Nova Scotia: Irate truckers defy court injunction, continue partial blocade of Trans-Canada Hwy

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Irate truckers defy court injunction

AMHERST, N.S. (CP) -

Irate truckers continued to defy a court injunction today ordering them to end their partial blockade of the Trans-Canada Highway at the New Brunswick-Nova Scotia boundary.

The long lines of parked transport trucks grew steadily Monday - and remained this morning - in an impromptu protest over the rising costs of diesel fuel, toll highways and low wages.

About 500 big rigs loaded with food and other goods for Atlantic Canadians sat stranded on the side of the road as the drivers waited for governments to do something.

Nova Scotia responded quickly Monday by obtaining an interim court injunction against the protest. But the truckers were unimpressed.

''I asked him if it would be okay if I wiped my ass on his paper,'' said trucker Dana Delong after an RCMP officer handed him a warning about the injunction.

''We've been peaceful. These papers aren't worth the ink they're printed with.''

link

http://www.thestar.com/thestar/editorial/updates/news/200002230_TRUCKERS-PRO.html

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), February 22, 2000

Answers

* * * 20000222 Tuesday

Notice that there's no media coverage (that I've seen) re the Canadian trucker actions in conjunction with the planned protest caravan on Washington, D.C.

Regards, Bob Mangus

* * *

-- Robert Mangus (rmangus1@yahoo.com), February 22, 2000.


Canoe--click on "more news"

Excerpts:

"Tuesday, Feb. 22, 2000 Trucker protest turns ugly

By CHRIS MORRIS -- The Canadian Press

AMHERST, N.S. (CP) -- The truckers' protest at the Nova Scotia-New Brunswick boundary turned into a frenzy of roaring engines and angry shouts Tuesday as several rigs bolted from the blockade.

(snip)

Dave Fowler, an independent trucker from nearby Truro, N.S., laid down on the highway in front of a huge truck driven by an angry driver who was determined to get back on the road.

The driver slammed on the truck's brakes inches from Fowler.

"I don't know... it's just too hard," a visibly shaken Fowler said when asked why he would risk his life.

"I figure it's better to die trying than just do nothing."

(snip)

"In Newfoundland, two sections of the Trans-Canada Highway were partially blocked by scores of big rigs on Tuesday.

Since Monday, about 40 trucks have been parked on either side of the highway near a roadside weigh scale in Foxtrap, a small community about 20 kilometres west of St. John's.

Another protest began Tuesday in central Newfoundland between Grand Falls-Windsor and Bishop's Falls. There were about 75 rigs on either side of the highway.

In Ottawa, a protest by truckers spilled on to Parliament Hill, where Prime Minister Jean Chretien emerged from a cabinet meeting to say they should pass on their rising expenses.

"The price of oil has tripled," Chretien told reporters. "The truckers are like any other business: when you have added costs, you transfer it to the people you are working for.

"We live in a market economy. These prices have increased around the globe. In fact, the level of taxation by the federal government on these products is the lowest of probably any other country in the world."

In Montreal, about 10 trucking companies met with the union representing some drivers. The Confederation of National Trade Unions asked the companies to give the truck drivers a 15 per cent raise to make up for the high cost of fuel, but didn't receive a firm commitment from the companies that the request would be met."

(end of article)

It's turning nasty. The last paragraph implies that the drivers have to pay the fuel costs out of their own pay, which is a union-negotiated rate. Strange. As for the independents, why are they not simply raising their rates, e.g. with a surcharge as the airlines are doing?

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), February 22, 2000.


Rachel .... As independents , they have to be competitive to survive . Ask for an increase , the job goes to the trucker who doesn't ! Simple economics ... don't need a college course for that . With a large union , it might be a different story . Eagle

-- Hal Walker (e999eagle@FREEWWWEB.COM), February 22, 2000.

Hal, it gets worse! Tonight's tv news says the truckers are locked into a fixed rate with their customers...so they cannot go to their customers for an increase to cover the higher fuel costs. Your argument about other drivers undercutting them doesn't make sense--they all have to pay the same fuel rates! The oil cartel sure doesn't seem to have that problem.

-- Rachel Gibson (rgibson@hotmail.com), February 22, 2000.

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