FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 18, 2002Council decision means EDE can
continue bashing low-paid workers – all at taxpayers’ expense
If Council won’t take action, the
labour movement will, warns Steel EDMONTON – Thanks to a "weak-kneed" decision by City Council last night, taxpayers in the City of Edmonton will be picking up the tab for another round of worker-bashing and union-busting at the Shaw Conference Centre, says the President of the Alberta Federation of Labour. The strike at the city-owned Shaw Conference Centre has already cost taxpayers more than a million dollars in security and legal costs. Yesterday, the business-dominated board that runs the Centre – Economic Development Edmonton (EDE) – asked for and received another $1.9 million to continue its resistance to signing a collective agreement. "By agreeing to give EDE another $2 million to cover legal and security costs, Council is basically guaranteeing that the strike at the conference centre will continue to drag on," says AFL President Les Steel. "Given EDE’s track record so far, there no reason to think the money will be used to help reach a settlement. Instead it will be used for more fancy legal maneuvers aimed at denying workers their legal right to bargain collectively. The question that needs to be asked is: do Edmontonians want their tax dollars used to bust a union? Because, that’s exactly what’s happening here." At the Council meeting, EDE’s CEO Allan Scott said the strike had depleted the conference centre’s budget. But Steel says the only reason the strike has cost so much is because EDE has consistently refused to bargain in good faith. "It’s the oldest and most despicable tactic in the book for anti-union employers here in Alberta," says Steel. "They drag out negotiations on a first agreement for months and months, waiting until the workers become demoralized and give up. The problem is that Council has just given EDE the resources it needs to continue its scorched earth policy for another few months. Council members should be ashamed of themselves." Steel says Council has "squandered a golden opportunity" to end the strike by cutting off the stream of public money going to EDE. "If Council had refused EDE’s request for more cash, then they would have been forced to stop the expensive legal game-playing. They would have been forced to actually sit down and negotiate with the workers in good faith. But, now that’s not going to happen." Steel says that Council’s refusal to show leadership on this issue will force the labour movement to re-evaluate its approach to the strike. "Up until this point, the labour movement has made a good faith effort to settle this dispute without undue confrontation. There’s been a peaceful picket line. We’ve appealed to the Labour Relations Board, we’ve appealed to the public with ads and leaflets, and we’ve appealed to City Council. But, now it’s clear that EDE is digging in for a long siege – and Council has just given them the resources to do it. So, we’re going to have to look at our tactics. The gloves may have to come off." -30- For more information call: |