Kelowna

The use of video is not a tactic which will be used by the union in the on-going Sun-Rype strike.

Teamster local 213 president, Gene Wirch, says the tactic of posting video of the picketers on YouTube is not a strategy the union is using.

A video was posted on the popular website December 19 showing an altercation between picketers and security guards hired by Sun-Rype.

The incident took place in front of the Sun-Rype plant on the evening of December 5.

“We are being video taped pretty much constantly by the private investigating company hired by the company on the other side,” says Wirch.

“I couldn’t tell you who put that on there, that’s not the Teamsters who have put that video on there. It’s not a strategy of ours, it’s something that happened and was put on YouTube.”

He says the teamsters are not going out of their way to tape incidents.

“If we happen to be around with a video camera, but are we purposely doing it? No. They are. We’re the ones being videotaped. To me, and you can use these words, they are a bunch of thugs and they are there to create some problems and that is exactly what happened the night that video was shot.”

Wirch says despite some tensions, morale is high on the picket line as the strike enters it’s third month.

“We were able to maintain the line over the holidays thanks to volunteers. We had some people volunteer to stay on the line so others could spend some of the holidays with their families.”

He says to the best of his knowledge, no one has crossed the picket line.

“I’ve heard rumours that a few people crossed it, but as far as I know it hasn’t actually happened.”

Sun-Rype workers walked off the job on November 6.

Link: View the controversial video as posted on YouTube (Viewer discretion strongly advised.) Link: Sun-Rype picket line disruptions Link: Sun-Rype court order Link: Discsuss this topic in our discussion forums.