CANADIAN LABOUR SUDBURY:

VALE'S ANTI-UNION MOVES PROVE FATAL FOR WORKERS:

The end of the 2009-10 strike at Vale in Sudbury and Port Colburgh left company management emboldened. From their point of view they had beaten the union, USW Local 6500, and could do whatever they wanted. This included refusing to rehire 9 workers who had been fired for union activity during the strike despite an Ontario Labour Relations Board that the company's actions were "patently unreasonable". More ominously Vale has persisted in unsafe working conditions that have killed 4 workers since the end of the strike. Here's the story from the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers' Unions. The story contains links to a summary and full report of a health and safety audit carried out by the union itself- the company refused to collaborate in such an audit.

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

Safety, Union Busting Haunts Vale inside Sudbury, Canada, Mines

If anyone needs further proof to Vale’s global social neglect, it comes in a pair of dirty deeds committed by the Brazilian mining company in and after the bitter 2009-10 strike at a major nickel and copper operation in Sudbury, Ontario.

One involves circumstances surrounding two deaths inside Vale’s Frood-Stobie Mine on 8 June 2011 and the other is added legal proof that Vale’s strong-arm tactics in firing union activists during the United Steelworkers (USW) strike was meant to hinder legal collective bargaining.

An extensive report issued 29 February by the USW over the June 2011 deaths of Jordan Fram, 26, an equipment operator, and Jason Chenier, 35, a supervisor, was done because Vale refused the offer of the USW to investigate the accident jointly. USW blames negligent water drainage maintenance directly tied to lax and “little experience or training” of front-line supervisors.

Fram and Chenier were buried 900 metres underground by an overflow of muck, a term for an avalanche of wet rock, gravel, sand, water washing down a mine shaft. Even though USW Local 6500 is the legitimate bargaining representative, the report notes, “Vale officials refused to be interviewed by members of the USW team” even though union members “cooperated fully in management’s investigation.”

The Executive Summary and the full 207-page USW Report are here.

The week before USW issued the report, the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) ruled that Vale violated provincial labour law by maintaining a “patently unreasonable” stance over nine workers Vale fired for strike activity. The OLRB agreed with the USW that the nine trade unionists were denied rights to third-party arbitration by the company, and further cited Vale for “troubling” labour relations conduct across several areas.

In January, the OLRB cited Vale with union interference for denying entry onto company property for one of the nine discharged workers is the elected head of Local 6500’s Grievance Committee. The USW is now confident that arbitrated decisions will prevail and the nine workers will return to their rightful jobs.

The USW District Director for Ontario and the Atlantic Region, Wayne Fraser, said the OLRB’s 24 February ruling “should give Vale pause to consider the hardship inflicted on families,” adding that the unlawful conduct “prolonged the suffering and uncertainty for families in our community.”Vale’s safety record in Canada was tarnished again on 29 January 2012 when 47-year-old Stephen Perry, an explosives worker, was crushed to death when a rock face collapsed on him while he was working in a lift basket. This death occurred 1,300 metres inside Vale’s Coleman nickel mine near Sudbury.

A fourth Canadian Vale death in 2011 occurred on 19 October when 51-year-old scooptram operator Greg Leason was killed when his machine fell 40 metres into a cavern inside the T-3 Mine in Thompson, Manitoba.

Historically, the four 2011 deaths at Vale in Canada are atypical because the USW is a vigilant proponent of joint labour-management process safety procedures that prevent workplace accidents. But with Vale’s hostile labour relations still simmering some 20 months after the strike, no cooperation with the union over health and safety issues is proving detrimental to workplace safety

CANADIAN LABOUR - SUDBURY:

SUDBURY BLOCKADES TAKEN DOWN:

After 7 days of blockading Vale Inco mines in Sudbury striking members of the United Steelworkers have agreed to walk away from the barricades that they erected in the face of a court order and at the behest of union officials. Not all members of the Local were pleased with the decision. The strike is now the longest one in Inco history, and many are feeling frustration that the usual tactics have failed to bring the company to the bargaining table. Hence the blockade. The union, of course, has to argue in favour of court decisions to avoid legal penalties. In some ways this is becoming a ball and chain for the strikers. The judge who issued the decision seems to be a rather bloodthirsty individual as he also criticized the "restraint" exercised by local police during the duration of the blockade. To read more and keep up with this strike see the Fair Deal Now website. In the meantime here's an article from the Sudbury Star about the end of the blockade.

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Blockades left in police hands
By BOB VAILLANCOURT,

THE SUDBURY STAR


In a decision handed down just hours after two blockades were removed from Vale Inco property in Sudbury, Superior Court Justice Robbie Gordon ruled he would leave the removal of the blockades in the hands of the police.

"Vale is understandably impatient," Gordon said in his ruling Wednesday.


While the company is being denied access to its properties, "vast economic loss is incurred, many persons are deprived of their right to earn a living and public safety is put at risk due to the volatility of some of the industrial operations which are involved," the judge wrote in a four-page decision.

He was impressed with police lawyer Jack Braithwaite's presentation, Gordon wrote.

He was also aware of the case law that suggests he only intervene with the police role "if there was to be evidence of bad faith or evidence that police have acted or are acting improperly ...

"Accordingly, I will not at this time make any further order with respect to enforcement."

One day earlier, Gordon voiced his frustration with police inaction in the 10-month long labour dispute between the United Steelworkers and mining giant Vale Inco.

"The police have not acted, to my knowledge, in a single incident" on the picket line, he said. And in the three days the barricades have been up, police have ignored them, he said.

Lawyers for Vale Inco had gone before the judge Tuesday asking that he order the police to immediately remove the blockades, which were preventing the company from accessing its Coleman Mine property in Levack and the Clarabelle mill property in Sudbury.

The blockades, Gordon said, violated earlier orders he had issued allowing the company and its replacement workers access to facilities.

As a result, the company was asking the court "to take steps to address non-compliance with, and lack of respect, for the orders made by the court."

MOLLY NOTE:

A public health warning...excessive self importance on the part of the judiciary may lead to fatal constipation. Learn to recognize the signs.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT FOR THE SUDBURY STRIKERS:

Molly has mentioned the strike against Vale Inco in Sudbury many times before on this blog, and I have also expressed my opinion that this struggle is very crucial insofar as a "victory" on the part of Vale Inco management,will 'set the bar' as to how managerial power will be able to determine both working conditions and compensation for years to come. The Vale Inco strike is important far beyond the immediate disagreements in Sudbury. Others have recognized this. What follows is a pdf available at the Fair Deal Now website about the Sudbury workers are supported by workers across the world.

This is undoubtedly "comforting" to those who are on strike in Sudbury. Yet it has little effect "on the ground". While recognizing that I am not immediately involved in this strike and therefore being somewhat reluctant to offer "advise" what is happening in Sudbury now seems to cry out for an escalation of tactics as production is resumed more and more via scab labour. Perhaps it's time to consider occupying the workplaces in Sudbury. Yeah, I know just how illegal this is, but it is no less illegal than the previous proposal of union leadership to block the 401 in support of their NDP friends in the Legislature.

Occupying the workplace (ie the mines and the processing facilities) brings the whole matter to an "immediate question". Will the corporation be more be reasonable when their plans for hiring scabs become an impossibility ? Can government be better persuaded to come down on the side of the workers when an occupation hits the world news ? All these things are indefinite. Molly, however, says that something new obviously has to be tried. I suggest an occupation of the mines and the processing plants.

Are people will to defy the law that is stacked against them ? The alternative is to see the strike defeated.Think about it,

Here's the story about the international solidarity from the Fair Deal Now website.

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Declaration of Solidarity with the USW (Canada)
We the 80 organizations from Brazil and 13 other countries that took part in the North
and South fact-finding tours and attended the FIRST INTERNATIONAL MEETING
OF THOSE AFFECTED BY VALE in Rio de Janeiro, declare our repudiation for
Vale’s aggressive posture toward Canadian workers. They have been on strike for 9
months against the attempt by Vale to dismantle rights fought for and won decades
ago. In order to put pressure on workers, in disloyal and arrogant fashion, Vale has
announced it will restart activities in the mines with replacement workers, i.e., scabs.
We reject this attitude and declare our full support and solidarity for the members of
the USW, on strike for their rights. We demand the immediate re-opening of
negotiations, for bargaining to be conducted in good faith and lead to a fair deal for
Canadian workers!

Vale has used the global economic crisis to put pressure on workers the world over, to
reduce pay, increase hours, fire people and reduce hard-won rights. The strike, begun
by Canadian workers in June 2009, is an important example of struggle and
resistance against the arrogance and intransigence of the company. In Brazil, workers
suffer from unjustified dismissals, lack of workplace safety and pressures of various
kinds, which have often led them to suicide. The high rates of labour outsourcing at
Vale (out of 146,000 jobs, 83,000 are indirect) mean that the company sheds its
responsibility and obligation to provide its employees with better working conditions,
pay, health and lives. It thus makes labour relations more precarious.

More than ever before, we are energized by the fact-finding tours and by the
FIRST INTERNATIONAL MEETING, and identify with and lend our solidarity
to Vale Inco workers in Canada! The fight for dignified and safe work —
whose resulting wealth belongs to all of society — is a fight that belongs to us
all!
One day longer, one day stronger!!!
Globalize the Struggle, Globalize Hope!!!!

CANADIAN LABOUR- SUDBURY:

CALL FOR BOYCOTT OF LOBLAWS:

Sudbury apparently has more than one labour dispute going on. The management of National Grocers have decided to close their warehouse in Sudbury. As if the prospect of losing one's job was not enough the workers were offered the bare legal minimum in terms of severance pay. The RWDSU union (the UFCW affiliate, not the more radical Western Canadian RWDSU who actually list the Canadian IWW in their links) who represent them are protesting this action and are calling for a boycott of Loblaws. Loblaws is, of course, part of the international Weston empire, and it goes under many aliases. These include Superstore, Great Food, Zehrs, Maxi & Cie, T & T Supermarket, Provigo and others. See this link for full details including their franchises. A local Sudbury boycott has little chance of success. A national (or international ?) one might be more likely to succeed. Of course the ultimate 'deal maker' would be an occupation of the warehouse before the goods were removed. Here's the story from the Sudbury Star.

SLSLSLSLSLSLSL
Union calls on citizens to boycott Loblaw products

Posted By JESSY BRUNETTE, FOR THE SUDBURY STAR


Sudburians who want to show their support for National Grocers employees based in Sudbury who are losing their jobs should boycott Loblaw products in protest until the company improves its severance offer, say the workers.

"We're calling for a boycott of all President's Choice and No Name products and telling everyone to shop at Metro," said Bruce Lawrence, who has worked for 38 years at National Grocers.


Lawrence said the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union has always worked well with National Grocers in Sudbury.

"Why are they treating us like this now?" he asked.

Lawrence and the union are upset Loblaw is offering one week's pay for each year worked up to a cap of $25,000.

"Basically, the company has offered the minimum wage for employment standards," said Derik McArthur, the union's Northern Joint Council president. "They can't offer anything lower because it's against the law."

McArthur said the last day of work for union members will probably be April 24.

"Loblaw has once again shown its lack of caring and compassion for its employees, their families and the communities they operate in," he said.

"Generally, a company will pay employment standard severance if they are going out of business. This is certainly not the case for Canada's largest food retailer."

McArthur said the severance offered here is lower than what displaced workers in southern Ontario received.

The union and Loblaw met last week to discuss the pay.

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"They said this is the new direction the company is taking," McArthur said. "Oddly enough, on the same day, there was a bakery in Quebec, a Westons bakery that is connected to Loblaw, that said in a press release they were to receive well above the standard requirements and relocation assistance.

"We're not asking for anything more than what everyone else is getting. We're asking for equality."

Julija Hunter, Loblaw Companies Limited's vice-president of public relations, said Tuesday details of severance packages are confidential and it would be inappropriate for the company to comment.

"We thank our colleagues for their dedication and appreciate their hard work," she said. "We have honoured the terms of our collective agreement with the union and provincial labour laws."

In early March, Loblaw Companies Limited announced it was closing its massive National Grocers warehouse on Lorne Street, throwing more than 125 people out of work. The union represents 107 of the warehouse's employees.

Loblaw Companies said it was making the move to realign its distribution centres from five facilities to four in Ontario.

The Lorne Street warehouse supplies non-perishable food to Loblaw-affiliated stores across northeastern Ontario, including stores in Greater Sudbury, New Liskeard, Manitoulin Island, Sault Ste. Marie and Timmins. Store banners include Real Canadian Superstore, Your Independent Grocer, Freshmart and Valumart.

The union held a rally at the Lorne Street warehouse. Horns were honking, people were yelling and songs about unions and replacement workers blared outside the warehouse during the demonstration.

Darrin Paquette has worked at National Grocers for 24 years and said he is "very disappointed" with the severance pay.

"We were counting on something similar they offered to the branches in southern Ontario," Paquette said.

Paquette added the support received from the community yesterday was great.

"We've got the Steelworkers here and lots of horns," he said. "The people who are driving by seem to be supportive."

At 33, Steve Patay has to find a new job to support his two young boys. He has been working at the warehouse for 15 years.

"It's just horrible, they are not giving us enough notice," Patay said. "They are giving us the bare minimum and it's leaving a lot of the guys high and dry. Lots of people with families work here. It's not enough time to put anything in order.

"All the others branches had a year or six months notice. And it's literally nothing here."

CANADIAN LABOUR - ONTARIO:

SHUTTING DOWN THE PROVINCE ?:

Several thousand people attending the international solidarity rally in support of striking Steelworkers Local 6500 workers in Sudbury last Sunday were treated to an interesting speech by international union president Leo Gerard. As the following article from Northern Life says Gerard asserted that the union intended to press for anti-scab legislation in Ontario with direct action such as shutting down Highway 401 if necessary.

Now this may be just tough talk, and one shouldn't hold one's breath while waiting for the union bureaucracy to initiate such a thing. Still, Molly thinks it is a very worthwhile thing to consider. Such an action would be far more worthy of the term "direct action" than what often passes for such amongst a certain part of the anarchist "scene" in North America. For one thing it would be done by mainly the people immediately concerned themselves (no doubt with some support). For another it would have a clear and achievable goal, something that mini-riots of a couple of hundred people who want to prove that they are "against capitalism" do not. These two facts would mean that such an action would have a local base of community support to whom the goals would be clear, whether such supporters agreed with everything the protesters did or not. This would certainly be far different from the travelling rent-a-riot where it seems they glory in offending those (the great, great vast majority) that they look down on. It is also far less likely to be violent because people involved in such a blockade would have goals rather than something to prove. Food for thought. Food for thought. It's unlikely to happen just as it is unlikely that the government of Ontario will bend and actually pass anti-scab legislation. Still...the very fact that the idea has been breached is a great thing in the context of present Canadian politics.

Here's the story from Northern Life.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCLCLCLCL
'Shut down' province to force anti-scab legislation: Gerard

Leo Gerard was one of an estimated 5,000 people who came out to support striking members of Steelworkers Local 6500 during the union's Bridging the Gap rally. Photo by Bill Bradley.

Mar 23, 2010
By: Heidi Ulrichsen - Sudbury Northern Life Staff
UPDATED — March 23, 9:02 a.m.
When Vale Inco attempts to bring “scabs” into Sudbury, the United Steelworkers union will push to have anti-scab legislation passed in the province, even if it means closing down Highway 401, the Steelworkers international president told those attending a rally at the Sudbury Arena March 22.

Leo Gerard was one of several thousand people who came out to support striking members of Steelworkers Local 6500 during the union's Bridging the Gap rally. They marched from the union's Brady Street hall to the Sudbury Arena, yelling raucous union chants.

The rally, which was attended by union leaders from across the country and around the world, was originally supposed to take place on the Paris Street bridge, but the venue was changed last week because of safety concerns over the location.

Gerard said the provincial NDP, with the help of the union, would bring in anti-scab legislation “even if we have to shut this whole goddamn province down.”

Provincial NDP leader Andrea Horwath said anti-scab legislation need to be brought in by the province, and also said the province should be “doing something to get binding arbitration” so the Steelworkers can get back to work.

The union leader also took issue with a letter posted by Vale Inco president and CEO Tito Martins on one of the company's websites last week.

In the letter, Martins said the Steelworkers leadership has relied on “misinformation, racism,intolerance and xenophobia...to further its position in a country like Canada that prides itself as a model of multiculturalism.”

Standing with union leaders from around the world behind him, Gerard said he “resents from the bottom of my feet to the top of my head” being called racist.

“These are my sisters and brothers,” he said, referring to the union leaders behind him. “We have a global union. We don't resent our brothers and sisters. We resent the management causing this fight unnecessarily.”

Martins said in his letter that it's ironic that the Steelworkers have taken this position, given that it's an American union. Gerard said he is not foreign to Sudbury, as he grew up here, and was a member of Local 6500.

Gerard also addressed another statement in Martins' letter, which said “it appears name calling comes easier than negotiating.”

“Tito, come to Sudbury tomorrow, we're ready to negotiate. Come to Sudbury tomorrow, or shut your goddamn mouth,” he said.

Federal NDP leader Jack Layton was also among those who attended the rally.

He said multinational corporations around the world are watching the strike in Sudbury to see if Vale Inco can “beat the workers.”

“Well, I said it last September (at a previous rally in Sudbury), and I'll say it again. You picked the wrong union, and you picked the wrong town.”

For the full story, read the Thursday edition of Northern Life.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

INTERNATIONAL SUPPORT RALLY FOR SUDBURY WORKERS:

Sudbury Ontario (population 165,000 2009 est) has always punched above its weight in the Canadian political scene. Its cache as the quintessential mining town of Canada, as well as its long standing reputation as one of the worst places to live in the country (apparently outdated) have given it a place in Canadian mythology. Think Stoppin' Tom Conners. Labour disputes there have always been militant and bitter, but the recent strike, now in its eighth month looks set to outlast the nine month strike in 1978. It is also different because it pits the striking Steelworkers against an international conglomerate Vale Inco as opposed to a Canadian corporation. As such the strike has attracted worldwide attention that previous strikes in Sudbury have not. Solidarity actions have been worldwide. Tomorrow there will be an "international rally" in Sudbury attended by speakers from other countries where Vale operates, as well as unionists from across Ontario. To say the least this strike has become an emblematic test of strength for labour versus international capital. Here's the story from the USW website. To follow events in this strike see not just this website but also the Local 6500 website and the strike support site Fair Deal Now.

CLCLCLCLCLCLCL
Union Support to Converge at Sudbury Rally
SUDBURY, 19 March 2010 – Union representatives from Brazil and a number of countries will converge on Sudbury this Monday, March 22nd to demonstrate solidarity and support of the Vale Inco strikers.

Many of the union leaders coming to Canada have experience in their own country with the strong-arm anti-union tactics of Vale, one of the most profitable multinational corporations in the world.

As the eight month strike continues, Vale’s aggressive tactics in Sudbury have increased. The most recent is Vale Inco’s CEO publicly accusing the union of spreading “racism, intolerance and xenophobia.” This verbal attack follows Vale’s use of replacement workers and a security company to start-up production for the first time in Sudbury’s history.
WHAT:

"Bridging the Gap" Rally

International Support Rally for Striking Steelworkers

WHO:

International Union Leaders, including from:
**Brazil, Indonesia, Australia, Germany, Switzerland
**The International Federation of Unions (ICEM)
**The International Metalworkers Federation (IMF)
Candian Union Leaders, including:
Ken Georgetti, Sid Ryan, Leo Gerard, Ken Neumann, Wayne Fraser, John Fera, Wayne Rae
Political Leaders (ichh-Molly ), including:
Andrea Horwath, Leader, Ontario NDP
Glenn Thibeault and Claude Gravelle, Area MPs
Busloads of everyday workers from across the province, organized by:
the OFL, CUPE, CAW, CEP, Amalgamated Transit Union, LIUNA and the Society of Professional Engineers
WHEN:
Monday, March 22nd, 4:30 pm
WHERE:
Sudbury ON, USW Union Hall (66 Brady Street)March to proceed to Sudbury Arena
- 30 -
Contacts: Myles Sullivan, 675 2461 x224, msullivan@usw.ca

Jamie West, 705-562-8060, west.jamie@yahoo.ca

CANADIAN LABOUR - SUDBURY:

STEELWORKERS OVERWHELMINGLY REJECT VALE INCO OFFER:

Steelworkers, members of Local 6500, in Sudbury overwhelmingly rejected an "offer" from multinational mining giant Vale Inco to wind up the long and bitter strike by essentially surrendering to the company's demands. The final vote was 88% for rejection of the offer. In Port Colburne, also in Ontario, the vote for rejection was even greater- 98%. Here's the union press release from the strike support site Fair Deal Now. Watch that site for news of this important labour struggle.

SWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSWSW

Steelworkers Overwhelmingly Reject Vale’s Cynical, Substandard Offer:
Sudbury, Friday, March 12, 2010 — USW Local 6500 President John Fera today announced the results of yesterday’s ratification vote by members of Local 6500.

After holding three meetings with our activists and members on Wednesday night and Thursday morning and evening, the membership voted by secret ballot to overwhelmingly reject Vale Inco’s latest proposal of settlement.

Chief Teller for Local 6500 Lyle Young announced the official numbers:
Total votes cast: 2,371
Total votes to accept: 266
Total votes to reject: 2,105
% of membership to reject: 88.7%

“While no one is happy that the strike will continue,” said Fera and members of the Bargaining Committee, “it’s gratifying to see the support of the membership and the determination to get a fair deal.

“It’s our hope that Vale Inco will understand the need to negotiate a fair contract for our members and ensure that this strike gets resolved. It is our position that we should be looking at a new date to start negotiations again and get this strike settled.”

Both United Steelworkers President Leo Gerard and District 6 Director, Wayne Fraser acknowledged and praised the solidarity of Local 6500 members and the tremendous support that continues to pour in from the community.

“Vale Inco has to know that proposing an unacceptable proposal to our members is not going to cut it,” said Fraser, “and the sooner they realize this, the sooner the strike gets resolved. If Vale Inco is serious about getting a fair contract then let’s agree to binding arbitration and move forward to a positive outcome.”

“In a world of globalization, many of these large super companies believe that they have the ability to re-invent the rules of order when it comes to labour relations,” said Gerard. “Our stand has always been consistent – if your company wants to be successful, then it must start in the workplace and workers have to be treated with dignity and respect. It’s a simple rule, but one that allows all involved to win and move forward. Let’s get back to the table and negotiate a fair deal”.
Source:

John Fera, President, Local 6500 USW

Phone: 705-675-3381 Ext. 232

CANADIAN LABOUR SUDBURY:

VALE INCO LAUNCHES LAWSUIT AGAINST STEELWORKERS:

The latest news on the strike against Vale Inco in Sudbury is that the company has launched a lawsuit against the union (Local 6500 of the United Steel Workers) over various incidents during the course of the seven months of the strike against the company. Legally speaking I doubt that the company has a leg to stand upon as it would be difficult to impossible to prove that the union even encouraged, let alone planned any of the incidents mentioned. Still, I guess that it is good harassment tactics for the company to set such proceedings in motion. One thing has to be said, however. Whatever the truth of the company's allegations and given the fact that the union, nor Mollymew for that matter, certainly doesn't condone them they do fall under the heading of "direct action". They are carried out by the people involved in a dispute themselves. They also have the character of aiming towards a goal that is defined and achievable to which the actions may contribute. In this they are a totally different thing from the 'anarchist rent-a-riot' that travels around to communities not their own to inevitably run like scared rabbits from the police after doing minor vandalism and whose "goals", if they are articulated at all, are so vague and utopian that they won't be fulfilled before the second coming of Jesus.

Ok, enough sideways swipes. here's the story from CTV.

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

Vale Inco sues striking Ontario union
The Canadian Press
SUDBURY, Ont. — Striking union members in Sudbury, Ont., have engaged in "unlawful thuggery" by threatening personnel during a bitter seven-month strike at Vale Inco, the company alleges in a lawsuit.

United Steelworkers Local 6500 and some of its members have posted personal information about people who are continuing to work during the strike, which has led to intimidation, threats and an assault, the mining giant alleges in its more than $1-million lawsuit.

"This has not been a peaceful strike," the company writes in a statement of claim, filed in Superior Court in Sudbury.

"Masked picketers have engaged in criminal conduct, including an assault of a Vale Inco employee and the sabotage of Vale Inco property."

People on the picket lines have set large fires so trucks carrying explosives and fuel can't cross, hydro wires have been cut, rail equipment has been damaged and roads have been littered with nail spikes to puncture truck tires, the statement of claim alleges.

The allegations have not been proven in court.

"The defendants' conduct is unlawful thuggery, which has nothing to do with legitimate trade union activity," the lawsuit says. "This conduct should not be tolerated in a liberal and civilized society."

Wayne Fraser, a director for the union in Ontario and the Atlantic provinces, called the lawsuit an "antagonistic measure."

"It's a nuisance," said Fraser, who is not one of the 25 people directly named in the suit.

"(The allegations) are not true. They're unsubstantiated and it's just a way of Vale trying to divide the membership from its rank and file activists."

A statement of defence has not yet been filed but is in the works, said Fraser, who also said the union plans to countersue the company for defamation.

The lawsuit comes as the two sides met with a mediator over the weekend for exploratory talks in a bid to find a way to ending a seven-month-old strike. The two sides have not formally met since the strike started.

More than 3,000 employees at Vale's mill, smelter, refinery and six nickel mines in the Sudbury area have been on strike for seven months.

At issue are proposals by Vale Inco to reduce a bonus tied to the price of nickel and to exempt new employees from its defined-benefit pension plan, moving them instead to a defined-contribution plan.

Workers complain they shouldn't have to give concessions to a company whose parent, Brazil-based Vale S.A., earned US $5.35 billion in 2009.

The people named in the lawsuit have been targeting Vale employees who have returned to work during the strike, as well as contractors and personnel responsible for picket line security, the company alleges.

Pictures and personal information such as addresses and phone numbers have been posted on a union website and a Facebook page.

Those singled out have had their property and homes vandalized, received anonymous phone threats at home and one employee was assaulted while jogging, the statement of claim says.

Three people named in the lawsuit were criminally charged in that attack.

After that particular assault an altered picture of the man was posted on the Facebook site showing him with scars, a throwing star embedded in his torso, other "cutting weapons" in his torso and arms and his throat slit, as well as the words "Who's Next" on his shirt, according to the lawsuit.

While he was at work one day the same man's vehicle was vandalized, with his tires slashed and the word scab spray-painted about 12 times on his car. Union placards were found on and around the car, the company alleges.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

WORKERS BLOCKADE VALE INCO SITES IN SUDBURY:

Last Wednesday striking workers of United Steel Workers Local 6500 temporally blockaded several corporate sites of Vale Inco across the Sudbury region. The strike has now entered its 7th month, and with company efforts to resume production with scab labour it is becoming more apparent to the workers involved that they will have to use more imaginative and militant tactics to force Vale back to serious bargaining. The occupation was only temporary, but it is a sign of what the workers can do if they put their mind to it. Keep up to date on this strike by visiting the strike support site Fair Deal Now. Here's the story of what happened from the Sudbury Star.

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Steelworkers set up blockades at Vale Inco plants this morning:
Posted By Carol Mulligan/The Sudbury Star

Hundreds of striking Steelworkers blocked access to Vale Inco facilities early Wednesday, venting frustration with everything from the hiring of replacement workers to the cancellation of a bad-faith bargaining hearing into a complaint filed against the company.

About 100 members of USW Local 6500 were on the picket line forming a human barrier to prevent staff, management and hired contractors from entering the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex about 4:30 a.m.

Similar blockades were conducted simultaneously at Coleman Mine, Clarabelle Mill, North Mine and other Vale Inco operations in the city.

Strikers at the smelter complex fought brisk winds and a wind-chill factor of
-24 C. to redirect contractors and other vehicles, many of them containing workers from other trade unions, away from the complex.

Occupants of the vehicles were told they were "scabs" and that they should go home and spend time with their families and stop doing the jobs of the Steelworkers because it is prolonging the strike, now reaching its seventh month.

About 3,000 production and maintenance workers with Local 6500 in Sudbury and 130 with Port Colborne's Local 6200 went on strike July 13 over pensions, nickel bonuses and seniority transfer rights.

Tensions have been escalating on picket lines in the community as the strike nears the seven-month mark Saturday.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:
VALE INCO STRIKE APPROACHES 6 MONTHS:

The strike of the United Steel Workers Against Vale Inco in Ontario and Newfoundland is now approaching six months duration. As such it seems set to become a record breaker in terms of duration. Molly has blogged many times abour this strike. The following items both come Molly's way via the strike support site Fair Deal Now. The first is originally from the Sudbury Star.
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Unhappy anniversary: Vale Inco strike approaches six-months:
Posted By CAROL MULLIGAN
For 30 years, the 8 1/2-month strike by United Steelworkers Local 6500 against Inco was the yardstick by which all labour disputes at the nickel company were measured.




The only strike that even came close to that historic 261-day battle lasted 121 days in 1969.




There was a 91-day strike in 1958, but it can't be included in USW record books because workers then were members of Local 598 of the Mine, Mine and Smelter Workers Union. They wouldn't become Steelworkers until three or four
years later after the fabled Mine Mill raid.




In 2003, USW Local 6500, led by president John Fera, took to picket lines for 89 days in the third longest strike in the union's history.




As the strike by 3,000 USW Local 6500 members in Sudbury and 130 in Port Colborne's Local 6200 nears the six-month mark Jan. 13, observers and insiders fear a new record for longest strike will probably be set.




It is not a milestone that either Steelworkers or the new owner of the company, Vale Inco Ltd., will take pride in achieving, but it seems virtually inevitable given each side's position in the labour dispute.




"It almost seems like each party doesn't understand what the other guy is saying," said Fera, who remains president of the local after winning by seven votes earlier this year over challenger Patrick Veinot.




"It's a different language," charged Fera. "I don't think this company, this Brazilian company, understands negotiations."




The union is asking Vale Inco to put aside "pre-conditions" that were on the table in three months of bargaining and start from scratch to negotiate a new deal.




Vale Inco spokesman Steve Ball says that is not about to happen.




"They (USW) want to go back to the table as if the first three months of negotiations (never happened) ... they want to dismiss all of that and say, 'Let's start again from scratch.' "




The biggest hurdle is the union's refusal to accept the company's "proposal" to replace a defined benefit pension plan with a defined contribution model. To make that pill easier to swallow, the company is proposing existing employees continue under the guaranteed, define benefit plan and only new hires be enrolled in the new plan.




"In the rest of the province, USW members are accepting DC plans," said Ball in an interview with The Star. "It seems to be one a month right now. It only seems to be in Sudbury where it's a non-starter. And that is a big barrier, regardless of what the Steelworkers are saying.




"They are not willing to go back to the table while the DC plan is still there, and the DC plan is going to be there."




(Despite repeated requests by The Star to interview Vale Inco president and chief executive officer Tito Martins or Ontario operations manager John Pollesel, only Ball was authorized by the company to speak on its behalf.)




The new pension is just one of the proposals the company calls "changes" and the union calls "concessions" that have them stuck at an impasse.




Unlike other strikes in the company's history, no bargaining has been conducted since Steelworkers walked off the job July 13 at 12:01 a.m.




Unlike other strikes as well, Vale Inco has restarted some operations -- notably Garson Ramp, Coleman Mine in Levack and the Clarabelle Smelter. It is also gearing up to run the Copper Cliff Smelter Complex.




In its final offer, the company also proposed changes to a nickel bonus that paid off handsomely for workers in three of the last 10 years when nickel was at record prices. It also wants to increase the time during which Steelworkers can transfer from one job site to another.
If Ball says the word "change" once in a 90-minute interview, he says it a dozen times.




It is a word that causes Fera to raise his voice during an interview at his office at the temporary Steelworkers' Hall on Pine Street.




"People can accept change," said Fera, growing angry. "Unions can accept change. But why the hell would you lay down and accept negative change? If change is not good for you, why would you say, 'bring it on.' "




Fera gets angry with people who say defined contribution pension plans are "the way of the world ... well, that's the way of the world. Is it good? Is it better than defined benefit? Do you think I should accept that?




"They say, 'Yeah, you should because that's the way of the world.' That's bullshit," said Fera.



"That's a lot of bullshit.




"If we had accepted those arguments 50 or 60 years ago, where would we be now?"




But Ball said Vale Inco it is not interested in the past, saying it is a different world today.




"Let's face it. We've seen the kind of changes in the world that none of us have ever seen," said Ball. "Almost overnight there have been changes."




In boom times, when nickel prices were high, "it's really been about, 'produce as much as you can.' "




The world has changed dramatically, "not that our team and company don't acknowledge the role of the USW in the past" and the "tremendous gains" they have made in safety and in the quality of life of its workers.




"We really appreciate that. I've seen a lot of that myself ... that's fully acknowledged."




The fundamental difference now is "our business needs to shift gears. The model of operation in the past cannot be the model of operation in the future. Things are extremely different in terms of where we forecast nickel to be going forward."




When Companhia Vale do Rio Doce purchased Inco three years ago, the nickel forecast was "very, very promising," said Ball, drawing an upward 90- degree angle with his hand.




"Now it's like this," he said, gesturing a flat line. There's a "huge discrepancy" between where the nickel price is today and where CVRD thought it would be now.




And despite not producing for more than six months, "our strike here has had almost no effect on the supply of nickel in the world market ... it's grow," which reflects "how things have changed," he said.




There is still about 130,000 tons of nickel stockpiled on the London Metals Exchange, "equivalent to what we produce in Sudbury in a year."




Fera admits the time was not ideal for a strike, but said the union had no choice.




USW insists Vale Inco earned $4 billion in the 2 1/2 years after it purchased Inco and is using the worldwide recession to justify seeking concessions from workers.




"If we lost stuff in this contract, do you think we would have gained it back in 2012?" Fera asked.




After more than 30 years, Fera is nearing the end of the career he started at the Coniston smelter as a skimmer, moving on to become an electrician.




"This is a fight about our young people," said the third-generation Inco employee.




He and his generation won't leave behind a defined contribution pension, the loss of seniority transfer rights and issues relating to contracting out as a legacy for the next generation of miners.




"Where do you go from here?" asked Fera. "Our alternatives are few, but you can't pick your times (to strike)."




Fera charged that, from the beginning of bargaining with Vale Inco's negotiating team, there was no give and take.




The company virtually said, "Here's our offer ... don't change a word of it because that's our offer. 'You accept it 100 per cent or there's no deal.' That's not negotiations."




Ball insisted progress was made on some issues.




"Several subcommittees worked on elements of the CBA (collective bargaining agreement) that were agreed to. In that period, there were a significant number of changes that occurred."




The outstanding ones -- the "flashpoints" -- are ones "that didn't change or maybe didn't change to the satisfaction of the Steelworkers."




Fera said his bargaining committee tried to address the "timing" issue by offering to renew the old contract exactly for three years or even a year.




Looking back, he is convinced "we were dealing with a committee that did not want to get a contract."




After the negotiating period was extended, first for five days, and then for five weeks, and it was becoming apparent contract talks were not going anywhere, Vale Inco posted its offer to Steelworkers on its website.




"What an insult that was," said Fera. "That kind of gave us an indication of what kind of company they were."




USW has repeatedly expressed its displeasure that Toronto labour lawyer Harvey Beresford is leading negotiations on the company side. Beresford has sat on Inco's bargaining committee for 30 years, but the team was always led by an Inco decision-maker.




USW international president Leo Gerard is bullish on the subject.




In 40 years, he has never negotiated with a company that "didn't have somebody at the table who was able to make a decision," said Gerard in a telephone interview from USW headquarters in Pittsburgh.




A former Inco worker and USW staff representative in Canada, Gerard remains a member of USW Local 6500 in his hometown Sudbury to this day.




He echoed Fera's observation that "we can never talk to the decision-maker. We only talk to the hired mouthpiece."




Ball pointed out Beresford has been an Inco negotiator for decades and that Vale Inco's current bargaining committee is comprised of people known to the union.




But Fera and Gerard charged Vale SA president and chief executive officer Roger Agnelli is making the real decisions at the company's Brazil headquarters.




Several strikers' actions and campaigns have been targeted at Agnelli in the last six months.
It is beyond frustrating, said Fera, to "talk to public relations people reading a script."




Vale kingpins such as Agnelli did not understand the resolve of his union "because Vale does not negotiate in their workplaces around the world as we do here. I don't think they understood how big a deal negotiations is and how big a deal a strike is because that's the only recourse we have."




Gerard spent time in Sudbury over the Christmas season and met many strikers while he was here.




"They're angry, but they're very determined," he said.




Vale Inco's refusal to return to the bargaining table is infuriating members.




"It is clear when the union, at every level from the international president to the members of the bargaining committee, say we're prepared to negotiate with no pre-conditions, and the company keeps behaving in the way it has in provoking dissension and in trying to intimidate individuals, acting like they were trained in a military dictatorship, it says a lot," said Gerard.




He, Fera and other union officials are angry about Vale Inco's lawsuit against individual strikers, the first time that type of legal action has been taken in an Inco strike.




"Imagine a company like Vale suing a picketer personally," said Fera. "Not only have they taken his wages away, now they're personally suing him for his home and everything. That is disgusting."




Ball acknowledged the "vast majority of strikers" are law-abiding. "The people that have had lawsuits filed against them are people who have demonstrated the kind of behaviour that is breaking the law."




Police have been called to picket lines on occasion. If officers have laid any criminal charges against strikers, police have not made them public.




Vale Inco is saying "it's not OK for people to do what they're doing," said Ball. "The courts will decide."




Six months into what is likely to become the longest strike in Inco's history, it may be pointless to predict what the atmosphere may be like when the labour dispute is eventually settled and Steelworkers return to work.




Fera was on the picket line in that fabled 1978-79 strike. It turned him into a union activist, he says.




"Most of us who became activists did so after that strike because we lost a lot of respect for Inco."




Fera recalled getting a call from his boss about his return to work and telling him he needed two weeks' holidays.




"He said, 'You've been on holidays for 8 1/2 months.' I said, 'No, I've been on strike. Now I need two weeks' holidays.'




"He said, 'I don't understand you guys.' And I said, 'That's right. No, you don't, and you probably never will.' "




Ball admitted there will be a social cost to the strike, however long it lasts.




"As time goes on, maybe the social cost is going to be greater in terms of repairing relationships."




For now, Ball continues talking the company line about its settlement proposal to Steelworkers. "We see it as fair, and what's needed for today and tomorrow's world."




Fera admits his union hasn't changed its position since contract talks began April 7.




"No, we couldn't. We offered to negotiate and they said, 'No, here's the offer.' That's why I don't think they understand negotiations here."
cmulligan@thesudburystar.com

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RALLY TOMORROW

The following notice from the United Steel Workers is abour a solidarity rally due to be held tomorrow in Sudbury.

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Rally to Show Union Standing Strong After Six Months
The United Steelworkers Local 6500, representing workers at Vale Inco who have been on strike since July 13, will be holding a Standing Strong at Six Months rally on Jan. 13.




The march begins at 9 a.m. at the new United Steelworkers hall at 66 Brady St., followed by a hot meal after the rally.




The rally will also include a balloon release, with each balloon “representing 4 million dollars in Vale profits that have left the community,” stated a release from the union.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CHRISTMAS ON THE PICKET LINE IN SUDBURY:

While most of us are still enjoying our Christmas holidays the workers on strike against Vale Inco in Ontario and Newfoundland are still on the picket line in the bitter cold. Here's a story about 'Christmas On The Picket Line' from the Sudbury Star. To keep up to date with the latest news from the strike don't forget to visit the strike support site Fair Deal Now.

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Christmas on the picket line:
Posted By RACHEL PUNCH

THE SUDBURY STAR
As most Sudburians were waking up Christmas morning to spend the day with friends and family, there wasn't much cause for celebration on the Vale Inco picket line.

Christmas music played over a radio in the background as Yvon Laforest, Gord Bazinet and Jeff Whissell gathered around a fire on the picket line at the Copper Cliff smelter.

The members of Local 6500 volunteered to take a six-hour Christmas shift, starting at about 6:45 am.

"We left the people with younger kids at home so they could spend some time with their kids," said Laforest, who has worked for Vale Inco for four and a half years.

More than 3,000 of Vale Inco's production and maintenance workers have been on strike since July 13 and there appears to be no end in sight.

The union and the company have not gone back to the table since the strike began.

The major issues are concessions the company wants on pensions and a nickel bonus.

"It should have been settled a long time ago. That's what I think," said Laforest, who works in the divisional shop.

Aside from being away from family for six hours on Christmas day, the father of five said his Christmas would be all right.

"A lot of people are more unfortunate than me," he said.

Whissell, who has worked for Inco for nine years, said what he hates most about the strike is the fear of the unknown.

"You don't know what you are going to do," he said.

Whissell, who works in the acid plant, doesn't know if he should go back to school or leave the city he was born and raised in to find work elsewhere.

"I don't know what to do," he said.

The strike is not a positive experience, he said.

"I can't speak for everyone, but I'm assuming everybody is frustrated, some fearful. I'm sure some have lost quite a bit already," Whissell said.

Support from the community as well as the government would help, he said.

"Everybody stands to gain if we can get back to work," he said.

"I don't know what our government is doing" selling off our natural resources, Whissell added.

"I'd like to know what the game plan is in clear English."

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

HEALTH CARE WORKERS SHOW SOLIDARITY WITH VALE INCO STRIKERS:

The strike against Vale Inco in Ontario and Newfoundland goes on into the holiday season. The community of Sudbury and many other labour groups continue to stand solidly behind the strikers. This strike is a critical test of strength. Will the multinationals be able to dictate whatever they want in Canada- backed up by their Conservative Party friends ? Or will they be forced to see reason and bargain fairly ? Out Sudbury way health care workers represented by Local 659 of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) have come to the aid of their fellow workers during the Christmas season. The following is from the strike support site Fair Deal Now. For more on this story see also the website of the OPSEU.

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Sudbury Health Care Workers Back Vale Inco Strikers:
‘Time for us and other members of the community to show our support.’ – Yves Shank, OPSEU Local 659
Sudbury, 21 Dec, 2009 – Sudbury area health care workers have made a $5,000 contribution to striking employees of the Vale Inco mining giant.

The Vale Inco employees, members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 6500, have been off work since July, fighting massive cutback demands by the Brazilian-owned corporation. The company is demanding rollbacks despite Sudbury being its most profitable mining operation.
The health care workers are members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE). They work at the Sudbury Regional Hospital, the Manitoulin Health Centre and the Sudbury Vascular Laboratory.

“As an active community partner, OPSEU Local 659 acknowledges the efforts and determination of their sisters and brothers at USW-6500 and vows to support them in this fight,” says Yves Shank, president of the local.

“Many of our members have family members on that picket line, and others have friends and relatives who are, have been or will be directly connected to the USW membership,” he notes.
“It is time, particularly during the holiday season, for us and other members of the community to show our support in more concrete ways. We hope this donation will help these members maintain their resolve against a regressive, mean and punitive employer.”

NUPGE

The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada’s largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

STRIKE SUPPORT WEEK IN SUDBURY:

As the Vale Inco strike drags on into the holidays, without any sign of resolution, strikers in Sudbury are seeing the community rally behind them. Today, on International Human Rights Day, a week of action began with a candlelight vigil. Here's the story from the strike support website Fair Deal Now.

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Candle Light Vigil and Support Strike kick off a ‘Week of Action’:
SUDBURY—The Sudbury District Labour Council (SDLC) will be holding a candle light vigil to commemorate International Human Rights Day and to support the Steelworker’s strike at Vale-Inco on Thursday, December 10th at 6:00 pm. The event, which is sponsored by both the SDLC and United Steelworkers Local 6500 will start at the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff and continue with a candle-lit procession to the Steelworkers’ picket line at Vale’s smelter.

The vigil will be held on International Human Rights Day—the day that marks the 61st anniversary of the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. The Declaration includes several articles on economic human rights and workers’ rights including the right to work and join trade unions (Article 23), the right to rest and leisure (Article 24) and the right to a decent standard of living (Article 25).

Organizers say they want to show that the Steelworkers fight at Vale is a human rights issue. “Workers’ rights and the right to decent work and a decent standard of living are some of the most important aspects of the Universal Declaration on Human Rights. We see the Steelworkers fight at Vale as a human rights issue, and an issue impacting this entire community, not just the members of Local 6500.”

Week of Action for Working Families The Workers’ Rights are Human Rights Candle Light Vigil will kick off a Week of Action for Working Families in Sudbury and at Vale locations across Canada. In Sudbury union members, student activists, retirees, and families of the strikers are planning six days of action on the picket lines and across town. The week is being organized by USW members and community supporters as an opportunity to display widespread and growing support for the Union’s struggle for a Fair Deal at Vale-Inco.
Contact: John Fera, President, USW Local 6500—705-675-3381

John Closs, President, SDLC–705-929-1496
For a full schedule of Week of Action events, please click here.

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WHAT'S HAPPENING:

Here's the schedule of events for the coming week.

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Thursday, December 10th—International Human Rights Day Candlelight Vigil on the Picket Lines, sponsored by the Sudbury District Labour Council and the United Steelworkers
Event starts at 6:00 pm at the McClelland Arena in Copper Cliff and continuing at the Smelter Picketline.

Friday, December 11th—Out of the Classrooms and Onto the Picket Lines! Students and faculty from Laurentian University are coming out to hold ‘class’ at the picket line at Clarabelle Mill at 11:00 am. Sponsored by the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) and Laurentian Canadian Federation of Students (CFS).

Saturday, December 12th—Sunday, December 13th—Families Supporting the Strikers Fundraiser. Bake sale, penny tables, indoor yard sale, face painting, door prizes, jewelry, and private vendors. Admission is $2.00 and children under 10 get in free.
Saturday from 9am to 5pm and Sunday from noon to 5 pm.
At the new Steel Hall at 66 Brady St.

Sunday, December 13th—Steelworker Solidarity with the Strike
Join a busload of USW members from the Toronto area for an action on the Clarabelle Mill picket line at noon.

Monday, December 14th—Lessons from the Past—Protecting What We’ve Won
Retired veterans of the 1978 strike and other struggles at Inco tell their stories of how we won the contractual benefits we have now. Starts at 1:00 at the Smelter Picket Line.

Tuesday, December 15th—Fair Deal for Our Families—Join members of the Families Supporting the Strikers Committee as they march from Copper Cliff Park to Vale’s offices to deliver a message of support for the strikers. The event starts at 3:00 at Copper Cliff Park and the march steps off at 3:30.

CANADIAN LABOUR-SUDBURY:

SUDBURY STRIKERS STOP SCAB SHIPMENTS:

Wow, I think that the above headline should win the 'alliteration prize'. Move over Sun Media, Molly's coming into the winners' circle. In any case, here's more from the pages of Northern Life about the blockade of trucks carrying 'scab ore' to the Vale Inco premises in Sudbury. This was previously mentioned on this blog. To keep up with the news from the Vale Inco strike don't forget to visit the strike support site Fair Deal Now.

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Steelworkers blockade contractors' trucks at picket lines:
Sep 21, 2009
By: Heidi Ulrichsen - Sudbury Northern Life

Over the last few days, striking Steelworkers Local 6500 members have been stopping trucks trying to move through their picket lines at Clarabelle Mill and Stobie Mine.

Vale Inco spokesperson Steve Ball said he heard some trucks were stopped for up to seven hours Sept. 17, although he wasn't sure if the same thing happened Sept. 18.

Northern Life observed Day Group trucks being stopped at the entrance to Clarabelle Mill off of Highway 144 during the morning of Sept. 18.

“Over the last couple of days, it's been evident that the trucks trying to get in and our of Clarabelle Mill and Stobie Mine have been blockaded for lengthy periods of time by a large number of pickets,” said Ball.

“Obviously, these actions are to prevent the movement of stockpiled ore from Stobie. We have an injunction in place where we expect certain protocols to be followed. We have a right to enter and exit our plants in accordance to that injunction, and we're disappointed that we're not being permitted to do so at this time.”

When contacted by Northern Life Sept. 18, Steelworkers Local 6500 president John Fera refused to comment on the situation, saying he needed more information before doing so.

Former union vice-president Patrick Veinot told Northern Life at the picket line Sept. 18 that the trucks were being stopped because they are moving ore from Stobie Mine to Clarabelle Mill.

“This is our work. This is the work we normally do. Obviously, this ore from Stobie would normally be moved by train. But we're on strike, and the company has elected to hire this contractor from Sudbury to do our work. We can't let that happen.”

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Molly has to note one very commendable comment that was made above by Patrick Veinot. He recognizes something, at least in the case of the Sudbury mines, that should be generally recognized ie that workers have at least a "moral right" to property rights in their jobs. Their labour, after all, creates the profit that pays the managers and stockholders. If enough people were to recognize this property right then the time when corporations could push around the ordinary person would be limited. these actions are also a sterling example of the 'direct action' that is so often preached but so much misunderstood.