Canadian Autoworkers Union president Robert White leads his union conting- ent in the largest-ever annual Toronto Labor Day parade which this year drew some 20,000 participants. Organized by the Metro Toronto Labor Council, the parade was intended as a mass rally against free trade, as were other Labor Day events in Windsor, Winnipeg and elsewhere.

Jobs cited

An imminent four-year capital works plan for the city of Vancouver should be aimed at creating jobs for the city’s thou- sands of unemployed, says the secretary of the Vancouver and District Labor Council.

Frank Kennedy told a special hearing of city council Sept. 8 that the labor council considers “‘the persistence of high levels of unemployment and the growth of poverty in this province and this city ... absolutely disgraceful.”

Kennedy, who is set to run as an alder- manic candidate for the Committee of Pro- gressive Electors in the Nov. 15 city election, said jobs can be provided, city services maintained and “‘infrasturcture” improved if council sets its priorities accordingly in the proposed 1987-1990 capital plan.

Council was to vote on the plan, which would involve a plebiscite in the fall elec- tion, at its regular meeting Tuesday.

In city plan

Kennedy said the labor council supports a recommendation from council’s finance committee that $10 million be committed to upgrading city buildings, sewers, sidewalks and other examples of infrastructure. The proposal, which would involve matching grants from the provincial and federal governments, has been supported by the COPE-Unity forces on city council.

Citing a study carried out by the Van- couver Unemployed Research Group which showed more than 30 per cent unem- ployment in the city’s Kingsway area, Kennedy said the infrastructure program “will not only prevent the decay of our beautiful city, it will ensure the maintenance of services to people, it will provide much needed jobs in the construction.and build- ing sectors, and . .. provide a further stimu- lus to economic recovery.”

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Nfld. strike renevi call for wage part

Continued from page 1

“Provincial employees have traditionally been the least militant of public employees here and have often just accepted the government’s offer,” March said.

“But the disparity is just too great. And our members have said that the time has come to take a stand.”

The government’s final offer, put repeat- edly before union negotiators, would only have given NAPE members parity with hourly rated public employees and would not have been effective until July 31, 1989 — more than five years from the time the last contract expired March 31, 1984.

“In effect, we’d be looking at a six-year agreement,” March said. “Our members have said that’s just too long.”

He emphasized that the union is seeking parity on the basis of annual salary with earlier implementation.

Newfoundland Treasury Board chair- -

man Neil Windsor, in an obvious effort to undermine strike solidarity, told reporters this week that government figures show that 20 per cent of the union’s members are not ‘supporting the strike.

But the union disputes the government’s claims, pointing out that the computerized records for strike pay show that more are participating than in the spring.

“Windsor is phoning the media every day with his numbers,” March said, “but they’re just not accurate.”

The union’s strike action was also called off in April on the basis that the government would reconsider Bill 59, the sweeping essential services legislation that forbids strike action until essential employees have been designated and empowers the govern- ment to designate more than half of the employees as essential.

“But Bill 59 is still on the books,” March said, adding that there had been no discus- sions with the union about changing it. In any event, the legislature is not expected to meet again until the spring, effectively pre- venting any change until that time unless there is a special session.

As a result, the second wave of the strike was launched in defiance of the restrictive legislation, as was the first.

March himself faces a contempt-of-court trial in Newfoundland Supreme court in October for breaching the sweeping injunc- tion which barred all NAPE members from participating in what the court called an unlawful strike.

White said tht the court docket over the next few months was filled with appearan- ces for NAPE members charged with pick- eting, mischief or obstruction.

Those appearances are likely to heat up public anger against the Peckford govern- ment whose actions have been likened to those of fellow Tory Peter Pocklington in the Gainers strike in Edmonton.

The labor movement has also responded with a campaign of solidarity, echoed by Carr during her speech to the NAPE rally Monday. —

March said the Newfoundland Federa- tion of Labor has once again thrown its full support behind the strike and was expected

to begin organizing a series of SUPP lies over the next few weeks.

Earlier, National Union of Pf Government Employees Union John Fryer pledged an additional § lion to NAPE to assist the union} taining the strike. “This is just payment,” Fryer stated following! of NUPGE’s board, “It is what's ™ the moment but we make it they’re not going to be starved off and we have many other resources make available.”

March said that the union intends a picketJine vigil around the Co Building in St. John’s and that he hi would likely be staying with the around the clock.

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