In the Jan. 11 issue of the
Tribune I dealt with the wide cover-
age given to the internal affairs of
the B.C. Ferry and Marine Work-
ers Union by the daily press and the
television and radio networks. I
also commented on some of the
problems which had been widely
discussed by the same news media.

At that time, Bill Smalley, re-
gional director of organization for
the Canadian Labor Congress, had
recently been appointed to admin-
ister the affairs of the union on re-
quest of the union executive, until
such time as the executive would be
capable of doing so.

It should be noted that the union
is made up of 16 units at different
locations, representing licensed
and unlicensed members, and that
the executive (including chairper-
sons from the units) is the highest
body between conventions which

normally take place every two -

years.

Towards the end of my article; I
referred to a statement in the Van-
couver Sun of Dec. 1, 1979 by Jack
Munro of the International Wood-
workers, who is an officer of both
the B.C. Federation of Labor and
the CLC. In that statement, Munro
commended Shirley Mathieson,
president of the Ferry Workers, for
her “‘courage in standing up to the
obstructionists who stopped her
functioning as president.”’

I closed that article with these
words: ‘‘Such statements can only
lead to the belief on the part of
many members of the Ferry Work-
ers that Smalley has been appoint-
ed to do a job for one faction and
not to meet and deal impartially
with all groups in a sincere attempt
to lay the basis for healing the
split.”” What follows should help
the reader to judge whether that
comment was appropriate.

The first, interim report of
Smalley was recently delivered to a

meeting of the executive of the
union.

When the meeting opened, Les
Neil, secretary-treasurer, rose on a
point of privilege and resigned
from his position. This was follow-
ed by the resignation of Matt
Brown, one of the two business
agents. Both claimed that relation-
ships with the president and
trustees were such that they could
no longer perform their duties
satisfactorily.

Then, Smalley’s report was dis-
tributed, with a comment from
Smalley to the effect that some peo-
ple would not like it.

LABOR
COMMENT

BY JACK PHILLIPS

One of the recommendations
called for the executive to terminate
the employment of Matt Brown as
business agent, with one month’s
pay in lieu of notice, ‘‘without prej-
udice to any future position the ex-
ecutive may wish to take on
whether just cause exists for the dis-
missal of Matt Brown.”

When a number of executive
members pointed out that Brown
had already resigned and called for
that section to be deleted from the
report, Smalley refused. I have
been informed by usually reliable
sources that Matt Brown was never
interviewed by Smalley before the
latter drew up his report. However,
Smalley wrote this into the report:

‘. . . It has been brought to my at-
tention by table officers, executive
members and rank and file mem-
bers that a serious lack of confi-
dence exists in the continued em-
ployment of business agent Matt
Brown.” ~

I make no case for or against
Matt Brown as a business agent,
because that’s a question the union
must answer. However, I cannot
understand why, in a conflict situa-
tion of this type, where even the
best of business agents would have
his share of critics, Smalley did not
interview Brown. After all, he met
with many groups and individual
members in the union. There is one
thing we know for sure: Matt
Brown, business agent and Shirley
Mathieson president, although
they ran on the same slate to be-
come officers of the union in 1977,
have been at odds with each other
over union policy since 1978. How-
ever, to this date, neither of them
has clearly spelled out what those
differences are.

In response to a wide demand
for a special convention, Smalley
recommended that a special con-
vention, Smalley recommended
that a special convention should
not be considered until the wishes
of the membership are determined
in respect to affiliation with the
B.C. Government Employees Un-
ion. That projection was rejected
overwhelmingly and a decision was
made to hold a constitutional con-
vention in May.

It should be noted that the Ferry
Workers’ Union officially came in-
to being at a convention in 1977,
because the members felt that they
could do better on their own rather
than remain as part of the BCGEU.

Under terms of the agreement
signed with the BCGEU, the Ferry
Workers pay a per capita tax of
$1.25 per member, per month, to
the BCGEU. According. to
Smalley, they are entitled to certain
services for this payment but “‘it is
apparent that these facilities are not
being used.”’ It is my understand-
ing that this payment also entitles
them to full representation at every

level within the CLC, such as labor

McCarthy squandering on PR
while poor suffering, says VLC

Grace McCarthy’s $40,000
‘*human resources week’’ public
relations campaign — already bit-
terly opposed by welfare critics and
the NDP opposition — was again
blasted this week as delegates to the
Vancouver and District Labor

Council applauded a motion con- |

demning the ministry ‘‘for its
wasteful expenditure’? and de-
manding that the program be can-
celled and the money ‘‘spent more
appropriately.”’

Government Employees Union
delegate Jane Fisher, who propos-
ed the resolution, also made it clear
what would be ‘‘appropriate’’ as
she denounced McCarthy for laun-
ching a ‘‘self-congratulatory public
relations job’’ at a time ‘‘when
GAIN rates are _ totally
madequate”’ and when peole are
“living well below the poverty
dine.”

McCarthy had declared the
week of Mar. 3-8 Human
Resources Week to show ‘‘what the
ministry is doing for people.
{ronically, the campaign comes on-
ly a week after the United Way
report showed that the province’s
welfare rates are forcing recipients
to live below the poverty line.

Earlier, the labor council had
given its backing, along with the
B.C. Federation of Labor, to the

demand for an increase in welfare
rates.

Elsewhere in the council
meeting, delegates endorsed a mo-
tion voicing ‘dismay’ at the
dismantling of the Royal Commis-
sion into Uranium Mining and call-
ing on the provincial government
to allow the commission to com-
plete its work.

The commission, chaired by
UBC professor David Bates, had
only some two months of hearings
yet to complete before the govern-
ment suspended it as part of the
seven-year moratorium on
uranium mining.

The labor council also put a
notice of motion on the floor to
donate $500 to the striking Com-
munications Workers of Canada at
Bell Telephone in Ontario.

A letter from the Canadian
Labor Congress described the
strike as ‘‘a life or death struggle
between a relatively small union
and a huge multinational whose
blackened anti-union record is well
known.”’

Bell is seeking contract language
which would virtually prohibit the

union from functioning as a trade

union, the CLC said.

Support for Ontario unionists,
this time for woodworkrs on strike
against Boise Cascade, was also
voiced last week by delegates to the
New Westminster and District

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—MARCH 7, 1980—Page 12

Labor Council who voted to
donate $100 in response to the
country-wide campaign. '

Some 100 men, members of
Local 2693 of the Lumber and
Sawmill Workers: have been out
since July 1978 trying to block an
attempt by the multinational to
reduce them to piece work and in-
dependent contractor status.

The New Westminster delegates
completed the biennial elections for
executive members at large —
although one of those elected, a
member of the administration’s of-
ficial slate, had already resigned
from the council.

Canadian Union of Public.

Employees delegate Betty Merrall
submitted a-letter resigning from
the council but president Gerry
Stoney, in a bid to block the elec-
tion by acclamation of Carpenters
president Bill Zander, ruled that
the letter wasn’t submitted ‘‘in the
usual way”? and said he wouldn’t
accept it.

Zander was subsequently
defeated in the election, as seven
people — including Merrall — vied
for six executive positions. A by-
election will presumably have to be
held later.

The Carpenters Union has been
one of several unions opposing the
merger of the two Lower Mainland
labor councils, a plan backed by
Stoney.

councils, the B.C. Federation of
Labor and conventions of the
CLE,

Those who hope to replace the
table officers at the special May
convention could face two
obstacles. First, the constitution as
it is now written specifically pro-
hibits election of table officers at a
special convention. (All other exec-
utive members are named directly
by the units.) Second, the terms of
reference under which Smalley was
appointed to administer the affairs
of the union state that the trustee-
ship is to continue ‘‘until such time
as the CLC concludes that the ex-
ecutive of the BCFM WU is capable
of effectively administering its own
affairs.”’ At least, that’s what was
stated by the union when the execu-
tive officially requested trustee-
ship.

if the CLC adopted the terms of
reference as laid out by the union
executive then, Smalley, under
those terms, could veto a decision
to hold a special convention, or else
establish the agenda and the rules
for the convention.

Where Smalley thought the un-
ion should go was indicated in his
recommendation number two,
which was soundly rejected. It call-
ed for ‘‘a referendum ballot to be
taken amongst the fleet on whether
the membership wish to negotiate a
return to the BCGEU.”’

He laid down five principles as a
basis for a return to the BCGEU,
including provision for a compon-
ent structure that would allow sep-
arate table officers for licensed and
unlicensed members to administer
the day-to-day affairs of their re-
spective groups, with collective
bargaining to be carried out jointly.
That was intended as a selling point
directed at the licensed members,
who were placed in the same bar-
gaining unit as the unlicensed
members by a decision of the
Labor Relations Board, even
though they would have preferred
a separate bargaining unit.

In connection with the proposal
for a special convention to make

constitutional changes, Smalley’s —

report made the following com-
ments:

.@ The union is top heavy with
an executive of 22 members, 16 of
whom are elected directly by the

@ Election of officers should
take place by referendum (vote by
the membership as a whole) rather
than by convention delegates .as
presently laid down in the constitu-
tion. :

@ Discipline and trial proced-
ures should be improved.

@ Theauthority of the business
agents should be more precisely de-
fined.

@ The office of the president
should become a full-time position,
and the president should be the
business manager, with much .

greater authority than the current
president enjoys.

Before the meeting adjourn!
there were five more resignations;
including one from a table officer
bringing the total resignations
the meeting to seven. Previous
the meeting, the two unit represent”
atives from the unlicensed a

bers at Tsawwassen and
Bay resigned.

It is obvious that the resignati
are designed to put pressure on Bis
table officers to agree to an eal
election, at a special convention
by referendum vote. Normally,
election would be held at a con
tion in 1981. ;

In all of the many acc tz
made by the dissatisfied members,
in documents and through the
media, two seem to stand out, 4
least in my opinion. First, president
Shirley Mathieson and her clos
colleagues are said to be overly bu
reaucratic. Second, it is alleged tha

not doing a good enough jo
representing the members in
lective bargaining and in process
grievances, although too little
been spelled out in this connectiO!
I believe that the dissatisfi
members need to flesh out a pl
gram and a set of policies, cleat
linking their fight for more inte
democracy with proposals to d
fend and advance the interests 0#
their fellow workers through trade
union action.
Unless they do this, their suppol
will go down, not up, as I see.
Trade union democracy should not
be seen as an end in itself. In the uk
timate sense, it should be a means
to achieve the widest degree of i
volvement of the membership
around trade union objectives.
Any idea that we can solve work-”
ers’ problems by adopting an ide
union constitution is sheer utop!
It’s like saying that more free
speech will, by itself, solve unem-—
ployment, inflation, the crisis Of
confederation and the problems Of”
the Native Indian people.

The Why-Where -Who-
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