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SECTION A THE HERALD Wed But relative calm in Halton Hills Management is nervous about labor union activity By BRIAN MacLEOD Herald Staff Even though union activity In Hills haa been relatively quiet until recently many com are weary of the labor move ment unionized and that figure has re mained constant for the past few years But here In Halton only per cent of the labor force has signed union cards But management la clearly get ting nervous Nobody wants to give employees a reason to form a union Although there Is no current trend towards unions here In Halton Hills two companies recently negotiated their first contracts Curwood Packaging endured a six week long strike which brought the spectre of picket line violence to Georgetown and Metroland Community Newspapers which includes the Georgetown Independent and the Acton Free Press went to the brink of a strike In November before the Southern Ontario Newspaper Guild settled Its first contract Several larger employers In Hills with and without unions don t want their names or their company names used in the newspapers In connection with labor stories because they don want to stir up union activity One company president who wish ed to remain unidentified said It the approach that people take to each other that makes the labor climate more amiable In Hills While he was at a loss to explain why his firm a union haa never gone out on strike he felt that bargaining tool la not a popular concept in Hills They read the papers and they see the news and they know what going on in Toronto and they just don want to do It he said of other strikebound areas Workers at his firm make reasonably good wages for a com he said Another company president whose firm have a union agreed to talk only he and his com was not Identified Unions are strictly a reactive thing he said People only have a union once they feel they ve been mistreated he said We don have any par drive to stop them If you dont give them a need to have a union they won While he conceded that wages of big unionized places tend to be higher the trend la to pay your employees properly and don t give them a need for a union Several companies contacted claimed to have no idea why the labor climate in Hal Ion Hills has re mained relatively tame over the years Others Just dldn t want to be Interviewed on the subject But Blackbox Controls President Malcolm Black agreed with s Executive Director of Business Development Brent Hearse in one respect unions tend to aim mainly at larger employees Mr Keane said SO employees is Ihe cutoff point Companies with tfetroland papers clow to strike people don t want to drive to large- scale operations he said Because Blackbox Controls is a small firm with a need for skilled workers It tends to pay Its workers well be said Also the work situation at his has been relatively stable over the years which does have an affect on labor relations At least one outer company dent echoed Mr Blacks sentiment on a stable work force Both agreed that maintaining an even work force can have a positive effect on labor relations Wages In Hills is not perceived to be a problem by management Another major employer who asked to remain unidentified said wages at his non union plant ire competitive with surrounding companies But the on ly direct competition for his firm is located In the United States and wages at the Georgetown firm are higher But unions have also played a part Standard Products since It was formed 30 years ago Local Is currently in the negotiation process said Mr The CAW at Standard Products represents 1H workers Wages at Standard Products are not too bad but benefits need to be boosted significantly said Mr Local has never walked out on strike hesaid We an not strikeHappy peop Mr Klatt thinks the CAW has had no major problems negotiating in re cent years because the union has ex leadership He credited CAW leader Bob White for the relative calm In Halton largest union The lowest rate of pay at Standard Products is just over an hour with an extra for cost of living allowance said Mr Klatt Workers tend to be fairly satisfied with their wages but benefits are becoming an Issue be said less than employees tend to be overlooked by unions About per cent of businesses employ less than ten peo ple said Mr Kearse Blackbox Controls falls Into the category of less than SO employees according to a 1985 survey of business in tieorgetown We re In kind of an unusual sltua tlon said Mr Black We dont have any group of people that do one particular thing Mr Black feels unions tend to con cent rate In more urban centres Out here In Georgetown a lot of Is the Canadian Auto Workers union The most recent survey says the CAW comprises almost per cent of the union membership In Hal ton CAW Local President Gerry Klatt has represented his union at Labor relations at Standard Pro ducts tend to be good because neither aide aska for too much he said Grievances filed against Standard Products by the CAW are few and that Is indicative of the labor climate at the firm Herald picture parade is back ByBOBSPENCE Do singers make great chefs Country and pop singer Sylvia has joined the Nashville Network as the boat of Holiday Gourmet The six part series of half hour specials features celebrities prepar and Easter including The cast of Are You Lonesome TonightT dldn t really get a chance to be lonesome Spectators kept turning out in droves to watch the play at the Chariot Festival Now the cast Is taking to the road for a month crossCanada tour musical drama about the life of Elvis Presley sparked a con troversy In Charlotletown because of the use of the famous word The pi though The road tour OVERSEAS JOBS TAX FREE INCOME PAID BENEFITS CALL 4566603 SEKSHKT0 mm not Voices were raised in harmony Friday night as the throughout the evening and included a devoted Georgetown Choral Society presented an of song to South Pacific which called for the mem hers to dress at St George Anglican Chore The theme varied for the part Heraldphoto Remember The show Is back and so Is John CBCTV has revived the old Wo- ycars ago has also returned to Canada Vernon though Is working on a new project not shooting new scenes for the old series Vernon is starring in Two Men a CBC movie that went Into production Jan The movie tells the story of a Hungarian Immigrant with horrify memories who establishes a new life in Canada Years later he encounters in Toronto Ihe believes was responsible for his family execution at the Auschwitz concentration camp The movie will be shown during Two movie videos about rock n roll stars from Ihe 1950s have been released by RCAColumbia Pic tures Home Videos La Bamba a movie hit tells the life story of Ritchie Valens while The Buddy Holly Story tells of Holly short life The joint release Is ironic After the two young singers bolh became stars In the late 1950s they died in Ihe same plane crash In Manes manager Mayor Ruts Miller Reg manager of the Bank of Nova Scotia Acton Donna opened is new premises are locaicu an nP ml omradlig Seen tan the ribboncutting ceremony are from left Mike ALL PERMS Complete wjth Shampoo Regular to Save up to w coupon Winter returned to Hills In a flurry over the weekend with several centimetres of the extreme ly cold variety covering rolling hills The North Golf and Country Club proved to be a popular hill once again for toboggan enthusiasts despite the frosty wind Some tobogganers even found that sitting op in the saddle like this lad was the I Heraldphoto