Vol. 81/No. 36 October 2, 2017
Communist League: Stop frame-up against
Harding, Labrie!
The following statement was issued Sept. 10 by Philippe Tessier, Communist League candidate for mayor of Montreal, to build solidarity with locomotive engineer Tom Harding and train controller Richard Labrie. The trial of the two unionists on frame-up charges for the derailment of a runaway train began Sept. 11.
It has been more than four years since 47 people were killed July 6, 2013, in the town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, by an oil train derailment, explosion and fire that destroyed the core of the town, released 1.5 million gallons of crude oil into the lake and contaminated 560,000 tons of soil.
Instead of implementing measures to ensure rail safety, the rail bosses, Ottawa, the cops and the courts have framed up locomotive engineer Tom Harding and train controller Richard Labrie, members of the United Steelworkers. They, along with rail company official Jean Demaitre, each face 47 counts of criminal negligence causing death. If convicted the penalty could be life in prison. The joint jury trial in Sherbrooke is scheduled to last three months.
Harding was the one-person “crew” on the 72-car train approved by Transport Canada in 2012 under then federal Minister of Transport Denis Lebel, which supported the company’s drive to cut crew costs to increase profits regardless of the consequences to our health and safety.
When fire broke out on the train, Harding’s offer to check out the situation was refused: the company wanted him to sleep and return in a few hours to continue the run. When the train ran amok and exploded, Harding risked his life to aid firefighters in moving a number of unexploded tankers, avoiding further destruction and making him a hero in the eyes of many in Lac-Mégantic and beyond. Rail workers and their unions in Canada have taken strike action and spoken up repeatedly against the dangerous working conditions being imposed on them.
The stakes are high for working people everywhere in the outcome of this trial. A conviction of the two rail workers would not only be a horrendous injustice, it would encourage the bosses and their governments in their reckless productivity drives aimed at saving the crisis-ridden capitalist system on our backs. Their profit system is in a deepening long-term worldwide crisis of declining production and trade. In rail and industries all across the board the bosses push fewer workers to produce more in a shorter period of time for less pay and benefits regardless of the consequences. We have to organize to strengthen our unions to fight together for workers control of safety on the job.
An acquittal of Tom Harding and Richard Labrie would show the rail bosses they can`t get away with blaming the workers for their profit-driven disasters and strengthen the struggle for safety on the job. It would strengthen the ongoing struggle of the working people of Lac-Mégantic to force Ottawa to build a rail bypass around the town. More than ever Tom Harding and Richard Labrie need the solidarity of working people, our unions, and environmental, church and other social organizations behind a united and loud demand to put an end to this frame-up now!
You can come to Sherbrooke and sit in on the trial to show your solidarity with the rail workers or send a message in support of Harding and Labrie to USW Local 1976/Section locale 1976, 2360 De Lasalle, Suite 202, Montreal, QC Canada H1V 2L1, with copies to Thomas Walsh, Attorney, 165 Rue Wellington, N., Suite 310, Sherbrooke, QC Canada J1H 5B9. E-mail: thomaspwalsh@hotmail.com.
Related articles:
On the Picket Line
1000s march to back workers in 6-month-long Spectrum strike
Charges tossed in frame-up of engineer in Phila. crash
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