LABOR — Wood unions highlight unity By SEAN GRIFFIN When a top-level union commit-. tee sits down with MacMillan- Bloedel chairman Calvert Knudsen Dec. 20 to press for answers on M-B policies and layoffs, it will bea committee backed by all three ma- jor forest unions in the province with a combined membership of 60,000. The conference is the result of a meeting Dec. 1 in the International Woodworkers hall in Vancouver at which there were some 65 unionists from the IWA, the Canadian Paperworkers and the Pulp, Paper and Woodworkers of Canada as well as the International and Office and Technical Workers. They came from M-B work sites the province to try and work out a common response to what one par- ticipant termed “‘the unanimous feeling that M-B is jacking its employees around.” The that unionists are movement. What will come of the con- a n_,_—_—,,- {fA I I I I IS LGR LOGI OLR PLL ELE HGR ILA IGA HP PS POS PEK RE LESLIE LIE IE LIE TEE IEE Peace on earth Campbell River, Courtenay and District Labor Council Hs IS PR RE PI SRI BS I BIBI PELE PE IE PE ET Season’s Greetings from the brothers and sisters of the Vancouver Carpenters Union, Local 452 May our quest for world peace be fulfilled <0 SC SERA EAPARA PA RAED PD PALA EA RA PLB EBB SEE EA I AAI PACIFIC TRIBUNE — DECEMBER 17, 1982—Page 20 ~ ference with the M-B brass is still a question mark — and unionists are already considering the possibility of taking the issue of government — but there is no question that the three wood unions have magnified their bargaining strength im- measureably by going in together. The united action is the first for the IWA, CPU and PPWC since the 1975 strike and union represen- tatives are wary of making anything more of it than is ap- parent. But there has been a positive reaction from all sides on the joint strategy. CPU representative Brian Payne, one of the union’s members on the task force noted, “‘There’s been a lot of turbulence, a lot of battles and a lot of anxiety in our relations over the years. “But there was a unanimous feeling that if ever there was a time to put aside our differences to work out a common strategy — this is it,”’ he said. No one is making any predic- tions for future action but if the jon continues to deepen, particularly in the forest industry, unity offers the only real hope for the three unions which could all be facing company demands for con- MEE ES BSE BES IE IS EE LG for a life with dignity and jobs for all BB i encticvleilions | | | | Spe YS NSE SOE MOSES HE SOE PST I HSE SS For a united labor movement in 1982 and full employment Season’s Greetings from Officers and Membership UNITED FISHERMEN and ALLIED WORKERS UNION ‘ tract concessions when they go to the bargaining table next year. The consequences of not seeking that unity are already evident in the mining industry. The hard stance taken by the mining corporations in seeking concessions and the first year wage freeze which the Canadian Association of Industrial, Mechanical and Allied Workers (CAIMAW) was compelled to ac- cept can certainly be attributed in part to the bitter acrimony that ex- ists between CAIMAW and the United Steelworkers, the two ma- jor unions in the mining industry. As the last few months have demonstrated dramatically, the drumfire of propaganda from the employers against wage increases — and even against unions as an in- stitution — has increased in intensi- ty. And in that context, the trade union movement cannot afford divisions, whatever jurisdictional disputes may exist. Yet even beyond the CAIMAW- Steel rift, there are deep divisions within the trade union movement. The three month-old feud over Local 40 of the Hotel, Restaurant, Culinary Employees and Bartenders Union has not abated. It erupted again last week the floor ‘of the Vancouver and District Labor Council, a forum which has traditionally been free of sectarian debate. Three unions, the Canadian Brotherhood of Railway, Transport and General Workers, the Brewery Workers and CAIMAW are raiding Local 40 which was placed under trusteeship by its Cincinnati-based interna- tional office in September. Since that time, the B.C. Federation of Labor has called on affiliates to stand behind Local 40 against the raids. Delegates to the labor council ultimately supported a motion call- ing for endorsement of the federa- tion position although it was op- posed by some CBRT delegates who insisted on the right to raid “because it’s our jurisdiction.”’ The Local 40 dispute is one of the most immediate problems for the labor movement since the raiding war threatens to divide the 14,000 union members into separate certifications, perhaps even driving some of them into decertification under economic pressure from the emplos. And the jurisdictional wrangles among af- filiates and non-affiliates alike will have bitter consequences. Significantly, it was Homer Stevens, whose union, the United Fishermen, was itself raided during | SOS VIO SOE SC SOE IO SOE OOK WEEE NES WOE ERK SE TL the years when it was outside the CLC, who reminded delegates of the “destructiveness”. of union raids. Stevens also urged the federation to take a tougher stand with the | Local 40 international ang to press harder to lift the trusteeship im- mediately. Certainly if labor unity is to be strengthened, the role of the B.C. Federation of Labor is critical — and it, too, must be strengthened. ANALYSIS B.C. Fed president Jim Kinnaird has repeatedly called on affiliates to stop the ‘‘cannibalism’’ over Local 40’s membership and end their raiding campaigns. He has also emphasized the need to bring the Building Trades and the Hospital Employees Union back into the federation and to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles that stand in the way of their re-entry. The need is urgent — with the suspension of the Building Trades two years ago, the number of unionists inside the federation fell to just 25,000 more than the number outside. Bringing the 40,000 members of the Building Trades and the 24,000 HEU members into the federation would do more than just add their respective members — it would strengthen the base of the labor central and would also cement the relationship that has generally ex- isted between the two unions and the federation but has recently become t because of the separation. The road back isn’t straight — for one thing, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, from which the HEU separated 12 years ago, insists that the HEU must re- affiliate to CUPE to come back in- to the federation. But Kinnaird noted in an inter- view last June, the HEU is not prepared to go back into CUPE. _ SCE PSOE SCE. psi se SR SOE A SMSO ITE SOE PSOE LOE issue “And to keep them out of federation because — bureaucratic, inflexible attitude wrong,” he said. ‘ In fact, the membership of HEU has voted on the issue and specifically rejected re-affiliatio CUPE. And certainly uniof who see the paramount import of labor unity are going to hav win support for the idea that br ing the HEU back into the fed tion must be the first priority. Some movement on the affiliation issue may well i from the work of the five-metl CLC commission set up earlier year which includes Kinnaird. A solution to: the outstanl problems of affiliation to the ¢ would obviously be a powerful petus to labor unity. But this) vince still has some unique blems, including the Local dispute and relations bet’ federation affiliates and affil of the CCU, which has its ! base in B.C. ‘Still, one thing is clear: wit! province’s resource-bi economy in the worst state sin? depression and the mi employers in those industries up to demand concessions; labor movement can’t affof suffer the destructive effec raiding — whatever justifi¢ may be offered. For the same reason, | unions in competing jurisdi¢ need to look at ways of coopet — not only for common bal ing fronts but also to work | common program for the dustries. As union- representatives emphasized, the joint action! IWA, CPU and PPWC of volves just one issue. But I beginning. And in the cl economic conditions, thé would come a lot faster W” that cooperation. ; It isn’t just contracts that # stake any more. The future © labor movement and of thou! of workers is on the table. pec se IO PI IE IEPA IEDR LIE IS IE PIECE I EEE We extend our hand "g\ in friendship to all &) working people 3 of the world and wish happy holiday peace and a future of full employment. NANAIMO, DUNCAN AND DISTRIC LABOR COUNCIL. Sr a ss ES SK Se OES LT Vancouver, B.C. V5L