Trucker protest shuts down construction project

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Updated May 3, 2012
Drivers protest as a policeman stands gaurd at the Windsor-Essex Parkway project this weekend. (Photo from The Windsor Star website.)Drivers protest as a policeman stands gaurd at the Windsor-Essex Parkway project this weekend. (Photo from The Windsor Star website.)

Roughly 140 drivers staged a small ruckus this weekend by refusing to work and shutting down a $1.4 billion highway project in the process, according to a report in The Windsor Star of Windsor, Ontario.

Traffic was blocked for two hours in what the article calls “an impromptu protest that also attracted over a dozen Windsor police officers to keep the peace and direct traffic.” The drivers were protesting wages, and some on hand told Windsor Star reporters that they weren’t going to work again until a new deal was met.

Amico Infrastructure (who’s handling the job) President Dominec Amicone did arrive on the scene and agree to meet with drivers Sunday to resolve the disagreements.

The article says Amico hired several trucking companies to work on the project, and recent increases in fuel (40 percent in Canada, says the article) and rougher conditions than expected for their equipment have made the job worth more, protesters said.

As driver Randy Benoit told Windsor Star reporter Dave Baggatello on scene – “We’re here on strike because we’re not making enough money to cover our trucks and we deserve more.”

Read the full report – with other driver quotes – here.

The Windsor Star reported this morning the drivers returned to work with a $2 an hour raise.