This article out of Newfoundland, Canada caught my attention:
Black Duck Cove shrimp processing workers have vowed to continue to block Route 430 every day until fisheries minister Clyde Jackman stops the practice of trucking gulf shrimp off the Northern Peninsula.
More than a dozen women set up a picket line across the highway at about 4 p.m. Wednesday, just south of the Port Saunders branch, to air their anger and concerns for their future at the Quinlan Bros. facility.
Waving placards bemoaning the transport of shrimp and other seafood products away from the Northern Peninsula, the group said last year they were starved of work because shrimp that could have been processed was trucked instead to plants in other parts of the province.
http://www.thetelegram.com/...
From all appearances, this is a labor dispute that the local community is also taking part in. I can't help but think what would happen if a group of workers tried to shut down traffic in the US. They would make it, at most, about half an hour, before being arrested by police. Very Serious People, would decry the action, mumbling about terrorism and the need for civil obedience. Within, hours the talking heads on Fox news would make it sound like “union thugs” were about the overthrow the government. Can you imagine any US labor organizer saying:
“Our futures, all of our futures, are at stake here, and if they think they are going to truck raw material off this peninsula they’ve got another thing coming. This is war and we’re not taking any prisoners.”
without fear of facing criminal charges under the RICO act? So how do Canadian authorities respond?
RCMP Const. Ian Jarvis said the trucks had more than 100,000 pounds of product that was eventually allowed to leave shortly after 9 p.m., adding their role was to keep the peace and direct traffic.
I'll note that by the government not taking sides the entire thing got wrapped up after a couple of hours. I expect the protesters will eventually loose. If seafood can be trucked out it can also be shipped out. I should also add that looking at the picture included with the story the description “when trucks appeared on the horizon” seems apt. This is not a road where protesters risked accidentally blocking an emergency vehicle.
All that said, it's nice to see a government and society that does not go ballistic at the mere hint of a labor action. I think comparisons like this are needed to realize how far to the right out country has drifted.