Kirkland blue-collar union alleges assault after city foreman grabs shoulder
A union representing Kirkland blue-collar workers alleges one of its members was assaulted by a city foreman Tuesday morning, but the city’s director general claims it “didn’t happen.”
According to
a Tuesday statement from the Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique
(SCFP) and president of SCFP Local 301 Jean-Pierre Lauzon, about 10 blue collar workers were pasting stickers onto cars near Kirkland’s Public Works Department building ahead of a 48-hour strike when a city foreman came out and grabbed one by the shoulders.
“He came out of nowhere and grabbed one of our representatives by the shoulders and tried to push him away, saying, ‘What’s he doing here?’ Lauzon told The Gazette in an interview.
According to Montreal police spokesperson Caroline Chèvrefils, a 911 call was received at 7:50 a.m. regarding a person who had allegedly been assaulted during a demonstration at the Kirkland Public Works Department building located on Claude-Jodoin St. near Hymus Blvd.
When police arrived at the scene, they encountered the alleged victim, a 59-year-old male protester. He had minor pain in his arm. He was assessed by paramedics and did not require hospitalization.
The employee responsible for the building, a 46-year-old man, was no longer present when police arrived, Chèvrefils added.
According to initial police reports, a conflict escalated during an employee demonstration in the courtyard of the Public Works Department building. It was at this point that the worker was allegedly struck in the arm by an employee and site manager who was asking the demonstrators to leave.
While Lauzon said the worker did not experience any physical injuries, “he suffered mental trauma” and “did not expect to be grabbed like that.”
But Joe Sanalitro, Kirkland’s director general who says he was at the Public Works building on Tuesday morning, has a different perspective of the incident.
“There was a hand put on a shoulder. That was it,” he said in an interview, adding there’s no evidence to support the union’s claims.
He said the city and the police reviewed a video of what happened, but did not agree to share the video with The Gazette.
Both Lauzon and Sanalitro said the blue collar workers filed a complaint against police. Both also said the workers were told by police they were not allowed on city property, and Sanalitro alleges the blue collar workers were not employees of the city of Kirkland.
“They asked us to provide our documents to identify ourselves, which we did. Everyone played along and gave their documents to the police. The police took them, and that was the end of it,” Lauzon added.
Following the police’s investigation, Chèvrefils said they determined that criminal charges would not be laid. Police officers left the scene after confirming that the conflict had ended.
Starting Wednesday, 61 blue-collar workers for the city of Kirkland are going on strike to demand better work-life balance and working hours. Lauzon says they have requested mediation with the city, but claims the city did not send the document required to start the mediation process.
“There have been many things like this that have led to a situation where today we have lost trust in the city. That’s why we decided to go on strike for two days.”