ALL) LABOR. - Vote applies fair wages to contract Vancouver city council will be able to set wages and‘ working conditions for city- contracted work after all. In a majority vote during the regular council meeting April 15 aldermen and the mayor applied the city’s fair wage policy — which stipulates workers be paid the wages and benefits earned by the city’s unionized outside workers — to Johnson Landscaping, which is working on the Riv- erside housing project. It’s the first project to which the fair) wage policy has been applied since the. city’s bylaw governing - projects costing in excess of $30,000 was struck down in | = Supreme Court last “month. B.C. Supreme Court Justice John Spencer ruled the city’s fair wage by- law, adopted under a section of the aes slbiiegy 5 Tari BRUCE ERIKSEN in May, 1985, exceeded the city’s power. The court challenge was launched by inde- pendent contract Axel Gringmuth and the Independent Canadian Business Associa- tion (ICBA). : ' The ruling came shortly after the city had moved to make the office of the fair wage commissioner permanent and had lowered the cost value of projects to which the bylaw applied to $30,000. The city is appealing the ruling. But in clarifying his decision to city lawy- ers in writing early this month, Justice Spencer noted the ruling did not prevent the VDLC protests Libya bombing Delegates to the Vancouver and District Labor Council have voted unanimously to condemn the U.S. bombing raid on Libya which, the council stated, “‘put the world on the brink of war.” _ The resolution, endorsed by the council’s meeting April 15, will be sent to the Cana- dian Labor Congress, urging that the CLC convey the labor movement’s opposition to the raid to the federal government. The annual convention of the CLC opens in Toronto next week. city from setting fair wages on individual contracts. Quoted in a city manager’s report to council, the justice told the city his decision . “did not deal with the city’s common law right to impose any terms or conditions it considers appropriate in any particular con- tract.” The manager’s report also noted that, as the contract to landscape the Riverside pro- ject had been tendered under the conditions - of the city’s fair wage policy, council had a “moral obligation” to proceed with the suc- cessful low bidder under those terms. On the basis of that report, council voted — with right-wing aldermen May Brown, Gordon Campbell and George Puil opposed — to apply the fair wage condi- tions to the Riverside project. “We told them to write in the CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1004) wage level, and from now on, we'll do it that way,” said Ald. Bruce Eriksen of the Committee of Progressive Electors. “All the judge said was that we couldn’t make a blanket decision under the Charter. We’ve still got our fair wage officer and he’ll still be supervising all projects,” said Eriksen. The ICBA launched a campaign solicit- ing funds for their court challenge last year, retaining the law firm of Jordan’and Gall, noted for its anti-union cases. Eriksen called the ICBA challenge “a partisan, political kick at city council.” During public presentations to city coun- cil on the 1986 city budget last week, [CBA representative Phil Hochstein accused council of “wasting money” by instituting the fair wage bylaw and office. In an exchange Eriksen asked Hochstein if the association would also launch legal challenges against the federal and provincial government over their respective fair wage legislation. Hochstein admitted no chal- lenge was planned. Council instituted its fair wage program, modelled after that of the city of Toronto, last year in response to the growing incur- sion of non-union contractors into public works projects. Building Trades unions noted the companies held down their employees’ wages to win on a low bid that was often only slightly under that of the lowest-bid unionized compeéetitor. The CUPE rates paid under the program are still lower than those paid unionized construction workers. NOW AVAILABLE AT PEOPLE’S CO-OP BOOKSTOR _ May Day and the Marx Sisters By Hazel Wigdor Booklet featuring struggles for the eight-hour working day, — and saluting Jenny, Laura and Eleanor Marx for their — pioneering work in solidarity of the workers of all lands with | the martyrs in Chicago 100 years ago. ; Only $3 g x & 1391 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, B.C. VSL 3X5 Telephone: 253-6442 CELEBRATE 700 YEARS OF STRUGGLE Saturday, May 3, 198 Russian Hall, 600 Campbell Avenue Doors open: 6 p.m. Program: 7 p.m. Speakers: Art Kube, President, _B.C. Federation of Labor Bill Zander, President, Provincial Council of Carpent Libby Davies, Councillor, City of Vancouver Representative of C.U.T., Chil Music _ Food Refreshments Childcare provided — FREE ADMISSION | Sponsored by: Vancouver “Trade Unio May Day Committee and CUT, Chile. 3 lied etna ae Le SS — Se ee i Re ee ge Me aie ke. gay ins ee ET TE ES