- LABOR

The Left’s response
The fightback in the auto industry

By JOHN MACLENNAN

The national executive of the Cana-
dian* Auto Workers (CAW) has re-
sponded to the challenge of the Japanese,
the Koreans, and the unorganized parts
- industry by endorsing a plan to bring
100,000 new members into the CAW.
The union has allocated close to $2 mil-
lion towards this drive.

The CAW has revamped its organizing
department and adopted a new approach
to organizing. The union is in the process
of setting up a special organizing team of
ten people who will work on a given pro-
ject. One of the conditions of being hired
is that they are prepared to work away
from home for up to three years. This
new team will supplement the over-
worked organizing department of the
CAW.

In a report to the Canadian Council in
September CAW president Robert
White, said that the organizing staff had
reported dozens of calls from people who
wanted to either join or know more about
the union. He said, “several of these
calls are from members of other unions,
but our position is that we are not going
to grow by being cannibals inside the
labor movement, so they are advised to
try and solve their problems within their
own union.”

A major target for new organizing is
Magna International. The union is now in
the process of gathering information and
making contacts to set up the drive. Al-
ready a major drive is under way in Nova
Scotia at the three Michelin Tire plants
where provincial labor laws require that
at least 40 per cent of the total member-
ship be signed up within three months.
The CAW has stepped up this organizing
campaign by sending three additional or-
ganizers from the special team into Nova
Scotia for at least eight weeks.

The restructuring of the industry has
left the CAW a little vulnerable to the
domestic auto companies. A _ recent
agreement at GM Boisbriand (formerly
St. Therese) saw a reduction in some
classifications, inspectors replaced with
monitors, and official recognition of a
Quality of Work Life (QWL) program.

This agreement follows on the heels of
the GM trim plant agreement in Windsor
that contains a no strike provision of
three weeks which could be used in the
event of a strike in September 1987. Part
of the agreement is that if a strike dead-
line was set for October 9, the GM Trim
Plant would go with the rest of the Cana-
dian GM chain.

The most recent GM shake-up is at

the GM Scarborough Van plant where»

1,250 workers have been laid off. The
local union points out that GM has come

to the bargaining table three times, trying ~

to get the local to open its collective
agreement to reduce the classifications.

The real reason for laying off one shift
at Scarborough is to “‘teach”’ the milit-
ants in that local a lesson. The skilled
trades workers who are laid off will prob-
ably be temporarily loaned to GM Osha-
wa. The local has been in touch with their
counterparts in Lordstown, Ohio, and
found out that production has not been
stepped up there.

It also checked with a number of deal-
ers across the U.S. and found that there
is still a fairly good demand for the vans.
GM is striving for changes and is taking
advantage of the over-production in the
industry. After Scarborough, it’s

expected that GM St. Catharines will be .

the next step in the shake-up.

In advancing proposals to respond to
the corporate pressures, the left in the
union must show that it has a sophisticat-
ed grasp of the complexities of the situa-
tion facing the CAW.

6 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, OCTOBER 8, 1986

One criticism that has been heard of
the CAW leadership is that the locals are
being left to fend for themselves against
the corporations’ pursuit of reduced
classifications. Here the left must be
careful and offer alternatives as well as
constructive criticism.

There are already elements in the
union who’d like to use any criticism of
the leadership for their own ends. The
left must be careful that its own program
does not contribute to any right wing
agenda to undermine unity and CAW
leadership.

The recent agreement between GM-
Suzuki with the CAW provides for build-
ing cars with teams of workers. The
‘‘Team Concept’ as it is called has been
used with success for the auto companies
in Japan and Sweden, and will be soon
introduced into the GM plant in Oshawa.

How can the left deal with this new
concept? Will the union be able to con-
tinue to give good representation to its
members? The auto companies’ strategy
is to have these teams competing with
each other. In these kinds of compe-
titions the workers always lose.

The class struggle will continue regard-
less of QWL programs, team concepts,
robots and new technology. Only the
forms of the struggle will change. Will
there be a struggle around who will ap-
point the team leader? What size will the
team be? Could the size of the team be
big enough to ensure against speedup?
Would it be possible to build into the
team the rotation of members of a day off
during the work week to create a shorter
work week?

The CAW has to develop special pro-
grams for the new workers at Suzuki-
GM. Indoctrination by Suzuki will cause
some major problems for the CAW
leadership. The company’s emphasis on
QWL programs and paternalism will be a
big test for the union. Suzuki will send
the first 600 workers over to Japan for a
‘*hands on work”’ experience.

The union should meet this with a cus-
tom made orientation program which
takes on the whole concept of QWL and
deals with the historic role of the union,

_ its tradition, and the role of the CAW in

society.

The CAW has its foot in the door with
this agreement and this can only put the
union in good shape to organize the other
Japanese and Korean companies.

Unlike the Saturn agreement, the
agreement between the CA W and Suzuki
has 20 classifications including skilled
trades, unlike the ‘‘Saturn’’ agreement in
the U.S. which has two classifications. In
White’s report to the Canadian Council
he states, ‘‘we have a job preference sys-
tem and a transfer system. We have
clearly recognized the team concept with
a team leader, but we also have good

CAW leader Robert White: adopting a
new approach to organizing.

TRIBUNE PHOTOS — MIKE PHILLIPS

The forms may change. The class struggle will continue.

shop floor representation, sound griey-
ance procedure and seniority recog-
nition. The wages are very close to GM
and our benefits structure is almost right
on. There is no profit sharing, or lump
sum payments and no bonus system.”’

A Communist Response

With the change in the structure of the
auto industry that makes it both depen-
dent, and integrated with the U.S.,
autoworkers are more vulnerable than
ever before to the whims of the trans-
national auto giants. It’s clear that auto-
workers will only have job security under
a publicly owned Canadian auto industry
making an all-Canadian car.

Until that time there are some very
important basic struggles to be taken up.
There is much to be done in the mean-
time. Short term goals have to be consis-
tent with the overall objective of a Cana-
dian Auto industry.

The Communists and the left have to
take responsibility for helping to or-
ganize the unorganized. Here the CAW
has taken some bold steps, setting up a
special organizing team, the commitment
of money and resources. They should be
supported in this endeavour both inside
and outside the union.

The Communist Party would also like
to add a legislative demand that would
complement this drive. Every plant that
receives any government monies (be it
an off shore producer of the Canadian
parts industry) should have as a con-
dition the acceptance of a union for its
workforce.

= ey ae

Here costs are not a factor; Canadian

autoworkers make cheaper cars than the
Japanese, as a result of the price of the
Yen. Furthermore, the Japanese and
Koreans have stated they will pay rela-
tively the same wages as the domestic
auto industry to try to ensure keeping the
union out. ve

The main reason for this new legisla-
tive demand is that the only Persons
who'll get hurt in the process of the
shakedown of the auto industry will be.
the unionized workforce. This demand
-would give them some means of defends
ing their self interest. 4

The Communist Party also Supports
the union’s demand for Canadian cons
tent for all Auto producers W !
ing in Canada. Now more than ever this
campaign must be put back

to stop unnecessary overtime
shorter work week. This wil
the ways to deal with the intro
new technology. This has t )
bined with a demand for an any ro
ment program.

Experience in the Fe
Germany where the Meta ‘
the 38.5 hour work week, snows aes
is not a struggle the CAW can pe sae
It will have to be adopted al@ SPs
headed by the whole Cana
union movement led by the
Labor Congress.

Canadian

Part three of a three part a sy

By MERLE TERLESKY

EDMONTON — The cliff-hanger
by-election victory for the federal
Tories in Pembina was a message

from the people of Alberta that there is
a political price to pay for backing the
likes of Peter Pocklington.

Mulroney was in town, Sept. 25 for

an election rally to help prop up the
ailing fortunes of Tory candidate Wal-
ter Van De Walle. —s__
_ However, much to the Prime Min-
ister’s chagrin and that of the prov-
ince’s Tory establishment some 350
striking Gainers workers turned out to
remind Pocklington’s friends and
backers that they couldn’t escape the
class warfare raging outside.

As Mulroney began his speech
about an alleged economic renewal in
Alberta he was drowned out with
shouts of ‘‘jobs, jobs, jobs,”’ from the
angry workers who packed the meet-
ing hall. ‘

_ When it became obvious that the
workers were determined to have their
issues addressed, Mulroney blew his
cool and began hurling insults at the

Mulroney meets with AFL head ||:

: tists and
workers calling them separatist

un-Canadian. es
In a bid to salvage the *
Mulroney targeted Alberta e jin who
of Labor president Dave rt
was in the crowd with the P ating to
with an offer for a half hout me
discuss the workers’ dema@
‘‘Our presence at this ra
on unemployment and justice cess.
Gainers strikers and we wer? §
ful in forcing the issues 0?
agenda.” : :
The AFL president Sai@ a ond
change with Mulroney Was

S:
aly focused
ice

direct. When he tried to pare minded | [

off as provincial, he was
that unemployment 4S
responsibility.

They also reminded the pe Patek

a friend of Gainers’ OW?" tories
Pocklington neither the federa could

nor the Alberta administra

escape responsibility were, the Al

ton’s declaration of wat ;
berta trade union movement 4 to set
In the end Mulroney 4 ne Al \
up a meeting between t for Oct. 4.
Tory caucus, and the AFL, 3

ho are locat-.

on track and |]

deral Republic of ‘li
jworkers won }\j

] be one of iff
duction of |

dian trade Wo