Public Service Board to hear postal unions poms complaint By MIKE PHILLIPS OTTAWA — The Public Ser- vice Staff Relations Board has announced it will hear the com- plaint of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW), charg- ing management with trying to by-pass the union and negotiate directly with the workers, June 2. The complaint, filed by the 20,000-member CUPW May 20, charged Post Office management with trying to by-pass the unionin directly communicating its posi- tion concerning negotiations to the workers during work hours, while denying the union its basic right to communicate with the membership. The PSSRB told the union of its decision May 27, to hear both the union’s complaint, and the employer's, charging CUPW with failure to bargain in good faith fol- lowing its refusal to continue negotiating while its own, and the members’ basic democratic nights were being denied. CUPW’s complaint will be heard first. The board will hear both complaints during the period starting June 2, 3,6 and 7 if neces- Post Office negotiators have told the union they intend to con- tinue to communicate directly with the workers on the negotia- tions’ progress, and will prevent CUPW stewards and union rep- resentatives from distributing union bulletins to keep members informed about the progress of CUPW has charged the Post Office management with by-passing the union’s bargaining committee and going directly to the membership. This undermines a basic position in the contract to bargain in good faith. the talks on Post Office premises during non-working hours. CUPW’s action followed a three week adjournment of the talks by the Post Office to “‘study’’ the union’s demands. When the parties resumed negoti- ations May 19 management re- sponded saying many of the de- mands, particularly those dealing with. technological change, were hot negotiable. Management instead proposed its amendments to the new agreement which followed the contents of a bulletin which had -already been prepared in advance for distribution to the members. Toronto unemployed unite to demand jobs TORONTO — The Union of Toronto Unemployed (UTU) was launched May 17 when jobless people, as well as people threatened by unemployment, came together to campaign against unemployment and to put forward proposals to create jobs. The UTU is formed at a time when unemployment in Canada is at an all-time high. Over 100,000 are jobless in Toronto, while nearly 1.5 million are jobless ac- ross Canada with half the un- employed being under 25. UTU will press all levels of gov- ernment to create jobs and urge the federal government to grant full and adequate unemployment insurance benefits to all the unemployed. Members of the UTU will be at all-candidates meetings during the Ontario elections to ask the candidates what they intend to do to create jobs. A questionnaire on unemploy- ment and ways of creating jobs will be sent to all candidates and the results of the survey will be released. After the election, the UTU will call on the elected MPPs to fulfill their promises to deal with unemployment. The UTU intends to campaign seri- ously for jobs and for full com- pensation for all the unemployed. - June 16 to 19. | this period. Communists endorse call for African liberation | The World Conference Against Apartheid, Racism and Col- onialism in Southern Africa is to take place in Lisbon, Portugal, On the eve of the Conference, whose decisions will be of momentous importance to the anti-imperialist forces of the world, the Central Executive Committee of the Communist Party of Canada reaffirms its full solidarity in the struggles against the policy of apartheid pursued by the Pretoria regime to dominate the majority of the people of South Africa; against the illegal occupa- tion of the apartheid regime of Namibia; and against the regime of racism and terror in Zimbabwe. Responding to the call of the International Preparatory Com- mittee of the World Conference Against Apartheid, Racism and Colonialism in Southern Africa, as well as to the request of the African National Congress (South Africa), the CEC endorses June 16-26 as days of International Solidarity with the peoples of south- ern Africa — South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia.— in their _ liberation struggle, and calls on all democratic and freedom-loving Canadians to participate actively in solidarity activities planned for PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 10, 1977—Page 4 This was taken by the union as a direct signal the employer was opening the door for directly negotiating with the CUPW members’ by-passing their negotiating committee. With over 10,000 grievances by the union accumulated since the signing two years ago of the cur- rent collective- agreement; with the large part of these resulting ‘from the Post Office’s refusal to live up to its agreement concern- ing the humane application of technological change; with the unnecessary three week suspen- sion of talks so that management could return to the table with a take away offer totally ignoring the technological change issue and which could have been tabled the first day of negotiations; postal workers are getting another clear picture of the contempt an arrogant government has for their democratic rights and its absolute lack of concern about their wel- fare. The name of the government’s game is cutbacks at any cost to the workers. In the process every effort is being made to smash the union. The battle lines will call all of labor eventually to the Postal Union’s side in a watershed fight with deep significance to all workers. Workers oppose - Kian march NEW YORK — Faced with opposition from steelworkers, community forces and public of- ficials, the Ku Klux Klan an- nounced in May that it was can- celling plans for a Memorial Day march in Steubenville, Ohio. Dale Reusch, Ohio leader of the Klan, cited ‘‘adverse conditions”’ and “‘increased resistance”’ as the reasons for calling off the march. Opposition to the Klan action had steadily mounted since it first announced its plans in March. A group of ministers called for a counter-demonstration. And Un- ited Steelworkers Local 1190, the largest union in the area, repre- senting 5,000 workers, unanim- ously adopted a strong resolution opposing the march. The resolution denounced the Klan as racist and anti-labor and called for the local and entire labor movement to ‘‘take joint ac- tion with all responsible commun- ity elements to stop the march.” LABOR INCO WORKERS RISK CANCER SUDBURY — Eight Inco work-’ ers, employed in the company *s Silver Building over the last 20 years have had respiratory prob- lems which appears related to their work environment in the copper refinery Steelworkers spokesmen said June 1. Noting Inco has refused to inves- tigate the source of workers’ re- spiratory problems in the poorly ventilated Silver Building, con- taminated with cyanide, nitric acid and chlorine, Local 6500 refinery safety, health and environment. committee spokesman Clarence Soule, said four of the eight men who had worked in the building over the last 20 years had died of lung cancer and other respiratory diseases, while the remaining four were on pensions because of brea- thing problems. SGEA JOIN CHILE FIGHT REGINA The 15,000 member Saskatchewan Govern- ment Employees Association has recently added its voice to the growing movement of church groups and labor organizations demanding the Canadian gov- ernment put a stop to Canadian investment in the brutal fascist dictatorship in Chile. The union’s provincial executive sent a tele- _ gram. to external affairs minister Jamieson, and has urged its mem- bers write to Noranda telling them to stop investing in Chile, boycott Chilean wines and pro- duce and to pressure their M.P.’s to support the campaign to stop Canadian investment in Fascism. TEACHERS REJECT JOB CUTS TORONTO — Metro Toronto’s school trustees are proposing to the city’s elementary school teachers a 2% per year, 2 year wage increase and the elimination of 497 teacher positions as their opener June 1, to this year’s teacher-board negotia- tions. The teachers want a COLA and a 12% wage increase in a one year contract that would raise their wages to a $14,171-$23,074 per year range. The board offer would keep them at the range of $12,096-$19,567 after one year. The teachers also refuse to accept any staff cuts. " BRIEF | STAND-BY CLAUSE PROMPTS STRIKE GRAND FALLS — A wild cat strike by 25 linemen and laborers working for the Newfoundland _Light and Power Co., here over | the company’s stand by clause for call-ins énded June 1 when the workers, members of the Interna- tional Brotherhood of Electrical Workers returned to their jobs. — BEER MAKERS HIT THE BRICKS HALIFAX — About 150 mem- bers of the Canadian Union of Dis- tillery Workers walked off the job here June 2 over fringe benefits which have not been settled in the negotiations of a new agreement replacing the one which expired last Dec. 31. The workers’ wild cat means the shut down of Oland’s Breweries Ltd. STRIKES ROTATE AT B.C. TEL. VANCOUVER — Rotating © strikes by workers at B.C. Tele- phone Co. continued last week after talks between the workers and management broke down June 2. The strikes which have been q honored. by about 1,000 union members and which have con- tinued for several weeks are in — protest of company policy of buy- ing telephone components from 4 company in Montreal rather that B.C. Tel’s Burnaby subsidiary. OAPO TO PICKET QUEEN’S PARK “TORONTO — Seeking support _ from labor, churches, middle and low income groups, the Ontario Anti-Poverty Organization de cided in conference May 28-29 to set up picket lines and to lobby Queen’s Park after the June 9 pro- vincial election, until the govern- ment moves to solve the unl- employment crisis. OAPO president Mike Carson said “until the unemployment crisis is resolved our demonstra tions will continue. We must show the different levels of government ... the crisis is real and they must get together and solve it. DONT CALL US, WEL CALL fe Wve gee