will be speaking to a May Day dinner at the Ukrainian Hall, 805 East Pender, at 6 p.m. ; Parrot was part of a trade union fact finding mission to Chile to monitor thi March day of protest when thousands of Chileans demonstrated in the streets |_ against the fascist junta. ' Tickets for the dinner are $8 or > unemployed. For reservations phon 736-7678. Ont