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editorial comments The TRAVELLING Salesman aN The FARMER'S DAUGHTER . .. LYS Y-.. BESIDES, whyr/ NO _Sa7URDAY NEUSRIPER, 7 LL BRIGHTEN YOUR WEEKEND NOT HAVING J0 READ ALL THOSE NY57Y T/iNGS THEY S9Y ABOUT yup Rasy OFF 1c" chatterbox by J. Peter Hvidsten People in the area who remember the last long GM strike at the Oshawa plant are worried. Businessmen, employees and present GM workers are worried. Worried that if a strike takes place this fall it could be a long and bitter one. A strike that could force people to lose their homes, businesses and jobs. These are the sentiments of many of the people I have talked to in the past week, especially since the United Auto Workers picked General Motors of Canada as their strike target. In less than two weeks, the union says it will strike General Motors if a new contract agreement is not reached. That means by midnight September 14, 1982 production by some 33,000 GM workers across Canada could stop. A move which I am sure most of the GM workers and their families would dread. Times are tough. The cost of living continues to escalate and yet General Motors is asking its workers for concessions. Concessions it says that will enable them to continue producing cars, and help keep thousands of auto workers in their jobs. : ~~ Nobody wants to take less than they are presently earning, but one would think that if it means the difference between a job -- or no job, some serious thought would have to go into the decision. The Canadian segment of the UAW has taken a firm position against any contracted concessions similar to those in the U.S.A, and GM officials say it would be unrealistic to disregard what has taken place in the United States. Rod Andrew, GM's director of personnel has said that GM will bargain for a fair contract settlement consistent with economic realities, but he stresses that they are taking a stern position on the need for concessions. ~ On the other hand, Robert White, Canadian director of the UAW says a strike-free settlement with General Motors will be impossible unless the company changes the direction of its first contract offer. "If the company is serious on the course it has taken there is no hope for settlement," he says. But both men know that this is GM's first offer and over the next fourteen days there will be a lot of negotiating take place. Negotiations which we all hope: will be settled with an agreeable solution for both sides. For both the UAW and GM has a lot at stake in these contract talks. : What scares this writer is the fact that GM has warned that a strike at this time would place Canadian Jobs in jeopardy. ""A strike would sour the atmosphere and lead to a reassessment of Canada as a source of components for the North American automobile market," according to Mr. Andrew. This statement may just be a scare tactic, but what if it is not? Does this 'mean that GM may just consider =< pulling out of Canada? Could they possibly stop produc- tion of GM cars in this country and put over 33,000 employees out of work? Not very likely. Such a move would cause so much turmoil I doubt that even GM would be able to take the flak. But GM could decide to give the Unions a lesson and cease production for months and months if a strike takes place. This move could cause undue hardship for many Durham Region families. Most of the GM workers I have talked to (admittedly not a lot) have indicated a willingness to give up some of the benefits like paid personal holidays if it means the difference between working and not working. They indicate that if it is a long strike they will undoubtedly lose their homes and other possessions, and they are not prepared to take that loss. Maybe it is time that the Union bosses started listening to the men on the line, the men that are happy to have a job with a reasonably good wage and benefits. The 92 per cent who voted in favour of strike action last week is not an accurate voice of the workers. Possibly if they were all given the chance to vote by way of secret ballot those figures would be changed dramatically. I'm sure they would! Living in an area like Scugog Township, close to a company like General Motors, who employees such a large number of our workforce, creates a problem as a major strike does not only affect the families of GM employees. All auto related businesses throughout the Region of Durham will face shutdowns if the strike goes on for long. Local businesses, who depend on the payrolls of General Motors, as the families buy clothing, food and other merchandise, will have to lay-off employees if it is prolonged. Eventually some of the local stores we frequent along the main street of Port Perry and in the plazas may have to close their door. These are all things that could take place if the worst happens. A long, bitter strike. Let's hope that the negotiators for both sides will seriously consider what is at stake, and can come up with ~ a fair decision based on the economic conditions of the time. For everyone's sake . . . let's try to avert a costly strike. IN CONCLUSION Periodically we get a little booklet through the mail entitled "Bits and Pieces." It is a monthly mixture of horse sense and common sense about working with people and it has many obvious, but usually neglected ideas. For those who have never seen this booklet, I would like to share a couple of its stories: (1) "The solutions to problems are not necessarily Auto Talks There Is now less than two weeks to go in the crucial negotiations between the car makers in Canada and the United Auto Workers. September 14 is the day the present contract expires and unless a new one I$ reached there will be a strike. General Métors Canada has been selected by the UAW as the target company for strike action, if it comes to that. And there are persistent rumblings that if a strike does take place, it will be a long one, possibly "lasting three or four months. Of course, the effect of a protracted strike at GM on the economy of Oshawa and Durham Region would be serious, to say the least. Not only would local merchants feel the effects as the payroll dried up, many industries in the area which depend on GM contracts would be forced to lay off personnel. The seven day a week negotiations between the UAW and the companies are being watched very carefully by government and industry in Canada. The national media in this country are carrying daily reports on the negotiation process. Publicly, both sides are claiming optimism that a settlement can be reached. In the UAW newsletter dated August 27, director Robert White is quoted as saying he 'has a gut feeling that an agreement can be reached without a strike. | don't have any great theory for that, just a hunch,' reads the quote by Mr. White. We hope Mr. White is right on his hunches. There is no question that the current negotiations are probably the most crucial for the entire auto industry in a long, long time. 'We hope that both sides can come to an agreement that is honourable and just to all con- cerned. Failure to do so may alter dramatically the very nature of the auto industry as we know it in Canada. Royal Blush It has not been a great year for the British Royal Family, although the birth of Prince William this summer was one occasion for joy. Still, the Palace was acutely embarrassed when an intruder invited himself into Her Majesty's bedroom; there has been vicious speculation in the British press that Princess Ann's marriage is on the rocks, and Prince Andrew served in a combat zone during the Falklands War. But the latest in a long list of Royal Trials and tribulations took place last week when the British press published the not-so-royal results of young Prince Edward's college entrance exams. The cheeky tabloid reported that Edward scored a Cin English Lit, a D in political science and economics, but he did very well with a Grade 2 in history. Aside from the fact that these marks must be embarrassing to Edward and his parents, their publication is giving the officials at Cambridge a bit of a headache as well. It seems that a candidate for entrance into Cambridge must score A's and B's to even be considered for admission. So what do they do with Edward? Bend the rules? Let him write the exams over? In all seriousness, the British Royal Family lives enough of their lives in the media fish-bowl. There are certain aspects that might be better left un- reported. Local Elections 'What, election time already?' That was the response from more than one member of local council when the Star asked .members last week what their intentions are when the election rolls around in November. A couple suggested it is a little too early for the local paper to be drumming up a story about the November elections. Too early? Nomination Day is just six weeks away. And besides, it has been a pretty dull summer on the local municipal scene. We think it is time to stir up a little interest in local politics and the November election. : There appears to be a couple of very interesting races shaping up, and now that the members of council have more or less stated their intentions, we expect other candidates will be declaring in the near future. } That's when things will start to get really interesting. ET Lh RE is