SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 1996
80 CENTS (HOME DELIVERED: 50 CENTS A DAY)
High today: 15 Low tonight: 7 Details page 2
PRINCE GEORGE
Serving the Central Interior since 1916
Unions reject supermarket offer
VANCOUVER (CP) — British Columbia supermarket workers have overwhelmingly rejected what two giant supermarket chains said was their final offer when they locked them out two weeks ago.
Two locals of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union at Safeway stores said no by margins of 92 and 91 per cent in vote counts released Friday night.
Two other locals at Overwaitea-Save-On Food stores rejected the offer by votes of 83 and 81 per cent.
Spokesman Tom Fawkes said the union has faxed a letter to both employers urging a return to bargaining.
“I think it’s pretty clear that the final offer they have put to the membership has been substantially rejected and it’s time to return to the bargaining table,” said Fawkes.
Supermarket officials said they believed their offer was fair.
A spokeswoman for Canada Safeway said there are no plans to resume talks.
“We are extremely disappointed with the results of the vote,” Toby Oswald said in a statement. “It is obvious that our employees fail to understand the seriousness of the situation we face in this province.
“The results of the vote have not altered our fundamental need to achieve cost reductions which are essential to our survival in the British Columbia marketplace.
“We continue to be committed to achieving this goal.”
Fawkes said he would not comment further when asked if there was any room for movement in the dispute that closed 131 stores on May 31.
The chains’ proposal to 14,000 workers would have reduced the starting rate for new employees to $8 an hour from $10.
It also included extending existing contracts for two more years and buyouts of up to $35,000.
The companies had dropped a proposal to roll back all wages and bene-
fits by $2 an hour.
The union said it is seeking a better deal, including a more even pay structure for employees and better benefits.
It had urged members to give negotiators a strong rejection vote, a move Brian Piwek, president of Overwaitea Food Group, called irresponsible.
The lockout began after the union refused to lift strike notice at Greater Vancouver Safeway stores pending the contract vote ordered by the provincial labor relations board.
The shut-down supermarkets said they were having difficulty competing with other outlets where a different local of the same union had negotiated a contract paying lower wages and benefits.
Save-On-Food stores sent videos to employees encouraging them to accept the offer.
The lockout has meant business increases for competing grocery outlets but they have advertised that they might run out of some items.
Citizen photo by Chuck Nisbett
Workers locked out at the Spruce Street Overwaitea sit around the fire barrel, awaiting results of the province-wide vote.
Lawyer argues army had no business at Gustafsen Lake
Southam News
VANCOUVER - Charges should be dropped against the accused involved in last summer’s Gustafsen Lake standoff because the army was called in illegally, says a defence application filed in court Friday.
Defence lawyer Manual Azevedo, who represents the accused Glen De-neault, filed the notice of motion, claiming the use of the military in the police operation at Gustafsen Lake was done without the proper authority and was in violation of the Emergencies Act, the National Defence Act and the Canadian Charter.
“The question is when is the army allowed to be used against citizens,” Azevedo said in an interview outside the court.
Azevedo noted the attorney general
of B.C. can also request the help of the Canadian forces under the National Defence Act. But when the request is made, the attorney general has to “cause an inquiry” within seven days into the reasons for calling out the army, he added.
The lawyer said he plans to argue that all the Crown evidence should be excluded against all the accused because the use of the army was illegal.
Legal argument on the matter will be heard July 2. The jury has been scheduled to return-July 8 to begin hearing evidence in the trial, which is expected to last all summer.
The military was called in to assist at Gustafsen Lake during the month-long armed standoff, which was sparked by a confrontation between cowhands and native Indians.
Our firefighters headed to the East
Citizen Staff
A number of Prince George firefighters are in Quebec to help fight forest fires.
Others in the province have left for Ontario which is suffering the same plight from lightning activity, dry woods and high temperatures.
More than 74 B.C. forest fighters, including 34 from Prince George and the rest from Nelson, left for Baie-Comeau while 56 others from B.C. left for Roberval.
B.C. has also provided Quebec with 17 tonnes of hose, pumps, shovels, pu-laskis and other equipment.
Saskatchewan is loaning two air tankers and its reconnaissance (bird dog) planes.
Officials in Quebec reported 178 new fires overnight Thursday and the loss of 2,000 hectares of forest. To date the province has registered 475 fires damaging 9,423 hectares. The forecast is for continuing dry and warm weather and intense lightning activity.
Citizen photo by Brent Braaten
HERITAGE TRAIL GETS A FACELIFT — Don Hutchinson of Preferred Paving rakes asphalt Friday on a portion of the Heritage River Trail System, while Dean Eberle, left, and Ken Vogt operate the spreader box. The trail stretches east along the Nechako River from the pumphouse at the Cameron Street Bridge, past the junction of the Nechako and Fraser to the south side of the Yellowhead Bridge, and eventually will end at Fort George Park. The Nechako Rotary Club raised $120,000 for the project since 1991 and another $35,000 was received through government grants and corporate donations. The trail, which measures five to six feet wide and is wheelchair accessible, should be open to the public by July 1.
INDEX
Ann Landers......... ...20
Bridge.............. , . .34
Business ........... 14,15
City, B.C............ ....3,
Classifieds.......... 30-35
Comics...........18,25,26
Community Calendar ...12
Crossword .......... ...18
Entertainment ----17,19,20
Horoscope .......... , . .33
Lifestyles........... 10,14
Movies.............. .. .19
Nation.............. ... .5
Sports.............. . .6-8
Television........... . . .19
World .............. ...13
58307
00100'
■ An Ottawa hospital is poorer today after a judge ruled the hospital has to pay a couple $4 million for negligence during the birth of their daughter. Lawyers for both sides said the damages are high by Canadian standards. Page 5
CANADA
■ A police officer in the town of Lunenburg, N.S., was killed when he went to investigate what is being called a domestic dispute. The officer was apparently talking with a
man when the man pulled out a gun and shot him. Other officers opened fire on the suspect, killing him. Page 5
WORLD
■ Investigators raided the offices of an airline company involved with Thursday’s crash in Japan. Investigators said the airline faces possible charges in the death of three people aboard the flight. Page 13
PROVINCE
■ A just released poll indicates support for the federal Reform Party
has dropped 20 per cent. Friday’s poll indicates just 39 per cent of people gave the party a passing grade. Page 11
BOOKS
■ A view of history from behind a gun is an interesting perspective, and our reviewer thinks it’s well worth a read. Page 36
EDUCATION
■ A University professor says a lack of proficiency in math spells trouble. He says up to 40 per cent of first-year math students drop out at his university. Page 23
COMMUNITY
This morning's top local headlines:
Citizen's role in UNBC lauded/page 9 Bodybuilder ripped, cool and clean /page 6 Dad was just an ordinary guy /page 9
E-Mail address: CITIZEN@NETBISTR0.C0M
4
SPORTS
■ The Seattle SuperSonics proved they weren’t just happy to be still in the playoffs. They went out and forced a sixth game with a 89-78 victory over the Chicago Bulls Friday night. The series shifts back to Chicago. Page 7
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