More videos have been uploaded. There are getting to be so many of them, we have started to organise them by dates and creating dedicated posts back dated to when the events recorded actually happened. In the process, some date errors were caught (two posts with incidents reported in June were accidentally posted in May), so please to go into the archives listed on the right and revisit the early days of the strike. These back dated posts are being put up in chronological order.
Here is another one going back to the morning of May 11 and includes both video taken by security and video submitted by a member that has been posted previously, on its own.
Once again, the security guards are targeted, this time with racist comments from one of the picketers. The same picketer also basically spanked two of her fellow picketers.
If someone had done that on the job, they would have been disciplined for sexual assault or harassment. People have lost their jobs for less.
Showing posts with label AUPE sexual assault. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AUPE sexual assault. Show all posts
Friday, 10 October 2014
Wednesday, 30 July 2014
Not normal
Artspace members have had to put up with a lot of abuse for the past 13 weeks.
Yes, it's been that long.
One of the excuses given to justify the behaviour, and for nothing to be done about it, is that this is somehow "normal." This is how all strikes are.
Let's forget for a moment the problem of their not picketing the employer's place of business in the first place.
That would be here.
Not here.
Nor under a tree in front of the townhouses.
Nor on people's front steps.
For just a moment, let's set aside that they are picketing private homes and people who have nothing to do with the employer, SAIL.
Let's just look at picketer behaviour.
Because there are rules about what picketer behaviour is supposed to be.
There are specific regulations for picketing.
Basically, they admit to abusing old people as a normal course of action, and used that to justify abusing Artspace members.
How utterly reprehensible.
One thing needs to be very clear.
This behaviour may be common picketer actions.
But it is NOT normal.
Normal people don't behave this way.
Normal people don't stand around, swearing, taunting people on their balconies, harassing people trying to go in and out of their homes, using bull horns, air raid sirens, horns, and other noise makers, for hours at a time, day after day, week after week.
They don't go up to windows of vehicles and hurl verbal abuse at the people inside. They don't interfere with people who are just trying to go about their business, in their own homes.
They don't target little kids, say nasty things about their moms, push petitions on them, or try to lure them with ice cream.
Normal people do not target individuals, picking and choosing their victims, trying to play people against each other, and generally being a$$holes, to put it mildly.
Normal people certainly don't deliberately target individual with visible disabilities. People they know have PTSD. People they know are living with brain injuries, MS, CP and various other challenges.
Normal people do not take such obvious pleasure in hurting the vulnerable. The elderly. Children.
This is not the behaviour of normal people.
This is the behaviour of abusive people.
Nasty people.
Vicious people.
Cowardly people.
It has been clear pretty much from the beginning - and by that, I mean right from when the SAIL staff was told that AUPE intended to strike should they vote to join the union - that this labour dispute has never been about SAIL. They are simply using the care staff, SAIL and Artspace in some other battle.
It's been about AUPE control. AUPE power.
That our care staff has so eagerly allowed themselves to be dragged into this, knowing that it would hurt the people they claim to care so much for (except on the picket line, where they instead yelled out about how embarrassing it was to care for the "fat cripples", and where they openly taunt people who can't even talk back to them), is particularly disturbing.
Or to hear them and the picketers calling people n****rs.
... to order women to bring them water or cook them supper.
... to tell people they should "go back to their country."
... to call people garbage
... tell them that they should kill themselves
... say that their mothers should have killed them when they were born.
... threaten that they are going to "take you out."
Artspace is an intentional community.
We may have little in common anywhere else - we have different ethnicities, religions, histories, political opinions, personal interests and so on - but there is one thing we have in common.
We chose to be part of this community, and the community chose us.
For all our differences, we care about our community. We care about our fellow members.
So when we see people who have been an integral part of our community, some for more than 10 years, suddenly out on the picket line, engaging in verbal abuse, intimidation, racism, sexism and able-ism and other forms of misconduct on the picket line, it was quite the betrayal.
Artspace members fought hard to have an in-house care company.
Artspace members fought hard to be able to decide who would be allowed into their homes to provide care for those who needed it. To decide who our care workers would be. Who they could trust.
When the AHS contract was in danger of being lost, Artspace members fought hard to save the jobs of those care workers.
What sort of brainwashing does it take to completely destroy any sense of empathy, any shred of civilized behaviour, to betray those who had been so loyal to them, and fought so hard for them, and return that loyalty with such abuse?
No one has ever tried to deny them the right to join a union, no matter how unwise we may have thought it was.
No one has ever tried to deny them the right to strike.
What we expected, however, was for the picketers to engage in proper picketing behaviour. We would even have been willing to allow the picketers to do so on private property, in front of the actual place of employment, the SAIL office. It's a lovely area, with plenty of grass and shade. I don't know about my fellow members, but I sure most would have been okay with them putting up a shelter tent and their table of Timmies.
They could have picketed, properly, to their heart's content.
And many would have supported them, even if they disagreed with them.
Had they done so, there never would have been a reason to create this blog.
Instead, they engaged in abuse behaviour and blatant misconduct, as defined by the labour code, from the very first day.
And when we complain, we are told this is "normal."
No, it isn't.
What none of us can understand is, how anyone can behave this way and think it's okay?
How can anyone behave this way and not be ashamed of themselves?
How can supposed "care" workers engage in this sort of abuse, then go home like nothing happened.
How can they live with themselves?
Can they even look at themselves in the mirror and not be disgusted by what they have become?
This is not normal behaviour.
It is psychotic behaviour. Abusive behaviour. Sociopathic behaviour.
It has never, ever, been "normal."
Yes, it's been that long.
One of the excuses given to justify the behaviour, and for nothing to be done about it, is that this is somehow "normal." This is how all strikes are.
Let's forget for a moment the problem of their not picketing the employer's place of business in the first place.
That would be here.
Nor under a tree in front of the townhouses.
For just a moment, let's set aside that they are picketing private homes and people who have nothing to do with the employer, SAIL.
Let's just look at picketer behaviour.
Because there are rules about what picketer behaviour is supposed to be.
There are specific regulations for picketing.
III. PICKETINGThere are rules about misconduct, too. The definition of "dispute related misconduct", according to Labour Relations is:
Once a lawful strike or lockout is in progress, the Code allows persons to engage in picketing and to try to persuade others not to enter the employer's place of business or do business with the employer. See: Section 84(1).
The right to picket in connection with a labour dispute is subject to the following conditions:
· it must be peaceful;
· it must take place only at the striking or locked-out employees' place of employment;
· it must not involve acts that are otherwise unlawful.
The Board has the power under section 84 of the Code to regulate lawful picketing. It will do so where necessary to maintain the lawful character of the picketing and preserve the peace. The parties may themselves reach agreement on picketing protocols. See: Section 84(2)(b), (3), (4); Cargill Foods v. UFCW Local 1118 [1997] Alta.L.R.B. LR-025.
... a course of conduct of incitement, intimidation, coercion, undue influence, provocation, infiltration or any similar course of conduct intended to prevent, interfere with or break up lawful activities likely to induce a breach of the peace in respect of a strike or lockout.AUPE has openly stated that their behaviour, including the use of noise, is SOP, even at senior's residences, therefore they think we shouldn't complain that they are doing to us. Because apparently, seniors haven't complained.
Basically, they admit to abusing old people as a normal course of action, and used that to justify abusing Artspace members.
How utterly reprehensible.
One thing needs to be very clear.
This behaviour may be common picketer actions.
But it is NOT normal.
Normal people don't behave this way.
Normal people don't stand around, swearing, taunting people on their balconies, harassing people trying to go in and out of their homes, using bull horns, air raid sirens, horns, and other noise makers, for hours at a time, day after day, week after week.
They don't go up to windows of vehicles and hurl verbal abuse at the people inside. They don't interfere with people who are just trying to go about their business, in their own homes.
They don't target little kids, say nasty things about their moms, push petitions on them, or try to lure them with ice cream.
Normal people do not target individuals, picking and choosing their victims, trying to play people against each other, and generally being a$$holes, to put it mildly.
Normal people certainly don't deliberately target individual with visible disabilities. People they know have PTSD. People they know are living with brain injuries, MS, CP and various other challenges.
Normal people do not take such obvious pleasure in hurting the vulnerable. The elderly. Children.
This is not the behaviour of normal people.
This is the behaviour of abusive people.
Nasty people.
Vicious people.
Cowardly people.
It has been clear pretty much from the beginning - and by that, I mean right from when the SAIL staff was told that AUPE intended to strike should they vote to join the union - that this labour dispute has never been about SAIL. They are simply using the care staff, SAIL and Artspace in some other battle.
It's been about AUPE control. AUPE power.
That our care staff has so eagerly allowed themselves to be dragged into this, knowing that it would hurt the people they claim to care so much for (except on the picket line, where they instead yelled out about how embarrassing it was to care for the "fat cripples", and where they openly taunt people who can't even talk back to them), is particularly disturbing.
Or to hear them and the picketers calling people n****rs.
... to order women to bring them water or cook them supper.
... to tell people they should "go back to their country."
... to call people garbage
... tell them that they should kill themselves
... say that their mothers should have killed them when they were born.
... threaten that they are going to "take you out."
Artspace is an intentional community.
We may have little in common anywhere else - we have different ethnicities, religions, histories, political opinions, personal interests and so on - but there is one thing we have in common.
We chose to be part of this community, and the community chose us.
For all our differences, we care about our community. We care about our fellow members.
So when we see people who have been an integral part of our community, some for more than 10 years, suddenly out on the picket line, engaging in verbal abuse, intimidation, racism, sexism and able-ism and other forms of misconduct on the picket line, it was quite the betrayal.
Artspace members fought hard to have an in-house care company.
Artspace members fought hard to be able to decide who would be allowed into their homes to provide care for those who needed it. To decide who our care workers would be. Who they could trust.
When the AHS contract was in danger of being lost, Artspace members fought hard to save the jobs of those care workers.
What sort of brainwashing does it take to completely destroy any sense of empathy, any shred of civilized behaviour, to betray those who had been so loyal to them, and fought so hard for them, and return that loyalty with such abuse?
No one has ever tried to deny them the right to join a union, no matter how unwise we may have thought it was.
No one has ever tried to deny them the right to strike.
What we expected, however, was for the picketers to engage in proper picketing behaviour. We would even have been willing to allow the picketers to do so on private property, in front of the actual place of employment, the SAIL office. It's a lovely area, with plenty of grass and shade. I don't know about my fellow members, but I sure most would have been okay with them putting up a shelter tent and their table of Timmies.
They could have picketed, properly, to their heart's content.
And many would have supported them, even if they disagreed with them.
Had they done so, there never would have been a reason to create this blog.
Instead, they engaged in abuse behaviour and blatant misconduct, as defined by the labour code, from the very first day.
And when we complain, we are told this is "normal."
No, it isn't.
What none of us can understand is, how anyone can behave this way and think it's okay?
How can anyone behave this way and not be ashamed of themselves?
How can supposed "care" workers engage in this sort of abuse, then go home like nothing happened.
How can they live with themselves?
Can they even look at themselves in the mirror and not be disgusted by what they have become?
This is not normal behaviour.
It is psychotic behaviour. Abusive behaviour. Sociopathic behaviour.
It has never, ever, been "normal."
Monday, 12 May 2014
AUPE picketer racism and sexual assault - incident report
The final portion of an incident report submitted by a member.
(See update and videos below.)
Note that the woman who made the racist comment to the security guard, then manhandled another picketers buttock, does not seem to have been back since. The man who's butt she grabbed, however, is a regular among the paid picketers.
Update: Oct. 8, 2014
There is now video of the incident mentioned at the top of this incident report. Based on that, we now know that the person who made the racist comment was Rachel Shepherd, and she has been a regular among the AUPE picketers. Also present was AUPE VP, Karen Weier. The man who's butt got slapped was picket captain, Jaime Urbina-Maclean. The security video also shows Rachel slapping a woman's butt. That picketer appears to be a striking SAIL employee.
Below is video from 3 different cameras.
Perhaps the most egregious incident so far happened on Sunday morning, at about 9:45. My daughters and I were heading out to church, leaving early because of the strikers. I had my phone in the holder, but unfortunately what happened was out of frame and there were too many other sounds for the audio to pick it up. As we left our spot, several strikers moved to block the driveway, turning their backs to us, with the exception of one man, who paced back and forth. A SG came over with a video camera, confirming with me that I was a resident. There were more strikers in front of the raised beds. We saw a (white) woman in the sidewalk in front of the underground entrance. She had dropped something and was stomping around, trying to keep it from blowing away. It turned out to be a $5 bill. After picking up the bill, she walked over towards the group in front of us. Seeing the (black) security guard, she called out, “I thought you people liked girls with big asses?” while laughing. I believe she repeated the statement at least one more time. We were totally stunned to hear such a blatantly racist comment! Then the pacing guy reached where she was and turned around to pace back, at which point she reached out and either slapped or pinched his butt! As far as I know, this would constitute sexual harassment.Based on her behaviour, my older daughter wondered if this woman were under the influence of something.
(See update and videos below.)
This morning (Monday), my husband was feeling well enough to go into work. Because of the strikers, he walked in, carrying his work laptop in a backpack and using a cane. This is not going to be good for his pain levels. When I drove my daughter to work later, we were again blocked, but only for a short time, as they were more interested in mobbing the red vehicle of a replacement worker. Thankfully, given that it was about 6:30am, they remained quiet.At this point, I wish to again state how much I appreciate the security guards. I am positive that their presence has prevented things from being much worse, as has all the video recordings. I have found the union strikers to be aggressive, obnoxious, intimidating and insulting. Racist and sexist can also be added to the list for at least one of them. For a group that is demanding “respect”, they are incredibly disrespectful.
I am aware that there is no way SAIL can meet union demands, and to be honest, I am glad of it. Thanks to their behaviour, the AUPE has removed any possibility of support or sympathy for their position. As an Artspace member, I am completely against meeting any of their demands.While I understand that people are allowed to strike at their place of employment and business, it is ridiculous that they should be picketing our private homes and disrupting our personal lives. The SAIL office is their place of work. Our homes are not. Members who need SAIL’s services are clients, not places of business. To define member units as part of their workplaces would be like a cable company considering client homes as workplaces because there are cable boxes in them.Also of concern is the fact that, after being told “no”, they continue to harass people. No means no and stop means stop. To continue to bother people after clearly been told to stop constitutes harassment. I am also disturbed by the strikers bringing children to participate. I do not object to the children being there, but I do wonder about children wearing signs and chanting. Obviously, minors cannot be union members, and I question the legality of having children actively participate in a strike.Worse is the negative effect this strike is having on people’s health. AUPE claims to care about the client members, yet their actions are causing harm. We aren’t even in the high rise, and we do not need SAIL services, yet their behaviour is having a negative effect on the health of my husband. It is even having a negative effect on our ability to homeschool my younger daughter; their chanting, for example, has prevented her from practising her guitar due to the volume. I hate to imagine how much worse it is for members in the lower levels of the high rise!I want to thank the board for acting on behalf of Artspace members during this stressful time.
Note that the woman who made the racist comment to the security guard, then manhandled another picketers buttock, does not seem to have been back since. The man who's butt she grabbed, however, is a regular among the paid picketers.
Update: Oct. 8, 2014
There is now video of the incident mentioned at the top of this incident report. Based on that, we now know that the person who made the racist comment was Rachel Shepherd, and she has been a regular among the AUPE picketers. Also present was AUPE VP, Karen Weier. The man who's butt got slapped was picket captain, Jaime Urbina-Maclean. The security video also shows Rachel slapping a woman's butt. That picketer appears to be a striking SAIL employee.
Below is video from 3 different cameras.
Sunday, 11 May 2014
Videos from May 11 Racism, trespassing, harassment and using children on the picket line
This post was made on Oct. 8, 2014 and back dated to when the events in the videos took place.
This series of videos, now 4 days into the strike, shows more of the disruption Artspace members had to endure for about 12 hours of the day.
This first video starts at 6:35am. The replacement worker vehicle has already been blocked for an unknown length of time.
Clips are from two different security cameras, and much of the commentary is directed at the security guards themselves.
How strange that a group that demands "dignity" and "respect" displays such a visceral level of disgust and hatred towards others.
The next video is from several cameras, beginning with security video taken at 9:20am, from inside the meeting room security was using for their headquarters.
In the first clip, AUPE staffers David Malka, Deb Arcand and Jaime Urbina-Maclean can be seen. Later, a picketer identified as Rachel Shepherd (she can be heard spelling her own name) joins them. She is seen slapping the bottoms of two different picketers, including a striking SAIL employee and Jaime Urbina-Maclean, and heard making racist comments directed at the security guard. An old AUPE video from another labour dispute identifies her as co-chair of Local 47.
Also present is AUPE VP, Karen Weier.
The final clip was submitted by the driver of the red van the picketers also blocked. Though several Artspace members were targeted for extra blocking and verbal abuse, this member is one of the few who was able to record any of it.
The misconduct continues, this time in video beginning at 10am. The verbal harassment and racist comments become increasingly shocking. The picketer calling replacement workers n***** has since been identified as striking SAIL employee, Lorna Hunt.
Moving on to videos starting shortly after 4:30pm, they are events that all took place at about the same time.
The video shows the replacement workers first being blocked (in the Artspace private parking lot driveway) from leaving their shift, then others being blocked on the street from starting their shift.
In these videos, you can see children with picketers in the pee patch - built for Artspace members to take their dogs - and actively encouraged to take part in the verbal abuse of replacement workers.
While this was going on, an Artspace member took video from their townhouse window, some distance away.
In this, not only can you hear how disruptive the noise levels were for the entire block, but you can also see the children that are taking part in verbally abusing the replacement workers. They are children of striking SAIL staff.
After the replacement worker vehicle leaves, the picketers continue to engage in a verbal altercation with people living in the Inner City townhouses. Like most Artspace members, they have no involvement in the labour dispute.
While all that was going on in the front, AUPE organizer, David Malka, went to the back of the high rise where he trespassed on private property belonging to a third party.
While Artspace members on the South side of the high rise were able to escape the bulk of the disruption, they still had to put up with finding AUPE picketers in the back lot, watching their homes and taking photo and video into Artspace private property.
Numerous complaints had already been submitted about picketer misconduct, and police were visiting daily.
This series of videos, now 4 days into the strike, shows more of the disruption Artspace members had to endure for about 12 hours of the day.
This first video starts at 6:35am. The replacement worker vehicle has already been blocked for an unknown length of time.
Clips are from two different security cameras, and much of the commentary is directed at the security guards themselves.
How strange that a group that demands "dignity" and "respect" displays such a visceral level of disgust and hatred towards others.
The next video is from several cameras, beginning with security video taken at 9:20am, from inside the meeting room security was using for their headquarters.
In the first clip, AUPE staffers David Malka, Deb Arcand and Jaime Urbina-Maclean can be seen. Later, a picketer identified as Rachel Shepherd (she can be heard spelling her own name) joins them. She is seen slapping the bottoms of two different picketers, including a striking SAIL employee and Jaime Urbina-Maclean, and heard making racist comments directed at the security guard. An old AUPE video from another labour dispute identifies her as co-chair of Local 47.
Also present is AUPE VP, Karen Weier.
The final clip was submitted by the driver of the red van the picketers also blocked. Though several Artspace members were targeted for extra blocking and verbal abuse, this member is one of the few who was able to record any of it.
The misconduct continues, this time in video beginning at 10am. The verbal harassment and racist comments become increasingly shocking. The picketer calling replacement workers n***** has since been identified as striking SAIL employee, Lorna Hunt.
Moving on to videos starting shortly after 4:30pm, they are events that all took place at about the same time.
The video shows the replacement workers first being blocked (in the Artspace private parking lot driveway) from leaving their shift, then others being blocked on the street from starting their shift.
In these videos, you can see children with picketers in the pee patch - built for Artspace members to take their dogs - and actively encouraged to take part in the verbal abuse of replacement workers.
While this was going on, an Artspace member took video from their townhouse window, some distance away.
In this, not only can you hear how disruptive the noise levels were for the entire block, but you can also see the children that are taking part in verbally abusing the replacement workers. They are children of striking SAIL staff.
After the replacement worker vehicle leaves, the picketers continue to engage in a verbal altercation with people living in the Inner City townhouses. Like most Artspace members, they have no involvement in the labour dispute.
While all that was going on in the front, AUPE organizer, David Malka, went to the back of the high rise where he trespassed on private property belonging to a third party.
While Artspace members on the South side of the high rise were able to escape the bulk of the disruption, they still had to put up with finding AUPE picketers in the back lot, watching their homes and taking photo and video into Artspace private property.
Numerous complaints had already been submitted about picketer misconduct, and police were visiting daily.
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