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Qub0065c, Wednesday, May 15, 2002 – The beginning of the week was tough for Vido0074ron employees in the Qub0065c City region – three members injured, two complaints lodged with the police and a strike breaker arrested.

On Monday in Lv0069s, the union members had formed a picket line in front of one of the Company’s offices. Forty strikers were demonstrating and trestles had been erected connected by ropes. A vehicle carrying strike breakers from the Henri Sicotte Tlcom company arrived at the site and forced its way through the picket line. Under the impact, the trestles were projected through the air, injuring two people. A man received injuries to his hand and a woman, Frano0069se Royer, was hit on her back. She lodged a complaint with the police who then arrested the strike breaker, who was taken from the offices in a police car, hiding his face.

Also on Monday, but this time in Val-Bl0061ir, three union members sitting in a car saw a male employee of the Henri Sicotte Tlcom company approach them. The individual began to take photos of the members, then of the license plate. One of the members, Carole Bolduc, got out of the car to ask him what he was doing. When she tried to block the camera lens the man hit her with his forearm, pushing her against the car. Ms Bolduc is now suffering from a backache and has bruises on her neck and collarbone. A complaint was also made to the police in this incident.

For the representatives of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, it is unacceptable that a Vido0074ron employee should be fired following claims of verbal threats, when strike breakers are permitted to injure union members while the company stands by. “This is a flagrant example of a double standard”, stated Gilles Dub,0020President of Local 1417. “But we are not surprised. From the very beginning we have said that using strike breakers is an obsolete and dangerous practice that always increases the risk of violence”.

With 7,000 members in the communications sector in Qub0065c, CUPE is also active in several other sectors including health and social services, education, urban and air transport, crown corporations and public agencies in Qub0065c, hydroelectricity and municipalities. With close to 100,000 members, CUPE is the largest QFL affiliate.

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SOURCE: CANADIAN UNION OF PUBLIC EMPLOYEES (QFL)