‘the same The attitude of the post office “*hasn’t changed one iota since 1978”? and unless something changes in the conciliator’s report, we’ll be coming to this council for support,’’ the presi- dent of the Vancouver local of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers told the Vancouver Labor Council Tuesday. Lloyd Ingram told delegates that the federal conciliator ap- pointed in the postal talks was expected to bring his report down May 2, following a re- quest for an extension. “But if the report is anything like those in past years, it won’t be acceptable,’ he warned. “And we'll be coming to this council to give us the kind of support that it gave during the 1978 strike.” The CUPW president said that the employer’s offer put on the table during negotiations “amounted to nothing more than rollbacks in the contract — which would take us back to the contract we had in 1977. ° “And the so-called wage of- fer would have given us even less buying power than we had in 1976,”’ he said. Elsewhere in the labor council meeting, delegates voted to refer to the executive a controversial motion which would have add- ed the council’s name to an ad- vertisement, to be run in Quebec papers, asserting the right of Quebecois to self sccermnizia tion. The motion sparked a con- tentious debate, before the referral, however, as delegates pointed out that the ad, coming in the midst of the Quebec referendum on sovereignty association, would have pro- found implications in that vote. George Hewison, secretary of LABOR SCENE PO bargaining stand as in '78’ the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, said that both the CLC and the B.C. Federation of Labour had long been on record as supporting the right of Quebec to self- determination but emphsized that the placement of an ad now ‘would complicate the situation when the referendum has already made things pretty cockeyed. “T’ve watched the referen- dum debate and it’s pretty clear that there is no real choice for working people,”’ he said ad- ding that neither Levesque nor Ryan ‘‘is any friend of labor.” Council president Syd Thompson, who said that he |. wouldn’t ‘‘touch the motion with a ten-foot pole,’’ began by affirming Quebec’s status as a nation but drew the comment that he “‘sounded like a legion- naire’’ when he thundered: ‘‘I fought for this country and I’ll do anything to see that it isn’t }- broken up.” Carpenters delegate Lorne Robson won applause when he told the delegates that they should ‘‘wait to hear from our Quebec brothers and sisters who will be voting in one month’s ’ time in the referendum. “T think we need to sit down and discuss it carefully with our brothers and sisters in Que : he said, suggesting that that could be done at the CLC con- vention in early May. “The problem is that they haven’t had equality with their counterparts in English- speaking Canada — and that’s ~ the problem we have to address. _ We have an obligation to see that the wrongs of Quebec working people are righted — and that the working. class in Canada is united,’ he said. About 300 supporters of the B.C. Government Employees Union administration were bus- ed to the Fishermen’s Hall in Vancouver Tuesday to take over a meeting called by the BCGEU Open Caucus, a committee of union members critical of the lack of inner union democracy and of the recent contract settle- ment signed by the union. The 300 overwhelmed the about 30 people who turned out to the caucus meeting and pro- mptly voted to remove Open Caucus spokesman Phil Lyons from the chair and replaced him with BCGEU president Norm . Richards. The meeting then Hundreds bused to take over BCGEU caucus meet proceeded to pass several resolutions condemning the Open Caucus. The Open Caucus distributed a leaflet called ‘‘Building not Wrecking’’ which criticized the last contract for its length, lack of COLA protection and percentage increases rather than across the board. The leaflet also rapped union secretary John Fryer for his comments on the nurses’ settlement and called for changes in the constitution to make staff representatives responsible to the membership and to give locals control over union finances and the right to elect convention delegates. . eiBUNE Read the paper that fights for labor SHY OPTOWN = St BRA . Postal Cade f.2h5.91. 4 =. SO NN ORR > a. Qa ® 7) a 1 am enclosing: a 1 year$10 (1) 2years $180 6 months $6 (1 % Old New) Foreign 1 year $12 0 Donation $ eee ee eee Se ee PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 18, Senos: slaie: 12 | Attacks on RNABC pact Last week I dealt with the nega- tive reaction of John Fryer, general secretary of the B.C. Government Employees Union, to the proposed settlement for the registered nurses employed in general hospitals. In that context I wrote the fol- lowing, in connection with the B.C. of the Federation that the air would suggest to Kinnaird and the officers of the federation that the air would be cleared if they issued a forthright statement congratulating the Reg- istered Nurses Association for their — 44 percent settlement. Otherwise, many public employees will associ- ate them, however incorrectly, with Fryer’s position.”” Subsequently, a representative of the Federation phoned to tell me that the president and secretary- treasurer of the Federation had both issued public statements in support of the nurses shortly after the proposed settlement was an- nounced, although no press release was sent out. I am, of course, very pleased that senior officers of the Federation took a constructive, trade union position, as compared ' with the negative position of John Fryer, who, incidentally, is also an _ officer of the Federation. However, it should be noted that irrespective of the position of the top officers of the Federation, Fryer has continued to go public in his opposition to the nurses’ settle- ment. In Fryer’s letter to the editor of the Vancouver Province, pub- lished April 14, I found the follow- ing complaint: “The anticipated settlement is already sending shock waves through the industrial relations sys- tem and, in my opinion, will con- tinue to do so. “Nurses have had collective bar- gaining rights for many, many years in B.C., and it would have been much less disruptive to the system if negotiated settlements contained on-the-line wage agree- ments during those years instead of forcibly feeding a 44 percent lump through the system all at once with the inevitable resulting reverbera- . tions.” From what I can gather, there is a rising dissatisfaction among - BCGEU members over last year’s negotiated settlement which tied their union to a three-year agree- ment, with only eight percent in- creases in each year. In my book, that is an internal matter which the union itself must resolve. How- ever, when the top negotiator and spokesman for the union publicly attacks the nurses’ settlement, then it becomes a matter for public de- bate. : John Fryer is faced with the fact that 2,700 members of the Regis- tered Nurses Association and the Registered Psychiatric Nurses As- sociation want an increase of 39 percent over 27 months, to estab- lish parity with the nurses in general hospitals. These nurses work in in- stitutions which employ thousands of workers who belong to the BCGEU. That fact is the source of Fryer’s headache. As the rotating strike of nurses employed in provincial govern- ment institutions began to spread last week, the following statement appeared in the Province April 9. “A government official sai B.C. Government Employees Un- ion officials, who represent 40,000 government employees, many in health care, have warned negoti- ators they will take immediate ac- tion if Government Employees Re- lations Bureau (GERB) gives the echo employer cee nurses more than the union settle- ment of eight percent compounded over three years. ‘‘And Mike Davison, director of GERB, said a Labor Relations Board arbitration in 1976 awarded government nurses comparable wages and substantial benefits to those of the BCGEU — something the nurses had fought for.”’ Then there is comment from ° Davison: ‘“‘We fear a backlash from BCGEU if we destroy this LABOR © COMMENT BY JAK PRIEMES =, differential which a third party Has decided and ruled fair.’’ Every experienced trade union negotiator has had this argument thrown at him, in one form or an- other — by spokesmen for the em- ployers. In effect, government ne- gotiators in this case are arguing that because group A was happy to accept a wage settlement in 1976 which placed it in a specific rela- tionship to Group B in the matter of compensation, it has no right in 1980 to attempt to tie its wage scal- ed to group C who — and this is im- portant — have the same or similar qualifications and responsibilities. If that argument were accepted by labor, what would become of the concept of free collective bargain- ing? And who would decide what was a precedent for all time, and what was not a precedent? It should be noted that another ‘BCGEU spokesman, Robbie Rob- inson, was quoted as follows in the Financial Post of April 12: “We feel our settlement was in the real world of industrial Tela- tions. Many of our people work alongside nurses. If there’s enough pressure, and it becomes apparent we can’t keep our members on the job, then the government will have to look seriously at the situation.”’ This is either a cry of despair or an invitation to the Socred govern- ment toadopta hard linein relation to the nurses in provincial govern- ment employment. You are free to draw your own conclusion. What appeared to be a good deal in 1976 doesn’t look so good in 1980 and the 2,700 registered and psychiatric nurses are governing themselves ac- cordingly. It’s as simple as that.: In the intervening time, the cost of living has escalated sharply and wages for nurses have fallen behind in relation to the wages of substan- tial groups of unionized workers, including cleaners and practical nurses in hospitals. The B.C. Federation of Labor is to be commended for meeting with representatives of the 2,700 nurses — and agreeing that its affiliates will honor all picket lines established by the nurses. The nurses, in turn, ‘have agreed to abide by Federation policy, which means giving suffici- ent notice before any picketing that would involve members of Federa- tion affiliates. Both the Registered Nurses Association and the Regis- tered Psychiatric Nurses Associa- tion are independent unions and are not affiliated to the Federation, unlike the BCGEU. The fact the Federation is pursu- ing a policy of supporting the nurses speaks well for itself and should expedite the process of drawing the nurses closer to the _paper in B.C., why not senda che- main body of the trade union movement and, eventually, into Canadian Labor Congress and its provincial federation and councils. f | I would suggest to John Fryer and his staff that they should cease all attacks on the proposed settle- 4 ment for nurses in general hospitals and declare their full support for the 2,700 nurses employed in pi — vincial’ government institutions: — Failure to do so will mean givilg — encouragement to GERB to take? — hard line, and it will accomplish nothing for BCGEU members. ~ When GERB negotiator, Mike Davison is reported in the vane ver Sun April 9 as saying he didn't believe BCGEU members “would take very kindly’ to being put out of work if the nurses put up picket lines, it is time for John Fryer to clear the air and make a fo! statement in support of the nurses: ” The BCGEU members can only _ gain, in the long run, if the nurse do better‘in negotiations than the BCGEU did. If Fryer and his stat were to support this position open- ly in front of their members, they would gain more respect than DY — continuing to attack the nurses and giving the impression that they al — running interference for GERB and the Socred | pinichinames in vi toria. aa As these lines are being written, the provincial minister of labor is expected to respond to a request i from the 2,700 nurses that an in- dustrial inquiry commissioner Dé ~ appointed in order to try and effect — a settlement. The nurses have pro- posed that the mediator bring | down non-binding era tions and they have indicated that there would be no strike during the commissioner’s term of office. 2 This will be my last Labor Com | ment until I return froma vacation in Britain and France. I wish. to thank those readers who have sent | letters in response to my articles, in- cluding those who were critical of certain things I wrote. its have more letters! g Also, the Tribune is now involv- ed in its annual sustaining drive, — A with a target of $65,000. If you wish to help keep the Tribune going — as the number one, left-wing labor — Pada que or money order to the paper, — ; c/o Jack Phillips, Labor Com- 4 ment. Every donation, big or — small, will be acknowledged and deeply appreciated. May Day rally set for May 4 Mike Darnell, Prince Rupert _ alderman and northern represen- — tative for the United Fishermen | and Allied Workers Union, Bur- — naby. NDP MP Svend. Robinson ¢ and Communist Party leader — Maurice Rush will headline a list of speakers at the May Day rally in ~ Vancouver, slated this year for May 4, 2 p.m. at the Templeton High School, Auditorium, 727 — Templeton Drive in Vancouver. Joining them on the platform __ will be Brian Hadden, one of the — members of the observer team at — the historic elections in Zimbabwe, _ and one of the Boise Cascade — strikers from Ontario where — members of the Lumber and — Sawmill Workers have been onthe picket line since July, 1978. babesica