LABOUR UNREST AT REFINERY
Local Unifor trio arrested in Regina
Three local men were among 14 people arrested Monday on the picket line at the Federated Co-operatives Refinery in Regina where 700 workers have been locked out since Dec. 5.
Ken Anderson, skilled trades chair for Unifor Local 200 at the Ford Motor Co., Local 444 member Charles Grieve and Mike Byrne, a national representative out of Unifor’s Chatham office, were arrested after Regina police attempted to remove vehicles that were blocking access to one of the refinery’s gates.
Speaking from Regina on Wednesday, Anderson, 51, said Monday was no different than any other day on the line.
Pickets were walking the line outside Gate 7, one of 27 gates being covered at the 550-acre oil refinery on the outskirts of Regina, when a large contingent of police began to stream in with tow trucks behind them.
Anderson said police had two pickup trucks removed that were parked in the lane outside the gate but when they attempted to remove a U-haul truck, Unifor president Jerry Dias told them it wasn’t going anywhere.
“I was standing there with Jerry. I had my back to the back of the tow truck and (the police) made the decision that they were going to push everyone out of the way,” said Anderson, who resides in Tecumseh. “The police obviously had a mandate and they were going to follow that.
“They were the ones that escalated it at that point because they pushed their way in to move people,” he said. “And the next thing I know I was taken in, handcuffed. From that point, it was just one right after the other. Jerry Dias included.”
Seven men were arrested, taken into custody and charged with mischief under $5,000. It was seven hours before they were released and Anderson said at that point police arrested another seven men. Their first court appearance is Feb. 26.
“A few days ago, I wouldn’t have believed I could be arrested for peacefully protesting on a legal picket line, but these are the times we live in,” said Grieve, a 31-yearold Windsor resident, via a texted statement.
“I have the upmost faith in Unifor and what they’re doing protecting pensions for the locked-out workers of Local 594,” he said. “Personally, I’d like this all to get resolved and just enjoy being back home with my family and friends in Windsor.”
Regina police Chief Evan Bray told Postmedia on Tuesday that police are focused on public safety and have to strike a balance during an emotionally charged dispute.
“(Unifor’s) role is to come here and to cause challenges that are going to hopefully force (the employer) to get back to the bargaining table,” Bray said. “That’s a basic labour tactic, I get it, and all the power to them.”
But according to police, when union members “completely blocked” the entrances and exits to the refinery and refused to allow vehicles through the line, Unifor broke “the rules of engagement” set in a recent court order putting limits on the picket line.
Dias blamed Bray’s officers for escalating the situation.
“I’ve never seen a police department in any city in this country behave the way the Regina police did (Monday) night,” Dias said, adding the 50 responding officers were “aggressive.”
Bray said there will be a lengthy investigation that could result in more charges.
“We have huge support (here) from Windsor and we have a lot more on their way,” Anderson said. “In the bigger picture, it’s not about the Co-op refinery, it’s about the working-class people, their livelihoods. “This is bigger than what’s going on here. Everyone understands that.”
Approximately 53 Unifor members from the Windsor, Chatham, Sarnia and London areas, including from Windsor locals 444, 200, 195 and 2458, are in Regina.
Local 200 president John D’agnolo said it’s a battle unions face every day trying to hold on to hard-earned benefits and protect workers.
“That’s what we fight every day, those challenges,” he said. “We protect workers from greedy corporations.
“(The Co-op refinery is) not a corporation that’s struggling.
“It’s a corporation that’s making $3 million a day and going after workers.”