w PAGE 16, WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7, 1987 ROXANNE REVELER News & Features Editor l off e Phone 655.3637 Round and round and round she goes, and where she stops nobody knows. Don't look for Vanna White. We aren't playing Wheel of Fortune here, merely selecting the next city or town to hit as part of our rotating strike. We are postal woékers. We are highly skilled, highly educated people who have worked long and hard to reach our present position in the scheme of things and will not tolerate any move by Canada Post to knock down the ivory towers or walls of the cushy little world we have created. Ah heck, I've given up writing the greatest documen- tary of the century after the first paragraph..Someone just told 'me the plot had been used before and that everyone knew what the ending would be. Ill have to try again. Cutting out the comedy, if that is at all possible when speaking of the post office system in this country, I would like to go on record as stating I support Canada Post in the current mail strike. I feel I have a right to do this because, like 25 million other residents of this country, I own a part of the system. It belongs to me, just as it belongs to the 23,000 or so members of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers...better known in the hearts of all as CUP...W. It boggles the mind to realige that these postal workers do not realize that they are cutting off their nose to spite their face. They are basically striking against themselves, for they are partners in the system they are attempting to close down: Canada Post is an essential element of communication in this country. As such, you would think its employees would feel a certain amount of responsibility to keep that line of communication open. Such is not the case. On the contrary it appears to be quite the opposite. VIEWPOINT by ROXANNE REVELER Canada Post welfare The average hourly wage, including salary and benefits, for these-Canada.Post employees is $24.89. Not exactly poverty line wages. For this, a university education is not required, nor any degree, nor any specialized training. Montreal lawyer Claude Foisy, as conciliation com- missioner, recently released an 80-page report on negotiations between Canada Post and CUPW. Some of his comments were really interesting. He indicated he had met frequently with both sides over a seven-month period and noted there was a "profound mutual distrust" bet- ween the two. "From the time of my first meeting until the last, the union made it clear it did not accept the em- ployer's (Canada Post) demand for concessions...any concession would justify a strike," wrote Foisy. Now isn't that a great attitude to take. I wonder how many marriages would last past the honeymoon if such a stance was taken. The whole development of society is based on give and take....concessions, if you will, yet the question of any middle of the road meeting is completely out of the question according to CUPW. The basic bone of contention between the two sides ap- pears simple enough. Canada Post wants to hire casual employees when needed, use its part-time staff in a more. flexible manner and gain greater flexibility with rëgard to overtime. The union argues that Canada Post has established programs aimed at reducing the number of employees, specifically by establishing sub-post offices and awarding fanchises. They say this is not acceptable because it results in "the replacement of positionspaid decent wages with positions paid cheap labor wages. The union's premise is that the number of jobs at the post office should be increased to enable Canadian citizens to obtain employment. For them, the concept of job creation has a three-fold advantage of helping im- prove job security, increasing the number of regular full- time day shift positions, and making work more varied. It appears to boil down to this: the union sees Canada Post not as an agency providing a public service, but as a welfare agency that should spend almost $25 an hour, per person, for just as many bodies that CUPW says are enoughi Come on now...how high is up? CUPW has taken the childish attitude of "my ball, my bat, I'm going home if things don't go my way." Their greedy attitude (and I can't think of another word that will do) won't end with this sfrike, for sure as God made little green apples, the same attitude will prevail next time around. What Canada Post, and the rest of we Canadians have to realize, is that changing this stubborn, unbending attitude of CUPW, by whatever means necessary, is crucial to the.survival of the corporation. At least that's the way it looks to me. Reflections of a Golden Age By MABIEL M. McCABE The next holiday to arise is Thanksgiving. How do you intend to celebrate this very old concept? In my early years this was a very special day and we planned for it for weeks. The relatives were notified where the big party would be held. Even though they ail lived in Toronto and near environs many did not have phones so the letters and visits took much time. When ail that was settled it was time to think about the food which was the mainstay of aIy Thanksgiving fiesta. The kitchens of aunts and grandmothers and mothers were bustling hives ofin- dustry. Turkeys were plucked and hung after cleaning and the smell of many different spices filled the nostrils. Pumpkin pies and mince meat were turned out in record num- bers. Turnips and cabbages and potatoes seemed to spring up out of nowhere. Oh, and the fruit! Apples and pears and nuts of ail kinds appeared and it was shear torture for young watering mouths. My nose would twitch and I'd try every way in the book to sneak some treat or another without success. Mom was a careful guardian of those precious vittles. Then the big day dawned and of course we started it with a grateful prayer. My parents gave thanks for ail our blessings. I m sure I was not the only child who just thanked God that it was not time to sink our teeth into ail the goodies. What is it like today? Is it still as important to the family unit? Is there even a family unit mentality around out there to carry on this special feeling I wonder? Family life seems to have deteriorated over the years. Most young people cannot wait until they are of age and legally walk away from the home. Some even run away before they are ready to cope with the world on their own. How sad. With the demise of the family group we have lost so much. Yes, I know that many did not have the joy of a happy home life even in my day but I still feel that everyone loses something when this closeness disappears. The sad fact is that many of our children are forced by circum- stances to become latch-key kids. It's necessary because in today's world no family can survive on just one salary. There are a lot of loving families who are split apart because financial pressures are too much for the fragile relationships. This leaves children and mothers divided from loving fathers. It's understandable that there are hard feelings and disputes, and there goes another marriage that should have worked. I do not believe a family should stay together at ail costs. Many are filled with violence and this is terrible. It leads to a continuation of the violence in the next generation and can become a vicious cir- cle if not attended to at the outset. So let's al try to understand the ones we truly love and give thanks to whichever God you believe in that you have been blessed if even for just a short time by love and happiness. As the memories of the sweet spices assail my senses I say a very happy Thanksgiving to ail. Durham bird breeders to celebrate 10th anniversary Ken Powell has a hobby that is strictly for the birds -hundreds of them, to be precise. Powell, who lives south o Columbus, is president of the Durham Avicultural Society, a group of bird lovers who boast some 135 members. The group celebrates its loth anniversary this year. Their members form a hobby group who breed birds for fun. They specialize in canaries, budgies and the big macaws, and although a few have some soft bills, have found it is almost impossible to breed them in captivity. Powell says none of the members have or breed native birds as it is illegal to capture them and keep them in captivity. Powell now has around 80 birds in his collection, and at times has had as many as 300. He indicated he and his peers breed the birds for the betterment of the various species. They do not sell to retailers as they do not condone the atmosphere of pet shops. To honor the loth anniversary of the society, they have been selected to host the annual bird cage show by the Avicultural Advancement Council of Canada. This show alternates each year between eastern and western Canada and Paper drive 2nd Brooklin scouts will be holding their regular monthly paper drive on Saturday, Oct. 10, beginning at 9 a.m. Have papers tied neatly two ways at curbside by 9 a.m. ôr they could be missed. Ashburn residents may leave their papers at the Ashburn Com- munity Centre the Friday evening prior to the pick-up but no earlier. as they constitute a f ire hazard. The Brooklin scout paper district includes Macedonian Village. Cedarbrook Trail, and Robmar St. areas. Paper drive chairman is Arnold Tripp (655-4993). draws competitors nationwide as weil as from the United States. There are around 10 clubs in Eastern Canada and Powell feels it is significant that Durham was chosen this year. "With so many clubs bying to be the host, it's maybe a once-in-a- lifetime opprotunity for people in his area to see such a show," said Powell. He anticipates there will be as many as 1,500 cages, complete with birds on display. This year's show will be held at the Pickering Recreation Centre on the weekend of October 16, 17 and 18. 'rhe Friday will be spent setting up the exhibit with the judging taking place on the Saturuay. There will be eight judges on hand from across Canada. It is on the Sunday that the show will be open to the public, starting at 9 a.m. Powell is also a registered judge and was, flown to Victoria, British Columbia about seven years ago to judge the show held there. He has also won many trophies over the years since he started breeding for fun in 1970. "The cages on display will not be like anything one might have in their home," said Powell, adding each breed has its standard showcase which could be made from either wood or wire. THE CORPORATION OF THE TOWN OF WHITBY in the Regional Municipality of Durham PUBLIC MEETING NOTICE BROOKLIN MEMORIAL PARK FEASIBILITY STUDY DATE: Wednesday, October 14th, 1987 TIME: 7:00 p.m. LOCATION: Town of Whitby Municipal Building Council Chambers PURPOSE OF MEETING: The purpose of the meeting is to provide the opportunity for residen. ts of the Town of Whitby to discuss alternative development concep. ts for the long term development of Brooklin Memorial Park. The information receîved at the public meeting will be used to assist the Town of Whitby in evaluating developing alternatives. FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CALL: 668-5803. Extension No. 292 m 1 kiombL .