44 laid off2 eeayt Bil 99pcagng By Mark~ Reesor Forty-four workers' at Bal Packag-ing are being laid off 'M*- definitiey Thoelayoffs begin Aug. 16, with ail but four of the jobs to be cut by theý end of the month. 'remove is beingr blamed on a provincial tax on -bér sold in canes or- other non-refillable con- tainors. The, - environmentai 'tax," which camo into offect May 25, adds $3.10 te the price cf a case of 24 canas of beer, and is meant te encou rage the use df refillablo botties. About 180 people are employed at Ball's WentweÃ"rth St.. plant, which is capable of 'turning out more than, 300 mhillion 'caneaa year., 1 United 'Food and- Commercial Workers 'reprosentativÃŽe Pat' Cor- coran fears f rthrlao, toward the end of the'year if beer cari sales drop further.' .He. says, one of three linos at the plant hae beon'"pretty wel shut down,»ý and. production of beer cane has dropped more than 90per cent.. e mnuh a few thousiand cane here:andý there... the. lino makes 140cansa a inute, -seoacouple tAoaid cana is two m'inutes.Qf ruing i,,tà tkes a ew million SEE PAGE 2<,> Chainsaw art CATHERINE GILLESPIE is dwarfed by Brooklin 'chainsaw folk artist' Bill Fraser's masterpieces. Fraser created, the two eight-foot figures at Pickering Museum Village ýespe- -cially for the museumn's1 Sunday. Grassroots Festival, coming up this. Photo by M"r Reesor, V.¶ithy Free Prom Chil dren's Aid workers on strik e After faiied mediation attempts, Childre's Aid -Society of Durham Regiobn workers were te begin strike action late after- noon yesterday (Tuesday). The on a ýpeot had prepar'efoirthe strike and can provide essential cbild protection servces in Durham Region, says Morten M. Marder, Society exo- cutive dirocter. Ail fostër parents, ývlunteers, community service'oranizations and others who workwith the Society were alerted te -the possi- bility of strikte action, says Mar- der. The strikte comes at a time when the Society lias fewer staff te deal with an increased num- ber cf clients. Eighty empioyees cf Children's Aid nembers cf the Local 3223 cf the CanadianUnion cf Public Employees -(CUP), were In a 1?a strike position as cf Juiy Ninety-four per ýcent cf union -membera- attending a, -June 23,- meeting voted in favour of strike action. Aftor taîka between the Society's board cf directers and union, facilitated by a provin- cialiy 'apinted mediater, on Juy3filed,, the negotiating and atrike committees decided on strike action. Children'a Aid workers are seeking a wae increase cf 2 per cent'for- 1992 and3. per cent for 1993 iii a tweyear contract, as well as an Employees' Assistance Program (EAP), a counselling 1 .'Terevioustwo-year contract oxpredon Jan. 1,1992.. The-board, notin itfaced a reduced budget, aii.cf d e offer any wage increase for 15 months. Whe ernplo1ees have -ne choice but te strike, says John Cherry, CUPE sriirepréisentative for Local3223, noting that 'tMoney is not the main ssue. «'I have nover seen such arro - *gant board members -in al my life," says Cherry of previeus n otions. Chiidren's Aid workers salaries range from -$18,344 a year for clerical staff te *46,860 a year for the highost paid social worker. Workers are respnsible for children who have difflculty 'with theïr familles, inciuding cases cf abuse. « Merder says th e board haà had te deal with a provincial govern- ment requarement te reduce coats by $700s,00. There was aise an increase cf 0.5 per cent te the already redu- ced 1992 base budget, says .Mer- der. "['hoy're forcing us out oil the street te relieve some - f the deficit," says Cherr y., He says what the union is asking, for would only cost an additional *50,000 te $100,000 over a yoar, and that thda. in- crasse re ne. eutof.- lino with what other agency empioyees have received. There hav e already been layoffa cf *both union and management staff at the Chl- dren's Aid Society of Durham Region -- a resuit cf two previeus contract- settiements in 1987 and Cherry says seven union employées were laid off in » the past three months.' Marder saya the board has pu forth the beat offer possible à à r the limited funding, otherwise further reductions,- including staff layoffs, are'possible. - «Out cf cencern for services, and for ail staff, the board feels obliged te mainitain the statua qeat the prosent time te ho able te continue-te provide the current- level cf services," ho Chrysays staff at other Chli-, dren's Aid Societies in the Métro area, have received, wago in- creases, and many have EAPs,- which.providecounselling. à ,b6 b6 6** ýl.