Trucking companies raise concerns over vandalized rigs, Unifor denies responsibility

Trucking companies hauling loads for the Co-op refinery are raising concerns after they say some of their fuel trucks were vandalized.

Since the labour dispute at the plant began early last month, there have been claims from multiple truckers of everything from slashed tires and airbags to contaminated fuel tanks.

Chad Heibein, owner of Heibein’s Transport Ltd., said two of his drivers got flat tires Monday from what appeared to be homemade spikes.

Mike Schick, the owner of K&M Trucking, holds a photo of a spike that one of Heibein’s Transport Ltd.’s drivers ran over on Dec. 30, 2019. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

“When (the drivers) took them out, they were these man-made, welded kind of grinded-to-a-point tripod-looking things that are only used to blow tires,” he explained to 980 CJME on Wednesday. “The guys only drove about three blocks and their tires were all flat by the time they got that far.”

Heibein added he’s thankful his drivers didn’t head out onto the highway, where their tires could have blown out and potentially caused a crash.

“The one especially was a steering tire, so if it would have come off the rim driving down the highway or driving on an off-ramp or something, the only place they’d end up is in the ditch,” he said. “It could cause a rollover, a fuel spill and, with that, there’s always a chance of a fire, death — all sorts of things.”

Since truckers need to inspect their rigs before heading out for the day and hadn’t noticed the spikes then, Heibein noted he’s convinced his drivers ran over the spikes near the Co-op Refinery Complex’s McDonald Street terminal.

Heibein said his company since has filed a police report.

Regina police have confirmed they’re investigating an incident that was reported on Tuesday in which two trucks ran over caltrops.

Unifor Local 594 president Kevin Bittman maintains this is not another union tactic.

“It would be absolutely ridiculous to think that any of our people would do something like that. On the lines every day — that’s where our people are because that’s where the fight is,” he explained, noting as of early Thursday afternoon police hadn’t reached out to Unifor during their investigation.

“We know our members really well and our members have been good through this whole thing.”

Unionized Co-op refinery workers have been picketing over changes to pension plans for almost a month. Bittman said “there is no end in sight” until the company takes the concessions off the table.

The last time Co-op and Unifor met to bargain was in late September.

The picket line at the refinery has been front and centre in the dispute for weeks.

Truckers complained they were being delayed for long periods of time as they attempted to enter or leave the facility, prompting the refinery to go to court to seek an injunction against the picketers.

Picketing Co-op refinery workers stop fuel truck drivers at the plant’s entrance on Jan. 2, 2020. (Jessie Anton/980 CJME)

A Court of Queen’s Bench justice issued an order that allowed the unionized employees to hold up trucks for a maximum of 10 minutes, during which time the picketers were only to give information to the drivers.

Truckers who decline to listen to the information are supposed to be allowed to proceed. On Monday, some drivers said picketers were defying that order — a claim that the union denied.

— With files from 980 CJME’s Joseph Ho