Three Building Trades unions which had continued picketing in a bid to over- turn the tentative agreement signed by the bargaining council of the Building Trades Council last week were themselves over- ruled by the B.C. Labor Relations Board. In a decision brought down by a three- member panel headed by LRB chairman John Kinzie, the LRB ruled that the three unions — the’ Boilermakers, Plumbers and Elevator Constructors — must pull down their picket lines immediately and comply with the back-to-work agreement signed June 20 between the Building Trades and Construction Labor Relations Association (CLRA). The decision of the board, laid out ina 17-page ruling, was widely expected, although the spokesmen for the three unions, Boilermakers business manager Don Vinoly said that an appeal would be launched. In making its ruling, the board panel was considering two applications: one brought by the three unions seeking a rul- ing that the tentative agreement was a Vio- - lation of Article 6 of the Building Trades’ bargaining council constitution and was therefore void; and one brought by CLRA for a cease and desist order against further picketing. Even before the tentative pact was signed by representatives of 13 unions of the 16-member bargaining council, the three had claimed that because the bar- gaining council was considering some limited-term cuts to contract benefits, it was violating a clause of the council’s con- stitution which states that no union “shall be forced to accept any new conditions.- ..which, in the opinion of the affected union, are not in the best interests of its members.” On June 16, the three unions with- drew from the bar- gaining council and refused to attend any further meet- ings — including the June 20 session when the tentative pact and the back- to-work agreement were signed. But in fact, the constitution was not violated by the tenta- tive contract because the cuts proposed affect all unions in the Building Trades, not just a few, the board ruled. “Having considered all of the evidence adduced before us,” the board stated, “‘we are satisifed that the disputed clauses at issue in the memorandum of agreement dealing with flexibility of hours, the tem- porary suspension of certain travel provi- ROY GAUTIER Trades agreement is valid, LRB rule sions, and the temporary suspension of the trade evaluation program are matters of common concern to all unions in the bar- gaining council. Further, the bargaining council’s agreement with CLRA on these issues reflects a common, across-the- board approach to these matters, as opposed to one of singling out a particular union for a different and discriminatory approach. In these circumstances, the mischief to be prevented by Article 6 of the Bargaining Council’s constitution, i.e. of the majority ganging up on the minority, is not present.” The board also noted that when one proposal, which would have affected only two or three unions, was advanced by CLRA, the bargaining council success- fully forced it off the table on the basis that Article 6 would have been violated. Accordingly, the board stated, the back-to-work agreement, which called for pickets to come down June 23, “‘is valid and binding” (and) the applicant unions are ordered to cease and desist from such .. picketing.” : The tentative contract, worked out by the bargaining council, has still to go out for membership ratification which was expected to be completed July 25. The leaders of the 13 unions which initialled it were recommending acceptance on the basis that it blocked CLRA’s plans to ~ themselves as militants opposing © achieve sweeping concessions in 1986 gaining. ae Building Trades bargaining | chairman Roy Gautier said in a slal@ June 27 that the “final verdict. . res the membership,” adding that the co was “confident that the members recognize that, under the current © stances, the tentative agremeent 184 factory outcome.” dot Even with the agreement en however, it is clear that the Trades will face divisions, aggravate the campaign of the three unions ® the contract and against the bate council structure itself. Vinoly 8 #4 main representative in this province Canadian Federation of Labor whi : broken ranks with the trade union ™ ment on several key issues. Ironically, although they piety and were given that status in some paper accounts — the three are P®” CFL which, from its U.S. headqu@’ has supported the notion of concess!® a means of savings jobs. Gautier noted, however, that ov® next two years, “we will mount 4 effort by all Building Trades unio address the problems facing our ©’ and to maintain and expand the sector of the industry.” re Moncton railway workers fight deregulation moves MONCTON — The fight _ against deregulation of Canada’s railway industry is gathering momentum. As it does, the demand for an integrated East-West rail, air, road, water and_ pipeline transportation system under pub- lic ownership and democratic control, raised two decades ago by the Communist Party is as cor- rect now as it was in the early 60s when progressvie railway work- ers predicted the crisis that is gripping the industry. More than 1,000 angry railway workers demonstrated in front of city hall June 23 demanding the resignation of the area’s Pro- gressive Conservative Member of Parliament and denouncing a re- cent statement by the Canadian National Railways that it was try- ing to privatize its railway shops here. : Moncton MP Dennis Cochrane was presented with a petition signed by more than 1,000 con- stituents demanding his resigna- tion because the workers feel he hasn't fought to save the shops from company plans to sell or lease them to Canadian General Electric or some other corpora- tion. The Save Our Shops commit- tee is a broadly based community group, which was initiated in Moncton by the Canadian’ Brotherhood of Railway Trans- port and General Workers and in- cludes significant community representation, including the mayor’s support. In addition to the possible loss of almost 1,000 jobs, the com-, munity is concerned about the es- timated $32-million a year, that CN’s action would remove from Moncton’s economy. 8 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, JULY 2, 1986 The railway is the community’s largest employer. The committe has organized a post card campaign and flooded federal Transport Minister Don Mazankowski with petitions and letters demanding government action to prevent this body blow to Moncton’s economy and civic life. Meanwhile a couple of thousand kilometres away, in. London Ontario, railway workers were planning a_ protest demonstration of their own for June 27. Again jobs and de- regulation are the issue. The workers, organized into a broad community action group which includes the city’s railway workers, the trade union move- ment, the unemployed and the re- tirees organization were planning a noon-hour march from CN headquarters to City Hall to pro- test escalating layoffs. Retired railwayman Al Ber- nhardt noted, ‘‘it’s the impact of all that deregulation; we’re down to the point where if they lay any more workers off London is going 999 to be reduced to a ‘run-through’”’. The fight against deregulation of the transportation industry continues to be a top priority for the CBRT and other unions in the industry. The CBRT in a post- card and leafletting campaign has documented the grim toll the pol- icy has taken on the trucking, bus, railay and air transport industries in the U.S., where the: deregula- tion has been in place since the early 1980s. In the railways, more than 150,000 jobs have been lost since 1980 when the rail system was de- regulated. Meanwhile, the move that was justified on the grounds it would enhance competition and . abandon ory gains made by consumers, produce cheaper and better ser- vice to consumers, actually re- ‘sulted in the reduction of what were the 13 largest companies in 1978 to seven firms by 1986. In trucking 100,000 workers have lost their jobs, others have had to take massive wage and be- nefits concessions and corporate concentration was enhanced giv- ing the 10 biggest firms a sub- stantial increase in their market share. The CBRT links the fight against deregulation to the fight for Canadian sovereignty. ‘‘Our long history of public transport regulation is a cornerstone of Canada’s existence as a sovereign country’, the leaflet pointed out. “Without a strong, internal transport system linking a scat- tered population across a vast na- tion, there would have been little incentive to exist as a separate country on the North American continent.” 2 The union calls the corpora- tions’ drive for. deregulation a clear move to enhance profits and to take advantage, while they can, of a government in Ottawa, which the CBRT says ‘talks their lang- support. Labor Briefs NUPGE backs Gainers strike CHARLOTTETOWN — In a show of solidarity with ! Gainers strikers, delegates to the 10th convention of the N@ Union of Provincial Government Employees voted for th to donate $28,000 to the strikers and pledged NUPGE* The 250 delegates representing the union’s 260,000 me across Cnada also called on the federal government to intl strong economic sanctions against South Africa’s aP4 government, including a ban on all trade and financial lone that country; called on Ottawa and the provinces to revoke iG denying public service workers the right to take part in P° ! ap activities; and demanded that the federal Tory government “a the idea of free trade with the U.S. Carr meets ANC leader OTTAWA — Ina recent meeting held in Paris with Cam@ Labor Congress president Shirley Carr, Oliver Tambo pre of the African National Congress indicated his interest in ¥ Canada in the near future for talks with the CLC and * Minister Brian Mulroney. In a CLC statement, June 19, Carr said she had met ANC leader the day before the opening of the United N# conference on sanctions against South Africa. She said sh® Tambo of her recent meeting with External Affairs Clark to demand comprehensive, mandatory Canadian sa against the apartheid regime, and that she plans to mee roney, soon, to press the CLC’s case on the issue. The CLC president added that the congress knows the of 74 South African trade union leaders who are among the than 2,000 people who were arrested by the racist regime 12-13, and that the CLC has protested to the Botha gové demanding the reizase of the named and all others arrested UY the state of emergency. A Natio! yn! ’ ° Il due Ty sid? is d Pritt with iH Minis! cid” 1M J uage.”” The transport monopolies, the : union argues, ‘want to be free to - the less profitable routes, free from regular safety and maintenance inspections, . free from price and tariff restric- tions, free to buy up their com- petitors and free from answering to the public about their services and practices ... ‘“What they really want is to weaken the public interest and ensure that many of the regulat- Name Address environmentalists and workers over the decades will be rolled back’’, the union says. bi EEE ia SOE a Ja 1% Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5. Phone 251-1186 . + See CL ee pe ee Ness 9 hee tak Ye ON ie he Si Oe Sat Hy ea Pam hae ere Set oe toa . aN4 Fee. 0 6 0% 08a giele.6b- 0 grey 6 oh agent ae eee eee ae lamenclosing tyr. $160] 2yrs.$280) 6mo. 5100 Foreign 1 yr. $25 0 READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOR | Postal Code . Pe 9860 Fe Bill me later = Donation$..---"”