Beyond the picket line

Artspace members, homecare users of Supports for Artspace Independent Living (SAIL), and family members of SAIL users have been harassed by AUPE for months.  Here is the story of what happened to one family member. It includes emails and photos that gives evidence of the harassment

Lorna, the sister of a SAIL user, was hosting a private fundraiser for NCEP…an education project in Nepal.  AUPE employee David Malka tried to buy tickets to this fundraiser which was being held on August 24 2014:

Susan, the person selling the tickets to the fundraiser, had no idea who Malka was. Nor did she know that Malka was trying to intimidate Lorna by trying to buy tickets to this private event…and so  Susan responded:.

Malka replied where he ‘lived’ (actually he names the location of the AUPE office as we know he doesn’t live in the West End)

The ticket seller responded with her address and phone number:

Malka and a blonde woman showed up in a car at the private residence of Susan, the ticket seller. Susan now knew that Malka worked for AUPE and that he was trying to intimidate Lorna.  Malka phoned from his car, asking to buy tickets. Susan said she did not have tickets left for him.  He got out of the car and stood around in the park that faces Susan’s house, holding his cell phone in front of his face, then got back in the car and drove off.

Hiding his face is a trademark of Malka, as he did this often when he was the picket captain at Artspace.

When Malka got back to the ‘office’  he continued his ‘game’ by posting on Facebook,

He then exchanged comments with two other AUPE employees, Deb Arcand and William Rigutto:

Note that the last comment is made by William Rigutto, the person who is named as ‘legal council’ for AUPE. You can read all about him in other blog posts.  Anyway,  he reveals the true motive of all of the efforts described above…AUPE is trying to harass Lorna by prying into her private life.

Perhaps the AUPE thinks that family members will feel intimidated by such harassment?  Perhaps they think these family members will put pressure on the SAIL Board of Directors to cave to AUPE demands?  Perhaps AUPE just likes to waste union dues by paying certain employees to stalk family members of SAIL users? Perhaps AUPE likes to waste union dues by paying AUPE employees to post/boast about their antics on Facebook?

What a waste of AUPE money…union members should expect more, much more, in terms of ethical behavior from the people who are working for them.