Weer Tories will do nothing §. Le Labor Notes : : 3 to stop pliant closures | Nae By MIKE PHILLIPS plant closures crisis in his S proposal to create ‘‘a nt t ON TA R I oO BORONTO eo monepoty Setue Tories acy Hie oa saga interministerial response in gave Ontario workers another reason last week chanism’’ to deal with closures. ats Cc @ ky SERVE IT : wy the ote 18 head pare 2 of Labor pro- De-industrialization Co-ordinator | : st against layoffs and shutdowns should be su Elgie proposed i i i ne : : p- gie proposed to appoint a co-ordinator who, in ‘6 Pp RESERVE IT g j {Ported to the hilt. ie effect, will preside over the’ results of the cor- ; Buried in 19 pages of words, provincial labor porations’ de-industrialization of Ontario. The ho Minister Robert Elgie’s proposals to the legislature co-ordinator’s job will be to move into a situation ne | - UNIONS DEMAND STRIPPING Oct. 14 to handle plant shutdowns was roundly when a closure is announced, investigate the pos- 7 POSTAL GESTAPO POWERS dismissed by the opposition and the labor move- sibilities of maintaining the operation, mediate d ment as inadequate and out of touch with the depth disagreements over termination ri ‘1 OTTAWA — Four postal unions and the Canadian of the current jobs and de-industrialization crises. fits, then unleash ‘‘regional nb prepa | i. Labor Congress called on the federal government in a 42- AS a bare minimum organized labor wanted to go into the community to help the victims with re page brief Oct. 9 to strip the postal security service of all substantial improvements in the laws governing the bureaucratic paperwork involved in trying t y's pe seugative: powers, charging the investigation services plant closures which would: find a new job or just trying to survive geek 5 - ; ob ag has ‘‘a total curser’ for ral ee e compel companies to justify their intentions to ment. i : e unions, representing 50,000. postal workers, mem- close down or move away to the work d the Elgie told the legi is mini to Beer ea caice i WI y rkers and t gie told the legislature his ministry was ‘‘not ng Carriers Union pr raeeeag ogra Air Se mniaay ira eeu ee ee ee ’ datory for all companies laying off but as a practical matter he couldn’t find i en _ Canada and the International Brotherhood of Electrical workers or shutting down to give workers adequate good to say about it. In Ontario the slapd : Workers, demanded that all postal-related investigations be notice of their plans to terminate. The OFL has which compels eee to iia sees neared .te conducted by police forces. The brief charged that postal called for at least six months, while the United severance pay when they dump them. A aio ie nf eS aa are trained with a document called Electrical workers (UE), in a telegram to Elgie Oct. of the anger in the ranks of the labor cee w a peaaues of Investigation which fosters such abuses as 15, demanded legislation providing for two years focused on Elgie’s refusal to deal with the Amn up saa Sa workers from : seeking advice from their notice of closure. : and to add a further insult by welcoming the prop- ee yer. e investigators don tidentify themselves, are not e require companies to provide severance pay osal for yet another legislative committee study on on ‘orming workers of their rights, use threats and coercion at a rate equal to one week’s pay for every year of plant closures and issues such as severanc dé ‘of to get ‘‘voluntary’’ resignations and detain workers several service a worker has put in. Acti tee hours to grill them, the unions charged. The brief also cited e guarantee workers’ full pension rights and Bie pa beer forced lie-detector tests and the ransacking of workers’ complete portability; OF. president Cliff Pilkey led the labor move- homes during searches. e extend ape insurance benefits and ae ARG ost Be Aes catie stem ame guarantee the continuation of health care, life in- Elvie’ portability. promised in surance and sickness and accident benefit . pigs Siecle me ot completely ignored the munreds 7 LIBRARY WORKERS ON STRIKE E ea eiabiah atillemplovaent Toye te of workers who lose their jobs before their statut- es | TORONTO — Wages and job classification are the is- Tory government's number one priority. py PED see et gee See) ‘ See ohch : Ao ebs apply, he noted. C have kept 350 library workers on strike since ’ “ : “1 fe 0 ei 6. The imemten cok. Cansdian (Union of, Public ee ee es He Eyes Reais aha oeaid should be an unqualified mployees local 1996 rejected the Toronto Public Lib nstead Elgie closed his eyes to the crisis, actu- BL eve OTE elbenpcless CREE RES a Board’s contract offer Oct. 3 by an 87% margin. On Beets ally telling the members in the legislature that “*the or length of service’’, Pilkey said. ul the librarians and clerks met the board again proposing a problems facing Ontario workers in October 1980 What a have here ds she. dlnison.ob action, WP Ree pact that would in effect provide a 10.4% wage are not dramatically different than in previous pe ne pin og is action. Thousands a ike. This was a reduction in their original demand but years. of our affiliates’ members will be on the steps of n- offered as an incentive for the boanito come across with a While thousands of Ontario workers are daily Qucens: Fank Oct-18 to tee any question of SS Riiactori aro soeal On 70 Classification. losing their jobs and the manufacturing sector, as 2°CePtability of today’s half-hearted measures." ry propo J ; pene : di One president Cliff Pilkey pointed out Oct. 14,“is aes He nae kers (UAW) director for Cana- : undergoing its worse crisis since the Great Depres- 2s te said it wasn’t coincidental that El- ae STRIKERS BEAT MAPLE LODGE sion’’, here is the best Elgie could come up with gie’s proposals were made four da rt : ys before the in BRAMPTON — Despite police harassment and bully Pension laws will be changed giving workers at OF Lrally. White called Elgie’s plan ‘‘anattempt to od tactics and employers who boasted they would never allow Soe a Oe Sy Bare eee pl A slide afughly exmoive belie ai7aton oversee Je a union fo represent their workers, the Canadian Food and COmpally the phcice ofeaty serie ew Ore commirtee oLthe iegisletuse ily ebpeca not Je Allied Workers (CFAWU) were victorious in winning their cg uses anes ee aoe and Tou ee Se ay ta sea e Paiecontiact Geuhe pension plan. : ourism Minister Larry Grossman that plant sé. | after 27 days m3 fe cae emis at Maple Lodge Farms Elgie proposed the setting up of a centrally- closure legislation drives away ae 1 The strikers, many of whom are recent Portuguese im- administered fund to protect pension benefits The UAW leader also stressed that “‘in fact had. ; migrants and new Canadians braved threats of de oral n rights in situations where the terminating pensions hese prunosela. Desh inssitoc ated nul’ have 1¢ | _ Police assaults on their picket lines and eve dirt ar aren't fully funded. Consumer and Corporate Rela- chanped.sitle of: DONenE 1D, Ine Cpsine con. "| Se REN OESIY Ly EY COm tions Minister Frank Drea opened the door to Houdaille, Bendix, Beech, Essex, Gabri : 6 pany trick in the book to win their democratic right to join F sca ; Aces a [ CFAWU. The settlement accepted by the strikers eines saan dlpees ie nate che taba ae es a seg ages aay Wigle ue pes eriammedinte wvonenike o€6s 5 itted to reporters that the fund would ini- in recent months. He pledged the union would it, Sane oe 2 : nay cents an hour with another 70 tially be guaranteed by the government, but would continue campaigning for appropriate legislation in 1€ ’ abshaen! “8 taken See by the private sector. the face of these ‘“totally unacceptable”’ proposals. mployment ards Act will be changed Political Window Dressing oe JOBLESS STAMPEDE GM so that workers will be paid all of their fringe bene- Dick Barry, president of the 20,000-membe sl WINDSOR — More than 16,000 workers so far have ee ak eee bee ee te notice, or United Electrical workers (UE) termed the in- applied for the 2,000 job openings at the new General Se eS ee Ss aeckac. 0 2 ab sndnengoea cath Gia negate toate s ie Motors engine plant slated to open next year. On the first sacle well § ; se EB dow dressing clearly designed to defuse organized 1g two days for applications cars were lines U Companies will also be required to participate in labor’s current campaign to foc i i p s up two abreast for . : paign us public attention n- about two kilometres waiting to drive by kiosks at Windsor and help fund manpower adjustment committees on the epidemic of plant closures and layoffs that Raceway to pick up application forms. . itardd supposed to help the unemployed to find has gripped every corner of this province.” Be . ee. ‘Workers thrown out on the street cannot afford | Probably the most picturesque of Elgie’s to wait to —_ pe af | eis GoWahdcrlani’’ vesponsessp the Gob sti “ file oe another Royal Commission report’’, a im . | coe —as | : _ = . . ee a « SE og a i ce plicwtmrcn T's eral bf tin ac tenet cat te nape GL wa aoc Sa 27 Wag Sides Cee Car plant here main point, he said, was that the _ skilled trades vile decaien ene — gs a I- is over. Members of the United company agreed to a new con- to $12.22. Another gain in the Mc : | Auto Workers Local 1075 voted tract making the COLA retro- latest offers is the $1 300 paid li Ree age ab co Psa . 69% to accept the company’s active to the time when the previ- insurance for — area Shs i ee a Hi latest me ee 10. As nee con- ous contract expired at the end of Asked whether the rejection of Hewker Sidveley. aaah i 2S me etl tract, effective Jan. 1 ofthis year, 1979. the | :