UFCW seeks permanent gag order against insider who broke ranks
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has filed yet another lawsuit attempting to silence one of its critics. Hugh Finnamore, former UFCW International Representative, currently a Vancouver area writer and union reform advocate, is being sued in connection with an interview he gave on national radio in January of this year as well as editorial comments published in the National Post several months ago.
Information posted on the MFD web site recently suggests that Finnamore - a union "insider" with extensive knowledge of internal union affairs not generally known to members - sought to alert senior UFCW officials to a number of disturbing developments within Local 777 in the mid-1990's.
We understand that among other things, the UFCW is seeking a permanent injunction prohibiting Finnamore from having anything further to say about the "Voice of Working America". The lawsuit against Finnamore is the second such action taken by the UFCW against a union reform advocate in less than a month, adds to speculation about whether the union is resorting to SLAPP's (Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation) - a tool favoured by U.S. corporations to silence critics.
We'll have more about the UFCW's lawsuit against its former official as information becomes available.
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The British Columbia government recently drafted the first legislation in Canada designed to protect people from SLAPPs. BILL 29, Protection of Public Participation Act, went through its first reading in the BC Legislature on July 5, 2000. A copy of the draft legislation can be found at http://www.legis.gov.bc.ca/2000/1st_read/gov29-1.htm
[ 09-08-2001: Message edited by: slek ]
Is that the sound of a live tuna on the kitchen floor (Slappity, slappity, slap, slap)? Not a chance, but a good guess anyway.
It's been like "The Keystone Cops Meet The Three Stooges" around here for the last couple of weeks. The activity is paralell to a movie where the brass is frantically running full speed into walls, desks and each other. They are desparately phoning each other to find out what's happening, and then slamming the receiver down on their own fingers. And they are slapping themselves and each other to the extent that we can't figure out whether were watching an authentic Austrian sheppard dance or a Three Stooges parody.
There's some days, you just wish you had of gone to law school. Today's one of those days. Money, money, money, money.
SLAPP ACT Canada:
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This Act protects persons from being subjected to lawsuits that would stifle their ability to promote, in the public interest, action by the public or by any level of government. Provision is made in this Act for such lawsuits to be dismissed at an early stage, for defendants subjected to such suits to be indemnified for the costs they incur in responding to those proceedings and for the court to award additional damages to those defendants in appropriate circumstances
SLAPP ACT USA:
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The legislation permits the victim of a SLAPP to move for immediate dismissal of the litigation. While the judge is deciding this motion, discovery is stayed. If the judge determines that the suit is an interference with the rights of a citizen to petition the government, dismissal follows and the debate left in the forum chosen by the citizen. The citizen may also claim punitive damages sufficient to deter such SLAPP suits.
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