_ feond phase of Operation Solidarity’s

Support for gov't workers crucial — Rush

Wednesday, Nov. 9, 1983

Newsstand @GeRTANO 48
price 3
40c Vol. 46, No. 42

Teachers’ president Larry Kuehn.
os and other workers in the e e e ~
lucation sector were set to join the B.C. i d t i i BC 'G pe U k t i
Government Employees Union on the oO 4 Gq ri y S VWV és S fe © C ee : n e
Picket lines Nov. 8 — and their action will af a
Put a list of education issues on the ae — > — le sae
bargaining table to be resolved as partof} = . . ‘ .
any settlement agreement with the pro-
Vincial government.

RS

The education sector walkout is the se-

€scalating public sector strike. The B.C.
Teachers’ Federation which, with 30,000
Members, is the largest group, gave for-
Mal strike notice Nov. 2, setting the stage
for the action Tuesday.

If the Socred government had still not
Teached an agreement with the BCGEU
— which must also cover public sector
workers throughout the province — the
teachers were to walk off the job along
with members of the Canadian Union of
Public Employees and other unions in-
Cluding the Carpenters which represent
School board employees, as well as the
sociation of University and College
ployees.

iy
SUPPORT

LOWER MAINLAND

ow ©

Riembere cr the Lower Mainland Solidarity Coalition showed the true B.C. spirit Friday, joining the BCGEU picket at the
Robson Square complex in Vancouver.

Local coalitions ready for action

‘Sees
Solidarity Coalitions around the province —_ Solidarity co-ordinator John Weir told the _ line support, “there has been a tremendous
Some faculty associations at colleges | were bargaining to move strike support pro- Tribune Nov. 4. amount of public support. ee
around the province have voted to par- | grams into action this week as public sector At that meeting, some 100 representatives People already realize that the strike in-
Ucipate directly in the strike while others | unions poised for what appeared to beanin- —_ from every local union in the area as well as volves more than the. BOGEU »”’ she said,
have Stated that they will honor picket | — evitable escalation Tuesday. community groups sat down together to set echoing Weir scomments. And think asit
“Tes put up by support staff. And the reports from Coalition plans for co-ordination if the strike escalates, they'll see the issues even more.

: : inati The Coalition organizing effort has so far
of them have been directly af- anizers — of well-attended, co-ordinated _ escalated. Co-ordinating centres aretobeset .
fected, not only by Bill 3 — the central | O'S d growing lists of volunteers for up as well in Nelson and Castlegar. been carried out by scores of volunteers
issue ; rar : meetings and gr: : f At first, they will involve mainly bolster- | working from their homes but the same day
© hn the initial BCGEU strike — but | picket line support — tell a different fo See oie the teachers were set to walk out, the Coali-
by Bill 6, the Education Finance | the story from that presented in daily televi- Ing picket lines and making sure that :

€ndment Act which will freeze and everybody’s ‘‘got enough people and _ tion was to open a new co-ordinating office

: : sion and newspaper reports. ee : mee : :
cen Zeduce school funding and impose | nS weeks ago representatives of the  SROUEY HERS” Gil 8 te et re, MLA Claude Richmond.
totia, Ang con making from he | Solidarity Coalition voted unanimously to ion. Weir said. in addition to the regular picket fide sun
Datigh avec ny noe ce cis | give Tull support to ane: BA. overniisnt “T think people realize that there is alot port — which will be beefed up after Nov. 8
tion ee, tebe sores Employees in whatever action ee more at stake than government workers,” _— the Coalition has been working with
ac, Paderition of Labor president compelled to take, ee ma care he said. various community organizations in setting

AitKubesaid Nov. 4tatiftheescalation | ANG NO, OS re Tung tt eee ere line maeen: asst the ske effort, Haman sad.

What is not’ necessarily a legally con- | pledge into tangible support. dent Canadian unions — despite the linger- The Coalition also has @ meeting set up

Stituted strike (and) once they start walk- “We've had pretty firm expressions of _ing bitterness left by the raid a year ago. this week with Operation Solidarity unions
islati y — in fact In Kamloops where, according to coor- _ to co-ordinate activities.

» the legislation and the budget | support everywhere we've gone »

Priorities will be attacked.” had the biggest Coalition meetingeveron. —_dinator Colleen Hamilton, the Coalition has “There are a lot of people working really
= ACCESS page 12 oS, Tan ihe ay the strike began,” Trail already been active organizing regular picket See STRIKE page 3