Letter from Robert Bouvier

June 1, 2007

Brothers and Sisters,

On Tuesday May 29th, 2007, an incident occurred in Coquitlam, BC which I want all of you to be aware of.

While engaged in picketing during a legal strike against CPRail, six of our members were arrested, held against their consent, searched, had their charter rights violated. This was done by CPRail’s private police force not the RCMP who are the law enforcement agency in this jurisdiction.

The six members were picketing on a public crosswalk, when they were handcuffed and forced onto CPRail property. One was violently assaulted. The entire incident was filmed by a member who, even though threatened with arrest himself, managed to keep himself and his camera out of the hands of the CP security force. This shocking video can be viewed on the TCRC MWED website (www.tcrcmwed.ca) .

My friends, we as Teamsters have always fought for the rights of our members and the rights of all free Canadians. To see this private police force bring this kind of violence to a peaceful picket line re inforces the need to be unionized, to stand together against further such displays and to demand a public inquiry into the matter of employers being allowed to maintain privately funded police forces.

We will not allow our members to be treated in such a manner while exercising their legal right to picket and so the TCRC MWED has launched civil action against CPRail for wrongful arrest, false imprisonment, assault and battery and violations of charter rights by way of the aforementioned as well as unreasonable search and seizure.

We are proud Teamsters and we are proud Canadians and as such we will remain dedicated to insuring the safety of our members and their rights, and to preserving the rights of all Canadians to legal free expression without fear of unlawful reprisal.

In solidarity,

Robert Bouvier
President
Teamsters Canada