Employer front cracks
in GVRD workers strike

Two municipal councils in basis for further negotiations.
Greater Vancouver have broken However most councils had receiv-
with the hardline stance of the ed only skimpy information about
Greater Vancouver Regional Dis- the union’s offer.
trict labor relations committee and Vancouver city council was to
have voted unanimously to urge a consider a similar motion Thurs-
resumption of negotiations with — day as the Tribune went to press.
striking municipal unions. - Vancouver was the scene of the

Richmond municipal council first break in the strike last week
voted Monday to ‘‘request the when the unions met elected offi-
GVRD labor relations committee _cials for the first time.
to return to the bargaining table —
with a new counter proposal, if HARRY RANKIN
oe = necessary.”’ = =
oe = The unanimous adoption of the page 2

es . = 4 motion by alderman Bob McMath The meeting was held last Thurs-
was significant in that it not only day between the Vancouver Muni-
suggested that negotiations con- cipal and Regional Employees Un-
tinue, but that the employers ion and CUPE Local 1004 and
should make another, and better, | Vancouver mayor Mike Harcourt
offer to the unions. and the three COPE aldermen,

In New Westminster Monday Harry Rankin, Bruce Yorke and
municipal council also gave unani- Bruce Eriksen. .
mous support to a motion from al- The Vancouver officials met
derman Tom Baker ‘“‘that the with the unions without authoriza-
GVRD labor relations committee — tion of city council after CUPE and
be requested to instructits negotiat- - VMREU decided not to open their
ing committee to resume negotia- picket lines to allow the mayor and
tions with CUPE. aldermen into Vancouver city hall.

The two motions represent ama- After the meeting with the un-
jor break in the GVRD ranks and ions Thursday, picket passes were
undermines the claim of the hard- _ reissued to the three COPE alder-
liners inthe GVRD committee that | men, and to Harcourt, who was se-
its position had complete support _verely criticized for initially cross-
from municipal councils. ing the picket line around city hall.

Last week the GVRD labor rela- The strikers had revoked the
tions committee rejected out of passesandclosed the picket line on-
hand a counter offer from the un- _ ly hours before aregular meeting of
ions and stated that there was no See COPE page 2

TWU mounts pressure
against BC Telephone

The Telecommunications 15-month-old dispute was
Workers’ Union stepped up reached with the assistance of
pressure on B.C. Telephone special mediator Bill Kelly last
Company this week in the wake week but B.C. Tel suddenly
of the B.C. Federation of thrust inanew demand that the
Labor’s new, tougher picketing company be given approval by
policy announced at the the Canadian Radio-television
Agrodome rally last week. and Telecommunications Com-

The U.S.-owned telephone mission of yet another rate in-
company was. also feeling the crease before signing any new
heat of outraged public opinion collective agreement with the
over its demand that any wage TWU.
settlement be tied to CRTC ap- ‘ ; :
proval of a rate increase, —a . 1 WU president Bill Clark, in

demand which federal labor 2P&SS conference Feb. 18, con-
minister Gerald Regan de- demned the company’s latest

sounded ak hice” tactic as ‘‘a stupid, dangerous
Tentative settlement of the See B.C. TEL page 3

TRIBUNE PHOTO—SEAN GRIFFIN

2 GUS NEWPORT... “Reagan's new budget exploding levels of defence spending.”