Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-12-01, Page 19Times -Advocate, December 1,1993 Page` 19 Farm unionization Campaign to fight Bill 91 arrives in Goderich GODERICH - "Bob Rae's plans to unionize Ontario's farms could - destroy the province's nearly 36 - billion agricultural industry," claims Ontarians for Responsible Government (O.R.G.) Executive Director, Thom Corbett. During a two-day tour of West- ern Ontario where he hosted press conferences in Listowel, Mitchell, Wingham and Goderich, Corbett also unveiled banners which O.R.G. has placed in various rural areas throughout southwestern and central Ontario. Corbett says the 5 foot by 10 foot banners have been placed by. fanners on wagons and on frames they have erected themselves on their property. The signs, which read: BOB RAE IS GOING TO UNIONIZE THE FAMILY FARM, 'HELP US STOP HIM, are an attempt to warts farmers of Bob Rae's plans for their farms. Corbett argues that Bill 91 - which will allow unions to estab- lish unions of farms for the first time - is just another indication of "Bre NDP's attack against the small business community. "Since Bob Rae was elected in 1990 he has given every indication that his legislative agenda is driven by socialist ideology instead of sound business practices," says Corbett. O.R.G., which was formed in 1990, describes itself as a "govern- ment watch -dog which is dedicat- ed to smaller government and free enterprise." It is also a project of the 40,000 member National Citi- zens' Coalition. Corbett, who grew up in a rural area and now resides in Guelph, says that Bill 91 will mean the end of rural Ontario as we now know it. "Once unions move onto the family farm we are going to see the kind of labour unrest and ten- sions that have flared up in urban areas move into rural Ontario." Corbel, points to the appearanc- es of David Martinez, spokesman for the United Farmworkers' Un- ion, at; this week's Ontario Federa- tion of Labour Convention in To- ronto, as a preview of what this province's farmers can expect it Bill 91 is passed. "Here we have one of North American's most radical unions of- fering advice to Ontario's unibns on how they can best ensure the province's farms are unionized," says Corbeu. "We can expect the =me kind of rural unrest in Onta- rio that this union brought to Amer- ican communities." Bill 91 grew out of consultation between the NDP and members from the Ontario Federation of Ag- riculture, Flue -Cured Tobacco Growers' Marketing Board, Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers" As- sociation, as well as representatives from the United Food and Com- mercial Workers' Union. The con- sultation was formalized with the establishment of the Task Force on Agricultural Labour Relations which issued reports in June and November of last year. Corbett says a reading of the re- ports is a real eye-opener. "On page 3 and 4 of the June report the The United StatesDepartment of Health and friurnan.Services has approved.ti a use ofbovine somatotropin, uwally called BST, which, when injectedinto dairy cattle, can,improve niilk production by asmuch as 20 percent. , Increase product by 20,per- cent? Yep, that's what the ex- perts say although research -indi- cates that the normal increase is somewhere between 10 and 15 percent. Even so, that's a tre- mendous improvement. If all dairy farmers use it, then 10 to 20 percent of dairy farmers will soon be out of business. However, not all of'them will Canada ''.lranty people feel 'tbat.anythi1pgmore added to Milk is too much. They want it pure and simple without any ar- tifrcial;gencLic aids. Canadian:dairy.faane s will seek approval. I'm sure, simply because they feel they must compete on a level playing field with U.S. dairy farmers. Any dairy farmer I have talked to in the last six or seven .years has anticipated the U.S. move and everyone of sham has empha- sized the safety of the hormone and that they have no personal concerns about its use. BST is growth -promoting hormone that is produced natu- rally in all dairy cows. New ge- netic engineering methods can mass produce the substance at relatively low cost. But it must be injected daily, as I understand it. Dairy _fanners are concerned about •how the consumer feels about -BST. They know 'that the buying public is much more aware.these days and farmers worry that sales of dairy prod - mots will decline drastically if a ,hormone is injected intotairy cows. Again, and this is just a per- sonal opinion, I think consumers will hest'tte if they know that a hormone has been injected. Add to this the continuing decline in dairy product sales and you will h e.a dwindling use of those precincts. On the other hand, the use of BST has been tested more than any other substance ever used in animal husbandry. It has been tested and re -tested to the point where everyone connected with it declares unequivocally that it is safe both cattle and humans. As a.major new technology, BST has generated an unprece- dented amount of scientific data totalling more than 900 trails in- volving 21,000 head of dairy cattle. Regulatory bodies in both Canada and the United States as well as in Europe have indicated that the use of BST does not cause any change in the quality of milk because i( is a natural hormone produced by dairy cat - a LOW PROFILE. HIGH VALuE. Introducing The New White 6065. It Never Comes Up Short --Except In Height. When you're working in and under low over- heads, this low profile 63 -PTO hp tract« is a great value lex roday's farmer. The 6065 gives you all this and more: • Low profile straddle mount. • 12F/I;.R synchronized reverser trans- mbsiat to change direction in any gear. • Reliable, liquid -cooled diesel engine. • True center Ime power foot ark for 50-degre^ turning angle. • Hydraulic actuated clutch adjusts 'automatically to reduce maintenance. • Hydraulic wet disc brakes for faster u • Strang AOCQ wanranty,100% parts a labor 101,2 years/1000 hours with no deductibles (see your White dealer fou detiM it If you're looking for a great value, check out the new 6065 at your White dealer. And ask him about flexible ACCO financing plans See your White dealer listed below ' • ole anyway and the addition of the injected hormone simply adds to production. BST, the experts say, has no effect on humans. It is a protein and is easily digested. There is not way to differentiate milk from BST supplemented cows from milk that is not. Many dairy farmers in Canada are patiently waiting to use BST. Just as many are probably hesitant. Because it has been ap• proved across the border, the re- quest for approval here will soon come. It will'be a problem the new Minister of Health, Diane Mar - teat:. vidll intreriL TheDairy .NDP and the unions argued that they just wanted to unionize "facto- ry -style" agricultural operations and not family farms. However, the agricultural representatives on the task force argued that amily farms should also be organized. "1 find it amazing that a Task Force which included Bill Weaver of the Ontario Federation of Agri- culture (OFA) would recommend that small family farms should also be organized." Because Bill 91, which received fust reading in July and is sched- uled for passage next March or April, falls under the Labour Rela- tions Act, Corbeu says any farm, with "more than one employee could be unionized." Corbett says that the OFA's argu- ment that they negotiated for separ- ate labour' legislation because they didn't want to fall under the Labour Relations Act, is a "smokescreen." "The first sentences of Bill 91 make it clear that the bill will be interperred by the Labour Rela- tions Act," says Corbett. "While it is true that Bill 91 modifies certain aspects of the Labour Relations Act, it still relies on this act for much of its interpretation." Besides allowing any operation with more than one employee to be unionized, says Corbett, it will penalize farmers up 10 $2,000 per day if they are "deemed guilty of an offense under the Act." While it is true that Bill 91 modi- fies the Labour : Relations Act so that unionized farm workers won't be able to go out on strike, Corbett argues that "Work slow -downs, work to rule and other measures can disrupt a farm operation just as much as any strike." As a result of their two-month campaign against Bill.91 - which O.R.G. intends to intensify during the next several months - Corbett says some "farm bureaucrats are now saying Bill 91 should be changed. - "The only change that should be •made to Bill 91," says Corbea "is for someone to dig a hole in the 'tack 40 of Queen's. Park and bury 13ill 9r." Farmers of Canada.as'this is �aAgrieui#ural written, are seeking ameeting with our new federal health min ister to begin discussions. It is not a political football but it could become one. The new minister need only get all the data availaole and study them before making a decision. If the Americans are going to inject BST, it is only a matter of time before it will be done here, too. It has, in fact, been used in Ontarioduring research at the University of Guelph. Not only that, but the milk from the treat- ed cows -- some of it, anyway -- was put into the provincial milk supply. It didn't do anyone harm. CLINTON -- -As the business year draws to a close, thoughts turn to Registered Retirement Sav- ings Plan (RRSP) contributions. In mid-January, a new instru- ment wilt be on the shelf called the Agricultural Guaranteed Invest- ment Certificate. These new G.I.C.s will be avail- able through local credit unions and when pooled will be used to provide farm loans for: the pur- chase of farm real estate; the con- struction or improvement of fame buildings; the purchase of movable farm machinery and equipment; the consolidation of arm debt; and off -farm, farm related, value added ventures in rural Ontario. Fits stockings of all sizes Put a grin on a child's face, or add to your toy collection this holiday season. Ask for authentic Ford New Holland replicas ... they're made to Ifttat. Available at your Ford New Holland dealer. Stop In now and grab a few. DeAtegliaME rait In 4-H, completion of 12 clubs is considered an outstanding achievement. However, Elizabeth French (right), of the Elim- ville 114-H has completed 24 clubs as of this fall. After start- ing at age 12, (she is now 19) she has also attended 4-H con- ferences as far away as New Brunswick. She was presented with a limited edition painting Monday evening by Marion Skin- ner of the Elimville Women's Institute, in recognition of her achievement. Thighmaster fifth meeting By Kasia Szczech LUCAN - The Thighmasters 4-H club held its fifth meeting on No- vember 22. The president call the meeting to order and the roll call Usborne #3 4-H club babysit EXETER - The Usborne #3 Kuri- ous Kringlers opened their last meeting with the 4-H pledge. The roll call was what three people would you like to invite to holiday get togethers. The group discussed their baby- sit-a-thon on Saturday, November 27. They had a few children at the baby-sit-a-thon, who were able to "-watch movies, play games and read stories. They played a game called seven up, and' there were riding toys for the little ones. They all had a great time. The club also made invitations for their family members to the achievement night planned for De- cember 7. was "What do you like most about yourself?" There were many an- swers: the person's eyes, colour of hair, size of feet, good at sports, friendly, etc. The group then looked at two col- lages made earlier of different pic- tures of people from magazine arti- cles everyone brought in. They noticed how there were a lot more ads of "beautiful perfect" movie stars and athletes than regular eve- ryday people. Each member agreed that that's not very realistic and how most ads exaggerate their product by giving the image that "if you use this product, you will look just like him or her", which is not true. The club then discussed BMI (Body Mass Index) and ideal, healthy body size and weight. The new, updated ,bpd t *heseatsaperson his/her body wetgltt , shalt , size is ideal and if it's healthy ' or not. There was a video on this and then each member did a quiz and BMI test themselves. After that there was talk on what people will do for Achievement Day and then the meeting was ad- journed. Usborne 1 4-H members make Santa faces By Elizabeth Kerslake THAMES ROAD - Last Thurs- day the Usborne I Christmas Cook- ies held their finakaet-together. The group had their books and crafts on display. Sharon Passmore was guest speaker and led in mak- ing a Santa face ornament, with family members participating also. Demonstrations and skits fol- lowed and a sing song was led by Erin Parker, Marcy Swance and Elizabeth Kerslake. After the pro- gram, refreshments were served consisting of guess what - Christ- mas cookies! The right choice for the right job Yetter BUY Now AND SAVE Notary HHae Wks s are 21' wheels riveted for durability that turn on sealed gothic arch bearings. Each wheel has 16, forged, self -sharpening teeth. . SIM blah Ileariegs are designed to run on four c, atact points which makes them more stable than traditional races. All of our Rotary Hoe models run on the gothic arch bearing. Purchase quantities $21.00 each rep. 529.00 ..14.401 4011 110F.C, 100,1 YETTER REPLACEMENT PLOW COULTERS 20" Blade 800 Ib. pressure complete unit... $250.00 Replaces J.D. - I.H. - A.C. - Kongskilde Quantity Discount Available HYDE BROTHERS FARM EQUIPMENT LIMITED Howatt Ston Rannoch Star. 519.282-2806 5192298700 (Bob, Tarry or Jo.) (Murray)