Thank you, AUPE

Today, I would like to say Thank You, to AUPE.

You see, a couple of days ago, we heard about an incident.  Someone had apparently rammed their way through the picket line!  Going too fast!  People were injured!  Taken to the hospital!

The problem was, this happened while no one seemed to be around to see it; we didn't know anything about the vehicle or who was in it.  There was no security footage, and the guard missed the start of it.

Of course, AUPE began screaming about this tragedy and the horror of how terribly the picketers have been treated on the picket line (while video evidence proves otherwise...).  It was hard to take them seriously, to be honest.  After all, these are the same people who are having conniption fits over the "vulgar" signs members have put on their balconies.  One of them has the letters GTFO.  They are tragically offended by an acronym.

They also claimed an 18 inch stick was a 2x4.

At the same time, if someone really did try to ram their way through the picket line and someone was hurt, that person needed to be held accountable.

So what to believe?

Then they so kindly provided this video.

[update: this video is no longer available; as part of the agreement between SAIL and AUPE, ending the strike after 219 days, AUPE agreed to remove their videos and online articles re: the labour dispute.]


What do you see?

Well, first the union captain very carefully positions the picketers with their toes on the line.  Such obedient little picketers, aren't they?

Another of the union organizers has positioned himself safely in the pee patch (yes, private property) with the video camera, while the captain positions herself safely opposite him.

The truck approaches, slows down, the very obviously begins to drive in between two picketers - who immediately step in front while the driver is accelerating.

The truck doesn't actually hit anyone.  It is the picketers who jump in front and hit the vehicle.

You then see one picketer point, smile and...

Return to her phone.

By the end of the clip, all four picketers are back in frame, unharmed, though the clip ends before the last one - the one they claim was injured - is fully visible.

Since the very first day of the strike, picketers have been trying to get themselves hit by vehicles.  Several times, they have been documented as walking in front of moving vehicles, including vehicles as they were backing up (poor visibility), with the picketer standing with her back to the vehicle.  Only the attentiveness of the driver prevented the picketer from succeeding in getting hit.  They have been seen choreographing things to make it appear they have been hit.

This is the first time they released video showing themselves actually doing it.

How kind of them!

Then, just to continue the drama, they claimed one of the picketers had a panic attack and had to be taken to the hospital.

Meanwhile, they are still loudly demanding that the police investigate this horrific incident, while further claiming vandalism of their vehicle (which is back), saying it's tires were slashed several times (no one has ever seen it with a flat tire more than once, and I personally could not see any sign that that tire was slashed, but then, I didn't try crawling around to look, either), and so on.  They are also using this "tragedy" to accuse SAIL of fraud, which rather shows where their priorities are.

They are very good at making accusations without proof.

Well, the police did investigate, and it was closed, because the picketers quite obviously jumped in front of a moving vehicle that was passing between them.

It turns out that someone else took video, too.

The driver of the truck does not live in Artspace, but he was helping someone who just moved in on the weekend - a pregnant woman who was harassed by picketers as they tried to move in.  It seems that, when he drove into the parking lot, they missed blocking him and this made the herd angry.  They promptly positioned one of their own around the back.  Suspicious of the picketer behaviour, as the people with the truck were getting ready to leave, someone else started taking video.

Several of us admins have seen the video.  This post will be updated when it's uploaded.

What the video shows is a very obvious set up (as well as the picketer in the back of the parking lot, trespassing).  It also shows the truck's brake lights as the driver slows down, then it's even more obvious that the driver went in between two picketers,who promptly jumped in front.

Except the camera guy, who never left his post, and the Captain, who stays safely out of harm's way while the picketers toss themselves in front of a moving vehicle.

They are then seen milling about, and heard to say that no one is hurt.

The injury?  Turns out it was self inflicted when the picketer struck the vehicle.

Ah, but wait!  It gets better!

We found something else out during this police investigation.

It turns out there's a 30 second rule.

When blocking someone, the picketers have 30 seconds to state their case.

The drive can then begin inching forward.

The picketers HAVE to move.

If they don't, it's on them.

So all this blocking of people for an hour and half?  Twenty minutes?  Four minutes?

Nope.

They have 30 seconds to state their case.  The driver can sit and listen and allow themselves to be blocked.

Or, the driver can move forward after 30 seconds, and the picketers have to let the vehicle through.

Since I know the picketers are reading this, consider yourselves informed.

And please.  Stop trying to get yourselves injured.  It's getting harder and harder for Artspace members to protect you from yourselves.