Calgary Herald
October 27, 2005
Lakeside Says Inspectors Backing Union;
Klein Opens Door to First-Contract Legislation
BROOKS--The owners of Lakeside Packers on Wednesday threatened to sue federal meat inspectors, veterinarians and the union, accusing them of working in cahoots to keep the packing plant from processing meat.
Meanwhile, Premier Ralph Klein says his government will consider first-contract legislation in light of the bitterness and violence of the Brooks strike.
Arkansas-based Tyson Foods, the owner of Lakeside Packers, is talking about court action because it doubts claims by the meat inspectors they feel unsafe crossing the United Food and Commercial Workers' picket lines.
The legal threat comes on the same day RCMP were called in to investigate vandalism at the meat inspectors' Brooks office. Mounties are looking into reports a rock was thrown through the front glass door of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency overnight Wednesday.
"We question whether the unionized inspectors' alleged safety concerns are genuine," said Gary Mickelson, a spokesman for Tyson Foods. "Over 1,000 of Lakeside's team members have been safely crossing the picket line.
"We believe there's evidence that a few unionized inspectors are expressing support for the UFCW Local 401 by staying away from the plant to keep it from
operating."
The company is seeking undisclosed monetary damages. It's believed Lakeside Packers loses about $1 million each day processing doesn't occur.
A spokesman for the CFIA, which employs federal meat inspectors, denies any involvement in the labour dispute.
"We feel we're getting caught in the middle," said Philip Amundson. "We are very much maintaining the fact that this is not our dispute."
Unionized meat inspectors have refused to cross picket lines for the past three days, essentially halting all operations at the Brooks-area plant.
Amundson said the agency has asked for an independent review of the situation by officials from Labour Canada. If investigators determine the situation is safe, meat inspectors will be ordered back to work or face discipline.
A decision by Labour Canada is expected this morning.
Public Service Alliance of Canada officials said in a statement the federal government, through the CFIA, is colluding with the company and putting its members in danger.
Union president Doug O'Halloran denied his union was working with the meat inspectors' union, but he applauded the inspectors for not crossing the picket line.
Klein said his government would consider first contract legislation in light of the bitterness and violence of the Lakeside Packers strike.
"We'll look at it," the premier said Wednesday.
But he warned government would take time to "examine the action and the reaction" of the decision.
The province has no provision for arbitration when a union and company cannot agree on a first contract, though such legislation does exist in other provinces.
"It always bothers me to see that kind of violence on the picket line but, again, this is a private-sector dispute," Klein said.
Alberta Liberal labour critic Dan Backs is urging the Klein government to support his private member's bill, which would implement first-contract legislation in the province. MLAs will begin and end their fall legislature sitting next month.
Meanwhile, both sides of the dispute were back in a Calgary courtroom Wednesday.
Scott Acker, regional director for the CFIA, testified Wednesday at Court of Queen's Bench inspectors feared for their safety if they tried to cross picket lines.
Acker told Lakeside lawyer Raylene Palichuk that 10 to 12 inspectors must be present at the plant for it to operate. Acker said he was told by a picket leader strikers had a plan to prevent inspectors from crossing.
The testimony came during a Lakeside application to have the union held in contempt of court for disobeying a prior judge's order that pickets not block employees wanting to enter the plant.
Alberta Alliance MLA Paul Hinman called Wednesday for cooler heads to prevail.
"The real forgotten people being hurt in this fight are the producers who are just trying to get their beef out," said Hinman.
In Brooks on Wednesday afternoon, hundreds of strikers gathered for the funeral of two pickets killed in a car crash a week ago.
The bodies of Tewodros Fatene and Eyasu Wolde Yohans will be flown back to their Ethiopian homeland to be buried by family.
Also Wednesday, RCMP charged a 58-year-old Brooks man with speeding through a picket line after dropping off a passenger.
James Albert McEwan has been charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and is scheduled to appear in provincial court Dec. 15.
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