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UNIONIZED BC Rail employees, numbering 1,600 throughout the province, launched a full-scale strike on Monday night to back contract demands. At BC Rati’s main station in North Vancouver, Mike Bartol (left), Mark Sandhi, Max Grifal, Rajhbir Parmar and Norm Pederson

FULL-SCALE strike action shut down BC Rail opera-

tions on Monday night.

The Council of Trade Unions (CTU) called for the action to back contract demands. The CTU represents seven unions and ap- proximately 1,600 workers at BC Rail. ;

Passengers stranded in Squamish were bused to the BC Rail main station in North Van- couver after the strike was called at 6 p.m., said BC Rail spokesman Barrie Wall. —

“There were incidents of pickets

_ spitting on passengers’ cars which.

is totally uncalled for,” said Wall.

Tales

"were some of the first workers on picket duty.

~ BC Rail labor dispute costing

By Anna Marie D’Angelo News Reporter

He said the incidents occurred at the North Vancouver station at about 10 p.m. on Monday. .

“That is not typical of our union people. There were a couple of rowdies,’’ said Wall.

The unions have been without a contract since Jan. }. :

The CTU and BC Rail have been bargaining continually since July 8. In June, the CTU con- ducted rotating strikes in North Vancouver and Prince George.

The unions have been in a legal

strike position since June 19.

Wage proposals were not far apart when the CTU and BC Rail broke off negotiations two days ago.

The CTU had asked for a 30- month contract with a 2.05% in- crease in the first year, 2.2% and cost of living allowance in the se- cond year and 1.1% and cost of living allowance in the last six months of an agreement.

BC Rail had proposed a 42- month contract with 2.0% in- creases for the first three years and 1% for the last six months.

“We gave them our bottom, bottom line. The millions the railway makes and they can’t af-

ford a 6.05% increase?’’ said CTU vice-chairman Clyde Mulhall.

Mulhali said the union had changed its demands from an 18-month contract to a 30-month contract. He said wage proposals had been lowered from 7% and 4% a year to 2.2% in the con- tract.

He said the company could af- ford the wage increase because it made about $50 million annually in profits during the last four years,

Muthall noted BC Rail president Paul McElligott was paid $236,000 annually and had received a $36,000 bonus for. 1992,

_ REACHING EVERY DOOR ON THE NORTH SHORE

Crown corp. $800,000 daily in lost revenues

Said Mulhall, “If they can af- ford to give the president an in- centive bonus, of course, they can afford to pay us 0.05% and the

rest.” Wall said the railway will lose

about $800,000 a day during the strike. :

The current wage rates for unionized BC Rail workers: range from $14.60 per hour to $27.55 per hour.

*‘Whenever they are ready to come to the table, so are we. The ball is in their park,’”’ added Mulhall. .

A 25-day strike closed BC Rail operations in 1990.