AB - ‘Wednesday, June 17, 1981 - North Shore News

By CHRIS LLOYD |

The immediate threat of a strike by firefighters may be over but in North
Vancouver District firehalls the men are still far from happy and a union
spokesman says he can’t guarantee it won't be reflected in their work.

The District local agreed
to be bound by the majority
vote of the 11 Lower
Mainland fire departments

_ pressing for a new contract.
But while: nine of the locals
agreed not +0. “Strike in
support .of: their demands,
District and White Rock
‘gave votes of dissent.

And inthe District the
firefighters loudly... voiced
their - dissatisfaction with a
two..to one vote against
accepting the peace pact.

Incoming president to
Local 1183 of the In-
ternational Association» of
Firefighters Joe
thinks the peace may only be
temporary. “We have not
settled .on.an agreement but
have settled on a nieans for

-reaching an- agreement,” he
says.

And even that agreement
was only reached’ reluctantly _
in the: District and! because”
of the fact. that firefighters in
all municipalities are
negotiating collectively.

_ Trimm.

Trimm says of North Van
District firefighters: “They
don't like that and I imagine
there will be some
discontentment. They are
very militant because of
their frustrations. There is
always discontentment when
dealing with the GVRD.”

So far it has been agreed:
that the firefighters will
receive a pay increase of 19

per cent for 1981, which puts

them in line with the recent
pay increase for Vancouver
firemen.

What is in question is how
much they will receive in the
second year of their con-
tract. The firefighters have
been pressing for parity with
Vancouver Police officers

_and.if they. were to achieve

this they*would need a 13 per
cent raise in the second year
of their contract.

« However,- ‘government
megotiators do not
acknowledge the two jobs
are similar enough to

warrant parity. and this is

where the bitterness among
firefighters arises.

Trimm thinks that other

fire departments abided by
the offer simply because
their backs were against the
wall and they felt certain
they would be ordered back
to work as an_ essential

service if they took strike

action.

“It is. like being pushed
into a funnel and you are
going to be crammed down
the pipe anyway,” he says.

Negotiations are expected

‘to continue for the next.

three weeks before  ar-
bitrator Clive McKee resorts
to arbitration.

Trimm says of District
firefighters’ uncertainties
regarding the second year of
the contract: “They are
discontent because it is like
rolling dice.”

Astothe outcome of
negotiations, he comments:
“If they come down with a
good settlement it will be
accepted but if not there will
be animosity — no doubt
about it. I don’t know if it
will be reflected on the job
or not.”

Consumer course “‘an intrusion”

A compulsory. ‘course: in
“consumer fundamentals”
recently announced . ‘By. the
Minister: of Education, Brian
Smith,’ met ‘with: skepticism

by North Vancouver school

trustees last week.
Assistant — District
Superintendent Leo Marshall
told the board that students
might rebel against the

‘

sin

_ compulsory .

two year
program. because it would
cut into ‘their elective op-

tions.

There's a fair amount of
“negative response” from
schools already because the

program is seen as an “in-

trusion”, reducing the
existing course selection,
said Marshall.

pou & Fries™

Several courses already
incorporate consumer type
training, added Marshall.

“It wouldn't surprise me
too much if he (Smith) were
to change his mind.”

The course is supposed to
be made compulsory for
grades nine and ten, starting
in 1982.

89

with |
= cheese

Wednesday to Friday Special

June 17,18&19

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” DELUXE
BURGERS
EVERY TUESDAY

5:00 - 10:30 PM

2

LIFE IN THE FAST LANE turned out to be quite slow for this:road crew, since they
had to put down concrete lane dividers while they were there, hetween Westview and
Capilano Road in North Vancouver. Looking back on the job, Ralph Megaro is
pictured in between stops made to pick up warning cones upon completion of the job
(Terry Peters photo).

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