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Whltby Free Press, Wednesday, October 23, 1996, Page 7 Unon wins talkwar i I At this writing, the MondaY deadfine for a settlement of the GM strikè lias been passed by 12 hours. Settlement aPParently lias been achieved on the big, impossible item, outsourcing, but lias stuck on wliat are termed "local issues." However,. it is not the role of a columnliat te bring you breakcing9 news. That is up te reporters, those sliarp-witted, sîsepleas critters wlio ferret out news and distill it inte crisp, clear prose. I do have a few comments on the strike. Most strikes are a combination of hard-headed legal wrangling and a communications battle. At one time, the communications miglit have been secondary te the actual negotiations. Timies and technology have changed ail that. Success at the negotiating tables will always go te the party that commuaicates best. And in this liglit, the Canadian Auteworkers Union lias clearly won. So a tip of the hat teo the strikers and especially te, those who organized and set up the CAW Internet and other communication 's. And in spades te those -who organized and led the occupation group. Ites the type of thing that's apt te, give the union movement a good naine. I On what basis do 1 conclude this? Well, the CAW has clea2rly outflanked good, old, rich GM in the communications war. By intelligent use of electronic technology -- that's fancy talk for computers and the- internet - the CAW lias been able te, provide clear, factual information te the press and the public., On the other hand, 1 have spent several hours of valuable Internet tiine today tzying te track down something, anything, from GM. Either my web search engines have seven dead cylinders or an electrical short, or there is nothing there. The closest I Cou come te, anything fro m GM was a press release on the.Canad< News Wire from Canadan National, about a purchase of GM deisel engines last September. From GM: nothing (If I've missed something, I would appreciate readers educating me. by leaving e-mail message at wgmswan@aol.com. Thanka.) On the other hand, the CAW lias a lively, informative national site, a good, solid useful local site (Local 222) and accesa te several other locals. From these I learn that GM makes almost $51.,000 profit for each hourly employee; that two-thirds of GM production in the U.S. is tied up in parts production, but legs than half the production in Canada is comritted. Profit per car in Canada is $500, or double what it is ini U.S. I could go on, but stirely by now- you get the idea. I see nothing from GM to counter such analysis. This marshalling of information, whicli CAW set in place long before the strike began, made possible the success in the key moment of this strike. Early last week, GM announoed the profits for the year were beyond ail expectations. This is a wonderful business page stery. -But against the stark reality of the strike, it removed GM's single note ini the communications battle: we can't afford not te, outsouroe. The key moment carne last Tuesday when GM sought an injunction te, limit pickets and te remove 75 <ies from the fabrication plant. You've heard the rest: the pickets ocucpied'the fabrication plant By the time CAW president Buzz Hargrove met on Wednesday with GM international vioe-president Jack Smith, about 150 pickets were inside the plant. That surprise announoement gave the initiative completely te, the union. GM backed down, dropped an effort te get a court irMjunction and proinised not te move the dies. Through late niglit phone calîs, union members got everyone in place and carried off the occupation, al without violence. A few radicals in that group could have turned the occupation into a riot. Had the occupying group turned te, violence, the whole initiative would have been lost. m Il 1 TESl STAFF 0F DONALD MOTOR S&LES, DUMDAS AND ASU STRT, <C. 19318 HaRi Donald operated this garRge and car dealership firm 1937 to 1966. Fron left te right are: Rarr Donald, Hector Palmer, Joe Bascomn, pat Neal, Stuart Elms, Vern Johnson,- Vallant, and Victor Johnson. The garage was buiît n1929 bY Threadgold brothers, and is o Snap Services (1987) Limited.a o WhitbyArjjy*photo fromthe10 YEARS AGO frmteWednesdaY, October 22, 1986 edition of the WarrnY iRRE PREss . Town councillors and staff rode a helicopter te e htyslte dvlpetfo h air. seWihslts eeomn rm h " Town Council unanimo)uslY apProved a $4.27 million expansion of fouj akt nld a second !ce pad.IrqosPk n'ld " Parents of Palmerston Avenue School children want an addition te omotesnr grades. acmoaesno 0 A study will determine the loca tion of a new recreation complex north of Rossland 11ad. froi th35 YEARS AGO frmte ThursdaY, October 19,1961 edition of the WJIITY WEkÈÎÙyNEWS * The Public Sehool Board wanta te build, a new senior public. school at a cost of *275,00 * GergeBroos ws reeletedpresident of the UJnit.ed Rubber Workers at Dunlop Tire. * Fred Weaver was elected head of the BOY Scout Association for a fith term. * Cedar trees will be planted between Whitby Harbour and the Ontario Hspital. 100 YEARS AGO from the Friday, October 23, 1896 edition of the WHTBy CIIRiCilE " There are about 50 te 60 applicants for the vacant pôsition of Ontario County Registrar of Deeds. " The Grand Trunk Railway is erecting sterm fenoes along its tracks te avoid delays caused by heavy snow. " Garney Hartrick was sentenced te two years in Kingston Penitentiary for burglarizing Hatch and Brother's hardware store. " Snow is three inches deep at Myrtle.