THE FREE PRESS OPINION Page A8 THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 2000 PHONE 564-0005 "The theory of a free press is that the truth will emerge from free reporting and free discussion " Walter Lippman THE PRINCE GEORGE FREE PRESS publisher Lorne Doerkson editor Shane Mills ADVERTISING MANAGER RlCHARD SKINNER 1773 South Lyon Street, Prince George, B.C. V2N 1T3 Phone: 564-0005 Fax: 562-0025 EDITOR@PGFREEPRESS.COM ADSALES@PGFREEPRESS.COM Painful lesson learned One of the longest-running local labour disputes within memory seems to be ending with a whimper. Assuming a tentative deal is ratified by union members, the three movie projectionists in town will lose their jobs in spite of noisily fighting for them during a 68-week lockout. B.C. projectionists balked at significant pay reductions proposed by owners of Famous Players and Cineplex Odeon. Pay cuts would be phased in for several years, but projectionists argued they were treated unfairly They argued that the theatre chains were making big profits and were somehow obligated to continue paying them wages that had been negotiated to consider different working conditions. Before modern equipment was installed, projectionists had a difficult job. They deserved a good wage and their union bargained hourly pay of up to $38.31 an hour. But then their job became much easier. Their bosses pointed out that they weren’t earning the money, and stated they would do something about it. The union dug in its heels and the owners locked the projectionists out. Perhaps proving the companies’ view, movies have been shown for more than a year with no visible problems. In fact, movie complexes with fewer than seven screens won’t have a projectionist under terms of the interim deal. Except for the labour movement’s argument that employers have a social obligation to pay their workers well, the projectionists were not on good ground. You can bet that if their job had become much more difficult and dangerous, they would have demanded and received pay raises to reflect that. While projectionists, even ones making $38.31 an hour, aren’t in the same league as pro athletes, it’s the same oneway street mentality. If a hockey player has a great season, he wants to renegotiate his contract. If he stinks for a whole season, just let management suggest he take a pay cut. Prince George’s senior projectionist is on the right track when he says it’s clear management was not going to budge. Not enough movie-goers sympathized with the projectionists to hurt the movie chains where it hurts. It’s time for the projectionists to get on with their lives, says Dave Matthews. A severance package of an estimated $20,000 will help. The Prince George Free Press is A POLITICALLY INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPER PUBLISHED EVERY THURSDAY AND SUNDAY. All material contained in this publication is protected by copyright. Reproduction is expressly prohibited by the rightsholder. Moving the treaty box A boriginal Affairs Minister Dale Lovick last week finally admitted what most observers have known for a while. The settlement of .land claims in B.C. is taking far too long. The subtext of Mr. Lovick’s admission suggests those who support treaty-making have been more on the mark with their arguments than have those who criticize the whole process. The cost of not settling — in actual expenditures and in lost investment opportunities due to uncertainty — could easily become greater than the cost of settling. According to Bill Wilson, chief negotiator for the Prince George-based Lheidli T’enneh band, the biggest problem is the formula the provincial government uses for figuring out the land and cash offers. Mr. Wilson calls that formula a “little square box” into which bands are supposed to fit. With little leeway for individual circumstances, how can there be true negotiation? he asks. The government’s position, unfortunately, is that there needs to be a standard “framework” with which to negotiate MCALPINE VIEW Cam McAlpine all treaties. Localized solutions are not an option. Mr. Lovick’s admission, however, should be enough to prove that the “little square boxes” aren’t working either. So maybe it's time to begin thinking outside the box. In many ways, the Lheidli T’enneh main table is illustrative of the potential of the treaty process to achieve fair and just results. It might, however, just as easily prove to be the test case that presages the unravelling of the process province-wide. Mr. Wilson suggests the turning point in Lheidli negotiations will be the land and cash offer, expected to be made to the band within the month. Although he does not know what that offer will consist of, Mr. Wilson admits the formula used to determine land and cash settlements in other rejected offers will probably not work for the Lheidli T’en-neh either. On the up side, however, Mr. Wilson points to what he sees as the positive aspects of the process. Most importantly, he says, the positive relationship between the band and the larger community of which it is a part is an example of what needs to occur in order for any progress to be made. In other words, local decision-making is working. It’s the provincial framework that is holding up the whole process. Mr. Lovick needs to realize that. Because at the end of the day, it is those people — and not the government negotiators, consultants and lawyers — who will have to live with the consequences of whatever settlement is reached. Or not reached. Cam McAlpine is the former editor of the The Free Press. His column appears every Thursday.