LABOR -

Fed, Trades to = ee

Continued from page 1
designed to destroy workers’ organizations,
then we’ll have to take them very seriously.”

And asked about the proposed legisla-
tion which would outlaw strikes on the site,
he stated: “Australia for many years had
legislation outlawing strikes — and had
more strikes than in any other jurisdiction.”

Kube noted that the Building Trades, in
agreeing not to strike and not to use their
non-affiliation clauses in return for non-
union workers getting union-level wages,
“went further than anyone could have
expected them to go.

“No unorganized worker could com-
plain about that,” he said.

The B.C. Fed president also focused on
another issue that Expo has raised — the
financing of megprojects versus funding for
social services.

He said that to reach the attendance fig-
ures projected by Bennett, “the turnstiles
would have to click 186,000 times a day for
five months.

“There is almost certainly going to be a
major shortfall in revenue,” he said. “Who
will pay — will it be at the expense of the
poor, of medicare, of education?”

The B.C. Fed executive is to meet with
the Building Trades later this week to dis-
cuss further action. '

Even before that meeting, the. Building
Trades Council was to sit down with the
Expo 86 committee, headed by chairman
Jim Pattison, to continue discussions on an
agreement covering Expo construction.

But the conditions that Bennett imposed
on the committee made it clear that no
agreement could come of that meeting short

ROY GAUTIER. . .legislation unprecedented.

A case involving the non-union affiliate
of a union construction company was set to
go before a hearing of the Labor Relations
Board Apr. 17 as the Building Trades con-
tinued its campaign against non-union
contractors.

Unemployed Building Trades Soden
began picketing the Kensington overpass
construction site in Burnaby where the non-
union company, S.G.M. Construction, was
slated to begin work on the concrete deck-
ing for the overpass.

The unions’ action prompted Hafer

~ Machine, a union contractor doing steel .

beam work on the site, to apply for a cease-
and-desist order. But the Trades agreed to
withdraw the pickets in return for the board
scheduling a hearing before S.G.M. is sup-
posed to begin work on the $1.13 million
decking contract.

Gordon Heard, a secretary of the Van-
couver, New Westminster and District
Building Trades Council charged that
S.G.M. was incorporated by the owners of
the union company “‘in a blatant attempt to.
bypass existing collective agreements.”

12 @ PACIFIC TRIBUNE, APRIL 18, 1984

The 26 pores. who were op ne

ean work this week, are employees of

pr. Rego Forming Ltd., a Calgary-based _

ks month that. Kerkhof. plane d < .
__ bring six carpenters and 20 laborers on to _

- the Harbor Cove site from Alberta — _

-belying claims by non-unio advocates

that the company was giving sae: -
= day at es time.

_— ment to BC. workers. —

“non-union arm of a _how-bankrupt -
unionized contracting company.

Kerkhot had originally intended e

0 ub-contract the form work to Gillette
ee cnen, also of Calgary, but that —

_firm withdrew because

ind because it feared labor problems. _

“According | to the Ci local of the -

Carpenters, several of whose members —
_ were approached to go. to work on the
_Kerkhoff site, Rego is paying $16 an _

hour for a ‘six-day week, with 12 Pans a :

of the Trades giving in entirely to the
government’s terms.

And Gautier emphasized Apr. 14 that the
Trades had already made concessions and
would remain with their current position —
that non-union workers must get union
wages if they are to work on the site.

In his speech, Bennett clearly rejected
that, stating that the site must be open to
“competitive bidding” and indicating that
the rates paid union workers were
“unacceptable.”

ART KUBE...’’
shortfall?’’

who will pay for revenue

struction, which was only incorporated Jan.
30, 1984, is a non-union affiliate of Armeco
Construction Ltd. Typically, real control
has been hidden, although minor share-
holders of Armeco do show up as major
shareholders of S.G.M.

But more convincing testimony of the
link comes, ironically, from N.P. D’Andrea,
manager for the project for the municipality
of Burnaby.

In a report to municipal council,
D’Andrea stated: “The lowest tender,
S.G.M. Construction Ltd., was formed
recently as a non-union affiliate of Armeco
Construction and Development Ltd.”

He warned council that there was

“potential for labor unrest” if non-union ~

and union contractors were on the site at the
same time. He recommended lengthy delays
between various phases of the project to
ensure that union contractors were com-
pletely finished their work and _ their

employees off the site before S.G.M. began ~

In fact, his announced legislation would
presumably be aimed directly at forcing the
Building Trades to accept the presence of

* non-union workers on the site whatever

rates they were being paid.

That legislation cquld take many forms:
exclusion of the site from the provisions of
the Labor code, similar to the scheme laid
out in the secret “Draft 34” of the Labor
Code amendments; legislation stripping
Building Trades workers of their non-
affiliation clauses; or legislation banning
strikes.

Whatever form it may take, such legisla-
tion would be “without precedent”, Gautier
told Friday’s press conference.

Also without precedent is the advisory
committee proposed by Bennett. Although
it would be extra-parliamentary in nature, it
would apparently be given sweeping powers
to recommend legislative intervention to
government. |

According to Bennett, the committee’s
task “will be one of constant vigilance.

“The committee will not only monitor
progress on the site but will play a central
role in advising government should any real
or apprehended threat to Expo require legis-
lative intervention,” he stated.

Even the choice of his words “appre-
hended threat” — echoing Trudeau’s charge
of “apprehended insurrection” in justifying
the imposition of the War Measures Act in
1970 — was part of the Socreds’ campaign
to use the popularity of the fair to create an
anti-union climate.

set-up challenged at LRB

The Trades contend that S.G.M. Con- .

its work. Similarly, he recommended a
further delay to ensure S.G.M. was off the
site before a union paving contractor began
its work.

District Council of Carpenters represen-
tative Jeff Roger charged that Burnaby
council, by going with S.G:M., knowing its
history, was “aiding and abetting a union

‘company to set up a non-union arm.”

Newspaper
Guild sets
up pickets

The Vancouver-New Westminster
Newspaper Guild joined members 0
the five striking printing craft unions
on the picket line around Pacific
Press Apr. 11, after mediation
with the company hit the same ston
wall that had blocked negotiations 4
the outset.

The Guild had entered mediatiov
Apr. 9 to discuss several issues PeC™™
iar to the union, but asked mediator
Jack Chapelas to book out after
Pacific Press refused even to discuss
any of the Guild’s contract proposé™

“The company absolutely reel
to deal with any peculiar issues, ” said
Jim Young, president of the 95
member union.

The company did indicate that it
was prepared to put a wage offer ©
zero, six and six per cent over three
years on the table — but only if the
Guild dropped all its proposals.

The offer was essentially an echo
of the company’s opening position in
which it stated that it would discuss 4”
wage increase only in the second a”
third years of a three-year contract
and wanted all other issues elimi
nated from bargaining.

The mediator also said that the
company offer was “close” to the
offer made to the five craft unions,
indicating Pacific Press was seeking
to play one group off agains!
another. 3

A Guild bulletin noted that strike
action was taken to ensure that any
offer made to the craft unions woul
also be available to the Guild.

The Guild was expelled from the
joint council last month when t
opted for mediation as the othet
unions were preparing for strikes
action.

However, the Guild stated that it
would only discuss its own issues dul
ing mediation, the most critical on®
being technological change.

Pacific Press is embarking on 4
massive computerization of its entire
editorial, clerical, accounting and cif
culations operations which will ee
in in the elimination of scores of jobS
and cause major disruption in virtu-
ally every department.

The Guild is seeking new conta
provisions to provide for economi¢
justification of layoffs; the establish-
ment of plant-wide seniority, training
and relocation guarantees tof
employees displaced by technological —
change; adequate rest breaks fot
VDT users; and abolition of the cur-
rent company practice of using tem-
porary employees in place of full-
time workers.

RIBUNE

Published weekly at 2681 East Hastings Street :
Vancouver, B.C. VSK 1Z5. Phone 251-1186

Postal Code

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