ike igtesieo eens oe Me ae ; Lagat ati epee: “te pega H ; iy! g i . 2 ees 2 Bee TS ” BRITISH COLUMBIA: Arms spending costs jobs, 1AM head tells unionists The outspoken president of one of the most progressive trade unions in the United States thinks there is no doubt that the rising peace sentiment in his country had as much to do with Congress withholding funds for Reagan’s MX missile as it did with objections to a particular launching scheme. “There is unmistakeably a rising and continuing tide against the crazy defense budgets of the Reagan administration,’’ William Winpisinger told the Tribune in a brief interview following his speech to fellow trade unionists at the Richmond Inn last Saturday. The slashing of funds for social services to feed the U.S. military THE IMPACT OF MILITARY SPENDING ON THE MACHINISTS UNION By Marion Anderson presidential military and foreign policy, the Machinists president told the Tribune later. The AFL-CIO executive ap- pointed a committee, on which Winpisinger sits, one year ago to “examine the defense question,”’ he said: “T’ve no doubt it was a good facade so that we can change our position from that of the usual blind support for American policy.” Winpisinger, a leading figure in the U.S. nuclear freeze movement, said recent polls show that ‘‘72 per- cent of the American people think we’re wacky on defense — only 19 percent thought that way five years machine and mass unemployment were the chief targets of a wide- ranging speech from Winpisinger, the president of the International Association of Machinists in a special address to the B.C. Provin- cial Council of Machinists’ annual convention. Winpisinger, leader of a union whose members work primarily in the aerospace industry and hence are employed in large numbers by companies with Pentagon con- tracts, attacked the arms build-up which is based on “the myth that .. we’re vulnerable now to the red hordes, real or imaginary.” He is one of the few members of the AFL-CIO executive to speak out strongly against the arms race, and his position is backed by the union he leads. A few years ago the Machinists released a study prov- ing that money spent on non- military production goes much fur- ther than the same amount spent on military projects. “Research shows that defense spending does not create jobs in the same sense that the same money IAM 1979 STUDY... illustrates job loss. does in the private (as opposed to military) sector, which creates 14 times as many jobs,’’ he asserted to the approximately 50 trade unionists. : And employment for military projects provides little job security, said Winpisinger. He cited ex- amples in which machinists would pull up stakes and moye thousands of milgs oa-the promise of steady em ent in a corporation engaged in Pentagon production. “Then Congress would learn you can sit down and talk with your enemies. The project would be cancelled and the machinist got as a reward an honored place at the end of the unemployment line. . ‘But the company — it always got paid for its efforts,”’ he said. The Reagan administration’s slashing of welfare budgets ‘‘that are really a dollar-for-dollar transfer to the Pentagon” has forc- ed the labor leaders to re-evaluate their traditional support for ago.” Such sentiment expressed strongly in the mid-November elec- tions in which the freeze vote car- ried in eight out of nine states, ob- viously pressured a majority of Congressmen into refusing start-up funds for Reagan’s MX ‘“‘dense pack”’ plan, according to Winpis- inger. : Injhis speech the Machinist presi- dent attacked not only the Reagan administration for its arms and welfare cuts policies, but his own party, the Democrats, for voting with Reagan and “‘acting as if the idiot had some kind of mandate.”’ American labor traditionally supports the Democratic party. But many leaders are now looking to form a ‘third party’’ alternative similar to the New Democrats in Canada, he said. “If the Democrats don’t come up with a program (to answer labor’s concerns) then we’re going to have to do it, and by God, we will do it,’’ he asserted to the ap- plauding, largely NDP audience. Gov't violates agreement Continued from page 1 sit commissions for both Metropolitan Vancouver and Metropolitan Victoria as envisaged in the B.C. Transit Act. The com- missions will be comprised of local- ly elected municipal representatives with the sole function of dealing with regional transit matters. “The B.C. Transit Act requires that the recommendations for ap- pointments to. the transit commis- . sion be made by the B.C. Transit board. I have asked the chairman to contact you to seek your advice with respect to these appointments . . . your assistance in both these areas will be much appreciated,’’ stated the minister. According to B.C. Transit spokesmen, none of the details of the transfer of power are to be RIBUNE Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone 251-1186. Read the paper that fights for labor Postel Gade. ; 52. | . : N Adresse eS SS ee Gryortewa ic. of es 1am enclosing: 1 yr. $14 O 2 yrs. $25 0 6 mo. $8 Old New) Foreign 1 year $15 0 Bill me later (1) Donation$.......... i se ee SF YF fF ie YF FF PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JANUARY 14, 1983—Page 8 made public, but will be conducted in in-camera sessions. As it now stands, one letter from a cabinet minister has effectively disenfran- chised elected municipal represen- tatives, based on a simple recom- mendation from the B.C. Transit Board. “Tt is outrageous that we don’t have any documentation from B.C. Transit backing up their recommendation,’’ said Yorke, adding that the corporation has consistently refused to provide the region with any information and has ignored the GVRD brief. Vander Zalm and Be prranst chairman Fred Macklin Have at- tempted to justify the move by floating conflicting figures of $7 million and $4 million respectively, which they claim are the savings a reached by abolishing the regional y- f . . Amore likely explanation 1s that they hope to silence regional governments’ complaints about - the way transit is run, particularly ..in the field of cost-sharing. GVRD members have raised the alarm in the past about Victoria’s efforts to make the regions assume increasing portions of transit funding. And last year’s GVRD transit commit- tee chairman Bob Bose was par- ticularly outspoken in his opposi- tion to the costly Advanced Light Rapid Transit system imposed on the region. The response from GVRD chairman and Coquitlam mayor Jim Tonn has been to accept the move as a fait accompli. While he has said the region will refuse to recommend any members for the new transit boards, and deny any further funds for transit, he has agreed to cooperate in effecting the changeover. Yorke, the Committee of Pro- gressive Electors alderman re- elected with the backing of labor last November, noted that the move violates a signed, five-year agreement with the government and places the jobs of GVRD tran- sit staff in jeopardy. “There is an agreement as far as we’re concerned and we should fight to protect it. We certainly aren’t going to be complicit,’’ he said. 4 >- { | Tentative The Telecommunications Workers’ Union reached ten- tative agreement with B.C. Telephone on a new two-year. time in several years that a settle- ment has been achieved without a strike. Although details of the new agreement have not been public- ly released, they have been made available to the membership and sources indicated that the contract calls for a deferred six percent increase in the first year and a seven percent increase in the second year. According to the sources, the six percent is to take effect July, 1983 and the seven percent in March of 1984. The old contract expired Dec. 31, 1982. There is reportedly an addi- tional two percent in various benefits. Some wage increment steps are also to be eliminated for clerical and traffic employees. The settlement of monetary items had been reached last November at which time the company agreed to rescind layoff notices for 2,100 tem- porary and full-time employees. B.C. Tel had imposed the layoffs after the TWU suc- cessfully appealed to the B.C. Supreme Court against an earlier announced layoff of 1,800 employees. Also included in the new con- tract is B.C. Tel’s new Business The B.C. Government Employees’ Union continued its selective job action at the B.C. Institute of Technology this week to press BCIT manage- ment to put a wage offer on the table. Approximately one quarter of the 350-member BCGEU unit was off the job including switchboard operators, cafeteria cashiers and others. Although the contract expired Sept. 30, 1982, management negotiators have refused to put a wage offer on the table. In fact, according to BCGEU president Norman Richards, the BCIT board of governors “‘has steadfastly refused to allow negotiators to offer the support Budget cuts have been cited B.C. Federation of Labor president Jim Kinnaird blasted the Social Credit government Jan. 7 for bailing out the Whistler Village Land Com- pany by assuming all of the developers’ outstanding $27 million in debts. ‘‘What we have here is another blatant example of how the government helps its friends while the rest of the province suffers,’’ Kinnaird charged in a statement. “The premier keeps telling us that there’s no money for education or health care or social services and his govern- contract Tuesday — the first _ staff any wage increase at all.’’ ALABOR NOT! TWU pac: reached at B.C. Tel Terminal Equipment unit whi the company has been anxic to establish in order to get ir the lucrative market of supp ing ‘‘interconnect’’ equipms to businesses. Interconn, equipment can be purchased modular units by custom and already some 40 compan are vying for sales on everythi from telephones to data co; munications systems, Since the Canadian Rad; television and Telecommuni tions Commission deregulat interconnect in Novembe allowing various companies compete for the expandi market, B.C. Tel has been seg ing to establish its own intercg nect division. It had sought get negotiations on the new di sion out of the way quickly } the TWU insisted that agre ment be reached on the contrz as a whole, including the B} unit. According to the union, sor 700 people are expected to wo in the new division. The TWU concern to* ay, impending’ layoffs, coupl. with company haste to get in the interconnect market bo figured prominently in ¢ relatively early agreement on ¢ new contract. The ratification vote is ¢ pected to be conducted follo, ing the TWU convention slat, for Jan. 17-21. Job action at BCIT as the reason for the BCIT po tion, but Richards pointed the Salaries enjoyed by a ministrative staff, includiy president Gordon Thom, wh get salaries ranging for $50,0, to $79,000 per year. - Average take-home p; among BCGEU members at t] institute is $1,000 a month. The union is pressing. for contract similar to the mast agreement signed by the unic last year. It has not set up pick lines, however, and BCGR communications director Ro} bie Robinson said that the would try to minimize disry; tion for day-time students. “But our people are going } remain off the job as long as takes to get a wage increase the table,’’ he said. Whistler bailout hit ment is now threatening to lg off government employes because he says there isn enough money to pay them. Ry at the same time he can come y with millions to bail out a bune of Socred hacks.” Kinnaird called on Bennett t put the money into job creatio instead, adding that “‘not on job has been created by all th programs announcd by the pre vincial government. “Provincial money should g for job creation for th unemployed and for social vices, not for handouts t developers,”’ he said.