Labour Notes Shelter funding shortage rapped A Vancouver city alderman and spo- kespersons for several community groups have hit the provincial government and the Greater Vancouver Mental Health Association for its role in a month-old strike at the Lookout emergency centre in the city’s downtown eastside. Ald. Libby Davies of the Committee of Progressive Electors, Jim Green of the Downtown Eastside Residents Associa- tion, and Jean Swanson of End Legislated Poverty levelled attacks on the association and the Ministry of Social Services and Housing for shortft .ding the institution. The 40 workers — the centre on Alex- ander Street have 1.” 1tained an around- the-clock picket sinc’ April 1 in pursuit of a wage hike to bring them up to provincial standards, according to their union, the B.C. Governme::t Employees Union. — The lesser-pz! workers at Lookout have been taking: = the burden caused by the downsizing c Riverview, the mental institution that the province is phasing out. Workers there and at other institu- tions earn $2-$3 more than Lookout employees, the BCGEU stated. BCGEU president John Shields said the strike is part of the recent round of Social Credit government cutbacks in social services. “Our members at the Lookout work with former Riverview residents who have nowhere else to go,” said Shields. Social agencies, particularly in the downtown eastside, have been swamped handling patients released into the community from the institution. “By refusing to provide a decent salary for this difficult work the government expects the employees to subsidize the program with low wages,” he charged. Davies said that through the strike “‘the city has lost 40 emergency beds which we desperately need. It isn’t fair the Lookout employees are being asked to work for less than others who do similar work.” Green said the absence of the facility’s services causes hardship, noting Lookout is the only institution of its kind open 24 hours a day. Swanson said ELP has written Victoria demanding adequate funding for the centre. Other groups who have stated their support for the strikers include the Down- town Eastside Women’s Centre, the Downtown Eastside Resident’s Co-op, the Carnegie Community Centre, Crabtree Corner and Ray-Cam Housing. Talks, which started in November, broke down after the ministry and the association said they would not provide the necessary funding to close the wage gap. Lookout workers include social ser- vice aides, tenant aides, cooks, homemak- ers and janitors. TRIBUNE PHOTO — DAN KEETON CGEU members James Cadehead (I), Naseeb Ali warm themselves at fire barrel. STRIKE AT LOOKOUT... more workers were killed in the two years following 1986: “This is totally unaccep- table. The carnage must stop. Enforce safety, Georgetti urges The B.C. Federation of Labour is join- ing other unionists across the country in marking April 28 as the Day of Mourning tk workers killed or injured on the job. “Last year we mourned almost 150,000 workers in our province, and there will be even more in 1989,” said federation presi- dent Ken Georgetti. Georgetti called it tragic that 33 per cent He called for increased workplace inspections and on-the-job safety training, and for heavier penalties against compan- ies ignoring health and safety regulations. “If employers won’t respect their employees health, then the government must step in and force them to do so, Georgetti said. s “T’d like to see April 28 become a day of celebration for workplace safety, rather than a memorial day for injured workers.” to fellow trade union MAY DAY GREETINGS workers from the members of Local #4, Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada > May Day Greetings from Vancouver and District Labor Council 100 years in the struggle for peace and social justice. Doug Evans President 6 « Pacific Tribune, May 1, 1989 Frank Kennedy Secretary-Treasurer CUPE Local 389 marks May Day, 1989 in celebration of all workers, men and women, standing together for economic, social and trade union rights. GREETINGS from the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation a union of professionals 2235 Burrard Street Vancouver, BC V6J 3H9 731-8124 Greetings and Solidarity on this May Da y, 1989 Join the fight to get health and safety regulations for farmworkers. Canadian WW : aes Farmworkers Union Sarwan Boal (President), executive, and staff #1-4725 Kingsway, Burnaby, B.C. VSH 2C3 Phone: 430-6055