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Pittsburgh exposed
in assault on 1005

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By MIKE PHILLIPS

__ HAMILTON — Backed by

ut 2,000 local union members,

| Ousted Steelworkers Local 1005

President Cec Taylor came to an
Ug. 31 union meeting prepared
'o let the membership decide if
y want him as their president.
But, through the combined ef-
Orts of the union’s international
Officers and their local allies, Cec
aylor wasn’t to have, as one
1005 member put it, “‘his
in court’’.
Bryan Atkinson, the local’s
vice-president now occupying the
President’s chair adjourned the

| Meeting before it was slated to

gin on the grounds that the size

_ Of the turn out constituted a fire :
hazard

_ Noting that many large meet-

igs had been held in the union

before, and that the beverage

: ‘Nom in the basement was pack-

» yet wasn’t cleared as a fire

hazard, Taylor charged the meet-

Ing was adjourned because Atkin-
_ 8On and his supporters feared the
Membership would vote to re-
Mstate him.
“It’s obvious they didn’t want
- Membership to make a de-
“sion,’’ Taylor said. ‘‘That’s why
. y adjourned the meeting, they
a to take it out of the mem-
ee hands and put it into the
€mational’s hands so the

Gaubership can’t make a deci-
ee

He also pointed out that a tele-
8fam sent to the local earlier, in

- the day by Steelworkers interna-

onal union president Lloyd
CBride, stating that any vote to

"econsider the 66 to 65 decision,

U8. 9 suspending and removing

pevor from office would be out of
“der, exposed the international’s

© In the coup against Taylor.

on M now convinced after se-
a the telegram from the inter-
t penal union that they’re behind
fro efforts to have me removed
1005" the presidency of Local

—_. he said. t

‘31

The telegram hasn’t done Pitts-
burgh’s image any good among
the majority of rank and file Local
1005 members. ‘‘We’re not going
to let a bunch of American pork-
choppers overrule what ten
thousand Canadian steelworkers
voted for’, one angry worker said
as a couple of thousand of his fel-
low union members milled around
the President they elected.

The mood outside the Steel-
workers Hall had the air of an
angry and militant picket line. As
Taylor was being hoisted on the
shoulders of the steelworkers
who’d come to see him returned
to office, shouts of: ‘“‘We want
Taylor’, and ‘‘We’re with you
Cec’’, echoed along Barton street.

Estimates of the crowd in the
hall ranged as high as 700-800
while another 1,000 waited out-
side for the results. The crowd
was big enough that many mem-
bers who’d come down to show
their support simply turned
around and went home once they
saw the demonstration outside.

Taylor credited his firm opposi-
tion to the concessions line being
advanced by the international
union in the steel industry, and his
advocacy of Canadian autonomy
for steelworkers as the motives
behind the international’s efforts
to unseat him.

Concessions and the need for a
militant, united fight against them
by the union are the thoughts
which -dominate the minds - of
most Stelco workers these days
as the company is pressing the
union to enter into early contracts
to replace the current pact that
expires in Aug. *84.

Judging from workers’ com-
ments outside the union hall Aug.
there’s near unanimous
agreement in the plants that talks
shouldn’t be opened until the
spring and that Taylor should be
heading those negotiations.

‘The turnout tonight shows
that the people support Taylor

and that Atkinson hasn’t got the
courage to let the members of
Local 1005 be heard’’, plate and
strip mill worker Dave Brown

said. “‘If he can’t face the mem-
bership, I’d hate to see what he’d

be like in front of the company.”’

Brown added: “‘I think
Pittsburgh is going to have to get a
strong message from this turn out
— the people want Taylor back.”’

An indication of the strength of
this view among the workers is
the spate of petitions being circu-
lated by groups of ten or more
workers throughout the plant de-
manding the local executive hold
a special mass membership meet-
ing at Ivor Wynne stadium to deal
once and for all with the charges
against Taylor and the paralysis
imposed on the local by Atkinson
and his supporters.

They are demanding the meet-
ing be held before Sept. 10, the
date set for Taylor to appear be-
fore a hand-picked, two-member
enquiry commission drawn by the
international leadership to hear
his appeal and prepare recom-
mendations for Pittsburgh.

Taylor has invited everyone in
the local: who wants to attend to
come to the union hall Sept. 10 at
10 a.m. and witness the enquiry,
to judge for themselves how seri-
ous or ridiculous the charges
against him are.

‘‘My belief is that the inter- —

national will rule against me in my
appeal’’, he said, ‘“but if they do

I'll go to court and challenge their.

constitution, as far as the Sup-
reme Court if I have to.”’

Many options are being dis-
cussed among the workers that
should be carefully weighed by
the decision makers in Pittsburgh.
One veteran 1005 member sum-
med it up for most of his fellow
Stelco workers, when standing
behind the president he and
thousands more like him had
elected, he said: ‘‘I’ve got a right
to be heard about who I want on
the executive of this union.”

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HAMILTON JOBLESS SAY:

_NO EVICTIONS!

By VICKY HOLLOWAY

Hamilton — The unemployed workers’ union has pledged
to do what it can to help stop the pending eviction, of about 20
people from their apartments.

On Aug. 15, the remaining tenants at three downtown
apartment buildings received notice by Harvey Real Estate
Ltd., the management firm representing the absentee landlord
who owns the buildings, that they had 10 days to vacate their
apartments. Though the Aug. 25 deadline has passed, the
tenants continue to be saddled with the frustration of knowing
they can be turned out of their homes at any moment.

‘Ten days notice is just not enough time to find another
place to live’’, tenants spokesperson Brenda Ritchie explained
last week. ‘‘Most of us are unemployed, on Mothers Allo- ~
wance or on social assistance. We can’t afford to move.”’

Harvey Real Estate, managing the property for the Van-
couver-based landlord, has refused to meet any of the tenants’
demands which include three months notice to vacate, retum
of their $100 security deposits and payment for all moving
expenses if they are forced to vacate their homes.

The tenants are also demanding that City Council find them
alternative housing and also help them with such expenses as
reconnecting their Hydro, telephone, cable TV services and
other incidental moving charges.

John D. Harvey has told the tenants they have to get out in
order for renovations on the buildings to begin. Several clean
up orders from the city Health Department have been issued

. recently and the owners are under pressure to improve the

maintenance of the property. —

With the support of the Hamilton Union of the Unem-
ployed, (HUU) the tenants picketed Harvey Real Estate’s
offices with placards which declared: ‘‘Hell no we won't go!”’
and “‘The streets aren’t for kids to live on!”’

HUU chairperson Kerry Wilson told reporters at the
demonstration that the union pledges ‘‘to the tenants and the
unemployed of this city that these people will not be evicted
and that if necessary we will physically prevent it.”

Aldermen Mike Davidson and Brian Hinckley, representing

the evicted tenants in Ward three have called the 10-day

eviction notice ‘‘unjust’’ and “‘immoral’’ and have pledge their
support for the tenants.

Controls fightback animates OPSEU meet

Ver

“alle

; Brith

the B,

TORONTO — The need to continue and extend the

iehtback by public sector workers against relentless
Yernment attacks on wages, jobs and rights, domi- .

rated the annual Ontario Public Service Employees
"lon convention, Aug. 26-27.

On behalf of the 73,000 OPSEU members they rep-
Sented, the convention delegates decided early during
tWo-day meeting to commit the union to take what-
Wa, ction is required to remove Ontario's public sector
a control law, Bill 179 and to work diligently to
or ft any legislature member supporting either the bill

~ Its €xtension, as the Davis government has recently
d it will do. :

ante country-wide assault by provincial governments
ttawa on public sector workers and their unions at

d Vels of government imposed itself on the delegates
the OPSEU convention.

This was particularly true of the current rampage
Ast the public sector by the Bennett government in
nee Columbia. The OPSEU delegates heard a first
atta account of how the labor movement is fighting this
innic. by National Union of Provincial Government
‘th Ployees Union president John Fryer, who warned
deyaronvention not to be complacent about these
tlopments because what’s happening in B.C. could
Phen in Ontario.
The convention responded to the crisis in B.C. early in
Proceedings by adopting a resolution condemning
€nnett budget and pledging solidarity with the BG:
Yernment Employees Union, (BCGEU). The

te

Go

OPSEU authorized a donation of $36,000 to Operation
Solidarity sponsored by the B.C. Federation of Labor.

The addresses of the various-guest speakers helped to
set the militant fightback tone of the convention. United
Auto Workers Canadian director Bob White emphasized
the need for unity between public and private sector
workers in the fight against cutbacks, and wage controls
in the public sector and against concessions and take-
aways in the private sector. :

Of critical importance, White said, was the role labor
must play in the peace movement and the fight for dis-
armament. Unions must speak out on the massive drain
on the global economy by the arms race, White said.
“But even more important’, he added, ‘‘on the moral
question of the insanity of considering to settle any inter-
national dispute by nuclear war we cannot and must not
remain silent.”’

White’s appeal demonstrated how much work re-
mains to be done among some sections of the labor
movement on the peace question, however, when later
in the convention, a resolution opposing the testing of

Cruise missiles in Canada and calling for this country to
: be declared a nuclear weapons-free zone failed to get
enough delegate support to be discussed by the con-

vention. Siok:
The situation in B.C., the UAW leader said, was a

direct outcome of the application of monetarist policies
and the power exercised over governments and the
economy by the corporations.

“If we are not ready to fight back, governments will be

tempted to go further — to increase their restraint pro-
grams, to further attack the basic rights of working
people’’, he said.

“The very impressive show of solidarity in B.C. —
including the largest demonstrations ever seen in that
province — will hopefully prevent similar actions by
other governments in Canada.”

Ontario Federation of Labor president Cliff Pilkey
told the convention that the entire labor movement must
continue its fight against concessions, controls and cut-
backs and that it must ensure there is no extension of
controls in Ontario by the Davis Tory government.

The convention also reaffirmed its commitment to
fighting provincial budget cuts, closures and contracting
out. In addition to adopting a resolution committing the
union to continuing its public opposition to government
dismantling of social services, OPSEU President Sean
O’Flynn announced the union would be making funds

- available to parents seeking to legally challenge the plan-

ned closure of centres for the developmentally handi-
capped. j
Other resolutions endorsed by the convention include:

rejection of work'sharing; calling on the union to organ-

ize a study on the question of the shorter work week, and
to develop an educational program for OPSEU members
on the need to fight for it; to support the Canadian Labor
Congress’ Save Medicare Campaign as well as protesting
against extra billing, user fees and doctor opting out of the

Medicare system; and a resolution favoring women’s -

rights to full access to abortion clinics, and removal of
abortion from the criminal code.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—SEPTEMBER 14, 1983—Page 7

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