by Eleanor Brown

SAINT JOHN (CUP) - The hand-lettered sign at the left of the door reads “Scab Alert: Hit a Scab Week.” A list of 22 strike-breakers’ names and addresses follows.

The message at the bot- tom reads: “If you know or recognize any of these scabs, feel free to let them know how you feel. Ban the Scabs.”

A walkout at Coca Cola’s three union- ized New Brunswick plants - there are five in all — is going into its fourth month.

While management re- fused to comment, the union is in the middle of a drive to hit the soft drink bottler in the pocket-book. Resi- dents of Prince Edward Is- land and New. Brunswick are being asked to boycott all Coke products, and cans on Nova Scotia shelves all come from Brunswick Bottling.

(strikers)

*

“These guys are average citizens,’ George Vair. “They’ve never been in trouble with the law in their whole life. Now they’re breaking wind- shields. The emotions take over.”

said

And the representative of local 1065 of the Retail Wholesale Department Store Union (RWDSVU), headquar- tered above the Vern’s Doughnut and Pastry Shop, blames strikebreakers for the scattered skirmishes in front of the Saint John’s Brunswick Bottling Ltd..

“It’s pretty hard when people go on strike — you’re fighting for your job, then the employer brings in some- body and they take your job,” said Vair.

But the strikers are not the only ones who occasion- ally resort to violence. In what may be the first such decision in Canada, an junction against the’ com- pany forbids the assaulting of picketers.

in-

The union says its mem- bers were assaulted by Brunswick Bottling employ- ees. And on July 15, Mr. Justice Alfred Landry served an ‘injunction which forbids management from harming picketers or counselling oth- ers to do so.

Grievances date from 1982 and include allegations of attempted union- busting and unwarranted,

ings.

mass fir-

According to shop stew- ard Dave Brown, company owner Ralph Hawkes hired his friends to replace union- ized workers.

Brown said a spring bar- gaining session saw manage- ment attempt to remove se- niority provisions from !the contract. Employees in Moncton, Saint John and Edmunston walked out May 28.

Saint John’s fifteen strik- ers are feeling the pinch. A court order restricts the number of picketers to ten

DEAR JIM & TAMMY

Dear Jim & Tammy,

Could you please explain to me why I should worship my roomate just because she thinks she is God? I feel in-

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signed, ~ 3

The 13th disciple:

Dear Disciple;

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WRITE TO JIM & TAMMY! Ad- dress you questions to Jim and Tammy, c/o The Gem.

* Please get your questions.in _ before 5:00 on Monday.

New Brunswick Coke strike a long and violent saga

and the blue-collar workers are receiving $100 a week The union locals in town are be- ing encouraged to a striker,” and match their

in strike pay. other

“adopt

take-home pay.

Shop Steward

Brown said the strikers can

stick it out.

“Nobody's put a time

limit — we can hold it indefi-

nitely ,” he said.

The workers have a lot

to lose. According to strik-

without

New Brunswick law, be fired Twenty-eight em- ployees province- wide have already lost their jobs.

ers can

penalty.

“The boycott is the only thing that’s stopping (the We're nomic pressure on him (to

owner). putting eco-

negotiate), Vair said. “We're willing to talk on

any issue, with the exception

of seniority,” added Brown.

Brown said 50-year-old employees who lose seniority

and get fired will never be

able to find new jobs because See oe eee eee

they are too old for today’s employer.

And Brown Coke boycott is Production is down, sales are down and some major food chains have agreed to pur- chase Coke products from Newfoundland.

the working.

said

Hawkes

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