’ UL AW ¢ L.W.A. President Dave Haggard’s speech was well received by CAW delegates. To his left is CAW National President Basil “Buzz” Hargrove and to his right is Cheryl Kryzaniwski, President of the CAW Council. Haggard speaks to CAW convention He had them on their feet at the Canadian Autoworkers convention. In one of the most rousing speeches of his early days as the I.W.A.’s National President, Dave Haggard had delegates streaming in from the hallways to the convention hall to hear his attack on the right wing governments and multinational corporations in Canada. Haggard was asked by union president Buzz Hargrove to speak to the more than 750 delegates, on August 14. The I.W.A. president began his speech at shortly after the noon hour and soon got the attention of the delegates. “The trade union movement in this country is under attack like it never has been in the history of the trade union movement!,” shouted Haggard. “Unless we get our...(act) together we are going to go down the tubes the way the boss wants to put us...I want to tell you today that I don’t believe that’s going to happen to the trade union move- ment in this country...” Haggard attacked multinational corporations for plant closures in Canada and their exploitation of third world workers. He said that the multinationals are paying fewer and fewer people around the world and those in the third world who are suffering are those who create the wealth. “There’s something wrong with that picture,” said Haggard. “The only ones that can change it are workers! We can’t ask the poor, we can’t ask the ones in the Third World countries yet. All you can do is ask the workers that still have jobs that belong to the trade union movement...We can take our mes- sage of what it’s like to be a worker and live with pride and dignity!” Haggard commended the CAW for their ambitious national orga- nizing es and for izing work- ers in Starbucks Coffee outlets in B.C. He said that organizing is the backbone of the trade union move- ment and that the I.W.A. has the same plans to ize. He turned to criticize the Conservative provincial govern- ments of Mike Harris in Ontario and Ralph Klein in Alberta and said that their actions against work- ing people have brought unions together again. e called for labour solidarit, and participation with the ND across Canada. ‘ “When you start to participate, you start to have a say and you start to feel good,” he said. “We're participating and having a say with our government in this province and we're going to kick the hell out of right wing governments in this country.” The I.W.A. president thanked the United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union for their solid sup- port when I.W.A. picket lines pre- vented Greenpeace vessels from ane Vancouver Harbour in early fuly. He also commended the UFAWU and the B.C. government for their courageous fight back campaign against the over fishing of salmon stocks by Alaskan fishermen. “We have the same desires, same dreams (and) same aspirations as any men and women in Canada,” he said. “All we want is to be able to get up in the morning to be able to go to work and return home at ean filled with pride and dignity in our communities to say we have some- thing for future generations.” Buzz Hargrove said the CAW rec- ognizes the I.W.A. in its struggle against radical environmentalists and that “we are going to support those who are fighting like hell to ensure the incomes and jobs and standards of living of its (the 1L.W.A’s) members...” Royal Commissions Continued from page nine Commissions.” He pointed out to the fact that the current WCB sprang initially from a Royal Commission which took place in 1914 under the guidance of judge William Meredith. The last Ontario Royal Commis- sion into the WCB was started by the previous NDP government led by Bob Rae. Hearings were held until June of 1995 when the ultra right-wing Conservative govern- ment of Mike Harris took over. One of the first actions taken by Harris was to halt the Commission in its tracks. “The Harris government has eliminated the effectiveness of the only independent vehicle for public inquiry we still have left - the Royal Commission, in order to pre- serve control to prevent us from moving forward.” King said one of the major rea- sons for that was that a former officer of the USWA, Lyn Williams, was heading the Commission which also had two member of the busi- ness community as co-chairper- sons. The Harris government said it didn’t need the Commission and that it had all the answers. A short time thereafter, the Conservative government gave its perspective on WCB reform. King said that perspective “was completely divorced from the needs of injured workers.” It came without documentation and analysis and focused almost entirely on employer costs without evaluating the impact on workers. “Today that agenda is being 16/LUMBERWORKER/SEPTEMBER 1997 forced down the throats of workers in every workplace in Ontario,” said King. The government has introduced Bill 99 (for full story see April, 1997 issue of the Lumberworker) as a “time allocated bill” which will invoke closure on debate. Later in the year there will only be 10 hours of limited hearings in Toronto, and 6 days for hearings in other parts of the province. The committee will bring back the bill to the legislature by the beginning of November and there will not be discussion of it. It is anticipated that the WCB will be abolished and that an enti- ty known as the “Workplace Safety and Insurance Board” will be put in its place on January 1, 1998. Missing in its title will be the words “workers, health and compensa- tion.” Employers will be made entirely responsible for returning injured workers back to work and, only then, will workers be entitled to compensation. “Almost every safeguard which applies to workers, in relationship to workers compensation, becomes discretionary,” said King. He said that not even the right to indepen- dent adjudication of claims will be guaranteed. He said that the Harris govern- ment is going to take away com- pensation for repetitive stress injuries. “The I.L.O. (International Labour Organization) say that it (repeti- tive strain injuries) are the most prevalent occupational health prob- lem in the world today, irrespective of employment,” said King. He said that when Royal Commissions have their responsi- bilities taken away, everything is relegated to the political agenda of the government. “Our historical perspective — that you can achieve consensus with employers, is being destroyed by an ideological agenda which full-time, secure jobs. IW-A. members like Lance Granberg have paid the price for more parks and wilderness areas in B:C. But where are the jobs they were promised so that they can continue to support their families and communities? It’s only fair that dis- placed workers get enhanced forestry jobs created by Forest Renewal B.C. Support the |.W.A.’s efforts to bring secure, safe, good- paying jobs back to B.C. communities. Labs e 4 only puts forward one side of the agenda,” he said to the I.W.A. dele- gates. “Just as you would not tol- erate it in B.C. or any other province, we don’t tolerate it in Ontario.”