Solid backing for Gainers strikers EDMONTON — Alberta Federation of Labor president Dave Werlin set out, Oct. 23 on a Canada-wide labor law enquiry commissioned by the province’s trade union movement in the wake of the bitter Gainers strike and other struggles in Alberta. Though specifically aimed at the Alberta government’s retro- grade labor laws, the idea is a spin off from the Getty govern- ment’s bid during the first period of the strike to sweep the dispute under the carpet by appointing a labor law commission that would report after a world wide junket costing hundreds of thousands of dollars to provincial taxpayers. It is an effort to simultaneously highlight the Gainers strike and the rotten labor laws and fits neatly with the Canada-wide solidar- ity that is being shown for the United Food and Commercial Workers in its fight with Peter Pocklington. In Toronto, UFCW rep Kevin Park last week said the strikers touring Ontario and the rest of the country had to date attended more than 150 meetings throughout the province. ‘“We’ve received more than $500,000 in pledges from central trade union bodies throughout the country, in addition to in- dividual local and national plant gate collections taken by unions such as the Canadian Auto Workers, United Electrical Workers, and locals in steel, rubber, our own UFCW locals and many others”’, he said. In the past week the CAW has collected $10,000 each from gate collections in the St. Catharines Local 199, (GM), and Windsor Local 444, (Chrysler), with Local 200 (Ford Windsor) netting $5,000. Union officials said they expect the tally to be higher when a full report is received from all of the union’s locals. The UE reports it has collected about $5,000 from various plant gate collections with more to come. Transportation struck in France PARIS — Drawing the biggest crowds since the massive pro- tests of 1977, all of France’s major trade union centres, excepting white collar workers, staged a 24 hour strike, Oct. 21 that almost paralyzed schools, air, road, and rail transport. The protest was part of a week-long series of demonstrations for higher wages and against job cuts dictated by rightist govern- ment’s austerity measures and denationalization programs. Job security the issue at CBC TORONTO — With the federal Tories slashing away at the CBC’s budget, job security will highlight contract talks between the crown corporation and 4,500 workers in two unions. The National Association of Broadcast Engineers and Tech- nicians, with its 2,200 members and the 2,300 announcers, make- up artists, stagehands and clerical workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees will find themselves in a legal strike position, Oct. 28. Only NABET has received a strike mandate from its members, though it hasn't set a strike deadline yet. Two conciliation reports, released last week criticized the CBC management for its sweeping concessions demands, part- icularly on the expansion of contracting out and other demands undermining jobs security. Wages are another contentious issue with NABET countering the corporation’s 3 per cent offer over two years, with the de- mand for 6.5 per cent retroactive to June 1985, and 5 per cent for each remaining year of the three year pact. CUPE is also seeking strong wage protection. 1,000 more technicians at Radio Canada are awaiting the out- ome of yet another conciliation report on their negotiations, and they could be in a legal strike position early in November. QFL hits CN privatization MONTREAL — More than 1,000 delegates to the Quebec Federation of Labor’s recent conference against deregulation and privatization threw their support behind workers at Canadian National fighting to stop the Tory sell out of the crown corpora- tion’s railway shops throughout the country. CN announced at the end of August that it plans to slice some 14,000 workers from its payroll by 1990. They will join more than 10,000 who have already been laid off during the past decade. The privatization of the Moncton CN shops, with an expected loss of 1,000 jobs, and the recent announcement of the possible closure of the Point St. Charles facilities here with the 2,000 jobs that will disappear form part of a restructuring and rationalization strategy put into place by successive Liberal and Tory federal governments since the 70s. Although Grant Devine’s Conservatives held on to a re- duced majority in Saskat- chewan’s Oct. 20 election, they lost most urban ridings and trailed the NDP.in popular vote. The re- sults are a setback for the Tory agenda, if not the clear defeat many had hoped for. Final results showed the Tories with 38 seats to the NDP’s 25, far different than the 56-8 landslide of 1982. The Conservatives fell from 54 per cent of the vote to below 45 per cent, while the NDP went from 38 per cent to just over 45 per cent. 4 Liberal leader Ralph Goodale won his party's first seat since 1975; the Liberal vote more than doubled, from 4.5 per cent to 10 per cent. The right-wing Western Canada Concept and Alliance parties managed just 687 votes for their 15 candidates. : The Tories managed to hang on by virtually sweeping farm areas, where most ridings are less populous. 20 of the 24 seats in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw and Prince Albert went NDP; many of these ridings contain twice the population of some rural seats. The unbalanced result drew calls for redistribution or some form of proportional represent- ation, and undermined the Tory’s own credibility. After jumping to a 6-9 per cent lead, according to polls early in the race, the Conservatives fal- tered as:the campaign went on, and took a body blow late in the election when leaked documents revealed their intention to sell Sask Tel. The vote in the cities shows “everything is not so fine with Devine.” | In the cities, defeated Tories admitted they were swamped by the votes of provincial em- ployees, trade unionists, the poor, and others affected by government policies. But the countryside proved a different matter. Realizing their probable fate in the cities as long as two years ago, the Tories focussed on winning the farm vote with a string of minor aid programs and promises. Devine finally joined with farm groups calling for a billion-dollar de- ficiency payment for the proy- ince’s grain farmers. Ottawa claims the aid will be forthcoming ‘‘after Christmas,” although it seems clear that the the United Auto Workers. CAW from the international. country. Historic day for CAW TORONTO — The final act in the creation of the Canadian Auto Workers union was played out, Oct. 17 with the signing over of a $43.5-million dollar cheque to the Canadian union from CAW president Bob White, and Bob Nickerson, the union’s secretary treasurer made the announcement shortly after the final documents completing the two year separation process were signed and the bank draft for $43,500,000.63 was handed to the The draft and the current funds held by the CAW means the new union is being launched with a financial base in excess of $50-million, White told reporters. ‘‘This is indeed an historic day for CAW-Canada and for the labor movement,” White said. ‘‘It was a long and difficult period during the past 23 months but the final results are worth the effort. We can now move forward in confidence as a Canadian union.”’ Union officials said about $36-million will go into the CAW strike fund making it the largest of any industrial union in the The Canadian autoworkers’ break with the international arose from the Canadian’ s rejection of the concession bargaining strat- egy of the Detroit-based international. The full break resulted from the international’s effort during the 1984 General Motors talks to force the Canadians to rubber stamp a concessions agreement previously signed in the U.S. The international threatened to cut off strike benefits and the Cana- dian leadership pledged to continue the struggle regardless, with the backing of the Canadian Labor Congress. Following the Canadians’ contract victory, a proposal to the international executive board that would have effectively given the Canadians autonomy within the UAW structure was over- whelmingly rejected by the international. In September 1985 the Canadians held their founding conven- tion, which adopted a new constitution and elected White and Nickerson to lead the new union. A special convention was called in June to rename the or- ganization the Canadian Auto Workers-Canada, because the international officers didn’t want to share the name. particular, to mount a real figh 6 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 29, 1986 "peel amount will be far less than far- mers need. Devine’s line was that a new NDP government would lack any pull in Ottawa, and would never be able to get the payment. Many farmers © evidently | agreed, even though doubts grew as the campaign closed with no firm commitment by the federal | government. Having staked ‘his credibility on this issue, Devine |} could be seriously damaged if hi i federal colleagues leave farme in the lurch. ay A “‘lacklustre performance”’ by | NDP leader Allan Blakeney was touted by the media as a fatal. problem for his campaign, andno | one here will be surprised if the | former premier makes a graceful exit within a year. Saskatoon Riverdale MLA Ro Romanow is considered the fav: rite to replace Blakeney, a mov which would leave the right-win of the part in control. The NDP’s platform differed little from that of the party in control. The NDP’s — platform differed little from that Blakeney’s image. Only the de- bates over free trade and Sask Tel revealed clear policy differences. Despite the Tory victory, the balance of forces is obviously tilt- ing against them, opening up new _ possibilities for the labour move-. ment and other democratic forces. to go on the offensive. The NDP’s strong showing in northern ridings confirms the — growing resistance by Native peoples to racist Conservative policies. New NDP faces in the 4) legislature, such as trade unionist Bob Lyons (Regina Rosemon' and native leader Keith Goulet } (Cumberland) are expected to add some sting to their party’scritique |) of the government. : Faced with an enormous deficit and little hope of an economic up- — turn, the Tories may well embark 4} on deep cuts in social spending and other neo-conservative mea- })_ sures. But much will depend on the ability of the labour movement, in Se a eee” ee back, rallying women, nativ peoples, students, welfare reci- — pients, and farmers, to stop the Conservatives in their tracks. The Oct. 20 election leaves the Tories” with a majority, but with a greatly weakened mandate. This is no time for despair — it’s time t mobilize!