LAEOR

T

Terming the trusteeship impos-
ed by the international ‘‘appall-
‘ing,’ B.C. Federation of Labor
president Jim Kinnaird said Tues-
day that the federation and the

“trying to find answers”’ for the
beleaguered membership of
Local 40 of the Hotel, Restaurant
and Culinary Workers and Bar-
tenders Union.

The B.C. Fed and the CLC will
be developing a program which
will be announced at the end of
the week, Kinnaird said.

“But we say now that if there is
to bea trusteeship, then the feder-
ation and the CLC should super-
vise it. ~

‘And it should not be done by
Washington but by the general
membership of the union,’’ he
told applauding delegates at the
International Woodworkers con-
vention in Vancouver Tuesday.

Federation officers were meet-
ing this week with CLC director

Canadian Labor Congress were ~

of organization Ed Johnson to_

discuss the contentious trustee-
ship which has embroiled much
of the trade union movement in
debate in the month since it was
imposed. The Cincinnati-based
international took over the af-
fairs of the 14,000-member local
Sept. 27, arbitrarily dismissing
the reform slate of officers which
was elected in an UEst vote last
October.

Named as acting secretary by
the international was business
agent Ron Bonar who, signifi-
cantly was the only officer left
from the previous administra-
tion. Since then Bonar’s name has
been connected to an alleged di-
version of union funds.

Kinnaird did not say whether
his opinions on the trusteeship
had been communicated to Bo-
nar, who is also an executive
council member of the federa-
tion, but he stated emphatically
that the federation ‘‘has never
been happy with this kind of in-
tervention from the U.S.

The imposition of the trustee-
ship has also touched off a raiding
race by some 10 unions including
both non-affiliates and affiliates

_ of the federation. Two unions,

the independent Canadian Asso-
ciation of Industrial, Mechanical
and Allied Workers (CAIMAW)
and the B.C. Fed-affiliated Brew-
ery Workers, which is working
with fired reform vice-president
Viola Powell, began signing up
members in separate meetings
Sunday..

The Brewery Workers group
also leafleted a special meeting
called by the international Wed-
nesday to discuss the trusteeship
at which about 100 members
turned out.

But the raids have posed the
threat of dismemberment of the
local and a new round of jurisdic-
tional disputes among the various
unions seeking to represent hotel
voters.

“We've got 10 unions snap-
ping on the sidelines,”’ Kinnaird

B.C. F ed plans action on ‘appalling’ trust ee ship|

said. ‘‘And in the final analysis
that can only be detrimental to the
labor movement and the union
members in the hotels.”’

At least two unions have
sought official CLC sanction in
their efforts to represent’ hotel
workers, but it is considered im-
probable that any such approval
would be given since it would only
deepen divisions.

The labor centrals may seek in-
stead to establish an official pres-
ence for the CLC and the B.C.
Fed in the local to ensure that the
international, which has a long.
record marked by allegations of
corruption, either lifts thetrustee-
ship or accepts CLC supervision,
and allows elected officers to re-
sume leadership.

Kinnaird also suggested, in
comments following the conven-
tion, that the trusteeship may be
in violation of the Canadian stan-
dards of self-government, adopt-
ed by the CLC in its 1970 con-
vention.

JIM KINNAIRD . .
developing program to inter
vene in. Local 40 trusteeship. —

. federatio'

Jobless crisis hangs over IWA convention

Continued from page 1

“The situation is the worst it has
ever been,”’ he said, adding that
many of the jobs lost as a result of
the shutdown of the Chemainus

and Honeymoon Bay mills “‘are

permanent job losses.”’

But now, in addition, most of
the logging camps in the local’s jur-
isdiction have recently been closed

_ down, putting virtually all the log-

gers on insurance,

he said.

“Effectively we will have no log-
gers working from November right
_ through the winter.””

- On Monday the IWA regional

_ council released its latest survey re-
vealing that nearly 15,000 or 30
percent of the regional membership
are without jobs.

‘There is no explanation for this
depression except that it was plan-
ned and brought about by the pres-
ent federal and provincial govern-
ments — by the application of so-
called ‘Reaganomics,’ ” regional

president Jack Munro charged in

-_ his address to delegates.

____ Before he began his speech Mun-

ro invited the 160 delegates to rise

_ and “‘give the prime minister the sa-
Nepean camaoatas

y."

‘ Every delegate in the hall rose,
arms outstretched in the same one-
finger salute that has become Trud-
eau’s infamous trademark. °

“The last time this convention
gathered, we had seen several mon-

_ ths of bad times,’ Munro said.

“Now, 12 months later, many of
- Our members are going from UIC

to welfare rolls.”
~ Although he suggested that there
might be some signs of ‘‘relief in
sight” with interest rates falling, he
also referred to the current num-
bers of unemployed in the union,
using the figures to denounce the
federal government for refusing to
extend the benefits of those who
have exhausted their UIC claims.

“Tt’s obscene that they allow
9,000 people a week to fall off UIC

and head for the welfare offices,”
he declared, adding that the region-
al executive would be bringing a
special resolution forward de-
manding that UIC benefits be ex-
tended for the full term of unem-
ployment.

But beyond a pledge to assist the
B.C. Federation of Labor in estab-

lishing its unemployed help ie

there was little program for mobili-
zation of the:union membership or
the trade union movement to fight
unemployment.

Instead, Munro condemned
both the federal and provincial
oa Aston for whom, he said,
“workers . . are simply not a pri-

ority.””
The answer, Munro insisted, is

to elect the NDP ‘“‘not only provin-
cially but also federally.”’

“If we could convince our trade
union brothers and sisters across
this country to vote for the NDP to
the extent that this regional council
votes NDP — we could be the gov-
ernment,”’ he said.

The IWA president also empha-
sized that unionists would have to
be ‘“‘strong, united and politically
active to resist the push employers
are putting on for wage conces-
sions.

He called for a stronger national
trade union movement and urged
delegates to support the continua-
tion of talks towards a merger be-
tween Region 1, representing west-
ern Canada, and Region 2, repre-
senting eastern Canada.

Region 2, led by president Jean-
Marie Bedard, who addressed the
convention Tuesday afternoon,
represents some 10,000 wood-
workers although it, too, has seen
unemployment cut deep into its
ranks, reducing the working, mem-
bership to some 6,000.

As. expected, industry unem-

ployment was the dominant issue
for delegates as they began work

Monday on more than 150 resolu-
tions and several reports.

One key resolution targeted log
exports, an issue which assumed
dramatic importance earlier this
year as a result of a tenfold increase

in exports — from 42,800 cubic _

metres to 445,000 cubic metres —
comparing the second half of 1981
to the first half of 1982. .

The resolution cited the disast-
unemployment in the union’s Re-
gion 3 which resulted from unre-
stricted log exports and registered
the union’s ‘‘strong opposition”’ to
exports.

It called on both provincial and

federal governments to halt the ex-
port of unfinished wood products
and instructed the regional council
to ‘‘take whatever action necessary
to hinder the export of logs.’’

Delegates also called on the pro- _

vincial government to lift the two
huge tree farm licences given Mac-
Millan Bloedel in the Alberni Val-
ley because the company will not
carry out the mandate to ensure ‘‘a
maximum continuity of employ-
ment in all phases of the industry”’
that was dictated by the commis-
sion which originally set up the
TFLs.

Resolutions committee member
Mike Kokura told the convention:
“When M-B can sit in our union
office and tell us it doesn’t have a
social conscience, then it should be

_ told it doesn’t have two of the larg-. ’

est TFLs in the province.”’

Several resolutions submitted by
the convention’s legislative com-
mittee called on the federal govern-

ment to make full employment'the
top priority in government policy.

Another resolution, calling for
lengthy notice and alternative em-
ployment in the event of plant clos-
ures was sent back to committee for
changes after Local 1-85 delegate
Dave Crosby, a member of Port
Alberni’s Organization of Unem-
ployed Workers, urged that the
resolution also cover plant curtail-
ments which are permanent.

“T used to work in a mill which
once employed 1,100 people,” he
said. ‘‘Now 600 of us have been
laid off and probably will never be
fFebired 2 .. .

A whole series of resolutions
condemned the Socred govern-
ment for its cutbacks in health care,

' education and welfare programs
and demanded that the funding be
restored to former levels.

Many of the resolutions passed

without debate in a convention
punctuated frequently by guest
speakers.
- Both federal NDP leader Ed
Broadbent and provincial leader
Dave Barrett were to speak to the
convention Wednesday. :

B.C. Federation of Labor presi-
dent Jim Kinnaird, in an impas-
sioned speech to delegates Tuesday
warned that the labor movement
“is under tremendous attack’’-and
is blamed for “‘all the economic
woes of this country.

“But the giveaway of our eco-
nomic resources and the tax subsi-
dies to the big corporations area
bigger reason for our economic
problems,”’ he declared.

replacing the retiring Wyman

“The banks and the federal g
ernment are bailing out Dome
troleum — but that is money
should be used to create jobs
our unemployed members.”’

Kinnaird also nailed the lid
any further discussion with the
cial Credit government, te!
delegates: ‘‘As a labor movem'
we can’t have any truck or tr
with the Socreds. ‘‘It’s a wast
time to talk to them.”

The attitude of the Socred
seen in the Tumbler Ridge
struction site where, according
Kinnaird, ‘Bennett has already
threatened that if the Build
Trades seek to use their affiliat
clauses to keep non-union work
off the site, he will use legislatio
keep the project working.

|

“‘They’ve awarded contracts ©
every non-union, gypo contract)
— including right-to-work ¢ col
tractors — around,”’ he said.

He added that the Socreds
left ‘‘a bitterness in my mouth
many years’? which can only ™
eliminated “when they’re deft
ed. ”

The convention continues
Friday. Elections for regional 0
cers are to be held Thursday
though it was not expected th
would be any challenges to the
ministration. Two officers,
tary-treasurer Gerry Stoney
third vice-president Roger Stany®
were appointed earlier this year ©

neer and Ernie Clark respectively”

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—OCTOBER 22, 1982—Page 12