By KERRY WILSON HAMILTON — Negotiations between Stelco and United Steelworkers Local 1005 have been painfully slow. This is un- deniably the company’s fault. The union presented its de- mands early in May and the Local 1005 Communications Commit- tee has done everything in its power to keep the membership in- formed. Stelco, on the other hand, has been stalling, partly to give the union membership the feeling of being kept in the dark, and partly due to the ineptness of their negotiators.. This was blatantly displayed on two separate occa- sions as Stelco negotiators caved. in to pressure from their superiors. In one instance, July 17, the company walked out of the talks after failing to come to terms with the union over control of the health insurance plan. This was followed the next day by an-incident where a Stelco negotiator saw fit to start a push- ing match after allegedly being ‘“*swore”’ at by a union official. This sort of behaviour, al- though typical of management in this country, indicates the total lack of understanding, by com- pany negotiators, of the sincerity of the union’s demands. It also exposes the negotiators as no- thing more than company cronies hired to do a job — and that is to make the shareholders as much money as possible. It is obvious that Stelco is. backed into a corner. The com- pany can’t fill all of their orders and are even at the point of buying foreign steel to meet the de- mands. They can’t stockpile and all steel currently on hand has been sold. On the international scene, Stelco is the most cost-efficient steel company. While large U.S. companies are shutting down due to lack of re-investment to main- tain efficiency, Stelco is expand- ing to take up the slack. All this, and Stelco still has the gall to pull a “‘cry baby act’’ a- la-Chrysler, by pleading with the workers to be lenient in their de- mands or else the fate of U.S. and British steelworkers will befall them. Statements along these lines were made by General Works manager F.A. Hoyle in the com- pany propaganda sheet Stelco Flashes. ‘‘To be fair,’ says Hoyle, ‘‘one must look at other great corporations who perhaps tried to do too much, and al- though strong and vigorous a few short years ago, are today struggl- ing for their very existence.” Reading this would almost make a Stelco worker forget the $45.8-million in profits, the com- pany racked up in the first quarter of 1981. This was a $6-million in- crease over the same quarter the year before. In the same issue, Stelco chairman Peter Gordon makes a lame attempt at pleading poverty with an impressive display of graphs which don’t quite twist the truth far enough. In fact, Gordon has used statistical terminology in a poor attempt to make Stelco ap- pear to be treating the workers more than fairly. For example, one graph indi- cates that ‘“‘employees’ average weekly earnings have out- stripped’’ the Consumer Price Index ever since 1971. What is not immeditely apparent is the fact that this term refers to total employees’ earnings, including those outside the bargaining unit. In conjunction with another pretty graph on the same page in- dicating the number of employees has increased in the same period from slightly more than 21,000 to Steelworkers not in ‘bluffing’ mood more than 25,000, it becomes ob- vious the first graph indicates the total wages paid out by Stelco with no regard to whether or not - the earners are in the bargaining unit. A graph which the union pub- lished with its contra¢t demands deals with the average worker’s earnings, and not the workers’ average earnings. This graph in fact indicates a decline in the wages of the average bargaining unit employee of $1.10 an hour since the last contract was signed in 1978. In fact, if interpreted from the workers’ point of view, Gordon’s graphs reveal the exact opposite to the story he’s trying to sell. About all they really confirm is Mark Twain’s addage about there being ‘‘lies, damned lies, and statistics.”’ Another reason Stelco workers can’t buy the poverty routine being pushed by the company is the fact that the issue of Stelco Flashes being cited was hand de- livered to the homes of 20,000 workers, at the company’s ex- pense. In short, Stelco is bluffiing and not doing a very good job at it. The members of Local 1005, Stick together in support of the _ Negotiating committee. whose labor is creating Stelco’s massive profits, and who cof rectly feel entitled to share in the steel company’s wealth, haven't got time for bluffs. They know they must be fully prepared to back their contract | demands with strike action. The 93% strike mandate the workers gave their negotiating committee indicates their preparedness to Any compromise in this kind of solidarity, they know will com: promise the final . settlement, while the greater their solidarity and determination, the greater the negotiating committee’s power will be to insist that the union i) demands are met. These demands include: 4) two-year pact with a $2-wage in- crease in the first year and $1 in » the. second; significant improve- ments in shift and weekend pre- miums; and union control of the pension and health benefits plans. Stelco workers see in this kind of solidarity, the power to call thé | company’s bluff and win a good contract in 1981. Kerry Wilson is a member of Local 1005, United Steelworkers of America. Moscow Does Not Believe In Tears — 1981 Oscar-winner as Best Foreign Film. The lives and romantic involve- ments of thrée women who meet in a Moscow dormitory for women workers in 1958. Excellently paced entertain- ment — but more than just diversion — it offers the staples of life: work, family, love and friendship and treats them with humour, humanism and optimism. The Formula — It’s a formula to tum coal into oil and the rest is easy to guess. Critical of big oil interests, but it implies that they run the entire world and there’s no way to change things. Confusing and dull. —,, Tell Me A Riddle — A moving and con- Vincing film that portrays the passions, ideals and struggles of an older couple. Occasionally sentimental, but generally understated and revealing. Elephant Man — Based on the true story of a monstrously deformed young man who came to be lionized by high society in Victorian London. Retold with an effective mingling of horror, pity and irony. Raging Bull — About the life of Jake La Motta, world middle weight boxing champ in 1949. Not a typical boxing movie. Alienated, brutal, oppressive and demoralizing. — Outland — Lightweight summer entertainment. Science fiction with a dash of anti-Big Business sentiment. On the plus side there’s Sean Connery; ye: nadir eet hema ces Children sth teen ae - A case of in- teresting ideas and competent scripting and acting defeated by inexpert produc- tion. The romantic involvements of several Jamaicans of different social of explicit sex. Stir Crazy — Comedy about prison life and the criminal justice system that doesn’t entirely laugh away the brutalities and injustices. Satire on the “Sun Belt’? myth as two unemployed New Yorkers, trying to find jobs, get framed for robbery. Terrific comic per- formance by Richard Pryor as one of the hapless Northerners. Directed by Sidney Poitier. GENE WILDER RICHARD PRYOR Melvin And Howard — The story of the gas station owner who is supposed to be a beneficiary in Howard Hughes’ will. Sympathetic and lively look at condi- tions of working people in the U.S. to- day. The Life And Times Of Rosie The Rive- ter — Outstanding documentary about women workers in industry during World War II. Fascinating, informa- tive, incomparable movie. Breaker Morant — An Australian film based on historical accounts of Lord Kitchener’s staging of a ‘‘war crimes” trial toward the end of the Boer War in 1901 in South Africa. There are no “‘good guys’’ in this movie but Breaker Morant demonstrates that any and all can be sacrificed in the interests of im- perialism’s insatiable appetite. Pro- vocative, touching and timely. Lion Of The Desert — Outstanding cast in a forthright anti-imperialist film deal- ing with the armed resistance of Be- douin tribes to the Italian fascist inva- tion of Libya in the late 1920s. No Arab actors in this film (usual Hollywood practice) but the story of an Arab people is brought to life with dignity and understanding. Cheech And Chong’s Nice Dreams —~* Pothead humor which will probably be totally unappreciated by anyone not perpetrating substance abuse. No plot, no logic. As C and C say, ‘‘Stupid, CHEECH & CHONG’S NICE DINEAMS Oblomov — Based on the 1858 classic Russian novel by Ivan Goncharov. Title character is an absentee estate owner and retired government bureaucrat whose current career con- sits of sleeping around the clock on his living room sofa. Artistically the film is a gem. Though the movie moves at a leisurely pace, it holds our interest through its thoughtful direction and splendid acting. - The Last Metro — A French movie set in Nazi occupied Paris. A theater troupe’s problems in staging an innocu- ous romance, because the owner is Jewish. A subtly, yet deeply disturbing recreation of the horrors of fascist anti-semitism. Gaijin (Outsiders): Roads to Freedom— The first feature film by the Japanese- Brazilian woman director Tizuka Yamasaki won a top prize at the recent Havana Film Festival and it’s easy to see why. It is an anti-racist, pro- working class portrayal of Japanese immigrants who came to work on a Brazilian coffee plantation i in 1908. And a powerful but sensitive indictment of = — oppression that women suf- er “Nine To Five —~Very fuinny comedy that exposes the ugly truth about the exploitation of office employees. Re- freshing, honest and radical in its depic- tion of women workers as angry, strong and resourceful. Although it.does not pose unionization as a solution, it will encourage those considering that step. . Starring Jane Fonda, Dolly Parton and Lily Tomlin, who are all marvelous. The Four Seasons — Three upper mid- dle class-couples take four vacation trips a year together. On the surface, all six are petty and self-centered, but ami- able. The big revelation is that they are ‘only petty and self-centered. A preten- tious, shallow slice of upper middle class life. The Legend Of The Lone Ranger —Gal- lop, do not walk, to see this film, one of the best family films to come out in recent years. It deserves an Oscar for its anti-racist content alone. The Competition — Two brilliant pianists, rival finalists in a prestigious competition, fall in love. Can love overcome ambition? Interesting obser- vations about the difference between men’s and women’s attitudes on this. Unfortunately, nothing is said about why there is so little support for talented musicians in this society. A fascinating picture of the concert hall as an unromantic workplace. Bustin’ Loose — This is a funny film that would be for the entire family if they put a few bleeps in here and there. Richard Pryor comes through again; as an actor-comedian, and as storywriter and producer. In the course of a cross- country bus trip, Pryor, Cicely: Tyson, _ iety, and each other. \ textes and a group of kids find adventure, = PACIFIC TRIBUNE—JULY 31, 1981—Page 6