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Unity, co-ordinated action
could ensure major gains

According to the B.C. calendar
of expiring collective agreements
for 1979, published by the provin-
cial ministry of labor, 339 collective
agreements covering 231,386
employees are scheduled to be
renegotiated during the year. This
compares with the 1978 totals of
549 expiries covering 177,092
employees. However, the preface to
the calendar states that when the
final figures for 1979 are available
next summer the totals are likely to
be somewhat larger.

Allin all, 1979 is going to be a big
year for collective bargaining in
BC;

The majority of the agreements
jue to expire this year are two-year
agreements, indicating a swing
away from one-year agreements
which were negotiated in the ma-
jority of cases in the previous few
years.

March will bring the greatest
number of expiries for a total of 61
agreements involving 21,664

EE

workers. April will have the second-
largest number of expiries for a
total of 49 involving 15,581
workers.

Agreements covering more than
82,000 workers listed under the
heading of manufacturing are due
to be renegotiated. The largest’
single component under this
heading is wood and paper, involv-

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS”

ing more than 64,000 workers. The
three major unions involved are the
International Woodworkers of
America, the Canadian Paper
Workers’ Union and the Pulp,
Paper and Woodworkers Union of
Canada.

B.C., Alaska fishermen

hold historic meeting

A historic meeting between B.C.
fishermen and shoreworkers and
their counterparts in Alaska
targeted corporaté concentration in
the fishing industry as a key area of
concern as delegates from eleven
organizations wound ‘up three days
of talks Sunday.

Representatives from the United

_ Fishermen and Allied Workers

‘Union, the Native Brotherhood, the
Co-op Fishermen’s Guild and the
Amalgamated Shoreworkers and
Clerks met in Prince Rupert with
delegates from seven Alaska locals
of the International Longshoremen
and Warehousemen’s Union, the
first time fishermen and wage
workers from the two countries
have held such a bilateral meeting.

The conference was_ initially
sought by the U.S. unionists who
wanted to examine the organiza-
tional structure and fish price
agreements of the B.C. unions since
U.S. fishermen were stripped of
bargaining power by the Sherman
Anti-Trust laws, similar to Com-
bines legislation in this country.

But although union structure and
licencing schemes were topics of
discussion during the three-day con-
ference, the issue of corporate con-
centration in the industry and the
increasing penetration of foreign,
particularly Japanese capital assum-
ed particular importance as com-
parisons between the two countries
revealed new corporate links.

“We found out that B.C.
Packers, which controls 40 percent
_ of the industry on this coast, has
links with Castle and Cook, the
huge U.S.
UFAWU secretary George Hewison

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6

said in an interview this week. ‘‘We
also found out that when you talk
about New England Fish Company,
which controls the other giant on
this coast, Canadian Fishing Com-
pany, you’re talking about Domtar
and Dillingham Corporation.

“Fishermen and wageworkers in
Alaska are looking at the monopoly
corporations in their fishing in-
dustry as we are,”’ he said.

Hewison, who has prepared a
study of corporate ownership in the
province’s fishing industry, also
pointed out that the industry on
both sides of the border has felt the
impact of a massive influx of
Japanese capital from such huge
corporations as Marubeni and Mit-
subishi which have been active in
both countries.

The result, most notably in the
case of Alaska has been significant
increases in the export of raw or on-
ly partially processed fish and a
consequent decline in Jobs for plant
workers.

““What’s happening in| many
cases is that companies presently
operating on the coast are signing
deals with Japanese corporations to
sell huge amounts of unprocessed
fish,’’ Hewison noted. ‘‘Obviously
that runs counter to the interests of

fishing industry workers in both
countries.’

Delegates to the conference ex-

pect that similar talks will be held.
again next year. They’ll also be ex-:

ploring further co-ordination
before that time in the campaign to
oppose any oil port scheme which

would endanger the fishery resource -

in both countries.

3:
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SS AGES rane ee aa

SS
PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 19, 1979—Page 12

SN ak

The coast master agreement for
the IWA runs out in June, as do the
agreements for the pulp and paper
unions. The southern and northern
interior agreements of the IWA ex-
pire in August.

If there was a united strategy on
the part of these three unions, ma-
jor gains could be won that could
set the pace for the trade union
movement for some time to come,
because of the key importance of
the forestry industry to the
economy as a whole.

The big, integrated corporations
which dominate the industry have
never had it so good financially and
can well afford to make major con-
cessions. Of course, they won’t
make any major concessions, such
as the shorter work week with no
loss in take-home pay and a
substantial wage increase unless
they are compelled to do so by the
united strength of the workers in
the three major unions.

The agreements for some 8,500
workers employed by B,C. Hydro
(office employees, electrical
workers, and transit employees) ex-
pire in March. In July the master
agreement of the B.C. Government
Employees Union with 34,000
workers and the agreement of the
Ferry and Marine Workers (also
part of the BCGEU) with 2,780
workers, expire. All in all, close to
45,000 workers employed directly
by the provincial government and
its crown corporations are involved.

These negotiations will take place .

under the threat of the Essential
Services Disputes Act, which gives
the cabinet the legal power to for-
bid, restrict or terminate a strike.
Armed with this authority, and hav-
ing announced a policy to impose
what amounts to: wage controls on
all public employees under ’ its
jurisdiction, it is likely that the pro-
Vincial governments and its crown
corporations will bargain on a take-
it-or-else basis.

If the unions involved here —
B.C. Government Employees
Union, Office and Technical
Employees Union, Electrical
Workers, Amalgamated Transit
Union,
Workers — were determined to

break the pattern of sub-standard.

settlements, the government wishes
to impose, the Essential Services
Disputes Act would not prevent
them from doing so. The Canadian

Union of Public Employees (whose

members are covered by the same
legislation) are now in negotiations
for some 15,000 of their 25,000
members in the province. If this
union, the unions bargaining with
the B.C. government and its crown

‘corporations and the B.C. Federa-

tion of Labor had a common
Strategy in collective bargaining,
based on militant struggle involving
the membership, the situation
would be more favorable. The
members of all unions in B.C.
would gain in terms of wages,
benefits and working conditions
because the government could not
effectively impose its anti-labor
policies by using the Essential Ser-
vices Disputes Act.

In February, the agreements for
some 6,000 members of the
Laborers, Operating Engineers and
Teamsters employed by the B.C.
Roadbuilders Association are due
to terminate. :

In April, the Steelworkers’
agreements with Cominco at Trail,
Kimberley and Salmo, involving
some 4,000 workers, will expire.

This set of negotiations could
also be one of the key pacesetters.

The Canadian Pacific Investments

Corporation, which owns Comin-
co, has hundreds of millions of
dollars it is prepared to spend in

order to gain majority control of

and Ferry and Marine.

en

IWA DELEGATES ..

bargaining.

MacMillan-Bloedel. The workers of
Cominco, who have produced a
good part of that wealth, are not
likely to believe their employer’s
claim of inability to meet their
demands.

Agreements covering some 4,600
workers in the fishing industry

“covered by the provincial labor

code (cannery, fresh fish and cold
storage and tendermen) will end in
April. This, too, could be a major
set of negotiations for the labor
movement.

The agreements of the Retail
Clerks and the Food and Allied
Workers (meatcutters) with the big,
chain supermarkets will be reopen-
ed in March. If the history.of the
past few years is any guide, the

workers may have to strike in order:

to obtain acceptable contracts,
which their employers can more
than afford.

All of these projections should be
seen against the rising strike curve
in Canada. According to Labor
Canada,. time lost due to strikes
from January to September of 1978
amounted to 5,558,550 man days,
as compared with 2,535,600 days

- lost in the same period during 1977.

. forest negotiations crucial part of

The successful conclusion ¢
four-month strike of
Steelworkers in Cassiar, B.C:
significant gains in wages
benefits for both prod
workers and office employee
victory for all of organized ™
The company originally dem
wage cuts for the office emp
The success of the
municipal and _ school
employees of Port Albery”
substantially exceeding the Wy
ficial five-percent guideline 0)
provincial government is also#
tory for organized labor.
Given the correct leadershi
workers will struggle and defed_
drive to restrict them to wag
tlements that fall short of thet
the cost of living. They have
power not only to keep up
cost of living, but also to imi,
their lives through winning sub
tial wage increases, shorter IX
and improved benefits and wa \
conditions.
In the last analysis, that’s 5
workers expect from the j
union movement and _thej
prepared to fight for it, sive el
correct leadership. a

Three told to appear,
at Combines hearing.

Continued from pg. 1
would be looking at various forms
of action to protest the attack
against the union — _ including
possible legal action through the
courts.

Backed up by trade unionists
throughout the province, the
UFAWU had earlier demanded that
the hearings called by the Restric-
tive Trade Practices Commission in
1976 be held in public as provided
for in the Combines Investigation
Act.

The Commission refused to com-
ply, however, and, faced with the
protest from the labor movement,
finally adjourned the hearings in-
definitely. :

Within several months, Com-
bines investigators staged raids on
newspaper. and_ television
newsrooms in search of evidence,
following which charges were laid
against seven members of the
UFAWU for allegedly ‘‘impeding
an inquiry under the Combines In-
vestigations Act.”’

After a lengthy trial, during
which documents introduced by the
Crown as evidence established
clearly that the UFAWU was the
sole target of the Combines in-

- vestigation, provincial court judge

David Hume ruled that UF/
vice-president Ken Robinson
fisherman David MclIntos
guilty of the charges and fin
$350.
The other five — presidents
Nichol, secretary George Hew
past president Homer Steve’
president Walter Tickson ¥
welfare director Bert Ogden —
acquitted. ;
The Combines branch 4
Crown prosecutor Arthur
nan later appealed the acquittty
‘But they’re obviously ®
waiting for the appeals to be lh
or for a federal election,’’ M
said. ‘‘They’re moving right ;
“‘And the intent is the same),

_always was — to use a pied

legislation that was intended t0y
tect people from monopoly |
tices to attack a trade uniog
declared.

Nichol appealed for the ful
port of the labor moveme
defending the union agains
persecution by the Combines.

Conventions of both the

_ Federation of Labor and the

dian Labor Congress have
pledged to back the union
campaign to compel the Com
branch to cease its harassme