HATE CRIME PROBED
Windsor man finds nooses at work
A black man found a noose on his truck and another near his work station at an auto plant that is being retooled in this southwestern Ontario city.
The victim, in his late 40s, was shaken but declined to speak about the incidents, officials said Monday. Police are investigating.
The man, who is from Windsor, is among hundreds of workers involved in a $2-billion retooling project at a Fiat Chrysler minivan assembly plant. Auto production has been shut down during the revamping.
On Friday, the day after a noose was discovered on the man’s truck, supervisors and union stewards called together dozens of workers and told them the incident was unacceptable, a spokesperson for the Labourers International Union of North America (LIUNA) Local 625 said.
Shortly after the meeting a second noose was found strung on a golf cart in the victim’s work area, the union official said.
“(Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Canada) has a zero-tolerance policy regarding harassment or discrimination of any kind,” said Lou Ann Gosselin, head of communications for the company. “This policy applies not only to our own employees, but also to vendors or contractors working at our facilities.”
Staff Sgt. Dave Kigar said Windsor police are following up with the complainant and Chrysler security to ensure the worker’s safety. “People should be allowed to come to work and feel safe.”
About 1,500 people have been working at the plant for the retooling. Along with hundreds of LIUNA labourers, there are up to 600 members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) — most working seven days a week until the renovation is completed in late May.
“There are definitely others who know what happened besides just the guy who did this,” said Karl Lovett, business manager for IBEW Local 773. “He won’t be able to keep it to himself and will have wanted others within his group to know what he did. “This person will get caught.” If it turns out to be an IBEW worker, he will lose his union membership, Lovett said.
“When I first heard about this it was unbelievable. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. In this day and age with all the racial and ethnic backgrounds we have, who is the person who would do this? It’s definitely unacceptable. ”