Toronto labor calls for interest freeze TORONTO — Metro labor condemned the federal govern- ment April 3, for letting mortgage interest rates soar to ‘‘intollerably high levels”, and agreed at the same time to lobby provincial politicians to implement or- ganized labor’s recommendations for changes to Ontario’s Labor Relations Act. Delegates to the labor council of Metro Toronto unanimously endorsed an executive board settlement hammering Ottawa for letting interest rates rise without any limits and thus opening the way for runaway mortgage in- terest rates. In condemning the federal government, council dele- gates also called for; a freeze on residential mortgage rates; Ot- tawa to ensure home owners can renew their mortgages at the same or lower interest rates than their existing mortgage; and, a federal program to reduce or subsidize residential mortgage interest rates “to a level that will make homes avaiiable for low and moderate income families.”’ _ Bill Devine, United Auto Workers Local 28, welcomed the council position but noted it could be strengthened in three areas. Tenants he pointed out are also being hit by the soaring rates as landlords transfer their mortgage costs to them in higher rents. De- vine urged a roll back in mortgage interest rates rather than a simple freeze. On his third recommendation he noted “‘it’s clear that housing in this country is ina state of abso- lute crisis because we've relied too much on the private sector for development. “The time has come’’, Devine said, “‘for us to launch a campaign to ensure that decent housing is a right for every citizen. The labor movement should demand that housing be made a public utility.”’ Council president Wally Majesky suggested Devine pres- sent his suggestions relating to housing policy to the council’s municipal action committee. Typographical Union delegate Emil Rosenthal urged the coun- cil to call for a moratorium on evictions for thousands of home- Owners across Canada who will be unable to continue their mortgage payments at inflated in- terest rates. Bill Reno United Food and Commercial Workers noted that stopping mortgage rate increases or rolling them back would itself stimulate economic growth. He described the soaring rates as ‘‘a huge transfer of income out of our pockets into the banks. ..”” Reno charged that interest rates were also driving up housing costs with even greater. un- employment as the result. “Ninety-five per cent of the cost of a house has nothing to do with the labor’, Reno charged. ‘‘Yet interest rates send the price of housing up, unemployment goes Majesky, responding to News- paper Guild delegate Kerry McCuaig’s request that the coun- cil consider mobilizing home- Owners in the same manner that, homeowners in Mississaga have been getting organized said the executive would look into ways of making interest rates a public issue in Metro. Machinists delegate Dave Ritchie predicted interest rates of _ 20% unless the labor movement “gets off its butt and does some- thing about it. If we don’t’, Ritchie said, ‘‘a hell of a lot of us will be sitting here in this room next year drawing unemployment insurance.” Council’s decision to lobby Queen’s Park for changes in the Labor Relations Act was spurred by a resolution from Toronto Typographical Union Local 91. TTU president Jiny Buller urged the council ‘‘to put the heat on’’ provincial politicians to bring the changes labor wants to see in the act during the current session of the legislature. The TTU resolu- tion called for backing up the lob- bying effort with a request to the Ontario Federation of Labor to accelerate -its province-wide campaign for amendments to the act. : **The Labor Council has to get down to Queen’s Park and lobby every MPP in Metro and tell them we want an answer’, to labor’s program of changes, Buller said. WHAT'S HAPPENING oven THERE? “1979 general tax guide and return VAG -4eFO. Me and the workers get the While mortgage rates skyrocket jeopardizing homeownership for the vast majority of Canadian people, provincial governments are attempting to scrap rent controls. Rising interest rates are passed onto tenants a8 higher rates. Calgary labor council demands reinstatement of rent controls Special to the Tribune CALGARY — The Labor Council here, April 7, voted to demand the reinstatement of Al- berta rent controls and voiced its protest of the jailing of 148 women and men in Chile on International Women’s Day. Ron Cosgrove, Local 583, Amalgamated Transit Union re- ceived unanimous support for his calltodemandthereinstatementof rent controls and condemned the Alberta government for placing housing as such a low priority. The Alberta government’s rent controls are due to be removed totally July 1. Already many ten- ants have been given notices that will increase rents by up to 55%. The Calgary Labor Council agreed also to send a letter to the Calgary Co-op requesting that they do not sell Chilean goods. Many Calgary stores are now sel- ling Chilean grapes and fruit. The Calgary Co-op was the most blat- ant with newspaper advertise- ments for ‘‘Chilean grapes’’. Bruce Potter, Oil Chemical and Atomic Workers Local 9-773, speaking in support of sending a letter told the delegates of a con- centration camp at Chucabuco which can hold up to 5,000 pris- oners. He also reported that Chi- lean trade unionists have been tortured there. The Council also protested the recent arrest and jailing of 148 people in Chile, to the Chilean embassy in Ottawa. Potter, revealed that the people, mostly women, were marching in a peaceful demonstra- tion on March 8 International Womens Day, when under order from the Pinochet regime, the military moved in and arrested 148 men and women, some of whom have now disappeared. In other business labor coun- cil delegates heard from guest speaker Lucy Collins about the case of John Chief Moon. She said on October 4 last year, John Moon was peacefully har- vesting on his farm when two RCMP officers showed up with a warrant to prevent him from farming. Moon said it was a mistake and invited the RCMP officers back to his home so they could use the phone and clear up the matter. He turned to go to house, think- ing that they were following; the next thing he remembered was the mounties grabbed him, threw him to the ground and beat him. John Moon was taken to the hos- pital badly bruised. The next day, . the RCMP officers returned to apologize admitting they had come to the wrong farm. Chief John Moon protested the beating. The RCMP con- ducted an internal investigation which proved to be a whitewash. John Moon went to court charg- ing the RCMP officers with aS_ sault on December 4 at which time the state prosecution successfully asked for a stay in proceedings. Despite a broad campaign for” support, the Alberta Attorney General Department refused to* re-open the case. The case was closed in the courts on April 4 — under the statute of Limitations regulation. The Labor Council gave its full support for the re-opening of the case of John Chief Moon. ~ Month strike wins trawlermen pay, jobs ST. JOHN’S — At night, a ferry passenger crossing the Cabot Strait can look out and see the bright lights of trawlers going to the fishing grounds. But in January, 1980, there were no trawlers going out from New- foundland. The crews were on strike and the boats were tied up. The con- tract for trawlermen belonging to the Newfoundland Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers (a divi- sion of Canadian Food and Allied Workers, affiliated with the Un- ited Food and Commercial Work- ers International Union) had run out in October, 1979. The Trades (owners of trawlers and fish processing plants in New- foundland) were offering a two- year contract with pay increases of 6% per year. But 90% of union members rejected this offer. They were mainly interested in estab- _ lishing the principle of trips off with pay. Implementation of this principle could result in an in- creased number of jobs on traw- lers. ; For example, if trawlermen were to get every fifth trip off, a trawler manned by 14 people would need 3 additional crew _members. This is an important consideration in Newfoundland, - which has the highest unemploy- ment rate in Canada. The trawlers were tied up for more than a month. A government-appointed con- ciliator was brought in and negotiations resulted in a 15- ‘month contract providing pay in- creases of 8.2% for crews on stern trawlers, and 11% for crews on side trawlers. — The contract was accepted bya _ vote of 66%. The contract estab- lished the important principle of trips off with pay (four per year), and provided for increases in - benefits, such as life insurance, accidental death and dismem- berment payments, weékly inde- mnity (payments for long-term disabilities), and ship’s loss allo- wance. Further improvements can be expected in the next con- tract, around January, 1981.