Wy VOCATIONAL ys, INSTRUCTORS ASSOCIATION Vocational instructors walk picket line at Vancouver Community College’s King Edward campus. College is prolonging — dispute, say students Continued from page 1 results — 84 per cent to strike — were higher than the February non-IRC vote. Two days later the parties met and the union offered to take the talks to mediation, proposing three names of prominent mediators. The administration rejected this and instead tabled a “new” offer and said it would seek the IRC Section 137 vote, the union States. VIA president Dalton Kremer wrote col- lege president Paul Gallagher April I stat- ing there was no reason to hold a vote on the March 30 offer “since it was virtually the same as the one that had been rejected by the membership a few days before,” the union said in a statement. But VIA said it was prepared to hold a vote with management participation to resume negotiations. Since then, Gallagher in media state- ments has been misrepresenting the union’s stance, VIA charges. : Contrary to the president’s statements, the union has been seeking salary hikes of seven per cent and five per cent over two years, not the 15 per cent the college presi- dent claims, said VIA ina statement April 3. VIA also attacked Gallagher’s claim that the union had rejected mediation of the dispute. “They tried to soften us up, and it didn’t work,” Cosco commented. “They pretend they’ve tried to talk to us and then cloak themselves in the mantle of innocence.” Cosco said the union promised it would not challenge a membership vote on the administration’s offer, had proposed man- agement run the vote with union scruti- neers, and had even offered to sign an affidavit that they would not challenge a Pe ee ce ae ne es Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street Vancouver, B.C. V5K 1Z5. Phone 251-1186 pe Set Se ane gta aeaT aes “ei-el s Shae Sum 9.8 eueeeere Tero we Pee ty ey vote “if they'd keep talking (at negotia- tions).” VIA members work mainly at the King Edward and City Centre campuses, but also put up pickets around Langara Campus in south Vancouver where the union has about nine members. The Langara picket was withdrawn fol- lowing an IRC cease-and-desist order handed down Wednesday. The Langara Student Union is “pleased that we’re able to go back to classes” and write upcoming final exams, and is grateful VIA didn’t try to “tie things up” with a challenge to the ruling, spokesperson Tom Rowles said. However, the student union charges the college board with “unfairly lengthening the negotiating process” by insisting on a Sec- tion 137 vote that could keep classrooms at the other campuses empty for 10-14 more days, he said. Ted Gray, chair of the City Centre Stu- dents Association, echoed the demand for the college administration to drop the IRC vote. The association will seek further meet- ings with Gallagher, will plan its own pick- eting actions and will communicate “our opinions to (college) board members,” he said. The student association also demands adequate funding of post-secondary educa- tion from the Social Credit government, Gray said. Office workers, members of the Van- couver Municipal and Regional Employees Union, have been respecting faculty picket lines, as have members of the Langara Faculty Association. Students societies from the three campuses showed support, while Douglas College teachers have been walking the picket line in solidarity. 8 « Pacific Tribune, April 9, 1990 Quebec, Irish songs in Mayworks program Francophone dancing and songs, a tribute to an Irish Republican martyr, and even a church service are new fea- tures at this year’s Mayworks festival of working people’s culture. And the housing crisis will also find its way into the program with a new play developed by tenant activists, Mayworks organizer Julius Fisher reports. The third annual Mayworks festival, sporting the theme, “Culture as an organizing tool,” takes place at various venues in Vancouver, but mainly in the IWA-Canada Hall on Commercial Dr., May 1-6. A tribute to Irish Republican and socialist James Connolly, who died before a British firing squad in the last century, will feature local entertainers Tom Hawken, Barry Hall and Kevin’ Dooley. The event, scheduled for Satur- day, May 5, includes songs, poetry read- ings and a slide show. “It’s designed to trace the roots of the current Irish conflict, from the Republi- can point of view,” Fisher reports. ~ Francophone on Wednesday, May 2. Fournier, a 15-year veteran of the top- ical folk circuit, is a representative of Quebec’s “chanson engage,” a kind of new-song movement that features pro- gressive songwriting and performing. Fournier contributed three tracks to A Time to Stand Together, an album released by Vancouver’s Slim Evans Records and Tapes. Meanwhile, work is proceeding on an as-yet untitled play on the housing crisis, a product of Mayworks in conjunction with the'Committee of Progressive Elec- tors and the Tenants Rights Action Cen- tre. It’s to be part of the event, “Spotlight on Community Theatre,” set for Thurs- day, May 5 at the Workers Club — the IWA hall. Les Danseurs du Pacifique and folk- singer Pierre Fournier perform on fran- cophone cultural night, an event co- sponsored with Le Centre Cultural Political change tied to union involvement By DONALDA VIAUD To the membership of my union, the Vancouver Municipal and Regional Employees Union (VMREU), the issue of civic government and specifically who is elected to council, school board or parks board is extremely important. To putit in simple terms, being involved with and supporting particular candidates can be described as determining who will be our employer or “hiring the boss” and therefore, what philosophical direction the elected officials will represent in the operation of our city. Obviously, the direction the system takes has a big impact on the individuals called on to implement and maintain the operation, and on the VMREU this means our members. Within our membership there is also the acknowledgement and under- standing that what is decided within the city of Vancouver also has a big influence on what happens with the surrounding municipalities — areas in which our members also work and live. Because the philosophical direction taken by elected officials is so crucial, over the years our members have been encouraged to get directly involved with the political process. First, through the development of their own understanding and second, in actual election “leg work.” During the last Vancouver civic election, for example, VMREU members contributed a substantial financial grant to the Unity Campaign (a joint slate of COPE and Civic New Democrat candi- dates endorsed by the labour council), along with three members to work full time on the campaign. These three indi- viduals worked on organizing the leaflet distribution, the phone bank and elec- tion day operations. The VMREU is already involved with the upcoming fall elections. Concerns around issues such as development, housing, secondary suites, the environ- ment and recycling, the school board ref- erendum, contracting out and pay equity are but a few themes which brought our membership to contribute a staff person at union expense to help co-ordinate a Labour Forum. Community Directions Conference slated for May 25-26. The conference is a COPE initiative to reach out to community groups, activists and others from a broad spectrum of interest areas to determine what policies will make up the election platform for 1990. The involvement and commitment of our union to this process means that we are woven into the issues chosen, policies developed, candidates selected and hope- fully, what will establish a meaningful outcome at the polls. Of particular concern to us is the ques- tion of pay equity. Our collective agree- ment runs out at the end of 1990 and pay equity will be a key issue in the next round of negotiations. Electing people who support this principle and are wil- ling to work for it is essential if we are to achieve real equity. These are examples of a few concrete actions taken by one union. These apply to a municipal election, but similar actions could be applied to provincial and even federal situations. The most important thing to recognize is that unions as political bodies themselves, — wield a great deal of influence and power that can be applied constructively. And that this “power” can definitely improve the daily lives of our members at the workplace, at home and within their community and society at large. I encourage other unions to be deeply involved with the political process. Given the depth of the current economic crisis and the corporate agenda it is essential that labour fights back. Our lives and our individual livelihoods depend on our participation through collection action; enormous possibilities arise, results are inspiring and ultimately we are the winners. So get involved. Donalda Viaud is an executive member of the Vancouver Municipal and Regional Employees Union.