LABOR Members of the Pulp, Paper and Wood- workers of Canada and the Canadian Paperworkers’ Union stepped up the pres- sure on the major pulp companies last week as they put secondary pickets on several lumber and sawmill operations throughout the province. And late last week the Labor Relations Board upheld their right to maintain at least some of those pickets following lengthy hearings at LRB offices. . In the rulings issued so far, the LRB has upheld the unions’ right to picket four com- panies: Finlay Forest Products, Weyer- hauser, B.C. Timber, Weldwood of Canada and B.C. Forest Products.. Cease-and-desist orders were issued, however, against pickets at two other com- panies’ operations, Doman Industries and Whonnock Industries, after the board ruled that ownership could not be linked to com- panies operating pulp mills. Ge PPWC president Jim Sloan emphasized, “the fight won’t be won at the LRB. It’s got to be won at the bargaining table.” The picketing appeared to be having some effect as Pulp and Paper Industrial Relations Bureau negotiator Dick Lester indicated some compromise was possible on the bureau’s previously ‘hard line posi- tions. Negotiations were continuing at : Tribune press time. The LRB rulings also focused criticism on International Woodworkers president Jack Munro who had earlier publicly CPU step up the pressuré by the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada and the Canadian Union of Paperworkers. _A statement issued by the Federation Feb. 27 emphasized that the two pulp — unions had complied with the federation’s picketing policy and warned that any viola- tion of that policy “will only undermine the hard won gains that have been made over the years.” : __ The statement was in response to prob- lems in some areas of the province where members of the International Wood- workers whose plants have been struck by secondary pickets from the pulp unions, have crossed the lines. The breaches fol- tespect pickets.’ B.C. Fed — The B.C. Federation of Labor hascalled lowed onall unions to honor the picket lines set up lowed statements by IWA president Jack Munro who attacked the pulp unions’ pick- eting and accused them of “spreading their misery to our operations.” Under the B.C. Fed picketing policy, unions are to give the federation notice of their intention to set up picket lines so that a co-ordinating meeting of all the unions affected can be arranged. In the case of the pulp unions secondary picketing, the meet- ing was held Feb. 21. — The federation also emphasized “The culprits in the situation are the pulp and paper companies.” It called on the compan- ies to “lift the lockout forthwith and con- tinue meaningful negotiations.” Italso voiced support for the pulp unions _and urged all unions to do likewise. _ blasted the pulp unions for having the “unmitigated gall to spread their misery to our people” and had accused them of trying to “leapfrog” over the IWA agreement which was signed earlier this year after the IWA broke the common front with the pulp unions. Under the Labor Code, secondary picket- ing cannot be used to “leapfrog”, or get a better agreement than another union which has already signed. The LRB rulings Bus unions demand MTOC head resign The Independent Canadian Transit Union joined forces with the Office and Tehcnical Employees Union to demand the resignation of transit chairman and Socred MLA Bill Reid Monday as ICTU members prepared to launch the second phase of their on-the-job protest. Transit drivers were to report for work without uniforms and wearing stike buttons Tuesday to protest the. failure of Metro Transit Operating Company to negotiate a new collective agreement including an exemption from Bill 3. Union members had earlier refused to sign new scheduling sheets which incorporated service cuts, effectively stopping the company from effecting the cuts. UFAWU to vote on herring pact Backed with a close to 85-per cent vote to strike by herring fishermen, negotiators for the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union swung a tenantive agreement in talks with the Fisheries Association last weekend. The fishermen, set to harvest this spring’s roe herring run, were to vote on the agree- ment, which offers $400 per ton to Seiners and $739 per ton to gillnetters, Monday and Tuesday. The tentative package also contained a hike in last year’s $4.10 per-ton payment into the fishermen’s welfare fund of 25 cents, said union spokesman Bill Procopation. The tonnage payments represent a slight decrease from last year’s figures of $415 and $767 respectively, Procopation acknow- ledged. But the negotiators have recom- mended acceptance of the package. “Tt’s the best we could do in these times,” said Procopation. Unlike previous years, fishermen will be pursuing the catch during the vote, said Procopation. Results were expected at 6 p.m., Tuesday. Both ICTU and the OTEU have been without a contract since Mar. 31. Both have a strike mandate but have been striving to take action that will put pressure on the company without inconveniencing the pub- lic which has already been squeezed by reductions in transit service. Central to both contracts is an exemption from Bill 3 — the Public Sector Restraint Act — which was supposed to be routinely applied for by all public sector employers as a result of the agreement worked out last November ending the public sector strike. But the MTOC has refused to go along with the union’s application for an exemption — applications must be jointly made to be granted — and it was the statement by chairman Bill Reid last week that prompted the demand for his resigna- tion. Reid, a Socred MLA for Surrey, stated Feb. 23 that MTOC would be “unable to manage its day to day operation if its agrees to an exemption from Billl 3.” OTEU representative Anne Harvey noted that the layoff and recall language agreed to at the bargaining table had already been approved in principle by Compensation Stabilization Commissioner Ed Peck. ““We’re asking for nothing more than other public sector unions have been granted,” she said, adding that the MTOC was the only crown corporation which had not made application. The union had earlier charged that the ‘company was seeking to use Bill 3 as a club to beat other concessions from transit workers. The contentious Socred bill which was supposed to be “effectively dead” as a result of the Nov. 13 Kelowna accord, has also emerged as an issue again in municipal negotiations. The Union of B.C. Municipal- ities recently sent out a newsletter to all municipalities outlining the current status of Bill 3 and explaining how it would apply to municipalities and their employees. The newsletter noted that “no municipal- ities or regional districts” have had exemp- tions to the bill approved by Peck. 12 e PACIFIC TRIBUNE, FEBRUARY 29, 1984 upholding the secondary picketing effec- tively refuted Munro’s claims. Moreover, secondary picketing is always co-ordinated through the the B.C. Federa- tion of Labor and Munro was reportedly at the co-ordination meeting which took place Beb:2 1; CPU vice-president Art Gruntman has stated repeatedly that the pulp unions are prepared to accept a similar monetary deal to that reached by the IWA but they are not prepared to accept the concessionary loss of one statutory holiday nor are they sign a contract longer than two yeals: “We're saying we’re not going tO three-year agreement and get clobbé: ; the cost of living in the second an@ Hi years,” he said. Gruntman also emp that the pulp sector has been profita! the picture is expected to be even bet the next two years. . The CPU and PPWC, which together to adopt a joint strategy Fe? launched secondary picketing Feb. 224% the pulp bureau refused to budge from insistence on a three-year agreement #05 scheduling concessions. a In fact, the pulp industry appeared t0 benefiting from its lockout as pulp sup! across the country, although not © enough to cause shortages, were sufficienmls reduced to buoy up prices. Industry &XP# were predicting price hikes of 10 per C&M Although the major pulp compar. this province could not benefit directly @ long as mills were shut down, they COU recoup any-losses quickly as a f ‘7 increased prices. x The industry imposed the lockout Feb. 2 knowing that a shutdown would push "s prices and hoping that it could use &@ nomic pressure to force the issue Delors pulp workers’ contracts across the count) expired in May. The CPU had earlier 14 ‘ the possibility of co-ordinated action at Canada to back up contract demands. a Trade unionists for peace have a major task in convincing their union sis- ters and brothers to reject the war indus- try, delegates to the Trade Union Peace Committee’s annual conference agreed Saturday. “One of the biggest problems in the labor movement is convincing people that we can convert to peace time uses,” said Frank Kennedy, committee chair _and president of the large disarmament coalition, End the Arms Race. Some 50 delegates from 19 member unions discussed this and the tasks of mobilizing trade union turnout at the Walk for Peace Apr. 28 in a day-long session at the port unions’ Maritime Building in Vancouver. Delegates also heard Dr. Tom Perry of the Physicians for Social Responsibil- ity, Tony Arrott of Science for Peace and fishermen’s union secretary-treasurer George Hewison link the arms race to inflation and unemployment. Utilizing a slide show he has taken to numerous peace gatherings, Perry dealt with a range of subjects from likely targets in B.C. and Alberta during a nuclear exchange, to the social and eco- nomic costs of the nuclear arms buildup. Turning to the cruise missile, which he called “an offensive weapon designed to start a nuclear war,” Perry said he consi- dered it “a disgrace that the guidance system is being developed in Toronto & = J ‘Arms race costs us jobs, trade union meet advised " and that our country has agreed to test it ; Arrott, a Simon Fraser University physics professor, said a little-knowl outfit called the Canadian Commer¢l Association is working to bring some billion yearly in defence contracts 10 Canada. a This is particularly ruinous since it HS Canada further to the U.S. economy, | which suffers the ravages of inflation and unemployment because of the arms rac®& ~ he warned. a “Neither the federal nor the provincial — budgets can be addressed without talk- ing about the arms race,” said the © UFAWU’s Hewison in agreement. Both federal finance minister Mare Lalonde and the B.C. government's Hugh Curtis have acknowledged aS much by noting the U.S. record $130 ~ billion deficit affects all that country $ trading partners. Despite that, Curtis — budget speaks in glowing terms about — bringing war-related industry to the pro- vince, said Hewison. : Be “What is needed is a people’s alterna tive budget — and that can’t be dis- cussed without talking about the fight for peace,” he said. ; The committee is currently involved in — printing and distributing leaflets to get trade unionists out to the Apr. 28 peace walk. A two-page centrespread for union — newspapers is also planned. O20 0: a eres 0610.0 9b 50 988; 0 ete ees 6 © Pee ett s oe Postal Code] 462332 Sie a lam enclosing 1 yr. $141] 2yrs.$250) 6mo.$801 Foreign 1 yr. $200 Bill me later ~Donation$........ READ THE PAPER THAT FIGHTS FOR LABOR PACIFIC RIBUNE Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street __ Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5. Phone 251-1186 ee ee