Canada: Potato chip boss to workers: ‘Screw you and your f**king union’

The claim to fame for the Canadian town of Hartland in New Brunswick, population 947, has long been its bridge – the Hartland Bridge, longest covered bridge in the world. But it’s not the bridge that is putting Hartland in the news lately. This week people are turning their attention to this small town because of its potato chips.Or to be more precise, because of its potato chip workers. On Tuesday morning, half of the employees at the Covered Bridge Potato Chip Company walked off the job and hit the picket lines. The workers, who are members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1288P, have had their union certified for more than two years but have yet to conclude a first contract with their employer. Speaking to the People’s World live via telephone from the the picket line in freezing sub-zero temperatures, UFCW representative Carl Flanagan said that seniority is one of the main issues at stake.  He said that company president, Ryan Albright refuses to accept a seniority clause in the contract. According to the official record from the New Brunswick Labour and Employment Board, at a June 23, 2015 bargaining session, Albright said he would never allow his company to operate “in a union environment.” He concluded his statement by telling the UFCW representative, “Screw you and your f**king union.” More