Labour IRC rule hints at Socred fix on Expo The Carpenters Union, the Vancouver and District Labour Council, Committee of Progressive Electors, Tenants Rights Action Centre and other Vancouver community organizations have joined forces to attempt to force a democratic process for, the sale and development of Vancouver’s Expo lands. The unions and community groups are sponsoring a public meeting in Vancouver Monday, April 18 to give voice to public concern over the Expo land deal. - The urgency for labour and community action has been highlighted by the back- room political machinations surrounding the sale of the property and the simultane- ous de-unionization of one of the two major bidders for the Expo site. In what has been seen as a blatantly polit- ical decision, the Industrial Relations Commission March 24 ended the collective agreement between the. Carpenters Union and BCE Development Corporation (form- erly Daon Development) under Section 34 of the Industrial Relations Act. The sec- tion provides for termination of a collective agreement between a company and a union when that company has not hired labour for a period of two years. The decision by IRC vice-chair Paul Devine directly contradicts previous IRC '. decisions which denied decertification applications to Wall and Redekop Ltd. and Trizec Development Corporation on the basis that although the companies had not hired tradesmen directly for a period of two years, they continued to be active in the construction industry as developers. BCE Development, a subsidiary of Can- ada’s most profitable corporation, Bell Canada Enterprises, has also been an active developer and its de-unionization under Section 34 was branded “a political decision tailored to fit the Socred vision of de- unionizing the province” by Carpenters Union president Bill Zander. The Carpenters are appealing the IRC decision which is flawed by what the union termed “‘a fundamental misunderstanding of the facts.” BCE was certified with both the Carpenters Union and the B.C. and Yukon Building Trades Council (BCYT) in 1979. The BCYT agreement had a cancella- tion date written in, but the Carpenters’ did not. BCE claimed it served notice of cancella- tion to the BCYT in 1985, but Devine wrote in his decision that the notice was also served to the Carpenters. In fact, the Car- penters never were served with notice of cancellation and Devine’s decision is based n “pure fiction,” the union stated. “Tt is difficult to understand how the vice- chairman could have made such a glaring error, given that all the evidence, the state- ment of facts and a common brief were all agreed upon by all parties and submitted to the IRC,” Zander said in a news release March 28. He drew the conclusion that the IRC decision was politically fixed to facilitate the BCE bid for the development of the Expo lands. He pointed out that the BCE board of directors includes such Socred luminaries as Jim Pattison and Edgar Kaiser. Although most public attention is focused on the bid of Hong Kong developer Li Ka-shing, the BCE group is far from out of the picture. According to one report, the BCE development proposal, valued at between $2-$3 billion is even richer than the $1.75 billion offer put forward by Li Ka- shing. GEORGE HEWISON PACIFIC TRIBUNE Voices for the Fightback Gala Evening For the 1988 Tribune Financial Drive. With George Hewison, nominated for general secretary and leader of the Communist Party of Canada. Entertainment, door prizes and Alice Person homemade banquet. Plus special desserts. Saturday April 16, 1988 Doors 6 p.m./Dinner 7 p.m. Tickets: $10/$8/12 years and under free To reserve your tickets or a table of 8, call the Tribune at 251-1186. 12 Pacific Tribune, April 6, 1988 Wilson Whichever group emerges with the site, the Socreds have virtually ensured that it will start union-free. And even if Li Ka- shing ends up owning the land, BCE will likely be involved as a major developer. Li Ka-shing’s chief representative in B.C. negotiating with the Socreds is Stanley Kwok, the developer who formerly headed B.C. Place Corporation, who has access to all details concerning the site. Vancouver’s COPE has charged that the secret process surrounding the sale of the land “reeks of conflict of interest,” and is demanding that no sale proceed until there is full public disclosure of all bids and an open and democratic process to guarantee public involvement. COPE also is campaigning for a major social housing component of any develop- ment of the False Creek lands, a demand shared by the Vancouver and District Labour Council and the Building Trades unionis. The Building Trades, Telecommunica- tions Workers and a number of other unions last year offered to purchase the Expo site and develop it using union pen- sion funds. The union proposal was co- ordinated with the existing city policies for the site and called for the development of housing on the prime downtown location. But it was rejected out of hand by the Socreds. The Socred agenda to maximize profit for itself and the developers on the Expo lands has the same bottom line for labour and the community. It threatens to be a massively anti-social project which will allow high-density, expensive commercial and residential development far beyond what the community is prepared to accept, and without any significant social housing component. Under the proposed develop- ment schemes, it would also undermine the organized Building Trades. A democratic process to allow public participation would soon hear loud dem- ands for social housing and fair wages, as did all previous public processes concerned with False Creek. That is why the present process is exactly the opposite. There is, however, a discernible nervous- ness on the part of the government and Vancouver’s mayor Gordon Campbell who fear a backlash to the star chamber proceed- ings to sell the land, and the development of a strong labour-community coalition array- ed against the development proposal. From next Monday’s public meeting, the Expo lands will undoubtedly dominate Vancouver politics in 1988. and the The Expo land deal _ A public meeting to hear your concerns over the development of the North Shore of False Creek. Speakers: Alderman Libby Davies Darlene Marzari, MLA Bill Yee, Chinese Benevolent Association Bill Zander, Carpenters Union Floor microphones ~ MONDAY, APRIL 18, 1988 _ 7:30 p.m: — False Creek Elementary School Gymnasium 900 Schoolgreen, Vancouver (south side of False Creek) Sponsored by: COPE, Vancouver and District Labour Council, Tenants’ Rights Action Centre, DERA ee ee ee Se ee ee ae | I I & I | TRIBUNE I Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street | | Vancouver, B.C. V5K 125. Phone 251-1186 | : Noing=ce = ).....- oe ees ee i I PUOIOSS 6 oss oes tins sb Oe ee a Mapsia eects Gee Re : as iS tu ee Postal Code ...... es os I I iam enclosing 1 yr. $2000 2yrs.$350) 3yrs. $5000 Foreign 1 yr. $32 Oo | : Bill me later ~Donation$........ : L READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOUR 1