Organized Crime, Organized Labour

Organized crime and organized labour in Quebec appear to have formed a solid bond of brotherhood in sympathy with one another's reasons for existence. Thuggery, extortion, threats and violence are traits both appear to share. The ability to coerce politicians by paying them off or by threatening them to have them see the light of reasonable accommodation is another trait they appear to share.

One makes no bones about the fact that they're an illicit organization whose value to society is zero, but whose reflection of that bare, basic human propensity to crime and violence is evident to all; the other presents itself as a measure for the common good, a goad to the communal conscience that labour must be gainfully recompensed, and if agreement is not automatic there are ways and means to extract assent.

The Italian mafia in its determined, enterprising way has made broad inroads into the fabric of nations' industry and politics, having initially conquered Italy. And here in Canada its tentacles have proved to be capable of infiltrating business and trade and industries and politics through skillful enterprise and dogged purposefulness, harnessing greed to ingenuity.

That aside, unions which portray themselves as agglomerations of workers headed by workplace visionaries committed to harnessing labour to equity and fairness, while looking outward at the world at large and throwing their uncompromising weight of principles for the common good in support of the 'underdog', also perform acts of corrupted bias, and violent vengeance.

Organized crime sells their racketeering 'protection'; organized labour sells its racketeering 'protection'. Both are adept at intimidation and forceful aggression to obtain their ends. And on many occasions, in numberless ways, they find common cause to work together, suborning the law and bringing on board politicians who prefer no inconvenient details to come their way.

In Quebec these unions are exemplified by what is playing out and reported by hearings into the newly scheduled bill that would remove powers from the construction unions and replace them in the hands of employers. Even smaller rival unions of the large and powerful ones report that the lives of some of their members are endangered by the rough antics of their counterparts.

In ordering a workplace shutdown which was not immediately agreed to, steps were taken to summarily cut the air supply to divers placing them in immediate danger of death. But getting their point across - which was to directly and instantly obey orders. Labour Minister Lise Theriault, herself threatened with a case of leg-breaking if she refused to withdraw Bill 33, thought poorly of that little distraction.

The round of illegal strikes and work stoppages called by the Quebec Federation of Labour to demonstrate to the Quebec government that it is they, not the legislature, that controls labour in the province has created chaos in the industry. The president of the Syndicat quebecois de la construction du Quebec informed the Quebec Construction Commission of violence being visited upon members unwilling to take part in the illegal strikes.

The Commission has received 145 complaints from construction firms, contractors, workers, project managers, detailing intimidation on 200 work sites as a result of illegal union activities. Four members of the legislature had experienced their riding offices vandalized. Smaller unions in the province are supportive of the government's initiative to pass Bill 33 which would effectively limit construction unions' assigning of workers to sites and jobs.

"Changes are necessary. Entrepreneurs are victims of intimidation on work sites", according to Gisele Bourque, general manager of an association representing 2,000 entrepreneurs in highway and civil engineering.