8 - Sunday, March

VS U

id you hug your kid today? Did you talk to
your vegetables? Did y year 4 ‘

driver's uniform?

We ask because a big bat-
le is going on over a SeaBus
man who lives in North Van
and wore his uniform when
he wasn't supposed to. But
it's not a case of the foul
employer bullying the
workers. No, what we have
here is the case of a rebel
who dared to wear his
uniform when the union said
he shouldn't. Bizarre.

You may remember last
year's big ‘‘unstrike’’ by the
Independent Canadian
Transit Union. It seemed
funny at the time. The bus
drivers were on strike but
not on strike. As a sign that
they weren't really working,
even though they were, they
dumped their uniforms and
donned civvies. One chap
dressed as a clown. All good
public relations.

In the end, the ‘‘unstrike’’
develoned into the real
thing, and the drivers were
out for about three months
with no discernible gain to
man or beast. Bill Bennett
ordered a return to work,
and they're still bargaining.

While the big guns roared,
SeaBus worker Zoltan
Strigan was engaged in his
own little skirmish. For one
working day, he refused to
dump his uniform. In his
view, the wearing of
uniforms was the company’s
business. Not only that, but
if there was trouble on the
SeaBus, and everyone was in
civvies, passengers might not
know to whom to turn.

He capitulated after the
usual pressures were brought
against him — scab, louse,
traitor, etc. And the union
laid charges.

Initially he was fined $350
and suspended for two
weeks. He appealed, the
suspension was lifted, and
the fine reduced to $100.
Suringan, however, said the
hell with that, too, and ref-
used to pay.

In November the union
told the company that
Strigan was not a member in
good standing and that his
employment shoild be ter-
minated. The company ref-
used. [In wearing his
uniform, it said, the man
was only fulfilling a condi-
tion of employment,

A week before Christmas
{and unknown to us pea-
sants) the union threatened a
SeaBus shutdown if Strigan
showed up atowork. Te
avoid trouble, the company
asked him to take a leave of
absence. IC was later agreed

| Deep Cove

3. 1985 - North Shore News

One worker

nion

Did you wear your bus

get this
straight

Doug Collins

that he an go back pro-
vided the $100 was paid into

trust. And the case was
taken to the labor Relations
Board.

This guy has guts. Buck-
ing union authority is going
to cost him anything from
$6,000 to $10,000 in legal
fees. He must get lots of
nasty looks, 1oo.

He ygvoulda't have been
able to’challenge the union
at all, but_in May of last
year the Labor Code was
changed (probably because
of that Prince George case
where a guy went to work
during an illegal strike and
was hounded for doing so.)

Expulsions and suspen-
sions may now take place,
and fines may be levied, only
if they are “fair and reason-
able’’. .

Surigan says the action
taken against him has not
been fair and reasonable. He
acted from conscience, and
bucked the rules for onty
one day.

lL spoke to Gerry Kraniz,
president of ICTU Local 2.
He says that dumping the
uniforms was strike policy,
democratically avreed to,
and you can't have guys
bucking the rules. (Strigan
says it was an executive deci-
sion.)

Well, a union could make
all sorts of rules. ft could say
that only guys with beards
should drive buses, or that
all beards should be shaved.

The LRB is takine a long
ume to bring down a deci
sion,

ft wouldn't uke me five
minutes,

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