PAGE 2, WEDNESDAY, SEP1?EMBI R 10, 198 1,WIIITBY FREE PRESS North Americaqn Steel off iciais sa filrmwill fold-if demands are met By MIC'»'HAEL KNELL Free Press Staff Officiais of North American Steel EQuip- ment Company Ltd. say 'ION - TOP QUALITY they will be forced out of NID NAME FURNITURE business if they give in SEHOLD G IFT ITEMS to union demands. DOBY MANUFACTURER The company's 32 EM13R 20h AT1:00P.M. employees, represented FMBR2OtT 1:OP. by Local 6662 of the FURNTUREUnited Steelworkers of America, have been off THICKSON RD. the job since August 21 IWV. 7 & 12 Brooklln to back demands for a PRE-ACTIO PURWINGnew contract. PR! UCTON PRCHINGA meeting was held FUI. NOON 108 P.M. between the two sides A.-M. TILL 4 P.M. last Wednesday (Sep- droomse, dlnling rooms, ktchen sets tebr ). oev, a. TV's, cottfes and end tables, gtts both agreed afterwards ldeabed, pantînge, mattress sets, that the meeting had Ras sets, rockers, recliners, bunk & been a futile effort. lus numerous other items. However, both had Master Card - Choque wlth I.D. different perspectives of * * g g what happened at the DON BOWER PITN N meeting, which lasted ail of about five minutes at the Holiday Inn in Oshawa. According to Local 6662 president John LaRose, the company put back on the table their last offer which was rejected by the bargaining unit mem- bership. "It was ridiculous," LaRose said. "They of- fered us exactly what we turned down. " According to a mem- ber of the union's nego- tiating committee, "nothing else was pro- posed, nothing else was offered. " That offer was proposed by the com- pany on August 20, the day prior to the walkout. Under that proposai, both sides would have signed a three-year deal which would provide an 18 per cent increase in wages and benefits in the first year followed by 16 per cent in the second and 13 per cent in the third year. According to the union, this would mean a wage increase of only 75 cents an hour at the end of the third year. The average wage presently earned is $8.6l' an hour.t However, while North American Steel Equip- ment president Jeff Wright disagreed with the union's mathemnatics he declined to give any figures. According to Wright, the union's demands would mean a 41 per cent increase in wages and benefits in each yýear of a three-year con- tract and that, he claimed, would bank- rupt the company. In fact, company owner Rosiies Fabricius, accused the union of being unyield- ing in their demands during Isat week's meeting. "Since the manage- ment realizes that a strike is only hurting everybody, the workers, the company and the community, we feit it was out duty to find a means to settie the strike," Fabricius said in a written statement. "We took, therefore, the first step, and we ap- proached the union in an endeavour to settie the FULL (here to stay - dallyl) rs the best meol ded going, Our 100i% pure beef JFl7 b snebrerwith -Moire Burger Thon Bunv," A srot rde f spy, golden fries Vour favorite smott drink And, ta foc it off, a cool and creomy Wé 5 oz DAJW~ QUEEN* Sundoe Att for onty $2.*49 Gla pQ0c -i a f,-': reai Head for VcoYuuer pariciia'~-g Ç FN j*BRA2IFQ'store e i#t DAIRY QUEEN 1003 Dundas St. E-5 Whitby strike. " She continued saying that the meeting was ended within a few minutes of starting because the union refused to negotiate. "The union possibly interpreted our ap- proach as weakness, and stood firm on their demand of a package of 41 per cent increase in each of the coming three years and refused to negotiate further in the September 9th meeting," Febricius said. 'gît needs not char- tered accountant to tell us if we settledon this demand, that we would not need a three-year contract," she added, "The company would be bankrupt within one year. " Wright said that the company 's negotiating committee was "ad- vised that they (the union) were willing to negotiate. "However, when we opened talks the union responded, 'we're not budging whatsoever,"' he added. "In effect, they're still telling us they want 41 per cent," Wright said. "I cannot stay in business at 41 per cent per year. " Recentiy, the union has said that manage- ment is trying to seli the company. However, Wright neither confirmed or denied the charge saying that "We must look at ail avenues open to us." The union has aiso ac- cused management of bringing their wives into the plant during the strike to do bargaining unit work and keep producting going. Wright's reply to this charge was: "'No comment." Another union com- plaint has been the use of student labor in the plant. Officiais main- tain that North American Steel uses students ail year rouind taking overtime privi- leges away from the union. They also said that the company pays students less than bargaining unit mem- bers. Wright denies that students are used al year round. " Students are not hired ail year round, " he said. "Students are used in the summer time to handle the in- crease in demand. " Wright added that as a concession' to the union, the company has withdrawn its use of part-time staff and wil use students only as a "'float."t Another major union complaint has been that the company has been using management per- sonnel to do bargaining unit work. Wright also denies this. "'That is entirely false to my knowiedge," he said. The next step in the labor dispute that is now aimost four weeks old is up to the union, accor- ding to Wright. "Basicaily, we're in a holding path," he said. "The bail is in the union's court." According to informa- tion received, another meeting between the two sides was to be held on Monday morning. However, whether this meeting was held or what results it produced was not known at press time. NDP forum The New Democratic Party will be holding a one-day forum entitled "The NDP in Ontario in the 80's: The Challenge of Social Democracy" on September 26 from ,9:30 a.m. to 3p.m. at the United Steelworkers Hall, 115 Albert Street, Oshawa. For advance registra- tion or further informa- tion cail the NDP's area council office at 723- 5917. Now OPEN IN WHITBY FALCON T.V. SALES - REPAIRS TO ALL MAKES BLAIR PARK PLAZA 100 LUPIN DRIVE, WHITBY 668-6060 AUTHORIZED Quaà sar DEALER SPECIAL ALL TV SERVICE CALLS WITH THISAD 0N1Y 1250 SBLAIR PARK PLAZA S CLUB ANNRENE Saturday, September l9th 8:30 p. m.- 1:30 a.m. Dance to THE FUGITIVES Son sponsored by Multiple Scierosis Society Licensed under auspices of speciai occasion permit Coming Sept. 26 Bill Johnson's Sweet Country For f urther information cail 576-4096 683-1968 1