LABOR

AFL delivers a clear
message — no retreat

Special to the Tribune

_ EDMONTON — President Dave Wer-

lin set the tone for the Alberta Federation
of Labor’s annual convention in his
Opening address on April 28th. Werlin
launched a blistering attack on the cor-
Porate agenda for Canada, zeroing in on
free trade, privatization and deregulation
and the waste of vast amounts of capital
in the recent wave of corporate take-
Overs and mergers.

“The only investments being made are
for mergers and takeovers which con-
Sume capital but do not create one new
Plant or one new job,” Werlin charged.
He stressed the importance of a militant,
Unified labor fightback, citing the long
bitter struggle at Gainers.

“The non-neutral role of the state was
never more apparent than in the use of
the courts and the riot squads against
Striking Gainers workers,”’ Werlin said.

It was only through the unity of the
abor movement, the effective boycott
and the support by church, farm and
Community groups that Pocklington was
Stopped.”’
_ The AFL leader also emphasized the
Importance of broad social support to the
Success of the Federation’s ongoing
Change the Law’ campaign.

Solidarity March

_ At noon on the first day of the conven-
tion, over 500 delegates marched to the
CN building and the main post office to
demonstrate their support for the postal
and rail unions. Both CUPW President
Jean-Claude Parrot and CBRT & GW
Vice-President Jim Stornisbliss warned
of looming national strikes because of the
Nigid and massive concession demands of
the two crown corporations. Dave Wer-
lin assured the postal and rail workers
that the AFL had learned a valuable les-
Son from Gainers, and was already

Mobilizing support for postal and railway
Workers.

Parrot was later the keynote speaker at
the convention, where he praised the
fightback of Alberta workers at Suncor,

€tchers, Gainers and Zeidlers.

rhe message is clear,” Parrot said,

When the labor movement is united in
action we will not and we cannot be
defeated.” He warned of the co-
Ordinated attack on the rights and stan-
dards of working people by the business
Sector and its organizations like the

Business Council on National Issues and
the Canadian Federation of Independent
Business.

Parrot lampooned the continued prom-
ises of jobs from business and their
political allies in the attempt to sell their
agenda to working people. ‘‘Since when
have these people from the corporate
elite ever been concerned with jobs for
working people?’’ Parrot asked. ‘‘Is it
not these same people who support cut-
backs in the public sector and who op-
pose job creation measures proposed by
the labor movement?”’

Parrot concluded by calling for a pro-
gram to unite the entire working class
and our allies in the community.

Labor’s Fightback

The major policy paper of the conven-
tion, entitled For Jobs & Social Justice —
Building on 75 Years of Union Solidarity
was dealt with over two days. The 18-
page document first focused on exposing
the corporate agenda for Alberta. It brie-
fly analyzed the world-wide crisis in all
capitalist economies that has triggered
the current attack on workers’ rights and
incomes.

The corporate agenda to free the
movement of capital, plants and equip-
ment, and goods throughout the world
was dealt with in terms of its initiatives
for free trade, deregulation and privatiza-
tion. The country-wide legislative attack
on union rights was explained as an at-
tempt to suppress the organizations most
able to resist the reshaping of our econ-
omy by capital.

An_economic,. social. and political
agenda for labor was also presented in
the policy papers. Focusing on job crea-
tion and social justice, the paper called
for increased public spending, economic
diversification, a trade policy keyed to
job creation, increased public owner-
ship, tax reform, and democratic control
of the economy. Major attention was
paid to the need for building the united
strength of the working class, and to
building links with other groups in
society.

Endorsed with the policy paper was a
nine-point program of action commiting
the Federation to:

e continue and escalate the fight for
just labor legislation;

e remove barriers to union or-

ganizing;

Stelco workers face intimidation

Strike mandate set

Yor

The major policy paper of the AFL convention focused on exposing the corporate agenda

for Alberta.

e continue mobilizing the trade union
movement and the community in defense
of workers fighting against concessions;

e mobilize strike support regardless of
the legal status of the strike;

e generate a public campaign against
free trade, privatization and deregulation
in conjunction with the CLC;

e lobby for legislation enshrining
equal pay for work of equal value, af-
firmative action, and equality on the job;

e actively promote and disseminate
labor’s social, political and economic
programs;

e urge the CLC to carry on its Pro-
gram of Action set out in Document 18 at
the 1986 CLC Convention;

e and, campaign to protect and pre-
serve the environment.

Individual policy papers providing an
in-depth look at the disastrous con-
sequences for workers of free trade, pri-
vatization and deregulation were also
endorsed. Canadian Labor Congress
President Shirley Carr, African National
Congress representative Yusuf Saloojee,
and anti free trade publicist Mel Hurtig
and PSAC National President Daryl
Bean also addressed the convention.

Many important issues were dealt with
during the four day meeting. Resolutions
calling for the public ownership of Dome
Petroleum, a grain subsidy based on pro-
duction costs for Canadian farmers, and
the continued public ownership of Petro
Canada and Air Canada were passed dur-
ing the convention.

A resolution was adopted to continue
the Federation’s affirmative action pro-
gram.

The 75th anniversary of the AFL was
celebrated at the convention, with spe-
cial awards presented to six past presi-
dents of the Federation.

The AFL Occupational Health Centre
had it?official opening on April 28th. The
centre provides research, education and
advocacy for Alberta workers.

AFL May Day

The convention closed on the morning
of May Ist with the election of the Presi-
dent and Secretary Treasurer. President
Dave Werlin won an overwhelming en-
dorsation of his leadership, winning 80
per cent of the votes cast. The Secretary
Treasurer's position was not contested.

Werlin’s re-election is a clear victory
for the Federation’s militant fightback
campaign based upon a mobilization of
working people, and a defeat for those
seeking a rapprochement with the
government and a less radical stance.

The nearly 700 delegates then joined a
march to the legislature organized by the
Federation and endorsed by the Building
Trades Council. The rally attracted more
than 6,000 people who demonstrated
their opposition to education and social ,
service cutbacks, and demanded job
creation and fair labor legislation.

The rally then marched to the Univer-
sity of Alberta campus where the first
Annual Labor Festival was held in the
University’s field house. Over 60 booths
were set up by Alberta unions, women’s
groups, ethnic communities, and politi-
cal and social action groups.

Some 20 musicians and dance groups
performed during the afternoon. In the
evening, Toronto folk-singer Arlene

Mantle gave a concert, followed by a five
hour dance.

The theme of the festival: ‘75 years of
progress and struggle’ highlighted the
celebration of the 75th anniversary of the
Alberta Federation of Labor and of May
Day.

or steelworkers |

HAMILTON — Early voting
Tesults, May 7, revealed a mas-
Sve strike mandate for the Steel-
Workers bargaining committee
"presenting Stelco workers at 15
Plants in Ontario, Quebec and Al-
berta.
| At press time the Tribune
Rd hed that 82 per cent or 5,727 of
he 8,500 Hilton plant workers,

€re, voted for strike action un-
©ss the company comes up witha
tter deal than the tentative pact
Ch was rejected a couple of
ys earlier.

The vote at Stelco’s Parkdale

Works and its’ Brantford plant

was 93 and 83 per cent respec-
tively.

Local 1005 members at Hilton
on May 4 voted 57.7 per cent to
turn down the three year pact that
boasted pension improvements,
such as 30 and out, but offered no
wage increase during the life of
the agreement. It was the absence
of a wage hike that killed the
agreement many workers said.

The rejection and strike vote
moved the company personnel
department to issue all manner of
threats and dire consequences for
the workers, including the specter

of more layoffs if the company
loses orders through a production
break such as strike action.

But Local 1005 president Ray
Silenzi was having none of that
kind of bullying from Stelco big
wig Vic Harris. In a face-to-face
encounter with the management
official, Silenzi warned that Stel-
co would not be permitted to
intimidate the local membership
orthe 1005 bargaining committee.

Referring to the 1981 strike, Si-
lenzi said Stelco, *‘wasn’t able to
intimidate our members in °81,
and they aren’t going to be suc-
cessful with in in 1987.”

Var meer s
Dave Werlin, AFL leader, stressed the importance of broad social sup-
port for the ‘Change the Law’ campaign.

PACIFIC TRIBUNE, MAY 13, 1987 e 7