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Equal pay, building trades
campaigns for Calgary labor

By DAVE WALLIS

CALGARY — Women’s equality, unity of
building trades workers with the Canadian Labor
Congress, (CLC) and support for the provincial
labor federation’s workers’ rights campaign filled
the Calgary labor council's agenda, April 6.

Bill Finn of the Alberta Union of Provincial
Employees (AUPE), outlined his union’s cam-
paign for equal rights for women workers in the
Alberta Government. Under the slogan **Equality

. is not all in the tie’’, AUPE has launched a broad
campaign throughout Alberta to highlight in union
as well as public meetings the discrimination
against women in the public service.

Finn said AUPE is trying to “‘encourage our
members that political action does not come every
four years, when we are expected to vote for god.”
This was a reference to Tory premier Peter
Lougheed’s majority government which holds 74
of the 79 legislature seats.

The AUPE campaign will also involve taking the
issues directly to the provincial government
through a massive demonstration on the legislature
steps. Finn said women are enthusiastically back-
ing the union's fight and the two key issues of equal
pay for work of equal value and better employment
opportunities for women.

One of the difficulties AUPE faces, Finn said is
that the union is always the last to find out about
any actions planned by the provincial government

Rip-off Nonsense!

Labor council’s executive secretary, Bill Patter-
son supported the council’s resolution for labor
unity within the CLC and pointed out that the
building trades had connections with the Calgary
Labor Council and its predecessor, the old Trades
and Labor Council, since 1904 when the Plumbers °
union joined. He stressed the efforts being made to
keep the building trades within the CLC and urged
construction locals to pay their per capita dues
directly to the congress.

The council also threw its full support behind the
Alberta Federation of Labor's petition campaign
demanding the passage into law of the AFL’s
declaration of Workers’ Rights adopted at Feb-
Tuary’s annual federation convention. |

The AFL plans to deliver the petitions to the .
provincial government during a demonstration
outside the legislature on May Day.

In supporting the AFL’s campaign the council
delegates also called for action by the federation to
oppose two recently passed anti-labor laws. The
resolution called for strong action against Bill 79
amending the Labor Relations Act, and Bill 80
changing the Employment Standards Act, and cal-
led on the AFL to create an affiliate committee to
set up an action program to defeat this regressive
legislation.

Wage Controls
In other business, delegates responded angrily to

JA Armstrong, Chairman Imperial O1 Limited

People are always crucifying multinationals
like us. They say we're dishonest, that we
fix oil prices. So we're blowing a couple of | |
hundred grand on ads that say we don't. |
Besides, just because you fix. things
doesn't mean you're dishonest. Carpenters. .
fix things, they're honest. |
Why, even Jesus was a carpenter. He .
was honest. And look what they did to him.

that will affect the members. He noted that in the

recent throne speech opening the Alberta legisla-

ture, plans were revealed to bring two hospitals

directly under board status, thus casting doubt on

the hospital workers’ collective bargaining rights.
Per Capita to CLC

On the critical issue of the unity of the Canadian

labor movement, threatened by a breaking away of

. building trades from the CLC, the council passed a
resolution urging the building trades union affiliates
to stay inside the CLC.

Carpenters Local 1779 delegates Nat Serghetti
and Ed Smith told the council their local had re-
cently been unanimous in passing a resolution to
give serious consideration to paying their per
capita dues payments directly to the CLC.

the recent rumors that the federal government is
considering the reintroduction of wage controls.
Vic Carr, Local 373A United Food and Com-
mercial Workers noted: “* There is a whisper catn-
paign with small items appearing in the news-
papers; with government leaks; and with docu-
ments in the hands of (NDP federal leader) Ed
Broadbent. :

“It’s clear that the government is testing the
wind as to how workers will react’’, Carr said.
‘‘ The government is suggesting wage controls, this
time with no mention of prices.”’

He warned that the public sector will be in the
first line of attack, all under the guise of
‘‘controlling inflation’. Yet wages, he said, in-
creased by just over 10% in 1980 while the cost of
living rose by 12%.

|

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In the parlance of trade-unionism two diseases hold
special threat to wages, working conditions and sec-
urity. :

One is scabbing, the use of outside labor to break
workers’ strikes and their unions. The other is raid-
ing, divisjons inside the trade union movement where
fratricidal battles between unions weaken their unity
and set them up for attack by employers.

The Canadian trade union movement has had its
share of both these diseases. Since the creation of one
labor centre, the Canadian Labor Congress in 1958,
and the end of the cold war carry over into the Cana-
dian trade union movement, we have been fairly clear
of raiding in Canada, although instances have cropped
up from time to time.

Raiding is abhorrent to working people. For this
reason it is almost always cloaked in the cloth of
righteousness. During the cold war period whole
unions were smashed, such as the Mine, Mill and
Smelter Workers Union by the Steelworkers Union in
the name of anti-communism. There is little evidence
to prove that metal miners in the country have bene-
fitted from that change in their jurisdiction. Bigger has
not proved to be better.

A considerable part of the energies of the trade
union and entire labor movement, were absorbed by
raiding in the 50s and early 60s. This had an extremely
negative influence on the wages and working condi-
tions of the workers concerned. Beyond this, how-
ever, it helped to divide the labor movement politi-
cally as well as economically and made it very difficult
for it to pursue its objectives in the political arena.

Raiding, under whatever guise, does not help the
workers. It always helps the boss.
he is to be hoped that this lesson is sufficiently

embossed in the experience of the Canadian trade

union movement that it does not find itself drawn into

the trap of raiding in the difficult period it now finds

itself in — the dispute with the building trades unions.
* * *

It is no secret that some right-wing trade union
leader in Steel, as well as other unions, would wel-

Labor in action
William Stewart

come an excuse to open up wholesale raiding against
building trades jurisdictions, industrial and otherwise.
Some Steel leaders have already been smelling
around building trades unions like vultures. An attack
is already under way in Thompson Lake against
building trades jobs in the mill there. Nor can one
view with any particular pleasure the decision by the
United Automobile Workers union to take over the
workers of Electrohome in Cambridge, Ontario, from

"the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

It may well be true that the initiative was taken there
by the workers concerned, but surely at this time the
overall interests of resolving the present dispute be-
tween the CLC and the building trades unions in a
united and disciplined way, takes precedence over
adding a few hundred workers to one’s jurisdiction.
Particularly so since the workers concerned are not in
the UAW jurisdiction to begin with.

Many industrial unions are confronted with difficult

: Raiding hurts workers, helps the boss i

times. Their membership is shrinking under the im-
pact of the economic crisis and technological change.
This is giving rise to talks of mergers in order to
strengthen bargaining jurisdictions. There may be
some sense in this approach, although it is policies
and determination and militancy that determines suc-
cess in collective bargaining at this. difficult period,
not just size. ;
Certainly one solution which will not bring di-
vidends, is raiding, either for the raided or the raiders.

What is required at this critical juncture is firm .

leadership from the Canadian Labor Congress and
provincial federations on this front.

Clear and unmistakable statements denouncing in
advance all raiding are demanded from Dennis
McDermott and the executive of the Canadian Labor
Congress, as well as from the executives of provincial
federations, and local labor councils.

The important and principled struggle being waged
by the Canadian Labor Congress to help building
trades workers secure full Canadian autonomy and
inner union democracy, and at the same time to pre-
serve the democratic rank and file character of the
Canadian Labor Congress, deserves the full support
of organized labor.

It may indeed be a long and difficult battle. But if |

waged in a principled and united fashion it is bound to
be a win for building trades workers and Canadian
trade unionists as a whole.

If, however, it is dragged into the swamp of raiding »

and splitting, workers will have a difficult time indeed
divining their friends from their enemies and only the.
boss will score a victory. :

voice. No raiding.

Workers across Canada need to demand, in =

PACIFIC TRIBUNE—APRIL 24, 1981— Page 8