LABOR Steelworkers face ‘hell of a choice’ for union leader By MIKE BAYER GARY, Ind. — “‘It’s a hell of a choice we’ ve got, either we go with the man who stands for everything that’s been wrong about the way this union has been run for the last 20 years, or we go with a guy whose main issue is leading to a split between the members here and in Canada.” That statement by a long time leader of the United Steel-/ workers of America in the Gary area sums up the dilemma many progressive members of the embattled USWA face. He added: “At a time when the companies are going to town and getting rid of our people right and left, neither of these guys are giving any lead on how to fight what’s going on.”’ This local official is talking about the fact that $3-billion in concessions to the companies notwithstanding, the workers have continued to pay the price for the companies’ job cutting, cost cutting, speed-up campaign. In Indiana it is clear that these losses are not temporary. J&L is running at around 80 per cent, Bethlehem set a record for steel shipments last year, Gary Works is producing more than any other U.S. steel plant and Inland is doing much better than the industry average. But, no one is going back to work. Steelworkers here have tried to bring issues into the special election for president. The sunion’s district conference last year called for nationalizing steel plants if that is the only way to keep them running. The fight for cutting the work week with no loss in pay has a lot of support here. Local unions at Inland and Bethlehem Steel have been led by workers who have stood against concessions and ‘‘company first’’ programs. Many of these union leaders supported Ron Weissen’s at- tempt to get on the ballot. Others saw in Frank McKee’s candidacy a chance to defeat the Abel-McBride-Williams forces. While not happy with all of McKee’s positions or record, these steelworkers felt that his opposition, if some- what late, to concession contracts in basic steel and his com- mitment to membership ratification of contracts represented a break with the past. However, McKee has based his campaign mainly on an “‘America first’ campaign because his opponent, acting presi- dent Lynn Williams, is Canadian. In the process he has ac- cused Canadian members of the USWA of stealing the jobs of USWA members in this country. The natural reaction of the Canadian locals has been to reject McKee’s candidacy. Worse than that, McKee’s posi- tion is very much aggravating the potential for a split in the union. In this country there hasbeen a lot of concern among thoughtful unionists about the impact this will have on the unity of the union in the face of continued attacks by the steel companies and the international banks and transnationals- which pull the financial strings.“ Williams has, of course, condemned McKee’s nationalism, but his concept of unity does not extend to unity in the fight against the companies. He refuses to condemn the concession contracts. He proposed a so-called ‘‘anti-concession’’ state- ment of the international executive board which, in fact, called for further concessions on the local level, especially on the question of crew cutting, contracting out and seniority. In _ Congress he is carrying the ball for the companies on their import quota legislation. Legislation designed to give the steel companies an open invitation to raise their prices. The dilemma facing progressive workers is very, real. Many people are having a hard time deciding what to do in the election. Some are planning to not vote. Some are planning to © cast a blank ballot so at least their protest is counted. Others are still planning to vote for McKee as a protest against the International’s record of putting the companies’ profits before the needs of the workers. But, most are sure that there is no answer to their problems to be found in this month’s elections. There is a lot of talk about what to do after the election. Some 100 activists, including the presidents of the Inland and Bethlehem locals have issued a call to the membership to organize around a program of struggle to ‘‘Save Our Jobs — Save Our Union’’. This program focuses on ending conces- sions, job cuts, and contracting out, on enforcing the rights guaranteed to minority workers by the Consent Degree, on stopping the destruction of the industry and of defeating Reagan. : These workers are planning on organizing around this pro- gram. They are looking to the local elections and the next scheduled election for president in 1985, but they are also fighting everyday in the mills to defend their positions. They intend to do that with or without the help of whoever is elected president on March 29. 6 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 21, 1984 negotiate a decent wage with its 70 unionized workers. Blind workers dodge cars — and CNIB for decent wage — By MIKE PHILLIPS TORONTO — It’s a modern day tale yet it could be straight out of Charles Dickens. Some 65 employees of the Canadian Na- tional Institute for the Blind (CNIB), 43 per cent of them re- gistered in Ontario as blind, have been on the street since Feb. 23, striking for a decent wage. Braving some of the coldest days this winter has seen, they hit the picket line at seven each morning doing their best to make those who come to CNIB head- quarters on Toronto’s boundary with North York appreciate the reasons that have led them to strike the private, supposedly non-profit service for the blind. Many truck drivers and people in their cars will turn around and honor the picket line set up by Local 204 of the Service Em- ployees International Union (SEIU). Too many, however plough their way through the line ignoring the strikers who, more often than necessary, have to dodge cars using the access to the CNIB as a shortcut to another road on the other side of the com- plex. Included mong those who cross the line is J.C. Coleman, the CNIB’s Ontario boss, in his immaculate white Lincoln conti- nental. Strikers on the line will tell you how when Coleman was dumped from the executive suites of National Trust Co., he brought his services to the CNIB, pro- vided they announce his arrival with a $1,300 ad campaign to let the world know what a great catch the organization was getting. Dismal Situation The SEIU local, representing two groups of workers — general employees, those working in CNIB’s library services, talking books, brail services, Caterplan, the CNIB’s catering service; and manufacturing workers, those working in the busy and lucrative broom factory — took strike ac- © tion after months of frustrating and fruitless contract talks when CNIB turned a deaf ear to the workers’ demand for at least a 6 or 8 per cent annual wage hike. CNIB insists on forcing them to take 3 per cent. The majority of the workers earn around $6.50 an hour, which, considering that many are legally blind according to provincial reg- ulations, and today’s soaring liv- ing costs, falls far short of what’s needed. Besides the dismal overall job shortage with more than two mil- lion Canadians out of work, the visually handicapped CNIB workers have precious few job alternatives to explore, looking for better money. “‘Our people feel it’s an insult to be hit with 3 per cent wage in- creases,’’ Local 204 chief steward John Goodden said last week. He points out that 3 per cent doesn’t go very far on an income of $10-$13,000 a year and that the Institute, so miserly when _ it comes to the unionized workers, has given the much higher paid national staff employees a 6 per cent raise. CNIB management have pub- licly admitted there are millions in reserve-bank accounts but say it is being kept for ‘‘special projects”’ and will not be diverted into wages for its unionized em- ployees. Labor Is Labor ‘‘But as far as we’re concerned, labor is labor’’, Goodden said, “‘and that’s part of the cost to CNIB to operate. Besides, when I go into Loblaws every weekend to buy my groceries, they don’t offer me any discounts because I work at CNIB.”’ The local union officers and the pickets on the line see a more sinister design in the Institute’s refusal to settle. CNIB officials aren’t thrilled about a union rep- resenting their work force. Cy McIntyre, the steward in the broom factory, which con- trary to the general public per- ception is a thriving business supplying industrial brooms to operations such as Via Rail, bit- terly recalled the letter handed to the strikers along with their last weekly pay cheque. It was shortly after the strike was launched and CNIB management ‘“‘invited”’. workers to cross their own picket line, pointing out at the same time that all benefits paid by the Insti- Braving sub-zero temperatures every day on the line, CNIB pickets fill a motorist in on the Institute’s refusalto tute would be cancelled during a | i i | | i ; the course of the dispute. . People just tore their letters up — and kept right on picketing, McIn-— 5 tyre recalled. CNIB even tried to _ offer what some workers called “ta bribe’’ of $200 a piece under 4 the guise of a signing bonus, but — that didn’t wash with the strikers — either. Be While strikes have been rare since the Union was forced in 1966 it’s been a continuing strug- — gle by the local to ensure | protection of the workers’ rights — such as making sure, workers — performing the same task get the same wages. United and Strong The workers suspect that man- _ agement is systematically and gradually destroying Caterplan, $ which the strikers say has de- teriorated rapidly from the award-winning service it was considered to be just a couple of years ago. More and more the CNIB is contracting out the cater- ing to non-union operators. “‘They’re taking full time jobs and breaking them down more and more into part time’’, Good- den added, ‘‘and they’re using — volunteers a lot more extensively. The people at the top of the CNIB just don’t think the union should be here.”’ He also noted ironically that jobs for the totally blind are get- ting scarcer at CNIB. Citing their mandate to provide services for the blind and visually handi- capped, Goodden said that the In- stitute should be making an effort to create more jobs for the totally blind rather than the other way around. On the picket line the only complaint, aside from anger over CNIB’s refusal to negotiate, is di- rected at drivers who use the CNIB access as a short cut to get to work and endanger the well- being of the pickets. “Three or four of, our people have already been bumped by cars,’’ McIntyre said. ‘‘We need to get the message across that just because some of us aren’t wear- ing dark glasses and carrying white canes it doesn’t mean our vision is 20-20. Slow down. Better still, don’t cross our picket line.”’ .