On Thursday, the union of inside workers in Prince Albert shared unsettling footage purportedly depicting Mayor Greg Dionne as he seemingly nudged two picketing union members with his vehicle outside the City Hall. The union, CUPE 882, had cast aside the city’s latest offer due to a vote held on that Tuesday, the same day the video was allegedly captured.
In the disturbing video, a red Dodge Ram, alleged to belong to the Mayor, is seen honking impatiently in front of a line of CUPE workers at the city hall. As one worker steps aside, the truck lurches forward, bumping into a second worker and forcing them to step back.
Mira Lewis, CUPE national representative, expressed her disappointment about the Mayor’s actions, referring to them as disrespectful and destructive to the relationship with the city’s workers. Lewis stated, “We are saddened and disappointed that Mayor Dionne felt the need to push through the picket line disregarding the safety of city workers in front of him. This further erodes the relationship while glaringly exposing his lack of respect.”
CUPE reported this incident to the police for further investigation. However, a spokesperson for the City of Prince Albert neither confirmed whether it was indeed the Mayor’s vehicle involved in the incident nor provided any comment citing the ongoing police investigation.
Kiley Bear, the corporate services director, issued an official statement around the same situation. While he expressed his frustration about the picketers blocking the picket line for extended periods, he also noted that they were obstructing traffic at city hall, EA Rawlinson Centre, and Alfred Jenkins Field House.
According to Bear, the picketers were infringing their own guidelines by preventing vehicles from accessing the city hall parking lot for a significantly extended duration. Meanwhile, CUPE declared that it had dispatched a delegation to the city council with the intent of uplifting workplace morale and improving relations.
The union asserted that despite their sincere efforts, two days after the meeting, the city disclosed the personal cell phone number of CUPE’s regional director, Ann Iwanchuk, encouraging the public to direct complaints to her. The union release stated, “Our members have faced months of verbal threats, bullying, and mean-spirited actions from the employer.”
Currently, CUPE 882 has been on strike since September 11, after functioning without a contract since December 2021, causing disruption to services at City Hall, EA Rawlinson Centre, Frank Dunn Pool, Alfred Jenkins Field House, and the Art Hauser Centre.
An earlier agreement was put forth by the union, though it was rejected this week. The initial voting process was interrupted and ballots destroyed when the city unexpectedly announced on voting day that it planned on altering a few positions, which included transitioning some clerks into a call center established during the strike.
