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~~1 Whitby Free Press, Wednosday. July 14, 1993. Page 5 MPPs hope unions will change thinking on contract By Mike Kowalski It may be wishful thinking, but Whitby's two MPPs want Ontario's public employees te drop thoir opposition te the 'social contract lfegisiation. While Drummend White and Gord Milîs do net expect the provinco's public sector workers te suddenly embrace the govern- înent's wage restraint law, they hope the necd for the law can be neoth Wit (Durham Contre) and Milîs (Durham East) peint eut that there is still time for public employees te, escape the ramifications of Bibi 48. Workers have two more weeks te determine their own fate, befere the government decides it fer them. White and Mills were among the 66 New Democrat MPPs who supported the contreversial w1oe rostraint law lat week, whi e three NDP MPPs and a former New Democrat voted with 55 opposition members against Bill 48. The bill impeses wage rol backs on Ontario's 950,000 pub. lic workers by requiring them te take up te, 12 days of annual unpaid beave and pay freezes over the next three years, among other measures. Unless agreements are rea- ched with public secter unions, the legisiation takes effect Aug. 1. Aimed at cutting $2 billion annually from the province's $43. billion public secter payroil, Bill 48 has run into strong opposition from workers who fEeeltey are being made' scapegoats for the provinco's financial woes. Union officiais fear the govern- ment will eliminate jobs, regard- less of whether they co-eperate in negotiations. But according te White, the government is trying te preserve as many jobs as possible, while at the samne time attempting te control Ontario's rapidly escalat- ing ebt. "The leginsiation was arrivod at after a ieng period of time. It ropresents balance and an attempt te ensuro empioyrnent is maintained,» White claimed. 'Mhe roasen for the whole pro- cess is te avoid the massive layoffs and wago rolbacks which happened in every othor pro- vince," ho said. a Concedin g thero "may beafe jobs lest,» White saidtho gvern- ment's intention is te csave rnoney and jbs. Wito noted that those making less than $30,000 will noit ho affected and ho was enceuraged bI settlernents which have already been reached in some secters. For example, the government has a deal te cut $10 million in community service spending. "There was no abrogation of collective agreements, no wage freeze, no unpaid leaves,» said White. "They decided they could corne u.p with money threugh efficien-' cies,» ho explained. A highlight of the agreement is that workers wilI be allowed te take unpaid leaves of absence and have a job waiting for them upen their return, White said. "I would have liked te have gone back te sehool and have a job waiting for me," said White, a social worker by profession. Whînte: "I'-ve had a pay freeze the past three years and 1 survîved-"01 White would net hazard a guess as te what may happen if t he major unions do not resume ne people1 say a provnce- wide strike, others say get back to the table, I don't know,» ho said. White criticized some of the more vociferous opponents of the government's plans. uP've had a psy freoze the past three years andc I survived,' ho said. (MPPs are paid a basic salary of $44,675 annually and receive a $14,984 tax-freallowance.) "My income is higher than $30,000 but it's lower than some of the. public socter workers screaring bloody niurder," White added. While ho, tee, could net predict what will transpire next menth, Milîs romains optimistic. «I see this as a window of opportunity that people will corne te grips with the situation,» ho said. « As an eptimist, 1 hope they, can roach an'agreement making Bill 48 obsolete and unnecesa- 'renorth Whitby representa- tive said the public is "clef înitely» behind the government in its test of wills with the unions. "My staff and 1 are getting calls and letters saying it's about time someone steed up and said let's de soniething,» said Milîs. "I don't think there's-any sup- port for those (union) tactics ameng the general publi ... shut- ting down the province and sabre-rattling.» Milîs said the private sector has made sacrifices the past few years and publice employoes should do their part. "I don't see people in the pri- vate secter who are unionized and accepting wage cuts as being any different than the public sector,» ho said. Milîs' commients notwithstand- ing, the head of the Ontario division of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is net convinced the general public a pproves of the governmnent's pl an. "F'm net really sure we have (public support) and thon again I mn net sure we haven't,» said CUPE Ontarie president Sid Ryan. "But I think the public is beginning te sec the effect of taking $6 hillion eut ofr services,- hoe said. (CUPE, which reprosents 165,000 Ontarie workers, has joined most of the 28 public sector unions in beycotting nego- tiations with the governmnent te protest suspension of their collec- Thursday, JuIy l5th 10Oam to8 pm 133 Taunton Rd W. #16 Oshawa - 432-1580 tive agreements.) Ryan, a Whitby resident, used Town council's recent imposition of a temporary wage rollbnck on its municipal eniployoos te, illus- trate his peint (see separate stery). Ho said Whitby is a «good example» of what will happen when municipal employees are laid off. «Parks will gýet bas service, rinks in the wxnter will not be open as long and emergey ser- vice in hospitals will be cut back»"said Ryan. "When the cemxnunity starts te, feel the effects of Bill 48 taking place -- net just jobs, but services tee -- I think people will start te seo and agree with our Wh&le o des net know what will happon after Au g. 1, Ryan said the coalition of pub lic secter unions will explore aIl options. «Clearly the public sector talks are ovor. We will discuss with- drawal of services," ho said. «Evorything from a full-blown strike tejeob actions, study ses- sions." Ryan said the unions pur- posely steered clear of that alter- native until new. inuWe tried lobbying and work- ingwithin the party (NDP). We ddeverything humanly possible te dissuade the government frorn this course of actio n,» ho said. "The only course of action left te us is witnrawal of services." 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