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McCarron's map

 
by Len Embree, June 2004 On the Level
In the midst of all the continuing harassment from the International, we are once again into construction sector bargaining. Preliminary meetings have left me feeling less than optimistic. Considering Construction Labour Relation�s proposals and attitude leaves me less than optimistic. Their proposals include, amongst other things, a six year agreement, maintaining frameworks, and all the sunset nonsense � not very realistic, considering the employment forecasts. However, I have always taken the position in any negotiations that, regardless of the hurdles, an agreement eventually will have to be concluded.

This, of course, does not apply to our dealings with the International. They recently paid us $60,000 in court costs for the Section 10B lawsuit. This, even though their position was that we had lost? Now, we have � get ready for it � the sequel to 10B: 10H!

An attempt to explain all the gyrations these characters are going through in their attack is almost impossible to put into print. What I can say is that the end result is that McCarron has informed Local Union 1995 Vancouver-New Westminster that he is calling a trusteeship hearing to address � get ready for it, again � their not swearing in the duly elected officers of 1995 to allegiance to himself (McCarron), remitting per capita tax payments late, and the �killer�: changing the membership number of David Wright! Oh, and I almost forgot, not giving a member (David Wright) a copy of the International Constitution when he asked for one.

All of the foregoing, of course, instigated and put into play by no other than David Wright himself. Did I forget to mention, by the way, that David Wright is an International Representative, hired by and reporting to Douglas McCarron? He most likely has a bundle of International Constitutions under his pillow. This is the same Wright who recently was appointed, along with Doug Urquhart, to act as Business Agents for the eighty-some members of Local 1907 in the Fraser Valley.

Quite humorous, but also quite sobering when it is realized that this gang from the US is prepared to place the largest Local Union in our province under trusteeship and remove officers who were duly elected in a democratic process (despite the International�s well-financed campaign against them), on some phoney, trumped-up issues that McCarron�s agents manufactured, and then appoint some cronies to run the Local Union on their behalf. This, all to take place in a country foreign to them. I�m not surprised, but I need to say very clearly that this is not Iraq; it�s not Ontario, nor is it even Alberta. It�s British Columbia � Canada! They cannot win this fight, regardless of their arrogance and presumption of power.

We look forward to the next round in this struggle. In an ongoing parallel plot, we have their other flunky, Wayne Cox from Victoria, trying to decide whether he is in or out of the Provincial Council.

One time, he is attempting to raid members out of the Provincial Council and into his Local Union. The next, he�s got McCarron writing letters demanding he be appointed to the Provincial Council Executive Board, along with his crony, Shan O�Hara.

Now, let me see � same game, different players. Not really � same game, same players: McCarron, Smith, Cox, Autzen. So, now we have Autzen suing the Provincial Council for conspiring to not be nice to him, Cox trying to raid the Provincial Council, Wright laying out some plot in the hopes of compromising his own Local Union, and McCarron as the grand master wielding the club.

All of this is in the name of some kind of trade unionism. The membership in B.C. remain unimpressed and uninterested in playing their game or in being connected to this concept of trade unionism.
Stay tuned!



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