Dispute between blue collar workers | “I got vargered”

A blue-collar worker from the City of Montreal allegedly attacked a co-worker during a union meeting that went wrong last June. The plumber faces criminal charges of assault causing bodily harm. According to what learned The Pressthe union would have tried to hush up this affair.

Emilie Bilodeau
The Press

Alex François, 49, is accused of hitting his colleague Danny Dufour on the head, during a meeting on June 21 in the morning, at the premises nicknamed “the bunker” on Papineau Avenue. The two men are part of the negotiation committee of the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de la Ville de Montréal (local 301 of the SCFP-FTQ).

According to Danny Dufour, the purpose of the meeting was to clarify why Alex François omitted to send him documents and meeting dates for the renewal of the Baie-d’Urfé blue-collar collective agreement. At one point, Danny Dufour allegedly called his colleague Alex François a “liar”, admitted the alleged victim during a telephone interview with The Press. Another person was in the room, but she refused to give us an interview.

The Montreal Police Department confirms having arrested Alex François. “The suspect broke out and hit the victim on the head, behind the ear, a few times because he was not happy, because there was an internal conflict between these two people. The meeting degenerated and the victim ate a few blows. The latter was placed on the CNESST for four weeks, ”explains a police officer familiar with the case, but who requested anonymity since he is not authorized to answer questions from the media.

” He [la victime] was seated. He got blown up. There is nothing in the report which indicates that he was involved in the conflict and that he gave blows”, he adds.

Following the attack, Danny Dufour says members of his union office pressured him not to file a complaint with the police. According to what learned The Pressunion officials would have wanted the case to be settled internally and to remain “top secret”.

” Zero tolerance “

Stephen Brown, senior adviser to the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), affiliated with the FTQ, denies this version. “For us, it’s zero tolerance for anything that is violence,” says the spokesperson, who himself contacted The Press when he learned that a reporter was looking into the June 21 altercation.

“We did not call the members to encourage them to file a complaint or not to file a complaint. It is their absolute right,” Brown said.

The union adviser claims that the two men have been suspended from their union duties until light is shed on the events of June, thanks to an external investigation. The two, however, kept their blue-collar jobs: Alex François is a plumber in the borough of Villeray–Saint-Michel–Parc-Extension while Danny Dufour is a bricklayer-mason in Rivière-des-Prairies–Pointe-aux- Aspen.

Mr. Brown would not name the firm responsible for the external investigation.

On the SPVM side, our source indicates that no other assault charges will be brought in this case. The accused undertook not to disturb the public peace and not to come into contact with the complainant.

Conclusions soon to be revealed

Joined by The Press, Alex François indicated that the conclusions of the external investigation were about to be unveiled. “Call me back in two or three weeks, I’ll be happy to tell you the story,” he politely replied.

Following the alleged assault, Danny Dufour suffered mild head trauma and a whiplash, according to his medical report sent to the CNESST.

” Whether [Alex François] had said to me: “Come outside, I’m going to hug you one”, I would have been warned. There, he did that in my blind spot, ”denounces Mr. Dufour.

The bricklayer-mason is convinced that he was encouraged not to file a complaint with the police to prevent his story from making waves as the union tries to restore its image. It should be noted that in May 2017, CUPE placed the Syndicat des cols bleus regroupés de la Ville de Montréal under guardianship because of major problems with its internal functioning and work climate. The conservatorship was lifted in December 2020.