eet . 2 4, GRAI a... fa a SS 5 ESS C ot Ser ie > .t wagers, moots orcs ~ . Saog od tr = ue RPT PTR leat toy olan § we OS Oe es i wish wll 3 htt side lerry Christmas Sts sips Ss Seats Sis ios Niet Ss a 1 ya td We DUC id nen. a 7 ae Ate ez RA {wer be Or fhe b) tO RE tp OGL 3 OM “oy 2 Sg AT Ns Gg Ga Regional Council Wa members and their families at ua a Happy New Gear Vol. XLVIII No. 10 VANCOUVER, B.C. ISSN 0049-7371 NOV.-DEC., 1980 B.C. TEL WORKERS FIGHTING ANTI-UNION EMPLOYER By PHILLIP LEGG Assistant Regional Research Director The bitter labour dispute at B.C. Tel represents a continuing struggle for members of the Telecommunications Workers’ Union who have been without a contract for almost one year. Unlike the negotiations in the B.C forest industry where the IWA negotiates a master agreement with many employers, the TWU negotiates with one employer, B.C. Tel. Although negotiating with one employer should reduce the probability of conflict in the case of B.C. Telephone Company that rule of thumb goes out the window. There are many reasons for this, but the most fundamental is the fact that B.C. Telis not an ordinary B.C. company — itisa private monopoly which provides a public utility-like service and yet is more than 50 percent controlled by the giant U.S. multi- national General Telephone and Electron- ics (GTE). GTE’s track record in the U.S. has been very anti-union. In two instances, one in California, the other in Florida, GTE decided to take on the union representing the local telephone workers. In both instan- ces there was extensive use of scab labour RETURN REQUESTED (3) oY \ £, £8 a mw Ss ogi] DE 5& si o8 2u @62| FO kS : ° 3 1 BY Bol Bil eée ws ner as | SSE ES * load MO m va) F Set se oe fe lone! xt “4 eras mn re x9 oz or > Os t COD & =e arwsra> 8 HE 25 Du me wo. ZR and in both instances GTE managed to break the union. It is not surprising that when GTE took over control of B.C. Tel it embarked on an anti-union course. Starting in 1967, B.C. Tel began to develop “supervisory personnel’. These people did the same work as bargain- ing unit people, but were placed outside the bargaining unit by the company because they were deemed to be supervisors. The union made several attempts to correct this situation but they were faced with a labour code, the Canada Labour Code, (B.C. Tel is in the federal jurisdiction), that is not sympathetic to the needs of workers. Several times the TWU asked the Canada Labour Board to make B.C. Tel adhere to the original bargaining certifi- cate but the Board’s only response was inaction. In 1973, after the union negotiated a mechanism in their collective agreement which protected their jobs, the Canada Labour Board told them they did not have the right “to bargain for a definition of their bargaining unit”. It was back to square one for the TWU SEE “B.C. TEL” PAGE TWO LOGAL 1-207 NEGOTIATES NEW AGREEMENT One of the finest agreements obtained in the forest industry in Alberta was recently negotiated by Local 1-207 IWA, at the Weldwood of Canada’s Waferweld Division, Mitsue Park, Alberta. The two-year settlement, ratified by the crew by a ninety-seven percent vote November 28, provides for a base rate of $9.45 per hour immediately, and a twenty- six cent an hour increase effective April 1, 1981. Certified tradesmen will receive $12.88 per hour and $13.08 an hour effective April 1, 1981 Fringe benefits include: © Thirteen statutory holidays — eight named and five floaters. e [WA-Forest Industry Pension Plan cover- age. © Long term disability coverage. e Vacations with pay — same as wood- workers in British Columbia. © Complete medical coverage. SEE “AGREEMENT” PAGE TWO B.C. Federation of Labour delegates took time out from their recent convention to demonstrate their support for the Telecommunications Workers who have been in a bitter battle with their employer, B.C. Tel. Th B.C. Tel’s head office in Vancouver in a solid display of support for the Telecommunication workers.