LABGR

Frcnett:

Tepid response to CFL call
puts convention off ’til 82

OTTAWA — The foundation of the much-heralded
Canadian Federation of Labor, under the *‘road-runner”’
leadership of the U.S.-directed Canadian building trades
unions, has been tentatively put off until June, 1982.

In a statement issued Sept. 29, Ken Rose and Jim
McCambly chairman and executive secretary, respec-
tively, of the AFL-CIO’s Building and Construction
Trades Department, Canadian Executive Board, cited
late negotiations with the Canadian Labor Congress
(CLC) as the reason a constitution, policy papers and
administrative arrangements for the founding conven-
tion weren't possible to complete in time for the
scheduled founding, Nov. 2-4.

The projected convention date will follow next
spring’ s biennial CLC convention. With more than just a
little “‘tongue in cheek’’, the Rose-McCambly letter
suggest the timing of the second foundation date will
“allow (the CLC) to demonstrate practically and
constitutionally their intentions with regard to our
unions and the organized labor movement. We will be
able to settle once and for all whether the CLC want us as
affiliated unions or whether their refusal to satisfy our
legitimate concerns is only an excuse to be aggressive.”’

Notwithstanding McCambly and Rose’s tough talk
about giving the 2-million member CLC time to fall into
line with the leadership of a couple hundred thousand
building trades workers, CLC supporters in the year-
long war, from both the congress itself and among grass
roots building trades workers fighting for Canadian

autonomy, inner union, democracy, and nity of the
whole labor movement, point out that the response from
the building trades unions themselves has been de-
cidedly lukewarm to the foundation of an opposition
labor centre to the CLC.

Besides open revolt by unions such as the Ironwork-
ers, and the Laborers, important sections of other unions
like the Carpenters and even Rose's own International
Brotherhood of Electrical Workers have resisted the
pressure to jump on the CFL bandwagon.

Many of the most vocal activists against this made-
in-Washington split of the labor movement have been
derisively referring to the CFL as a second Canadian

Football League, others are even going so far as to |

compare the CFL to the hapless Toronto Argonauts.

Sources close to the CLC-Building Trades fight have
been pointing out that the CFL planners have been
unsuccessful in carrying out earlier boasts of not only
uniting all building trades unions in this divisive centre,
but have also failed in attracting other elements of the
CLC allegedly dissatisfied with the congress. To say
response to this invitation has been low key to date, by
those prospective forces is to plumb the depths of under-
statement.

A case in point was the disastrous meeting scheduled
last June slated to discuss the possible formation of a
second central which even failed to attract some of the
most ardent supporters of the AFL-CIO plan.

450 at Boeing stand firm

By JOE HILL

WINNIPEG — Four hundred
and fifty workers at Boeing of
Canada’s Winnipeg operation are
standing firm in the second week
of their strike against the giant
American aerospace corporation.

The workers, members of
Local 2169 UAW, walked off the
job Oct. 18 to back demands for a
first contract. Negotiations broke
off when the company’s chief
negotiator flew back to Seattle the
day before the strike deadline and
have not been reopened.

Union representatives report
support for the strike and morale
on the round-the-clock picket-
lines as very high. Harold Dyck,
chairman of the strike committee
said, ‘‘We won our certification in
March with 60% support. We won
our strike vote in September with
86% support. After the company
drew the battle lines with its final
offer, we have over 95% sup-
port.””

The main issues concern Boe-
ing’s money offer, éspecially the
lack of any cost-of-living clause,
cutbacks in benefits and overtime

rates, no seniority and the com-
pany’s demand for an open shop.

The company wage offer is
31% over three years with yearly

increases of 11, 10 and 10%. As.

well, there’s an additional five
cents per hour increment every 16
weeks. But with a $2 spread in
each job classification, it will take
up to 13 years to reach the top rate
in any classification. This incre-
ment represents amaximum of 6%
over three years.

Because of re-classification, 75
persons will receive less than 11%
in the first year and an addition 16
will receive no increase at all.
There are at least 93 different
wage rates for the 450 employees
because of management’s posi-
tion that undefined factors such as
‘‘productivity’’ and ‘‘depend-
abilty’’ take precedence over
seniority.

Union attempts to maintain an
orderly picket line were disrupted
a number of times including two
serious incidents. In the first, a
picketer was struck by a car dri-
ven by a management person
leaving the plant. The striker was

taken to hospital for treatment to
an injured leg and Winnipeg
police are investigating the hit and
run.

The second case involved the
arrest of strike chairman Dyck
when he blocked a truck crossing
the picket line at Wascan, a small
Boeing auxillary plant. Police
have refused to allow union
members to follow the normal
practice of speaking to the driver.
The truck was owned by. Cana-
dian National, but did not have its
usual union driver. The following
day officials from the CBRT &
GW were present along witha TV
crew at a reinforced picket line
and no more trucks have crossed.

Local and national support for
the Boeing workers is growing.
All area unions are respecting the
strike and resolution of support
has. come from the Winnipeg
Labor Council. UAW Locals 112
at DeHavilland and 1967 at Doug-
las have sent messages of support
from Ontario. Local 112 has also

voted to send money to the

Christmas fund as the Boeing
workers prepare for a long batile.

Anti-racism drive
aims to unite
labor, OFL says

TORONTO — A $100,000 campaign by the Ontario
Federation of Labor was launched Oct. 26 to help work-

ers fight racism in our society as it is used increasingly by _

the establishment to divide and weaken the labor move-
ment.

A 30-second television commercial, four color posters
and a special leaflet to be distributed among federation
affiliates were unveiled by OFL president Cliff Pilkey at
a press conference at the Ontario legislature.

Pilkey noted that racism tends to flourish in tough
economic times when the competition for jobs, housing,
education, social services is intense.

“Rather than blame the system for our economic and
social ills, many single out visible minorities as scape-
goats’, Pilkey said, ‘‘and that’s racism.”

Accompanying Pilkey in the launching of the anti-
racism campaign were the OFL’s human rights director
Shelley Acheson, OFL Secretary-Treasurer Terry
Meagher, and Sean O’Flynn president of the 60,000-
member Ontario Public Services Employees Union,
(OPSEU).

‘The OPSEU president told reporters that the current
period of economic hardship for workers was the best
time for the trade union movement to launch such a
campaign. ‘‘It is important for the trade union movement
to be seen trying to make this society a better place to
live in’’, he said.

The demand for such a campaign came from last
year’s OFL convention, and the federation representa-
tives at the press conference outlined plans, subject to
approval by next month’s annual federation convention,
for a series of anti-racism seminars involving workers at
the movement’s grass roots and the local labor councils.

The federation will try to get government buildings,
private companies, places of employment along with
union organizations to display the poster and OFL lea-
flet. The 30 second TV clip has been produced so as to
allow local labor councils to make use of it in their areas
and attach their own messages to it when displaying it on
local cable and other TV outlets.

Meagher pointed out that part of the labor movement’s
concern about racism and the increased activity of white
supremacist and fascist groups like the Ku Klux Klan
and the Western Guard spurred the OFL into action in
fighting to bring clarity and unity to the labor movement.

Pilkey, Acheson, Meagher and O’Flynn all stressed the
_ need to have a strong labor movement united and di-

rected toward fighting for legislative changes to outlaw
racism as well as tackling the economic problems which
encourage its growth.

‘“We’re concerned because we appreciate that racism
by its very nature is anti-labor’’, the OFL president said.
“It divides working people and creates artificial barriers
that undermine solidarity at the bargaining table and in
the community.”

O’Flynn added that labor hopes ‘the campaign will ~

emphasize the positive role immigrants have played in
helping to build up our society over the years. ‘‘With this
campaign we’re following in the best traditions of the
labor movement in showing leadership in our society.

Ontario Federation of Labor poster.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—NOV. 6, 1981—Page 8 —