fia ERGOT ‘Bring Trades in’ , urge delegates Delegates to the B.C. Federation of Labor convention would up the annual convention last week with a demand that the Canadian Labor Congress move to heal the split that has divided the Building Trades and the CLC and threatens to open new wounds in the B.C. trade union movement. Convention chairman Jim Kin- naird recorded unanimous en- dorsement of a special composite resolution urging the CLC, “‘in the strongest possible terms, to take necessary action to allow the Building Trades to be affiliates in good standing once more.”’ The resolution was not as strongly-worded as a resolution from the Telecommunications Workers Union urging the Federa- tion to affiliate the Building Trades directly in the event that the CLC could not resolve the issue im- mediately, but it nevertheless echoed delegates’ demand for ac- PIERRE SAMSON | PSAC hits wage curbs The Public Service Alliance of anada, which represents federal civil servants coast to coa » will no longer be the giant — it is awaken- *»» PSAC national president Pere Samson told a rally | That’s because of the grow- ling anger over Bill C-124, the Public Sector Compensation _ $Restraint Act which limits wage _ fincreases for civil servants and corporation employees _ fto six and five percent increase tte ab ks: Pe Wet bwo years, The Act has already been us- ed to roll back existing contracts collective bargaining and eral other internationally 2 d labor rights, said mson, who is on a national of PSAC locals. Also addressing the rally were B.C. Fed secretary Mike Kramer, vice-president Alice West and NDP MP Pauline tion to resolve the dispute which has kept Building Trades unions out of the Federation and off the convention floor for two years. Even at that, one delegate challenged the resolution, echoing - some of the divisions that have developed following the split. United Mine Workers delegate Bill Stewart centered his attack on the Operating Engineers and claim- ed that the Building Trades ‘‘chose to be outside this federation . . they broke rules which they were part of making.”’ But he got a swift and vehement reply from several delegates, led off by federation vice-president Bill Clark. “Every union that is a legitimate union prepared to abide by the con- stitution should be brought into this federation,”’ he said. He told delegates that the trade union movement had fought “some bloody hard battles. “The Building Trades have been responsible for winning at least half of them,” he said, citing the municipal strike last year in which several Building Trades unions fac- ed court orders because of their refusal to cross municipal strikers’ picket lines. *‘People who give that kind of solidarity should be in this federa- tion,” he said. He also noted that the Building Trades, despite their suspension from federation ranks have con- tinued to contribute per capita payments, amounting to some $90,000. “If we close ranks,”’ Clark em- phasized, ‘‘then there’s nothing, no — government, no employer, that can break us.” IWA delegate Nick Chernoff reminded the convention that the decision to withhold per capita from the CLC which precipitated the split ‘‘was a decision made in Washington without reference to the Canadian membership.”’ “The time is long overdue to unify this federation,’’ said UFAWU delegate George Hewison who told the convention that the wages and conditions won over the years were ‘‘partly the result of our unity with the Building Trades. ““But,’’ he said, pointing to the , section where Building Trades had been given special seating ar- rangements, ‘‘they should be down here on the floor of this convention so we can resolve those differences — and go on to build a strong, . united labor movement.’’ The convention marked the vote with a standing ovation for the Building Trades representatives present in the convention hall. ~ The issue of the Building Trades had been with the convention from the beginning as Kinnaird told delegates at the outset that he hoped it would be the last meeting at which the Building Trades would RIBUNE City or town Postal Code Old O | am enclosing: lyr. $14 0 2 yrs. $25 O New () Foreign 1 year $15 1 Published weekly at Suite 101 — 1416 Commercial Drive, _ ~ Vancouver, B.C. V5L 3X9. Phone 251-1186. : & Read the paper that fights for labor é 6 mo. $8 Bill rae later () Donation$.......... ) Fa a A aE a SP ae Le MF DP LE PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOVEMBER 26, 1982—Page 12 BILL CLARK . be barred from attending as delegates. The executive council report also noted that Kinnaird had been nam- ed to a five-member committee set up by the CLC to study the Building Trades issue. Appoint- ment of the committee — and Kin- naird — has been seen by many asa signal that the CLC is prepared to exercise some flexibility in re- ‘uniting the two groups. And the desire for unity. was clearly overwhelming on the con- vention floor last week — although there were still undertones from some delegations of the differences that have plagued the federation particularly over the past year. Earlier in the convention, a na- tional representative of the Cana- dian Union of Public Employees had protested the presence of the banner of the Hospital Employees Union, prompting the HEU to walk from the seating section where it had been given special status along with the Building Trades. The HEU has sought re- affiliation to the B.C. Fed but CUPE — to which the HEU was affiliated until 1970 — has insisted that the only means for the HEU to come back into the federation is through re-affiliation with CUPE, a course the hospital union has re- jected. The differences over Local 40 of the Hotel, Restaurant, Culinary and Bartenders Union — which is being raided by two federation af- filiates, the Brewery Workers and Canadian Brotherhood of Railway and Transport Workers — were also reflected, although more subt- ly, in the executive elections held Friday. Local 40 representative Ron Bonar, who has been largely discredited among unionists in re- cent weeks, was dropped from the federation’s new executive council. At the same time, among the new members added when the council was increased in size from 16 to 20 members were Brewery Workers representative Rick Sutherland and CBRT represen- tative Bob Storness-Bliss. Both the executive council elec- tions and the elections for federa- tion officers were also un- precedented in that every single position was acclaimed, partly as a result of considerable slate-making off the convention floor. All of the incumbent officers were returned while Canadian Paperworkers’ delegate Art Grunt- man and Public Service Alliance delegate Alice West filled the newly-created positions of ninth and tenth vice-president so geeks ly, Several major policy raoloten: were adopted by the 900 delegates as they wound up the week-long . Trades should be in the federation. convention. One resolution passed Friday called on the federation to urge af- filiates to make reductions in an- nual working hours without reduc- tions in pay ‘‘a high priority in negotiations.’’ It also demanded that the provincial government be pressed to legislate a reduction in the work week for non-union workers without loss in pay. Demands for a shorter work week have frequently been adopted at previous conventions but the growing unemployment crisis has given new urgency to the demand and five resolutions were submitted calling for a campaign on the issue. Citing the historic fight for the eight-hour day and, later, the 40-hour week, Longshoremen’s Union delegate Rod Doran em-: phasized that the demand for shorter hours “‘has to be taken up by the whole trade union move- ment. “That’s the only way that shorter hours canbe madethestan- ° dard,”’ he said, urging concerted action by the federation. Delegates also unanimously backed the substitute resolution on the unemployment campaign. An earlier resolution had been referred back to strengthen federation in- volvement. — The new motion called on the federation to: @ Adopt as its highest priority the - development and implementation of a program, through the labor councils, for organizing and assisting the unemployed; @ Provide all organizational and other support for that pro- gram, @ Urge other affiliates to par- _ ticipate, through the labor councils in the unemployment centres; @ Send an appeal for financial support to all affiliates. An emergency resolution pro- mpted by the permanent closure by BCRIC-owned B.C. Timber of the plywood mill at Nelson demanded that the provincial government assume ownership of the mill again and operate it fully and pledged the federation’s assistance to the IWA in meeting with premier Bennett and forests minister Tom Waterland on the issue. IWA Local 1-417 president Wayne Nowland, who will see 200 of his members out of work as result of the closure, cited the shut- down as.‘‘part of an attempt bet- ween the government and timber operators to consolidate timber holdings all over this province.”’ Pointing to a long history of sales deals involving the company, he warned that the closure might be part of a plan to enable another company to purchase the B.C. Timber mill and obtain its timber rights without. incurring any obligation for the employees who now work at the mill. Only minutes after delegates en- dorsed the resolution, [WA presi- dent Jack Munro rose to announce that B.C. Timber had just an- nounced the indefinite shutdown of four other mills in Terrace, Hazelton and Kitwanga, putting 1,800 people out of work. Delegates also endorsed resolu- tions reaffirming support for the 1982 CLC convention policy of “no concessions’’; offering sup- port to the B.C. Teachers’ Federa- tion in its campaign against educa- tional cutbacks; and pledging the federation to assist any union faced with back-to-work legislation im- posed by the federal or tele eras government. last week to ratify the new tract hammered out only t hours before a governm imposed deadline would h brought legislated wage TONS; 3 The new three-year Longshoremen’s Warehousemen’s Union he B.C. Maritime Employers 1; 1983. The current base rate ol 12.55 will rise immediately to 13.85 and to $15.45 Jan. 1983. b | Negotiations are to peste 11 months on the wage re pener clause which will cove he third year of the agreeme The existing shift differ jtials, which the BCMEA had | Wwanted reduced significantly; will remain at double the day hift rate for graveyard shift ime and a half for afterno hift throughout 1982. In 19: owever, the $1.60 increase will | applied directly to all shifts | nd will not be multiplied for fternoon and evans shit in the past. New premiums ranging fro 50 cents an hour to $1.50 our were also negotiated fou classifications of skill ork. Despite the trump card han ed the employers by the fede government, the ILWU able to maintain its hard-fo container clause which gi union longshoremen the right “de-stuff’ incoming contain destined for more than one co signee. The BCMEA sought the elimination of clause and federal concilia' Allan Hope had proposed in report that the clause be for one year on a trial basis The new agreement does p vide for the establishment 0 two-man committee which study the container issue 4 report its findings to a joint ustry labor relations comm eee . Thecontract ‘‘was notall he (bargaining) committ wanted,’? ILWU Canad president Don Garcia in a bulletin to members, ‘‘. © ut these are significant reases.”’ Garcia condemned federal government for “* ming Bill C-137 (the back ork law which set the b: ing deadline) down throats.” The union’s Local 51 overing National Harbo! Board workers, had earlier be hit with federal wage contro? Its two year agreement P viding for increases of 10.5 pe t and nine percent was rou® ack to reduce the second y@ increase to six percent and to a third year on the ent with the increase limite five percent.