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LABOR _

~ Economic slump, ‘right wing gov't’
underlined as Fed convention opens

B.C. Federation of Labor presi-
dent Jim Kinnaird presented a list
of formidable challenges facing the
labor movement as he opened the
Federation’s 26th convention
Monday, citing the growth of
“right wing reactionary govern-
ments,”’ disastrous economic poli-
cies of the federal government and
the continuing dispute between the
Canadian Labor Congress and the
Building Trades.

But he added at the conclusion
of his opening address: ‘‘Yes,
we’ve had bad times but this Feder-
ation thrives on bad times. They
make us tougher, they make us
stronger. And the employers and
the government are going to feel
that strength.”

Kinnaird’s address, delivered to
the opening session at the Hyatt
Regency Monday, echoed the
mood of convention delegates,
many of whom have faced the
same problems but have been
buoyed up recently by the labor
movement’s spirited campaign
against the government’s interest
rate policies.

Some 900 delegates are attend-
ing this year’s convention, the first
since the suspension of the Building
Trades by the CLC. Ironically, the
convention is no smaller than
usual, with the increase in delegates
from the B.C. Government Em-
ployees’ Union more than equall-
ing the numbers of Building Trades
delegates who are unable to take

part.

The Building Trades problem
was one of those emphasized by
Kinnaird who pledged, however, to
continue to work closely with the
trades. ‘“‘Although their members
are prohibited from holding office
and taking the active role they took
in this federation before the sus-
pension,’’ he said, ‘‘they are still in
my mind, and in the minds of many
others, an important part of this

DENNIS McDERMOTT ...
country’s democratic spirit.”

federation and the strength of the
labor movement in B.C.”’

Kinnaird noted the growth of

right wing reactionary policies ex-
emplified by the Reagan adminis-
tration in the U.S. and the Tory
government in Britain.
, ‘What we are seeing in Canada
from the Liberals is nothing more
than a carbon copy of Reaganom-
ics and the same Thatcher policies
that are destroying Great Britain,”’
he said.

He also cited the policies of the
“ruthless right wing thugs”’ in Vic-
toria, warning that unless it was
checked the Social Credit attack
on welfare recipients would soon
turn on the labor movement.

He pledged that the Federation
would ‘‘concentrate its efforts’’ to
see that this government is defeat-
ed.

Much of what Kinnaird said was
echoed in the executive council re-
port.

The report noted that 1981 had
seen ‘‘some of the worst strikes and
lockouts in the past decade,”’ cli-
maxed by the strike-lockout of the
Telecommunications Workers Un-
ion against B.C. Telephone, which

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PACIFIC TRIBUNE—DEC. 4, 1981—Page 12

Nov.

21 rally a “reawakening of the

was only resolved after an occupa-
tion of B.C. Tel offices and a one-
day general strike on Vancouver
Island.

It cited particular difficulties ex-
perienced during the year with en-

forcing the Federation’s six-year-.

old picketing policy, long consider-

ed one of the most effective on the

continent.

That policy dictates that ‘‘you
don’t cross a picket line’ but this
year, the report emphasized, some
affiliates were in violation’ while
others abused the policy by setting
up picket lines around ‘‘symbolic’’
sites without coordinating their ac-
tion with the Federation.

As Kinnaird had done, the re-
port emphasized the swing to the
right in government economic poli-
cies and the renewed threat of wage
controls raised by the Liberals in
Ottawa.

It condemned the Bennett gov-
ernment as representing ‘‘the worst
parts of society’? and declared

*, . .wecannot rest until he and his
hordes are thrown out of office.”

The defeat of the Socreds was
also the central emphasis of the ex-
ecutive council’s ‘‘priorities for
1982.”’ :

The report stopped short, how-
ever, of outlining any program of
action in response to the chal-
lenges, and it was this omission

- that many delegates pointed to in

debate.

IWA delegate Nick Chernoff
noted the ‘‘lack of anticipation as
to what to do next year.”’

He said the Federation should
lift its sights and call for more spe-
cific action including a more com-
prehensive program for public
ownership to protect workers’
jobs.

He also called for rallies and lob-
bies including demonstrations in
defence of those threatened with
losing their homes.

IWA delegate George McKnight
took up the same issue, pointing to
the recent rally of woodworkers at
the legislature Nov. 26. ‘‘But it
should have been 3,000 people that
demonstrated there, including of-
ficers of the Federation,”’ he said.

**We need to get our members
out in the thousands — to show
that we’re serious in demanding
some changes,”’ he said, urging the
Federation to consider a mass lob-
by to the legislature for the opening
of the spring session.

Postal Workers delegates agreed
with the report that getting rid of
the Socreds is a priority but called
on the executive council to do more
than campaign for their defeat.

He told the convention that he
hoped to see the development of a
program of action encompassing

continuation of the demonstra-
tions against government policies,
a campaign around nationalization
of the banks and a program of
strike support similar to that given
the TWU.
The issue of labor unity, drama-
tized this year by the Building
= Trades dispute, was also a major
z concern. UFAWU delegate
z George Hewison urged the Federa-
# tion to “‘do everything possible to

8 bring the Building Trades in with

5 us. ”
He was echoed by Nanaimo La-
= bor Council delegate Alf McGuire

z who added: ‘“‘It’s time we showed

the employers and the government
we learned the lessons of the ’30s —
that we can get unity of the whole
labor movement to fight.’’

The convention began work
Monday on more than 200 resolu-
tions and a dozen committee re-

ports.

Much of the debate Tuesday af-
ternoon focused on a resolution
condemning the Socred welfare
cutbacks and more than 20 speak-
ers lined up at the mikes to de-
nounce the government’s policy.

The composite resolution called
for condemnation of the govern-
ment ‘‘in the strongest possible
terms for making welfare recipients
the scapegoats for the govern-
ment’s economic problems.”’ It de-
manded a reversal of the policy, an
increase in rates and asked that
social workers be given full au-
thority to determine the employa-
ability of recipients.

It also called for proclamation of
Section 8 of the GAIN Act which
provides for indexing of welfare
payments to the cost of living.

Also on Tuesday, CLC presi-
dent Dennis McDermott addressed
delegates and told them that the co-
alition which had brought 100,000
people to Ottawa Nov. 21 was ‘‘a
reawakening of the democratic
forces in this country.

‘‘What we did on that day was
part of what people are doing
around the world — in the U.S.

against Reaganomics and in Britain

against Thatcher,”’ he said.

He called on the Liberal govern-
ment to listen and to ‘‘make some
changes. If they don’t,’’ he warn-
ed, reiterating what he told the On-
tario Federation of Labor conven-
tion earlier this month, ‘‘we’ll be
back with another 100,000 people

_ — only this time we’ll do it inside
the House of Commons.”’

He drew a standing ovation
when he condemned the federal
government for ‘“‘slavishly follow-
ing the policies of Thatcher, Rea-
gan and Milton Friedman.”

‘“What we need,’’ he declared,
‘Sis a made-in-Canada policy — by
Canadians for Canadians.” —_-

Delegate
changes .
rejected

Delegates to the B.C. Fed
convention Wednesday nar-
rowly voted down a constitu-
tional amendment which would }
have changed the basis of
representation at future conven-
tions and increased the voting
strength of some larger unions
at the expense of smaller unions. |

The amendment would have |
changed the present basis of
representation of two delegates |
for the first 100 members in a |
local and one for each addi- |
tional 500 members to one
delegate for each 250 members
or major portion thereof.

The change was recommend-
ed by the executive council and
vigorously defended by presi-
dent Jim Kinnaird and
spokesmen for the B.C.
Government Employees, the In-
ternational Woodworkers and
the United Steelworkers.

Kinnaird, who according to
Steel representative Monty
Alton, had ‘‘done a lot of soul-
searching in recent days,”’
defended the proposal on the
basis of ‘‘equity’’ and promised ©
that it would not lead to the
domination of the Federation
by a small group of large af-—
filiates.

In fact, the proposed amend-
ment would have seen two
unions — the BCGEU and
IWA — increase their represen-
tation from 28 percent of the

total number of convention

delegates to 34 percent.

In response to Kinnaird,
UFAWU president Jack Nichol
contended that more than equi-
ty in representation of delegates
is involved in making a strong
Federation. The present struc-
ture was designed to make the
Federation relevant to smaller
unions and that should not be
sacrificed, he said. :

‘Our conventions are the } |

most progressive and the most

advanced in Canada and the

constitution has served us well,”’
he told delegates. ‘‘I would ra- | —
ther see no change than to lose.
this character.”’

Canadian Paperworkers’
president pointed out that the
amendment would increase the

voting strength of the six largest | :

unions from 44 percent of the
convention to 51 percent, leav-

ing 44 other unions with only 49 | |

percent of the vote.

The standing vote required a |
two-thirds majority and it fell | —
short by 26 votes with 584
delegates voting for and 331

against the proposal.

= =e) =

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