Pacific Region Strike Update

Brothers and Sisters,

It has been a while since I had the opportunity to write a letter and let you know what is currently going on. As you all know by now, we are embroiled in a strike that has put a stop to all other things. I know that you all have a million questions about what is happening out there. I will try to fill you in on the latest.

I have been picketing up here in Edmonton since the start of the strike. We are picketing the Intermodal Center that CP owns up here and you can clearly see the success that we have been having up here. It has been a battle to say the least. As soon as you look the other way the trucks are rolling. I must commend Brother Dale Kugyelka for his tireless efforts to maintain a picket line up here. He has put in countless hours on the line coming in at 2 or 3 in the morning and staying until 7 or 8 at night on a daily basis. I am proud to say that I walked the line with him. I also want to thank the Brothers up here that have been out, without you there we couldn't do it. We had an injunction served on us and although it makes it so that the trucks can come in, there are so many of them, with the time that we can hold them, the yard is plugged up solid and there is very little room to bring in more cans. They are near capacity now.

In Calgary, they have been picketing at two locations. Alyth Yard to catch the running trades employees and general public and at Shepard Intermodal Center where the main picketing is taking place. I am proud to say that Dennis Arter and Ernie Bateman have their members doing a great job in locking up that Intermodal Center. At one point they had about 2 ½ mile of trucks inside the facility and about ½ mile of trucks lined up outside waiting to get in. That's what I call plugged. They were only holding trucks between 3 to 5 minutes going in and out. It has been very successful and is working to slow down operations in the Intermodal scheme of things. They are going 24 hours a day there and have had some lousy weather but the members there have stayed strong and united and are only getting stronger keeping things tied up there. Well done to all the members at Calgary for their efforts in this strike.

Reports from Medicine Hat and Lethbridge are that there is constant picketing going on with the Medicine Hat members picketing the Station and Kingsway Ave. to get lots of public attention. My thanks to Zeke Tessmann, Kelly Robbins, Tom Zanidean and Myles Yewchuk in keeping things together there as well as all of the NFLD Brothers who live there and are helping out on the line. In Lethbridge they are picketing at Kip Yard mainly and Lethbridge Station. They are getting good turnouts and getting the message out. I want to take this opportunity to thank Brother Ross Terry, Ross's wife Jo, and Brother Lorne Thomas who traveled up to Edmonton to help out there when the picket lines were thin. We really appreciated that from them and can't thank them enough for making that trip. Thanks to big Eddy Grey for keeping things tight while they were gone.

In the Kooteneys, I have heard nothing but good from that area. The members are still coming out and taking part and doing their part in supporting the strike. Cranbrook is the main picking location and they are getting great support from the running trades employees, the general public and families of members taking part. They had a rally there on Wednesday and the Teamsters Truck was there to take part. They had a barbecue and other local Unions took part and joined in and are in total support of the Brothers on strike there. Great job everyone and keep up the good work. You are definitely helping the cause as train traffic through your corridor has slowed to a crawl. Gary Kennedy and Don Steuart are to be commended for their hard work and efforts and my thanks to the members for their unending support.

Over in Nelson, Cranbrook and Castlegar, the Brothers there have been nothing less than a shining example of what you can do if you want to. They have gotten the communities behind them and have had local companies refuse to pickup or drop off for CP Rail while the strike is on. They also made a trip to the Cominco Plant at Trail and formed a picket line there. Contractors were going into the Plant to do some work, saw the picket line and respected it and stayed out. Well done Brothers Schwartz and Lindhorst for your efforts with very few members and few places to picket. I am proud of all of the Brothers there. Good job.

The Brothers in Golden and Revelstoke have been keeping things tight in the roughest terrain of the territory. They have picket lines set up and manned and are getting information out to the public about our fight with the Company. Shayne Brighton and company are always on the go helping out wherever they can and they have made trips to Salmon Arm and Kamloops to assist in picketing over there. My thanks Brothers for helping out and keeping the wall up. You know what the fight is about. Keep up the great work.

Over in Salmon Arm, Sister Mel Boyko and members there have been picketing every day and have gone to Kamloops as well to help out there. They are a small group but have been helping out wherever they can and are keeping the lines up. Great to hear that you are making a difference out there.

In Kamloops, Brothers Kevin Danielson, James Young, Dave Mehta and the members there have been picketing with the help of others coming in to add numbers, so well that we cannot picket at some locations because we hurt them so bad, law suites were threatened. They also hit Campbell Creek facility hard and they had to lift that picket so that LaFarge could keep working as they would not cross our lines there either. At the Campbell Creek facility, the managers finally had to come out to the road to unload the trucks and take the cargo inside. That means that we did our job there as well and kudos to all that took part there.

That pretty much leaves Vancouver. The hotspot on the region. Everyone knows that this is the one spot in the whole country that will hurt the Company the most. What can I say. All the strike Captains there have done a tremendous job in shutting down VIF Yard. At one point only one truck had gotten out of the facility since the start of the strike. That will be hard to top by anyone. My thanks to Brothers Lou Viani, Jim Daniel, Gurdeep Deol, Wally Kirkpatrick and all the other Brothers and Sisters who have locked up this facility and put the screws to the Company. They have gone 24 hours a day as well and are tirelessly fighting the good fight to help us win this strike. I can't thank all of you enough for all your efforts. Keep up the great work.

I have named a few names here and cannot name all of you who are keeping us strong in this fight. Each and every one of you counts and your efforts will not go unnoticed. We have gotten strong public support and have good strong families to back us as well. We all know that this strike is not about money. It is about principle now. We are fighting a Company that feels that we must take what few crumbs they toss our way. We stood up and we are fighting them and winning.

I say that we are winning and I can prove it. The Company's web site says a lot of propaganda that we can read and know is not true. They say that traffic is moving normally and we can clearly see that it is not. Intermodal traffic is almost at a standstill and other trains have slowed almost to a crawl. So much for a "fluid" railway. I guess maple syrup is fluid, but it is awful slow. We are slowly strangling them and they know it. If we were not making a dent in the armor, then why would they hit us with so many injunctions all over the place and then after we come from court, we are still able to do what are doing because they have lied to everyone, including the courts.

I want to commend all of you Brothers and Sisters out there walking the picket lines every day and night. We are in a tough fight and we will win this fight. Every province and region in the country is reporting the same things. We are hurting the Company there is no doubt about that. We can only hope that the Company's stubbornness will not result in a fatality or severe injury to our Brothers and Sisters in the other trades because we all know that the track conditions are scary out there to say the least.

Take the time to say thanks to each other for helping in this fight. This truly shows what a Brotherhood is all about and I can't think of anyone else I would rather be out there with. Keep up the fight and the hard work. Make sure you thank your families for their support as well as they suffer as we do in this fight and when you are on the line, think of them and it will make your resolve stronger.

Finally, I want to thank Brother Brehl, who has been out in Vancouver, away from his family since the start of the strike. He has been on the lines beside you all the way. He has been right there on the ground fighting with you. He is strong but he needs to hear your support as well. He is only human and he can use words of encouragement as well. Give him a pat on the back when you see him and say thanks, because we are all in this together and together we will win.

See you on the picket lines; stay strong, united and safe. I will do my best to get around to all the sites as soon as I can. A new sun will come up tomorrow and it will shine on all of us and will give us new resolve in this fight with an unfair Company that only wants to keep us down and doesn't think that we are worth anything. Remember that you are the backbone of that Company. You built it and maintained it and we should be proud of that instead of being told that we are not needed. We know better and will show them that they should know better as well. May God bless all of you and keep us all strong in this fight.

In Solidarity,

H.L. Helfenbein
Director Pacific Region
TCRC MWED