_LABOR _ Merger to send ripples through labor movement ST. JOHN’S — Newfoundland fishermen took their fight for ladian autonomy right out of the international United Food and Commercial Workers Union and Save it expression by merging with the Canadian Auto Workers. The unions jointly made the announcement here, March 12, that from now on the former UFCW affiliate would become the Newfoundland Fishermen Food and Allied Workers Union, ae 465 Canadian Auto Work- Four days later, UFCW inter- National president Bill Wynn Teacted to the historic develop- - Ment in a letter to CAW president b White accusing the auto Union of raiding the international. In a statement, March 12, Shermen’s union president ichard Cashin said the merger with the CAW would ‘‘permit the Fishermen, Food and Allied Workers to maintain its separate identity and its right to self- termination, while also giving Us the opportunity to participate More fully in a more integrated Way within the largest Canadian Private sector union. Cashin added that it had be- Come apparent to the fishermen’s Union that it had become impos- Sible to remain within the inter- National. ‘Our choice was to go it alone as an independent organization or to seek affiliation with a larger Canadian union,” he said. White said the national exe- cutive of the 140,000-member CAW, reached its decision to ac- cept the 23,000 Newfoundland workers after a presentation was made by Cashin and the rest of the fishermen’s union executive. He said the union’s decision to admit the fishermen was a difficult one, ‘‘but one that was absolutely necessary given the special circumstances and the history of the fishermen’s union.” “It is a union which has played an important political role in that part of the country and one with which we share similar economic and social objectives.”’ The CAW leader admitted that the merger would stir controversy within the UFCW leadership, but added, ‘“‘we did not seek this group out. But we cannot turn our backs to such an organization when they ask for our help in their struggle to retain their roots.” The merger will send ripples throughout the Canadian labor movement. In the first place it amounts to an admission by the leading autonomy forces within the UFCW that the American leadership isn’t inclined to agree to Canadian members exerting full control over the union’s af- fairs here. President Wynn has set up a task force to examine the Cana- dian structure but an indication of the international’s attitude to- ward Canadians’ rights is reflect- ed in the talk of reprisals that could be taken against Cashin and the CAW. These run the gamut from slap- ping a trusteeship over the New- foundland union local, reclaiming the money and resources the international has provided to the local, so far, and legally challeng- ing the CAW’s right to represent the workers. The autonomy issue provoked a walkout of the large Ontario local at the Regional 18 conven- tion in Toronto, in January. Cashin and others had drafted a resolution that proposed effective Canadian control over the union’s affairs here. The policy paper passed but it became clear to the pro-autonomy forces that the U.S. leadership intended to dis- regard the demands of the major- ity of the Region 18 membership. The fear of having their locals placed under trusteeship has other autonomy forces in the UFCW playing their cards close to the chest. The members have seen how quickly the Wash- ginton-based leaders can unleash a trusteeship, in the dispute that raged between two B.C. locals quarreling over the right to rep- resent a group of department store workers. Pressure from the entire labor movement forced the inter- national to lift the trusteeship it has placed on the more progres- sive of the two locals, after having literally stormed the local office and taken over the administration of the local. Solid response to OFL Free Trade Fight TORONTO — The Ontario Federation of Labor is engaged In the second phase of its anti-Free Trade Campaign and IS finding a broad base of sup- Port throughout the province to the Mulroney government's gerous program of selling Country out to the U.S. transnationals. OFL president Gord Wilson ‘old the Tribune last week of Smashing success of the TSt two regional Free Trade rums that have taken place in t. Catharines and Brantford. _More than 450 people parti- “lpated in the St. Catharines “vent, which the federation supes to duplicate in the, Maining 13 communities to iwi Tevisited by the OFL. Last ‘4 Mter the federation con- Ucted the first phase of the Paign, touring some 21 Drom unities throughout the vince, and receiving more labo 250 representations from T and a spectrum of com- Unity representatives. of s e’re Sharing a broad base fellg Pont in this ‘strange bed- il Ws’ find of coalition,” Son said describing how the co Labor Briefs labor movement finds itself working alongside small busi- ness people, farmers, seniors, church organizations, wom- en’s groups, the cultural movement and others. ‘Our prime concern of course is jobs and in a general way what is happening to the Canadian way of life,’’ he said, citing the Mulroney govern- ment’s close adherence to its corporate agenda for privatiza- tion, de-regulation and the dismantling of the country’s social service infrastructure. ‘At the risk of sounding cyn- ical, I don’t think Mulroney re- ally cares if he gets re-elected. He has an agenda that he hasn’t moved away from, in- cluding what they tried to do to the pensioners, the drug patent bill, the softwood lumber ex- port tax, the tariff on shakes and shingles ... the selling off of crown corporations. The DeHavilland sale to Boeing was nothing but a giveaway, Wilson said. : Strikers continue fight for parity NORTH YORK — The fight by 1,300 civic workers for wages that compare to what their colleagues earn doing the same jobs in the other muni- cipalities in Metro Toronto, en- tered its second week with the workers rejecting a second in- ~ adequate contract offer. The members of. Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 94 rejected the offer that was pretty much the same as the 4.5 per cent originally of- fered and rejected when the strike began, March 8. Support for the strikers has been good. The union has pic- keted construction sites at the civic centre and have been supported by truck drivers who've refused to cross the pickets. The strike has helped slow down a certain amount of new construction with a backlog of 220 building permits awaiting approval. Building inspectors are among the CUPE members on strike. Wage comparability, pay equity and improved benefits remain the key issues. The city has agreed in a letter of intent to conduct a study to prove the union’s wage gap claims, but the strikers rejected the pro- posal because it doesn’t com- mit the municipality to redress- ing the inequity once it has been demonstrated in the study. _ union movement's support, has _ out in solid opposition to free trade. : , This can and must change if labor plays its leading role. The ‘ : people can be mobilized despite the fact that time is running out. __ The politicians can be made to realize that this is not just another political game that can be played according to the fancies of the pollsters. Labor can play - guaranteeing that ““Canada is not for sale!" a Executive Council meeting of the congress to of- din many province to come an indispensable role in- PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MARCH 25, 1987 e 7