FREE TRADE Continued from page 4 their food, their energy, or shelter, can only get so uppity. The folks who control world trade (guess who?) find that parts of the world that rely in a daily sense on trade are very easy to get along with. Take Grenada, for example. Since the US. invasion, agricultural co-ops, intended to promote self-sufficiency, have been aban- doned, and land turned over to export crops. Unemployment has risen to 40%. But the Wall St. Journal (controlled by Du Ponts) says on March 8, 1985, “Grenada was and is an unimportant island, but our successful intervention there had a very significant effect on U.S. opinion.” The U.S. has a whole battery of methods with which to “persuade” folks that they should play the game. For further informa- tion on the subject, contact Vernon Walters, former Deputy Director of the CIA. In 1964, shortly before the military coup that replaced the democratic, liberal Brazilian government, Walters arrived in Rio de Janeiro as “military attache”. Just months later, his old friend General Castelo Branco, (they met during WW2 in Italy), led the coup. Shortly thereafter, Brazilian peasants were directed to stop growing the beans that supplied the staple protein, and plant coffee. Brazil’s volume of trade and GNP shot up; but the majority of the population got less and less, and millions suffered from mal- nutrition. Mr. Walters may be reached at UN Head- quarters in New York, where he now serves as US Ambassador. WHO IS ANTHONY? Because of the impressive experience of two Canadian applicants for the Common- wealth Relations Trust Bursaries, the trus- tees decided that both should receive grants for three-month study-tours of trade unions in the United Kingdom. The 1985 bursaries were awarded to: Jeffrey G. Anthony, a member of the executive board of the local union of the Canadian Union of Public Employees representing employees of Met- ropolitan Toronto, who has also served as steward, chairman of the collective bargain- ing committee and co-chair of the public relations committee of this CUPE local; and to Clay Perry, legislative director of the Western Canadian Region of the Interna- tional Woodworkers of America, with head- quarters in Vancouver, B.C., who also edits the region’s newspaper, the Lumberworker, former research director of IWA Region One. YOUR FORESTS, YOUR 8/Lumber Worker/April, 1985 EVERYONE HAS TO SACRIFICE | The rate of inflation may have slowed to a thirteen-year low of 4.0 per cent during the third quarter of 1984, but that didn’t help workers or economic growth as earnings slowed even more. The increase in earnings per worker amounted to only 3.5 per cent over the year ending with the third quarter which meant that another 0.5 per cent was removed from real earnings. long period of decline in real purchasing power continues. During the thirty-year period after the Second World War — 1946 to 1976 — Canadian workers achieved real gains in earnings which averaged about 2.5 per cent per year. Since then, there has been an almost uninterrupted erosion of real earnings which have fallen by more than one per cent per year, lowering living standards and removing valuable purchasing power which is necessary to stimulate economic growth. By the July-September quarter, workers had lost an average of $43.50 a week each in real buying power. For all paid employees in the country, total lost purchasing power amounted to a staggering $22.4 billion annually. — From: Canadian Labor WELL, ALMOST EVERYONE MONTREAL — Jean de Grandpre, chairman of Bell Canada Enterprises Inc. of Montreal, received a 29.6 per cent increase in his 1984 cash compensation to $853,000, company documents say. The raise — of $195,000 is based on comparisons between figures disclosed in a shareholder snioune sy circular prepared for this year’s annual meeting with those contained in last year’s circular... Cash compensation to all nine BCE executive officers in 1984 amounted to $3.63 million, an increase of 30.4 per cent from the $2.79 million shown in the year-earlier circular for the executive officer group. The number in that group was not specified last year. The cash compensation figures include bonuses, BCE employees’ savings plan contributions and relocation assistance. About 20,000 unionized Bell Canada workers last week ratified annual raises of 2, 2, and 3 per cent over three years, boosting their top scale to $36,869.56 in the final year. Operators received 3 per cent annual raises, bringing their salaries in the last year of the pact to $23,819.64. The settlement also included some cuts in hours. — From: Canadian Labour. Pre-tax profits of industrial corporations hit an all-time high of $9.4 billion in the final quarter of last year, exceeding the previous record of $9.3 billion for the final quarter of 1980, Statistics Canada says. — From: “The Province”, April 7, 1985 (Ida Dale, 50, has a few words about FAIRNESS “Tve worked at Eaton’s for 17 years. My husband, Dennis, has been there for 31. We're both on strike now for lots of reasons. For one thing, we need to know we'll have decent pensions when we retire. We know Eaton’s employees don’t. When my friend, Vera Sumka, retired after 26 years at Eaton’s, her pension was $115 a month. Clara Boone’s was $70 after 16 years. Thousands of people have the same problem. And young people don’t want that to look forward to. You can help cut into Eaton’s unfair control over people’s lives. We're striking for fairness. Please don’t buy Ir you want to show your support for from Eaton’s.” _ — faimess for Ida, Dennis, Vera and the young employees who could be in their position someday, please shop elsewhere. If you have an account card, cut it up and send it with this coupon to the Ontario Federation of ee Eaton Tower, 1 Dundas St. W., Toronto, Ontario, M5B 1C8. Even if there’s no Eaton’s near you, you can jot down a few lines of support for the employees. 6 I Labour, c/o Committee for Fairness at . > Fairness for Eaton’s employees I Eaton’s, Suite 202, 15 Gervais Drive, Don __T'm returning my Eaton's Account Card in support of people = Mills, Ont., M3C 1Y8. That way, you'll receive like Ida and Dennis Dale. : ie t a letter of appreciation and a special button. Please send me a button saying “I've cut into Eaton's”, ES 2 ‘ Es To explain why you won't shop at Eaton’s ae until the company helps settle the strike with a * Ke fair agreement, write to Fred Eaton, President, |SDISESS: fi T. Eaton Co. of Canada Ltd., 19th Floor, Tt i ss Produced by the Ontario Federation of Labour Committee for Faimess at Eator’s, in conjunction with the Canadian Labour Congress. For more information, contact your local labour council or the OFL at (416) 441-2731. oe