05) SINCLAIR RE-ELECTED AS B.C. FEDERATION PRESIDENT
PV Vancouver Bureau
In an unusual development, there was a contest for the top elected positions at this year's B.C. Federation of Labour convention, held Nov. 26-30 in Vancouver. But few observers were surprised when Jim Sinclair and former BC Teachers Federation president Irene Lanzinger were re-elected as President and Secretary-Treasurer, defeating Michele Laurie (an electrician and president of IBEW Local 282), and CUPE activist Trevor Davies. Sinclair took 1382 votes against 599 for Laurie, a winning margin of 70%. The second race was a bit closer, but the margin gave a strong mandate to the incumbents over the next two years.
There were various interpretations for the first such race in many years at the B.C. Fed. But the Laurie-Davies team was strongly backed by CUPE-BC, which walked out of the Fed convention two years ago in a protest against the Sinclair leadership.
That action was related to complex wider issues over raiding, leading many to conclude that it was not a division over fundamental policies. Instead, the differences reflect internal dynamics in a federation which requires strong consensus among major affiliates and executive members to move forward.
This year, the leadership of CUPE-BC, including its president Barry O'Neill, backed the challengers and tried to impose caucus solidarity for the vote. A major component of CUPE-BC, the Hospital Employees Union, took a different view and endorsed Sinclair and Lanzinger. In the end, CUPE-BC and IBEW were unable to convince many other delegates to back Laurie.
The incumbents were supported by Action Caucus members and others on the left of the labour movement in British Columbia. While many trade union activists with a militant outlook have raised criticisms of the BC Fed leadership over the years, there is an understanding that Sinclair's options are sometimes limited by the strength of some "business union" oriented affiliates.
The overarching consideration for many of the convention debates was the impending B.C. provincial election, set for May 13, 2013. After nearly 12 years of rabidly pro-corporate, anti-working class rule under Gordon Campbell and now Christy Clark, the B.C. labour movement is desperate to dump the Liberals. Opinion polls for the last year have consistently given a lead of about 20% to Adrian Dix's NDP, and delegates were eager for the campaign to begin.
Dix got a far better reception than his predecessor Carole James, whose tepid pro-business approach barely got delegates out of their seats two years ago, shortly before a caucus revolt pushed her out of the job. Likewise, federal NDP leader Thomas Mulcair got a standing ovation, and many hope that he can defeat the Harper Tories in 2015.
But Adrian Dix is being cautious. He has already pledged to reverse some of Gordon Campbell's tax cuts to the wealthy and the banks, but as he hinted to the BC Fed delegates, there will be no major move to shift the provincial tax burden back onto the corporate sector. He pledged to treat labour with respect, but also to consult closely with business interests. In other words, those who hope for a sharp swing to the left under the NDP should lower their expectations. There are even strong indications that a Dix government would not make significant pro-labour changes to the B.C. labour code, leaving that reform to a second term in office, i.e. 2019, after another six years of corporate attacks on working class rights.
The sharpest debate at the convention came on a composite resolution about the proposed Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline. Seeking unity, the resolutions committee limited the wording to this particular controversial project, and to exports of diluted bitumen from the Alberta tar sands. Labour would only support the pipeline, the resolution stated, if various conditions were met, including support from First Nations and an environmental assessment giving definitive approval.
Judging by the reaction to speakers, it appeared that a solid majority of delegates were opposed to Northern Gateway and to dilbit exports. Since the "conditions" set out in the compromise are very unlikely to be met, adoption would have meant in reality that labour opposes tar sands exports.
But the resolution drew angry opposition from the building trades unions, whose members hope for jobs building the pipeline. More significant for the final result, a number of delegates also spoke against, saying that it watered down opposition to any new oil pipelines. In the end, the supporters of the project and some of its sharpest critics joined to defeat the resolution, much to the dismay of many delegates.
The vote leaves B.C. trade unions in disarray, with some intending to keep up their involvement in campaigns against Northern Gateway and other pipelines, and others supporting these projects. The decision is clearly a setback for efforts to strengthen unity among labour, First Nations and environmentalists around energy issues, such as the big Oct. 22 anti-pipeline rally at the Legislature in Victoria.
(The above article is from the December 1-31, 2012, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $30/year, or $15 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $45 US per year; other overseas readers - $45 US or $50 CDN per year. Send to People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 706 Clark Drive, Vancouver, BC, V5L 3J1.)