2/Lumber Worker/March, 1980 “DAY-TO-DAY POLEMICS” The media’s pre-election determination that Joe Clark should have been re-elected as Prime Minister was the closest thing to unanimity we’ve seen in recent years. With the exception of Montreal’s “Le Devoir,” which endorsed the NDP, and the Toronto “Star,” which plumped for Trudeau, all of Canada’s major parties backed the Tories. The Vancouver Sun, The Province, The Victoria Colonist and Victoria Times all urged us to vote for Joe. Marjorie Nichols quotes ‘“‘a member of Mr. Clark’s inner cirlce”’ to the effect that “roughly 90 per cent of the press are in the Clark cheering section.” after observing herself that the fourth estate was “about as objective as Ken Read’s mother watching an international ski competition.” After the election, Southam news’ Charles Lynch observed wryly that the press led the list of all the campaigns’ losers, scoring a flat zero. FRENCH QUESTION Nor did the press limit its support for their man to the editorials. The Sun’s Michael Valpy wrote an astounding piece at the height of the campaign, in which he was positively transported with admiration for Joe’s capacity to survive a meeting of unhappy Ontario University students. “Joe is tough,” enthused Valpy, going on to detail how the then Prime Minister had responded to a question in French. Not to be outdone by the once-Liberal Sun, the Province weighed in with their Charles Lynch, who on page two of the February 12th edition offered the hard news that Clark was “flat out” and “bent on nipping Trudeau at the wire.” In the final week, we were treated by the Province to two large, front page, photographs of Joe. One was to record for posterity the historic moment when, fogged in at Campbell River, he hugged his daughter. The second en- shrined forever the instant during which he “took a minute to stretch during a break in an open-line talk show” (no kidding). Well, the IWA is not exactly non-partisan in these matters, and so cannot complain of newspapers campaigning for their choice. But two things bothered us. The first was the Province’s rational for their February 10 endorsation of Clark and the Tories. Pub- lisher Paddy Sherman explained that the endorsation was “another part of the ser- vice’”’ offered because they ‘“‘are in the information business, and we tend to spend more time studying issues and politicians than the average reader can.” LITTLE EVIDENCE If that is so, there was precious little evidence of it in the coverage. The energy issue in particular seemed to elude them. Time and time again they reiterated the obvious proposition that exploration had to be paid for. The question that from begin- ning to end they refused to deal with is “how should energy exploration be financed, and who should do it?” Canada’s “national magazine’ (Mac- leans) ran a story which explained NDP gains on the prairies solely in terms of Clark’s proposed 18¢ gas tax increase. We cannot speak for prairie voters, but every one of the hundreds of IWA people we spoke to was aware that Tory policy involved an increase in gas prices of at least 80¢ per gallon over four years; that most of that money would go to the Alberta Heritage Fund and the coffers of multinational cartels; that Petro-Can would be excluded from the strategic role of exploring in the tarsands, and so on. Ed Broadbent outlined these matters in his first major speech here, and CBC radio reported the occasion by offering verbatim quotes of the lone heckler in a crowd of thousands. (“Down with Socialism!’’) Indeed, the media generally did well what it always does well — the reporting of those events and processes that can be summar- ized in a 30 second spot, or its column-inch equivalent. As to anything more demanding, we invite Paddy Sherman to search the lines of his lead editorial of February 10th, in which we were urged to vote for Clark, for evidence of superior familiarity with the issues that confront Canadian voters. The second matter for concern is what can only be interpreted as a fit of pique on the part of the Western press when they learned that Canadians had not taken the advice so solemnly offered.” POLITICAL ISOLATION “B.C. in political isolation” screamed the Sun headline of February 19th, followed by a news story that “. .. a western separatist ... sentiment . . . was to be echoed and re-echoed across the West today...” We caught neither the echoes or the re-echoes. We heard from some people (including ourselves) who were generally delighted, and some who were disappointed. None were persuaded to tear up their mem- bership in the Canadian Federation, and none outside of the media suggested that if only Simma Holt were elected, the West would somehow be better represented. Nor did anyone outside of the press and the Liberal Senators they interviewed suggest that anybody in the Senate could ean be regarded as a representative of B.C. The Western Press was however outdone in bitterness by that of the East. Globe and Mail columnist Ronald Anderson modestly observed in his February 20th Report on Business that “‘Canadians, the election results show, are not yet ready to deal with . .. problems...” But the sour-grapes summit was really scaled on February 25th, the date of the Macleans issue which ran an article by Anthony Griffin, Chairman of the Halifax Insurance Company. TORY LOSS Mr. Griffin concluded his piece, generally bemoaning the Tory loss, with the carefully drafted proposition that if budgets and fiscal policies like those of Crosbie cannot succeed democratically, then ... “the next stage is autocracy.” Well, on the general theory that role- reversals are useful (they at least add piquancy), we offer some news to the media; (1) Western separation may be sweeping the media, but if it is, it is for lack of anything else to do. (2) We have elected our representatives to the Federal Parliament. We don’t like the Tory M.P.’s, but we’ll live with them until the next election rolls around. We don’t like the Liberal Government, but we’ll live with it, provided that the decision-makers are the ones properly elected to make decisions. No Senators, thank you. (8) As for Mr. Griffin, and Mr. Anderson they'll have to get used to the fact that the Canadian people chose not to accept their advice. MATERNITY LEAVE Legislation has added an extra four months of maternity leave for working mothers in Germany. The new law means working mothers can now have a total of eight months paid leave while retaining seniority and benefits. ADAMS STRIKERS NEED YOUR SUPPORT Now By TOM FAWKES B.C. Federation of Labour Twelve months is a long time to be on the picket line, and for the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union members on strike at Adams Labs the time they have spent on the picket line must seem like forever. It’s bad enough when you have the employer shut down tight and can draw some consolation from the fact that the employer is suffering too, but when you have to walk the picket line day in and day out watching scabs cross your picket line, and trucks roll out of the plant loaded with products, it’s hard on morale and makes the time on the picket line seem forever. That’s how the Adams Lab workers are feeling. Through the year there have been defeats and victories for the workers who are fighting the battle for a first contract. Eighteen of their co-workers were laid off in a move by the company to shake the confi- dence of the bargaining unit; the LRB upheld the layoffs, even though sixteen of the eighteen were union members. This severely cut into the membership. Of the fifty-six workers, twenty crossed the picket line and of the remaining thirty-six, sixteen were laid off, bringing the total number of union members down to only twenty. Asin any strike many of the twenty found other jobs but still a handful remain to carry on the fight. They have been harassed and jailed for their determination to win their right to a union and a collective agreement. A breakthrough came with the LRB decision to allow the union to picket one of Adams Lab’s largest customers. The Lon- don Drug chain has supported the employer since day one of the strike and is clearly an ally of Adams Lab. The company is appeal- ing the LRB decision because the picket lines mounted outside their stores are hurting them in the cash register. Many unions affiliated to the B.C, Federa- tion of Labour have joined their brothers and sisters on the picket line outside London Drug stores across the province. It is clear that it will take the solidarity of the entire labour movement to win this dispute. Just as clear should be the result if this employer is allowed to get away with strike breaking and scabbing. The B.C. labour movement will never be the same if we allow one employer, no matter how small, to get away with scabbing and strike breaking. None of us, big union or small union, can afford to allow such a thing to happen. The workers at Adams Lab are fighting hard and can be proud of themselves. Many have never belonged to a union before, they know little or nothing of trade union history, but they do know that they must win this struggle. They have shown the courage of their convictions and principles on the picket lines, in the courts, and in jail. The labour movement must now demonstrate that we recognize such courage by increas- ing the support we have already shown. The Adams Lab workers are doing all they can on their own but they need help to bolster the picket lines outside London Drugs. You can help with only a few hours of time. If you have a few hours to contribute to these workers’ struggle call the union at 879-2996 or 327-3644. _ We also want toremind you thatthe picket line outside London drug stores is a legal picket line and must be honoured. The picket line is the last line of defense the Adams Lab workers have and it must be honoured by all trade unionists. This year-long fight can be won, butit will take all of us to win.