As agricultural journalist Kevin Hursh notes on the opposite page, union-management disputes are not making life any easier for farmers this year. If anything, that could be an understatement. Another experienced farm writer, D’Arce McMillan, notes on our news pages that the major issue leading the Grain Services Union to threaten a strike against Saskatchewan Wheat Pool is the Pool’s decision to close its elevator-construction division.
McMillan neatly summed up the issue’s crucial importance to farmers: “The Pool is in a race with competing grain companies that don’t have unions to build the system of large concrete elevators that will dominate grain handling in the future.”
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He quoted a Pool official: “A competitor can build an elevator for $600,000 less than we can. … on that basis, our competitors could build six elevators for every five we do.”
Not many Pool member-owners, presumably, feel like spending an extra $600,000 or so per elevator just so the Pool can be the only major elevator company building its own facilities.
After all, grainhandling companies don’t build their own office towers, trucks, or mainframe computers. Why should elevators be the exception?
In most businesses, that would settle the issue. The company would announce its decision and would negotiate severance allowances, etc. if a union were involved. Rather than engage in such negotiations, however, the GSU has demanded that the Pool reverse its decision or face a strike.
On the other hand, the GSU says, if the Pool does reverse its decision then the union is prepared to extend its agreements with the Pool for a year, unchanged, and negotiate other issues.
That might sound reasonable to people who don’t realize the cost of elevator construction, or farmers’ need for as cost-effective services as possible. But the GSU ultimatum is more than just an economic threat for farmers.
It also raises an important question of principle — are such strategic management decisions to be made by the farmer-elected board of directors and the management they supervise? Or by union bosses?
There are a lot of reasons why farmers need to start speaking out on this issue and letting both the Pool and union know their views.
Note: As always, the views expressed in this column are the personal opinions of the Editor and do not necessarily represent those of any group or institution. Although the writer is also a member of the SWP negotiating committee, this column is not written in that capacity. It is wholly unofficial editorial comment about controversial statements made to the news media on an issue of major importance to farmers. Readers’ comments, including opposing views, are encouraged and will be considered for publication.
