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st vert Cyêl n. re cent r". 9 S rik iKmHawley Strikeaction by Durham Recy- cling Centre workers has been averted with the ratification of a new contract. Workers voted 88 per cent in favor of accepting a contract that will see a recycling truck driver's hourl wage. increase to $13.25 by Juiw 1, 1990. Currentl drivers are paid $10 per hour. The new.contract will see the drivers paid $12.25 an hour, retroactive to Sept. 1, 1989. As of today (Nov. 1), the pay increases to $12.50 an hoir On Jan. 1, 1990, the wage increases to $13,' and finally reaches the $13.25wageon July 1,1990. According to John Cherry, national representative of the region's CUPE workers, media. tion between the union and Dur- ham Recyclinz management broke down on~Wednesday last week. However, conversations bet- ween Cher and management of Durham Recycling continued over the telephone well into the weekend, according to Cherry. "We were in a legal strike position as of last Friday," says Cherry. "We said we wouldn't strikeuntil all mediations broke down. Monday night, union and management went back to the SEE PAGE 33 Firefighters: PCB risk was unknown By Kim Hawley Firefighters would have res- ponded differently to a fire at Lasco. if they had have been warned of potentially harmful chemicals at the site, it was stated in Ajax. provincial court Friday. Lasco (Lake Ontario Steel Co. Ltd.) faces eight charges stem- ming from a fire at the Whitby plant Oct. 30, 1988. The Ministry of Environment has charged Lasco with two counts of failing to keep records of all PCB waste holding sites; two counts of failing to properly store PCBs; one count of dis- charging smoke from burning PCBs and ond count of failing to report the discharge of that smoke to the ministry. Lasco is also charged with one count of discharging PCB con- taminated oil into the natural environemnet and for failing to report it to the ministry. Officials from the ministry who investigated the fire indicated that oil contaminated with PCBs (polychlorinated bi-phenyls) had burned at the fire sitesThe PCBs were believed to have leaked from a tank approximately 500 feet from the two construction trailer that were ablaze. SEE PAGE 33 Robbery at Sunnycrest nursing home A 19-year-old employee at Sun- nycrest Nursing Home was for- ced to swallow pills and was then bound and gagged during a rob- bery Sunday. Iiurham Regional Police say two males broke into Sunnycrest sometime before 4 a.m. Sunday, by removing a screen and enter- ing through a large windaw. An employee, working alone in an office, was struck on the head and then forced to swallow a quantity of pills. The suspects then tied the employee to a chair and gagged her mouth. The two men then proceeded to enter several residents' rooms, taking purses as the residents slept. The purses were taken back to the office and items taken from them. Police say a VCR and a stereo system were also taken from the Sunnycrest recreation room. None of the residents were injured, and the employee was last reported as recovering in hospital from the experience. Police were unable to say.what kind of pills the suspects forced the employee to take. Police have no suspects at this time. homoe improvements Pages 19 - 23 i. NURSING students from Durham Col- Monday to demand that talks resume lege paraded in front of Durham between the union for striking tea- Centre MPP Allan Furlong's office on chers and management. Frec Press photo Students urge -talks Nursing students"from Dur- ham College received plenty of "honks" of support as they mar- ched in front of Durham Centre MPP Allan Furlong's office in downtown Whitby on Mondav. The 30 nursing students, i'rom Durham College's two-year (açtually 2.5 years) program, cal- led and received honks nof sup- port from passing motorists, as signs and shouts of "Furlong, do something new" and "Negotiate" were made. The students fear that if the strike goes on beyond three weeks they may lose one of the five rotations required for their program. They asked for a resumption of negotiations between the union for striking college teachers, and urged Furlong, who was in his office, to press for talks. While students were outside, Furlong contacted OPSEU rep Bart Wessling and Bill Cruden, representing the college's council of regents, and urged that nego- tiations be held to resolve the strike. A provincially appointed mediator has called union and management back to the bar- gaining table. About 8,800 tea- chers from 22 community col- leges in Ontario walked out Oct. 19. The talks scheduled for Thurs- day this week are the first since Oct. 17. "I want to go back to school," said Kelley Axcell, a Kirkland Lake native who attends the nursing program at Durham. "I'm losing money and time." Peggy Kovacic of Whitby, a mother of four who is also a nursrig student, said that an extended strike could mean another six months of school for nursing students, who might be the most affected of all Durham students. The students currently must take rotations in maternity, pediatrics, medical/ surgical, mental health aryld community to attain their registered nursing diploma. Some rotations inay not be available next year. The 2.5-year students began the program at the end of August and, under normal circum- stances, would have completed it at the end of June' "We're not siding with anyone. We just want them to talk and settle this thing," said Kovacic. Furlong, . who has received callé of concern from both stu- dents and teachers, said "ques- tions" have to be asked about the collective bargaining process. $,s- é. 4 f O* s * S4 SSSS f ë4 0 z