He was among some 300 strikers, members of the Confederation of National Trade Unions (CNTU), who turned out November 4 to encourage the union's General Council to back the truckers in their refusal to submit to the strike-breaking law. A resolution of support was adopted unanimously.

The Quebec Federation of Nurses, recalling the heavy fines it faced after a 23-day "illegal" strike in 1999, also denounced the legislation.

After more than two years of negotiations with about 40 large trucking firms, and 40 certification applications to the government, 900 truckers went on strike October 22 to win union recognition.

The truckers, about 40 percent of whom are independent owner-operators, haul containers to and from the Port of Montreal and rail yards.

Despite a court injunction banning effective picketing, the actions of the truckers, who pick up 3,000 containers per day at the port, quickly led to tons of merchandise being stranded at one of the largest container ports in the North Atlantic. Some factories in the area were also shut down.

On November 2 the Quebec National Assembly unanimously adopted the strike-breaking law introduced by the Parti Quebecois government. The law orders the truckers back to work or face fines of Can$1,000 a day, seizure of their trucks, firings, and suspension of their licenses. Quebec Premier Lucien Bouchard called the strike "an assault on the law and on the free flow of goods."

The federal government in Ottawa, headed by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, backed the Quebec government's action.

On November 3 a meeting of 500 truckers voted 95 percent not to return to work. Two hundred picketers massed at the port on Monday morning, November 6. Also setting up picket lines that day were clerks at the two largest shipping companies.

Outside the CNTU Council, independent trucker Éric Huard explained to the Militant why "he had nothing to lose."

"I get paid $55 to haul a container from the port to a customer in the local area, no matter how long it takes," said Huard. "If I'm lucky I get nine or 10 runs in a day. But after I cover all my costs I clear between $300 to $400 per week for 50 or 60 hours of work."

Another independent trucker, Roger, said, "I would rather be whipped than go back to work right now. I won't go back unless they pay me an hourly wage," he added, underscoring a key demand of the strikers. Several drivers noted that truckers in Vancouver had won this demand.

In an interview, Joanne Pritchard, the Communist League federal election candidate in Petite Patrie-Rosemont, pointed out that the government increasingly declares illegal any strike that begins to have an impact. "This legislation is an attack on the rights of all working people and the labor movement should unite in action to defend the truckers," she stated.

Al Cappe is a meat packer in Montreal.  
 
 
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