LABGR

Parrot’s election reflects
delegates’ militant mood |

Special to the Tribune

WINNIPEG — Delegates to the
Canadian Labor Congress conven-
tion confirmed their commitment
to militant, organized resistance to
concessions and wage controls last
week with the election of Jean-
Claude Parrot, president of the Ca-
nadian Union of Postal Workers,
as a CLC vice-president at large.

Parrot’s narrow victory over
Don Nicholson, president of the
Canadian Brotherhood of Rail-
way, Transport and General
Workers, marked the first time in
many conventions that an in-
dividual candidate has broken the
Official slate advanced by the in-
cumbent officers.

Although Parrot’s tally of 1,193
votes put him in last place and only
66 votes ahead of Nicholson, - the
victory would have been inconceiv-
able only two years ago.

The militant spirit of the dele-
gates was underlined in the final
minutes of the convention Friday
as a resolution demanding nation-
alization of the banks was endorsed
unanimously.

The motion had been amended
to include nationalization after a
much weaker resolution proposed
by the officers earlier in the week
had been rc “~rred back by an indig-

~ nant conventiv.. for strengthening.

Parrot’s vote, and the impressive
total recorded by UFAWU secre-
tary-treasurer George Hewison in

his second attempt to unseat CLC

~ secretary Donald Montgomery,
showed that Canadian workers
have taken a sober assessment of
the current crisis and are readying
for militant, national mass action
to win fundamental reforms.

Parrot spoke several times dur-
ing the convention, including once
in debate on support for the NDP.
In a speech that characterized his
outspoken defence of what he sees
as key trade union principles, he
urgd an end to unqualified support
for the NDP.

Although himself a New Demo-
crat, Parrot argued that unquali-
fied support is turning the union
movement away from trade union

JEAN-CLAUDE PARROT
breaks official CLC slate.

. Hewi-
son’s increased vote indicator of
convention mood.

CAMPAIGN LEAFLET. .

issues to political mobilization
alone.

Hewison’s head-on-head con-
frontation with Montgomery pitt-

ed the views of a newly-formed Ac-
tion Caucus at the convention

against the policies and practices of -

the CLC leadership. Hewison won
741 votes to Montgomery’s 1,366,
about 35 percent of the totaland up

significantly from his showing in .

1980.

As the 2,500 delegates headed
for home, they had added an un-
precedented pledge for all-out re-
sistance to wage controls and con-
cessions to the CLC’s already-for-
midable economic program.

CLC president Dennis McDer-

mott told reporters as the conven-:

tion adjourned that the Congress’
first test will come in Quebec,
where the CLC will unite with other
trade union centres in that province
to fight-a newly-introduced: Parti
Quebecois budget that strips $300
million from the pockets of public
sector workers.

Hewison termed the convention
a ‘100 percent success,’’ particu-
larly by the standards set by the
fledgling Action Caucus. A loose
coalition of several unions, includ-
ing the UFAWU, the United Elec-
trical Workers and CUPW, the
caucus drew several hundred dele-
gates from many local unions to its
daily convention meetings.

Working froma program calling
for thorough economic reforms

and a firm CLC commitment to

RIiBUNE

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JUNE 4, 1982—Page 12 ~

mass mobilization, the caucus was
able to organize and lead the sub-
stantial section of convention dele-
gates determined to win militant
policies.

“We got the policies of fight-
back and a commitment to mobil-
ize,”” Hewison said. ‘‘My decision
to run highlighted that. It was de-
signed to give focus to the issues
and a large portion of the conven-
tion responded. ©

“Parrot’s election is the cherry
on top of the sundae of a very suc-
cessful convention. The delegates
to this convention want a funda-
mental shift.”’

Creation of a stable caucus was
the most basic achievement. Fail-
ure to develop a similar coalition at
the 1980 convention led to months
of preparation this year to lay the
groundwork for cooperation
among unions with similar con-
cerns.

(Also active at the convention
was a much smaller group calling,
itself the Open Rank and File Cau-
cus, which agreed with most of the
Action Caucus’ policy views but
differed seriously on tactics.)

Working. from research pre-
pared in advance, Action Caucus
delegates were able to review up-
coming resolutions on a daily basis
and plana response. More than 300
delegates participated in one or
more. of the caucus’ seven meet-
ings.

The convention’s achievements
after five.days of debate were pri-
marily in the economic field: con-
firmation of the CLC’s 10-point
program to control interest rates,
adoption of a policy statement on
economic development, adoption
of a statement on wage concessions
and agreement to mobilize a gen-
eral strike if necessary to fight wage
controls.

McDermott gathered the presi-
dents of the affiliated unions in a
private meeting on the second day
of the convention and obtained a
‘commitment in blood’’ that none
would give in to concession de-
mands.

Those who failed the test would
be isolated in the labor movement,
he said, arguing it would be better
to let a plant close than to surrender
long-standing wage and contract
conditions.

In contrast to the unity on eco-
nomic questions, the CLC remain-
ed divided on questions of trade
union unity and international af-
fairs. Adopted over the protests of
many delegates were a series of
resolutions one delegate termed
“to the right of the United

Church”’ on international solidar-.

ity, peace and human rights.

The Congress also remained in-
flexible on its suspension of the
Building Trades unions, some of
which now have created the Cana-
dian Federation of Labor. Women
delegates were infuriated by the
short shrift given to women’s ques-
tions and debate on health and
safety bogged down in procedural
matters as delegates attempted to
force the leadership to bring for-
-ward key resolutions.

As Hewison concluded at con-
.on’s end, “‘in many respects,.
delegates to this convention are
ad of the congress leadership.”

Contracting-out vote
overrides opposition

Haul-Away Disposal chalked
up another victim May 25 when
Coquitlam city council in a 4-2
decision gave the firm the con-
tract to collect the municipal-
ity’s garbage, throwing 21 civic
employees out of work.

In doing so the council ignor-
ed the wishes of 7,200 citizens
who signed a petition calling for
retention of the publicly-owned
service. The petition was pre-
sented at the meeting by the civic
workers’ union, the Canadian
Union of Public Employees.

The sanitation workers,
members of CUPE Local 386,
booked off sick in protest the
following day. They will be laid
off June 25.

In a brief to council, Eunice
Parker of the progressive. civic
organization, the Association of
Coquitlam Elections (ACE), ar-
gued for a public meeting to air
all the facts surrounding the is-
sue. Despite council’s decision,
ACE made plans to hold a meet-
ing Thursday night, and invited
the mayor and council to attend,
Parker told the Tribune.

The only councillors to op-

pose.the move were Gloria Levi
and Lou Sekora. ACE alder-
man Len Bewley broke ranks
with his labor-oriented organi-
zation in voting for the contract-
“ing-out proposal.

Haul-Away - president Len
Remple has been making the
rounds of Lower Mainland mu-

nicipalities lately, attempting to-

woo city councils into privatiz-
ing public sanitation services by

_ Offering cut-rate prices. While

Surrey, Delta and most recently
West Vancouver have opted for
Haul-Away’s services, Remple
has been rebuffed in recent at-
tempts with Vancouver and
ag Vancouver District coun-

S.

Haul-Away’s cost estimates
bear little resemblance to reality,
according to CUPE national
representative Don Cott, who
presented the 7 ,200-name peti-
tion at the May 25 council meet-
ing.

Jobless lobby June 7

The B.C. Federation of La-
bor’s efforts on behalf of the
province’s jobless workers will
focus ona conference and lobby
in Victoria Sunday and Mon-
day.

- An anticipated 200 delegates
will gather at the Union Centre
at 2750 Quadra St. 9 a.m. Sun-
day to hear key speakers and
engage in discussion work-
shops, according to B.C. Fed
vice-president Bill Clark.

On Monday the delegates,

sent by union locals and labor

councils, will carry the confer-
ence message to MLAs in a lob-
by effort, said Clark, who heads

the Federation’s unemployed

committee.

Federation president Jim
Kinnaird and B.C. NDP leader
Dave Barrett will be the featured
speakers, and MLAs are invited
to attend. Papers on unemploy-
ment insurance, exchange con-

* demonstration to coincide with

Cott told the Tribune there
were wide discrepancies in fig-
ures from various civic officials.

The private firm’ will receive
$38.40 per household a year
over a five-year contract. Cott —
said charges to the city could in- "
crease rapidly over the years if
Coquitlam continues to grow at
its current rate, something pro-
ponents of the privatized system
ignored.

Cott also said the private sys- a |

tem is cheaper only when com- —
pared to the current city practise ©
of three-man garbage trucks.
Council ignored the union’s
proposal to reduce crews to two
collectors paid with incentive
bonuses, which would undercut
Haul-Away’s. charges by about
$42,000.

In Coquitlam, Haul-Away’s —
operators will be required to buy
their own trucks and hire their
own crews, operating on the ba-
sis of the more garbage collect-
ed, the more they will get paid.

“The result will be a non- ©
union, highball operation, ex- —
tracting inhuman productivity
levels from workers in order for
each truck to make a profit and
fulfill its overall commitment to
the company and the municipal-
ity,’’ Parker argued at the coun-
cil meeting. ©. :

The ACE activist said many
cities in Canada had studied the

private collection system and re- —

jected it. She cited the example
of Ottawa where the contractor
locked out former civic employ-
ees and brought in strikebreak- —
ers, and noted that Trail had re-
cently decided to return toa city- ©
owned system after five years of
contracting.
Private companies exist to
make a profit, Parker warned.
“Once the district is committed
to a contract, has sold off its
equipment, we could be caught
in a deal where costs would con-
tinue to escalate each year. A
contractor would have access to
almost unlimited profits andthe —
municipalities would face astro-
nomical costs,”’ she said.

trols and the nationalization of
industries will be among those
discussed at the conference.
While action on the
province’s growing unemploy-
ment crisis has been welcomed,
many trade unionists have been
critical of the Federation’s low-
key response to date.
Noteworthy is the fact that
the labor central rejected num-
erous requests from labor coun-
cils and local unions for a mass

the opening of the legislative as-
sembly Apr. 5.

The B.C. Fed, meanwhile,
has distributed a leaflet pointing
out various services available to
B.C.’s jobless including instruc-
tions on how to apply for Ul
and welfare. :

This weekend’s conference 1S {|
similarly low-key. There has

been little advance notice of the
meeting.

—