LABOR

VISA victory

opens door to

bank untonizing

By MIKE PHILLIPS

TORONTO — “It’s only the
beginning,” Commerce VISA stri-
ker Liz Fong told about 200
members of the Union of Bank
Employees as they met Jan. 28 to
celebrate the victorious conclusion
of their eight month strike.

The end came officially, the pre-
vious day, when the Canada Labor
Relations Board imposed a first
contract ending the strike which
began when workers occupied the
Commerce Bank’s VISA process-
ing centre last June 11.

Subsequently, a group of mail
room workers from the bank’s
corporate headquarters in down-
town Toronto also hit the bricks
on Sept. 17. In the end, a total of
some 175 Commerce workers were
on the streets in the largest strike to
take place in the history of the
Canadian banking industry.

No details of the imposed set-
tlement were available at press
time, but thé CLRB attached a
protocol to its announcement set-
ting out the terms of the return to
work and stipulating that no repri-

__. Sals were to be taken by the bank

against the strikers.

The terms of the contract will be
released some time this week, the
federal labor board indicated.

The strikers wre jubilant when
they officially got the news of the
settlement from their bargaining
committee. choruses of “Solidarity
Forever” echoed from the walls of
the church basement where the
meeting took place and strikers
hugged each other in celebration,
passing well-worn pickets around
the room to be autographed by
each of the participants in this
history-making strike.

There were words of praise from
the leaders for the tenacity and guts
the strikers displayed during their
_ eight month battle for a contract at
the Commerce. And, there was

gratitude expressed by the strikers _

to the entire labor movement, par-
ticularly the Canadian Labor
Congress for its massive organiza-
tional and financial contribution,
and the United Auto Workers-
Canada, which provided staff to
help organize the strike and to lead
negotiations.

Buzz Hargrove, administrative
assistant to UAW president Bob
White said the strike was, “not
only a victory for the VISA and
mailroom workers, but for workers
across Canada.” It proved to the
150,000 unorganized bank workers
_ across the country that there was a

political way to achieve a measure _

of economic justice and democracy
from their bitterly anti-union
employers.

The victory, he said, bodes well
for further collective bargaining
and for the organization of bank
workers. Later, in an interview,
he called for legislative reforms
which would correct the immense
imbalance of power the banks
have over the unions which effec-
tively prevents the unions from
actually exercising their collec-
tive bargaining rights.

UAW rep Jim O’Neil, who led
the UBE bargaining committee,
spoke of the need to organize as
many bank workers as possible

before the Commerce contract
expires. He added that the deter-
mination shown by the UBE in
this strike indicates the union’s
preparedness to fight for the
organization of the unorganized.

The Commerce workers’ suc-
cess coming as it does, in the
heart of the Canadian financial in-
dustry places a great challenge be-
fore the trade union movement,
as well as revealing a Suprang po-
tential.

The 1,200-member UBE could
more than double its size with
prospective members in Toronto,
waiting to see what’s in the Com-
merce settlement. One organizer
has said that over the next six
months the UBE could attract
some 1,500 Toronto-area bank
workers who are on the verge of
joining.

Certainly the tiny union faces a
mammoth task in bringing one of
the economy’s richest and most
powerful institutions to heel.

The rapid organizing drive at
the Commerce and the spirited
fight the workers put up against
incredible odds suggests a new,
more militant mood.

The Commerce tried to hold the
line for the rest of the employers
in the industry by insisting right to
the end that it would continue to
base wages and promotion on
what it felt the workers deserved
and would brook no interference
in its management decision-
making.

No wonder the strikers were
exultant in their victory. “Tm
elated I feel terrific’, said Reva
Moore, picket captain on the
VISA line.

“‘T didn’t doubt for a minute
that we’d win something. People
are looking at us. This is the start
of something big. I just want to
savour the victory’, she said.

Noreen Reid, a 35-year veteran
of the bank’s central mailroom,
felt ‘‘terrific’’ about the strike’s
outcome. *‘The day I walked out,
I thought we would win, for me
there are no regrets no dis-
appointments. In fact, I can even
say that there are people who
stayed in who are happy the union
won’’, she said.

VISA workers’ bargaining
committee chairperson Liz Fong
shared in the enthusiasm and
looked to a future of continuing
struggle. Like the rest of the union
leadership she expects that the
imposed settlement, if it addres-
ses any of the workers’ key de-
mands, will have to be an
improvement over the bank’s
final offer.

But noting the bank’s sordid
record of opposing second
agreements, Fong expects the
Commerce to fight the contract
and the union. She’s counting on
the solidarity and strength that
was developed by the workers
during the striké to carry them
through the tough battles that lay
ahead.

““There’s no doubt that we got
this far and we’ll go even
further’, she said. ‘‘The organi-
zation of bank workers is going to
take off.”

| 6 PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 5, 1986

TRIBUNE PHOTO — MIKE PHILLIPS

VISA workers at victory rally autograph picket signs they carried at the Commerce for eight mont

Talks break off, postal strike possible

OTTAWA — Talks broke off,
Jan. 24, between the Union of
Postal-Communications Em-
ployees (UPCE), a component of
the Public Service Alliance of
Canada, and Canada Post, Dennis
Gagnon, UPCE president, an-

nounced last week.
The 4,200 UPCE members

make up 15 bargaining units and
include clerks, secretaries, data
processors, program administra-
tors and marketing and service
representatives. ~
‘After 12 months of frustrating
negotiations, the outstanding is-
sues are still job security, wages
and contracting out,’ Gagnon
said, Jan. 28. The employer is
offering a 2.9 per cent per year
wage increase for two years
whereas the union is asking for 8
and 5 per cent. UPCE members

Back-to-work law angers
Saskatchewan public worke!

Special to the Tribune SGEU has made other attempts to oe

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Grant De-
vine’s move to impose back-to-work legislation on —
12,000 provincial government employees has
drawn an angry reaction from the labor movement

here.

More than 1,000 unionists have rallied at the
Legislature each morning beginning Jan. 27 and the
Premier was quickly condemned by various

unions.

For the past seventeen months, members of the
Saskatchewan Government Employees Union’s
largest unit have been without a new contract. Last
fall, they began a series of rotating strikes, affecting
the land titles office in Regina and other operations.

During previous contract negotiations the union
had been forced to give some concessions. ‘‘But in
this round”’ said chief negotiator Rick August to
the demonstrators Jan. 27, the government made
hundreds of new concession demands.

Then, late last year, the union won the right to
name a conciliator, Vincent Ready from Van-
couver, who delivered a preliminary report Jan. 21.

SGEU’s Bargaining Council scheduled a Jan.
24 meeting to consider the report and the resulting
government offer. The evening before Devine is-
sued his ultimatum — an end to all strikes by five
p.m. Monday Jan. 27 and acceptance by the union

of this government’s offer.

The premier’s sudden action was widely inter-
preted in the media as an attempt to stir up anti-
labor sentiment before the provincial election due

this year.

SGEU stepped up its job actions, with more than
4,400 members out of work by Jan. 28.

Union president Barb Byers, noting that PSC
chairman Stan Sojonky had nothing new to offer
asked for a personal meeting with Devine.
‘“‘could not get
, and instead recalled
the Legislature for 2 p.m., Jan. 30.

He refused Jan. 28, saying he
involved in the negotiations”

aie 2 ee

are asking nothing less~ than
what’s being enjoyed by other
employees within Canada Post.”’

A federal conciliation commis-
sioner is planning to give his re-
port to the minister of labor,
Feb. 3. Seven calendar days after
the release of his report to both
parties, UPCE members are in a
position to exercise their legal
right to strike under the Canada

Gulf workers

MONTREAL — The union
representing some 500 Gulf
Canada refinery workers said last
week that it wanted the Supreme
Court of Canada to overturn the
federal Tory government’s ap-
proval of the sale of the company
to British-owned Ultramar Inc.

Gulf was previously owned by

Labor Code. A total of 73.
cent of employees voted Jal
favor of a strike.

‘“‘UPCE members are the
of the administration at C:
Post and without them the
poration cannot function,”
non warned. “‘If the paper de
move, the product isn’t sol
computers stop humming a
does Canada Post Corporat

fight sellout

Olympia and York Develop!
which sold the refinery, t
tramar last December.

The workers who will al
their jobs as a result of tht
will argue that they should
been consulted before the s
was finalized.

Z

situation, offering to modify some of its objec!
to the government's offer, and to call off the $
if the government guaranteed no reprisals ag
the union. Both initiatives were refused

Kimbal Cariou, Saskatchewan leader

Communist Party of Canada reaffirmed the p
support for the SGEU. ‘‘Such an odious ex:
of government strike breaking demands the w!
public protest that can be mobilized’’, he sai

But the NDP opposition, while critical
vine’s methods, refused to say whether it
oppose the legislation. According to Shau
MLA Dwain Lingenfelter, the NDP, ‘‘wa
study the details of the proposed legislation b
deciding how to vote.”’

Observers were not surprised by the ND
bivalence, since it also used back-to-wor
against the SGEU and other unions when
power, and voted in favor of similar Tory le
tion against cancer clinic workers in 1983

At Tribune press time the Tories brought
back-to-work Bill containing a notwithst
clause which exempts it from the Charter of
Assent was given on first reading. Then th
tried to introduce several pieces of legislati
the Tories refused to give assent to first readi
NDP Bills. So eventually the Tories refust
allow any other business and moved adjou
for the day. The NDP walked out. The bel
ringing. At this point the NDP refuses to go ba

until the Tories allow other business to

cussed and agree that other bills can be disc!
during the session.

The SGEU has agreed to go back to wo
Feb. 1. Close to 2,000 people rallied to protes
Bill Jan. 30 at the Legislature. The SGEU s
going back united and feel they’ ve made the
about the strength of the union. _