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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1992-02-05, Page 1Ge►ider-Kneakc Insurance RSP Seminar See our as on Page 7 235-2420 Shop Canadian Serving South Huron inside Expecting 18,000 Grand Bend Winter Camival ready to go page 3 Klricton Carnival Four contestants for queen page 12 Special Olympian Elsie Swan on way to Saskatoon Second front f <y Self defense course cancelled in Lucan, LUCAN -. - A women's self- defense course planned for Lucan's community centre has been can- celled. The course, which was to have been sponsored by the Lucan Lions Club and would have been taught by an instructor from London, only attracted 10 women to the registra- tion on January 25. Unforuutately, a 25 -person regis- tration' was required to make the two -Saturday course worthwhile. Participants would '•.have,..been taught to street -proof themselves to guard against attack, and would have learned basic defense skills in case of attack. T -A top- ranked for second year TORONTO - For the second year running, the Times Advocate has placed among the top newspapers in its class in the province: ,, In the Ontario Community News- papers Association's 1991 editorial awards, the Times Advocate has . placed second in the General Excel- lence competition which each year judges the overall quality of com- munity newspapers in each circula- tion category. First place went to the Halibunon County Echo, and third place to the Kapuskasing Northern Times. Last year, the T -A placed first overall. At the OCNA convention later this month, the T -A will also be bringing home a third-place Pre- mier Award in the Heritage catego- ry for editor Adrian Harte's feature article on the renewed interest in Lucan's Donnelly, legacy. Premier Awards are open to community pa- pers of all circulations. Hay Township employees given three percent pay hike ZURICH - Salaries for staff of Hay Township will be going up three percent this year, as approved by council at their January 20 meet- ing The hourly ges of pan -time staff will also going up by the same amount. .. While, the wa a increases apply to municipal off staff, road staff, and the pari -time employees. what the actual dollar cost to taxpayers will be is not being released. • Under their interpretation of the Freedom of Information Act, Hay Township .will not re1ee staff sal- aries without written consent of the employee, to which feat, if any; staff would.agrec. North Middlesex & Lampton 75 cents Klopp backs stronger unions CLINTON - Huron MPP Paul Klopp appeared unruffled after lo- cal business leaders slammed his government's proposed reforms to the Labour Relations Act at a meet- ing Friday afternoon. The meeting was a public forum to -discuss the NDP's plans to over- haul the 15 -year old Act; plans which many claim reflect the gov- erning parry's support of organized labour unions. The plan offers more support to --workers in the process of organiz- ing a union, strengthens the auaion`s position in case of a labour dispute, and will eliminate the right to hire • replacement workers among its many recommendations: In his of ening remarks, Klopp said he supported the white paper's proposals, especially !!ince Pree 'Dade has dramatically changed the picture of Ontario's worltplace. Workers rights need to be protected more than ever, he said, and dis- pelled suggestions that a new Act would make Ontario industries less able to compete,ggainstthe-Ameri- cans. "We want to make some labour changes that they dont have in Louisiana? My feeling is they should change Louisiana," said Klopp. • - The goal, Klopp said, is to mak labour and management work' bet- ter together, and he stated that many other countries have far tougher rules regarding labour r* - tions than those proposed. The first speaker was John Gray, the executive director of Communi ty Living South Huron in Dish - 'wood, who said the unibnized agency has had few labour dis- putes. He went through the reform proposals, section by section, and suggested that while the govern- _ment was about to stpmgthen the rights of workers seeking 'to join a union, he said he could not see "is protection for employees' rights not to ...1seeusmovingawayfrom ---Gray accused the NDPof apply- ing - the same labour rules to his small Dashwood operation that !night be more appropriate "at GM in St. Thomas". "But these rules apply to us all," he said. He also argued that the clause to MPP Paul Klopp (right) defends his goverinment's labour reforms to Paul Steckle (left) and Mi- chael Sully at Friday's meeting. SPP cheaper, suggests Mickle EXETER - Although the Police Services Board has been in exis- tence only a week and has yet to have its first meeting, its effect on the operation of the Exeter Police Force is already apparent. Mayor Bruce Shaw revealed at Monday evening's council meeting Council relents on pay raises EXETER - While the tightfisted mood of two weeks ago is still with town council, they have relin- quished part of their zeal -to freeze the salaries of town employees. A behind -closed -doors meeting of council appears to have softened the positions of councillors who two weeks ago were ready to deny staff pay increases associated with a pay -scale grid approved by coun- cil last Year through pay -equity ldg- islation. A report from the public works committee proposing that four works employees receive merit pay increases went through with little noise at Monday evening's council meeting. A call -by councillor Ervin Sillery to freeze those wages did not re- ceive a seconder. Councillor Ben Hoogenboom said he too was reluc- tant to sec salaries increase, bui also mentioned the fact • the town saved money •last year on PRIDE and other capital projects by having town staff do the work. 'He said, a •freeze "was just not realistic". Council also reconsidered the merit increases of the three employ- ees which had been sta led two weeks ago by council's call for a freeze. Reeve' Bill Mickle mo- tioned to go ahead with the increas- es as they had been proposed, but councillor Robert Drununoid, ap- parently referring to a closed - meeting discussion, pointed out employees with fewer than, fav years service would not re - eel the grid jump until the a iii -versary of their hiring date. A third 'e.goloyee's pay ince would be effective immediately. - Councillor ,,Bob Spears still,ex- pressed misgivings .about pay in- creases-wbile-council_ was .aiming for a sero -taut increase budget. that the police association, which represents the town's police officers has already sent a, letter to the new board suggesting 'that a wage con- tract signed last year may be open for re -negotiation. The contract was to have been in effect until ear- ly 1993. Council also got into a debate on who should represent Exeter at the upcoming meeting for the commit- , tee which oversees the Huron Po- lice Communications system: a council member, or a member of the new Police Services Board. "The easy way out would be for me to go so I could represent both groups, but I can't go," said Shaw. Bill Mickle pointed out the Hu- ron Police Communications system was set up by an agreement among county councils. "Who is police communications going to be billed to?" asked Mick - le. "To us," replied Shaw, to which Mickle then said the town should attend the meeting then the bill should be fonharded to the board, arguing that -the town is still 'the spokesperson. for the communica- tions system. "We still have a shave 'in it, not the police services foard," said Mickle. Council agreed with Mickle and chose councillor Dave Urlin to at- tend the February 19 meeting. "Otherwise let -the government put up their own damn communica- tions," said Mickle. Exeter's share of the communica- tions service may be going up be- cause of the increase in population in the town in recent years. Shaw Please turn to page 2 forbid the hiring of replacement workers, or "scabs", during a strike hum the employers rights. ."I feel,.*personally, an employer has a right to continue business during a strike," said Gray. "This government feels that all employees wish 10 be represented by a trade union,." claimed Gray, saying that is not the case at all. Paul Steckle, from the Blue Wa- ter Rest Home in Zurich, said while he is an employee, he finds himself taking -a management point of view when reviewing the new Act proposals. , makes no difference to small busi- ness. There's no sense in getting people whipJed up for nothing,"- said othing,=said Mason. He also said unions do not mean a loss of competitiveness, and quot- ed statistics to back his point. He also. said General Motors is still in- vesting heavily in its St. Therese plant, despite powerful Quebec la- bour laws, including the ban on re- placement strike workers. "I hate to think what it would be like without -a reasonable size la- bour movement in Ontario," sled Mason. "Ontario has the best social programs... the lowest productivity... the highest percentage of unionized labour... Steckle said the most successful businesses have employees running their own "in-house" unions, but the new Act removes "intrinsic rights currently theirs". He also said the proposals run counter to the recurring theme in Canadian business: "government, get off my back;'. . He said the present failure of the. economy isn't labour -related, but because our businesses are having trouble competing. And he stated that forced quota hiring of minori- ties won't help competitiveness "when qualifications are secon- day„• "These very directives are caus- ing business to leave our province,” he said, adding that with Premier Bob Rae's prediction of "economic doom" this was no time to continue pursuing "social justice reforms". "I'm not here union bashing, but I believe there are more important matters than organizing these peo- ple. Most people are glad to have a• job," sakeSteckle. "I do not believe we can legislate people into competitive relation- ships," he said. ' Randy Mason from the Canadian Auto Workers Union local 27 in London said his loll has lost 1,800 members in the past months. He called the NDP plan a "practical and sensible approach to reform" and asked for the provincial,legisla- ture to adopt them in whole. He accused the business commu- nity for acting with "outrightrhys- terra" in some cases to the propo- sals and said most complaints were just "smoke and mirrors" to prevent their losing their "absolute power in the workplace". Mason said the recent Health and Safety Act was feared by business- es to lead to more refusals to work and production -line stoppages, but he said these worries failed to mate- rialize. "Small business, what do they have to fear of this legislation. It "It's proeably the employer's fault if the employees join a union," he concluded. Michael Sully of Champion Road Machinery in Goderich, spoke about how he saw the reforms harming the competitiveness of On- tario's industry, arguing that every business needs to be "world class" but,most fall short. He said Ontario heeds to put more money into sci- ence and vocational education, and to reduce the drop-out rate, to im- prove that competitiveness. Sully said Ontario has the best social programs on the continent, the lowest productivity, the highest pe¢entage of unionized labour, the highest provincial deficit, the most work days last, and the most restrictive labour legislation. "We have a society that thinks it has this coming to them, that it's all right," accused Sully, saying that protective labour laws wont eorrect this situation. He said the companies with the best records on .winters' rights have doiae so • through "enlightenment", not legis- lation. Unions by nature,•said Sully, are divisive, suggesting that a new La- bour Act should encourage more "harmonious relations by whatever means, not just unions". Ross Hemingway, representing the CAW local 2213, also from • London, offered his supp et of the proposed legislation. He said new legislation can benefit labour° sig- nificantly, sayingthat the hazard- ous materials handling rules took many harmful chemicals out of the . workplace. He referyred to Sully's comment that this was not the right time for such legislation. "When is the right time?" asked Hemingway. Valerie Bolton, representing the Huron Employment Liaison Pro- ject (HELP), explained she is also the president of the Huron NDP Please turn to page 3 Council costs town $62,874.1 last year EXETER - It.eost Exeter taxpay- ers $62,874.11 to have a town council last year. That figure was the bottom line of the statement of remuneration and expenses present- ed at council Monday evening. The biggest spender was reeve Bill Mickle, received, in addition to his stipend and per diem rate, some $4,902 for his attendance at meet- ings and conferences oldie Associ- ation of Municipalities of Ontario (AMQ) and Ontario Small Urban Municipalities (OSUM), the latter of which he is chairman. • Councillor Robert Drummond asked why the town bore those ex- penses and mayor Bruce Shaw agreed it bas been a bone of,,�t'iten- tion for some ythese or- ganizations, including the Munici- pal Police- Association, do not compensate municipalities for the expenses of executive members. l'1ickle said there is hope -at AMO that this situation will change in the near future and municipali- ties may be able to claim back those expenses. At any rate, he said his term as OSUM chairman ends in May. "That'll save us some money," joked Shaw. ' Mickle defended his position with OSUM and AMO saying the organizations have fought hard to 1991 Exeter council remuneration Council member — Stipend - Per Diem Mutual Life Conf. Regis. r Travel ' Total Bruce Shaw ' $7,906 SO _ $111.76 $82.41 ,$813.39 . $4913.56 4 Bill Mickle $4,049 $2,20100 $1352.22 $498.66 $2810.97 $11,115.85 Lossy Fuller $4049 5490.00 $1352.22 $449.91 , $674.48 $7,015.61 Ben Hoogenboom $4,049 $01352.22 $14 $0 $5,415.22 Harry Klungel $4,049 $420 $111.76 $703.31 $812.73 $6,096.80 Do 9thy Chapman $4,049 $280 - $1352.22 - ' $ 21.1O $600.06 $6,802.38 -.1- Dave Urlin $4,049 - $0 -+ ' ..$111.76 $0 . $0 $4,160.76 Morley Hftll $4,049 $140 $1406.40 $0 $181.31 $5,776.71 &vie ' Stlkry -54;049 ....,.$140 . $1352.22 $703.31 $884.64 $7,129.17 keep provincial funds flowing to Ontario's smaller towns. "I hope council .realizes some gains have been made at the table of AMO by being there," he said. Mayor Bruce Shaw was the sec- ond largest recipient of remunera- tion and expenses at 58,913.56, but mainly due to the considerably higher base stipend for the mayor's chair, which is S7,906. New councillors Robert Drum- mond, Bob Spears and Tom Hum- phreys have so far only spent S149.35 each for registration at a municipal councillor's conference. When reviewing the statement councillor Ben Hoogenboom said there "was no question" that the per diem rate of councillors could be cut back. It currently stands at $70 for a full-day meeting, and $35 for a half day. ' Mickle later made a motion that council atipends and per diem rates slay at 1491 levels. Shaw intervened and pointed out stipends in the past have been based on the average of those in neighbouring t+tl was in the previous year. Vac .year we did take a cut, and this motion may be premature if we tine to be taking a cut," mid Shaw. said be *greed M�d 's motialn fie I*Ied . 1pd ,�yacutive gormmitiee to t�ocort-.