[Firebot]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

I’m not sure what tactics or policies you’re referring to but as far as the transgressions related to the CUPE President in Ontario I’d like to think that you’re smart enough to to realize that wasn’t a Union issue so much as it was a human being making a very poorly thought out stupid comment. There’s numerous examples of people who have nothing to do with Unions making similar comments. This isn’t justifying his comment at all, I’m just pointing out that trying to link it to being somehow influenced by his involvement in a Union is a pretty big stretch.

That he is still the CUPE president despite those comments is all that needs to be stated about union politics. There is currently an ongoing human rights claim against CUPE. And it's not one comment.

The human rights complaint goes on to describe Hahn’s history of telling members that Jewish people “stole” land from Palestinians and should not live in Israel. It points to CUPE conventions dating back to 2018 that claimed Israel “illegally” occupies land and opposes the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s definition of antisemitism.

https://toronto.ctvnews.ca/alienated...cupe-1.6634090

I missed the part where a Union was advocating for violence. I see no evidence that the Union funded any portion of the criminal defence costs for their members in the second example you provided so I’m not sure how you’ve reached the conclusion that they are protecting assaulters in that regard.

Shortened the quote for sake of not making the post longer. I basically just gave an example on why I deplore unions as they exist in Canada, specific to their animosity against scabs / picket line crossers, one incident involving assault. If you look at the details of the incident's it's far worse than the CBC article

The president of USW Local 6500, the union that represents the workers, said he is shocked and outraged with the decision.

“The three [men] are devastated from this news,” Rick Bertrand said. “We feel differently that they should be getting their jobs back.”

[Mike French, Jason Patterson (who had served on the negotiating team) and Patrick Vienot (who was vice-president of USW Local 6500 until the spring of 2009)

This does not sound like someone who believes that assault. These also weren't just random union guys as you diminish down as small (3) number of individuals, they were the head of the union. Veinot and Patterson were found not guilty simply because they could not be directly linked to actively participating in the assault or harassment (he said she said situation).

https://www.sudbury.com/police/one-g...rs-case-232732

Among other things, Chretien's vehicle was vandalized and posters with his picture were put up at his apartment building. This harassment campaign was supposed to have been capped off with a physical confrontation last year, Addario said.

“The problem was, there was nothing to link (French, Veinot and Patterson) to the previous acts,” he said.

“It was somebody else, obviously not acting with the direction of the union, because it's not union policy to engage in illegal acts of harassment of people who choose voluntarily to participate in a lawful strike.”

Veinot and Patterson, currently vice-president and treasurer of Local 6500 respectively, were passengers in French's vehicle during the incident. They did not participate in the altercation.

That you feel you need to feel to defend this incident to this extent just on the basis of unions needing to protect their own, again shows systemic problems with unions as they exist in Canada. Anti-scab legislation eliminates part of the conflicts and is necessary for employment right, but does not resolve integrated issues.