By Jim Selby, AFL staff

Over 9,500 Bell Canada operators and technicians on Quebec and Ontario walked off the job on Friday, April 9, 1999. At the heart of the strike is the refusal of the workers to accept the corporation’s demands for concessions and its long-term plans to lay-off staff and move operations to the United States.

Bell is planning eliminate 1400 of its 2300 operators by selling that part of the business to an American company. Furthermore, Bell won’t offer its 7,300 technicians any guarantees that they won’t be next to be let go. The Company also wants reductions in employees’ benefit plans and concessions on work rules.

"This is an incredible insult to working Canadians," said Alberta Federation of Labour President Audrey Cormack. "Bell Canada made nearly $800 million in profits last year alone," says Cormack, "and the company pays its CEO $17 million a year – but they can’t afford to pay decent union wages and benefits for workers? It makes me sick"

Striking operators agreed to continue to take emergency 911 calls until managers arrived to staff the positions. The workers are members of the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada.