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TORONTO (CPA) — Despite
all the anti-union rhetoric from
the government .and the Post
Office, you have to wonder
about who’s really to blame for.
the current postal mess when
Canada’s largest newspaper
sides with the workers.

After years of anti-worker
propaganda from politicians
and the press, the Toronto Star
finally decided to take a long,
hard look at conditions inside
Toronto’s Gateway postal
terminal, which handles 2.5
million letters a day.

Their conclusion after three
weeks of investigation? That
the Canadian Union of Postal
Workers “‘often has good
reason for its militancy.”

Among the horror stories un-
covered by the Star:

e Supervisors sometimes fol-
low workers to the washroom,
in one case, one going so far as
to lie down on the floor and
stick her head under the door

THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER:

of the cubicles to make sure
workers don’t waste time.

e In one case, a supervisor
shouted to a worker who was
having marital problems:
“You’re lousy at your job here
and at home you can’t even get
it on with your wife.”

e@ Women postal workers
often complain of sexual
harassment by the super-
visors, particularly when no
other workers are in the area.

e The payroll. system is
horrendous. Cheryl Pritchard
has been owed $4,300 for 18
months. ‘‘We’ve got two child-
ren and a house and we need
the money — my money I earn-
ed months ago.’’ Brenda
Pannozzo, owed $1,150 since
January 1977, complained to
the plant’s senior executive,
and was promptly put on pro-
bation as a “troublemaker.”’

_She later won grievances on

both the probation issue and on
being assesed for her abilities

as an employee. Bob Rogers, a
mail-handler, has been owed
$3,000 for as long as six mon-
ths. "i

The Star investigation found
that, although labour-manage-
ment relations are usually
excellent in small postal sub-
stations, the problems begin
when thousands of workers
must face the anomimity,
boredom and noise of automat-
ed equipment.

In the Gateway plant, the
noise level sometimes reaches
84 decibels — six less than the
level at which authorities say
exposed people can go deaf
after a few years.

“‘There’s so much noise be-
low, above and around you that
you can’t think,’ says postal
worker John Campbell. ‘“Your
brain :is shattered and
paralyzed. I’m so shook up
after I come off shift that I
have to take two or three shots
of rum to settle down.”

ONE YEAR CONTRACT

POWELL RIVER HOMEMAKERS
SIGN FIRST UNION AGREEMENT

Twenty-one homemakers in
Powell River who are mem-
bers of Local 1 of the Service,
Office and Retail Workers
Union of Canada (SORWUC)
have just signed their first
contract.

Their pay will now range
from $3.75 to $4.50 per hour,
depending on experience and
length of service, with a raise
on September 1, 1978 to bet-
ween $4.00 and $5.00. Top rate
for the clerk is $5.50 per hour.
There are also provisions for
overtime pay at time and one-
half. Previous to the signing of
the contract, the homemakers
were paid between $3.25 and
$3.50 per hour. They are em-
ployed by a non-profit associa-
tion which administers the
society. The contract will run
for one year.

Homemakers in B.C. work in
the homes of ill, elderly and
disabled persons. Their
salaries are mostly paid by the
Department of Health under
the new Long Term Health

Care Programme. The Depart-

ment assesses the clients for a
certain number of care hours
per month, and then pays for

Just once I'd like a contract without being blamed for
inflation. warts, mid-east crises, mass layoffs. sink
: Suicides, mange, seagull lice, dandelion

these hours after determining
the client’s income. There are
about 27 such associations
around B.C. and at least two
large private profit making
agencies in Vancouver which
supply homemaking services
under this Programme.

“This is the second group of
homemakers in B.C. to join a
union, and we think some sig-

nificant advances have been

made,” said Pat Barter,
spokesperson for SORWUC.
“Some of the benefits may not
sound significant until you
remember that homemakers
are not covered by any stan-
dard labour legislation except
the right to join a union.”

As well as standard union
clauses for grievances, disci-
pline and discharge proced-
ures, other benefits include:

* Scheduling based on
seniority which will allow em-
ployees fuller working hours

* 3 weeks vacation at 6% of
earnings after 2 years service

* Paid sick leave and
double time for worked holi-
days for all regular employees

* Maternity and Adoption
leave

* Two consecutive days off
after 6 or 10 days worked
(depending on the number of
hours worked)

* 15c per mile travel allow-
ance after the first four miles

* Workers’ compensation.

“The importance of the
homemaker’s job was recog-
nized by the government when
it instituted the Long Term
Health Care Programme.
These women keep families
together and people out of
institutions. With a union
contract, they now have more
respect for themselves — and
that’s important for anyone to
do a good job.”

WOMEN’S
PLACE
IN LABOUR

GENEVA (CPA) =
Women’s place in the labour

. market has been more firmly

established in recent years, but
more and better social services
are needed to foster new atti-
tudes towards the employment
of working mothers, says a
report to the International
Labour Organization confer-
ence here.

The report by an independ-
ent committee of experts,
which reviews progress in ILO
member countries since an
ILO recommendation on the
employment of women with

family responsibilities was.

adopted 13 years ago, says that
in spite of ‘‘exceptional” ad-
vances, some countries are
still uneertain about women’s
roles in society.

According to the report,

many countries recognize and -
encourage women’s place as a-

breadwinner. Basic laws pro-
moting equality of treatment
and opportunity have been
adopted and the necessary
machinery and programs have
been created. :

OE

JUNE, 1978

MNGMPLEYIAENT

@FCIGE

ATTRA

Daniel Ludwig is the richest
and most dangerous man in the
world, according to the Oc-
tober. 1977 issue of OUI
magazine. An oil shipping
magnate comparable to
Niarchos and Onassis, he is
estimated to be worth between
3 and 5 billion dollars.

He is a big operator in Brazil
and he is dangerous because oil
spills from his big boats are
fouling the waters of the
Amazon and so reducing the
world’s supply of oxygen.
These spills destroy the rivers
phytoplankton. Phytoplankton
produces about 30% of the
world’s oxygen, and the
Amazon accounts for about
20% of the world’s phytoplank-
ton. Many others consider him
dangerous because they feel
that his Brazillian develop-
ments are hastening the geno-
cide of Amazon Indians.

Ludwig also contributed to

the destruction and death in- ~

flicted on the people of Viet-
nam. He was involved in germ

warfare research and war pro- ©

duction contracts with the U.S.
government during the Viet-
nam War. The Vietnam War
made Ludwig a billionaire.
Ludwig has forest holding

A major conference which
will be of interest to personnel
involved in the use of natural
resources is planned for Nov-

ember 2-4, 1978 at the Bayshore
Inn, Vancouver, B.C.

_ Keynote speaker at the open-
ing session on Thursday even-
ing will be Premier Bill Ben-
nett who will set the stage for

‘Conference papers to follow. At

the Friday Luncheon, the Gov-
ernor of Hokkaido, Japan will
provide an _ international
flavour by speaking on compa-
rative resource management

issues and solutions in his
Province.

Conference objectives are to
provide a forum for personnel
from B.C.’s resources to meet
and exchange information and
to keep abreast of current
developments, problems, etc.
and keep matters of utilization
and management of our

‘and amenities;

about the size of Connecticut
and Rhode Island on the Jari
River in the Brazilian Amazon.
(One of his other Brazilian
holding, an area rich in bauxite
deposits, is about the size of
Uruguay.) For ‘his forestry
projects, he has ordered a $272
million wood pulp mill from
Japan. The mill is constructed
in the form of two barges to be
floated across the ocean. for
instalation near the mouth of
the Amazon. One arrived in
early May.

His huge development pro-
jects that are denuding the
Amazon jungle are being done
by big work gangs. The wages
are usually lower than $1.20 a
day. Reports indicate
abysmally bad working
conditions that lead to about 50
deaths a year. Accidents,
snake bites and malnutrition
are common occupational
hazards. Ludwig has even been
charged with using slave
labour.

But there is no doubt that
those who suffer most are the
Amazon Indians of the area.
Tribes have been devastated
and the continued ‘survival of

the race is doubtfu,.
L.A.Cc. INSIDE REPORT

natural resources in front of
the public at large.

Speakers are currently being
approached to prepare and
deliver papers on demand and
supply of materials, energy
parametters
and problems of IMR; the
organizational framework in

‘B.C.; a review of analytical

methods for resource manage-

ment; and current examples of
IMR.

A student essay contest on
the subject will be organized at
the Conference.

For further information call
or write:

Resource
Programs

Centre for Continuing Edu-
cation

The University: of British
Columbia i ae
Vancouver, B.C. V6éT 1W5

Telephone: 228 2181 (local
226/ 227)

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