Union representing closed Vertis plant workers and Quad/Graphics appear in Ontario court

Yesterday (Thursday) lawyers representing protesting ex-workers of the closed Vertis printing plant in Fort Erie, Ontario (who are members of CEP, the Communications, Energy and Paperworks Union of Canada) and Quad/Graphics appeared in the Superior Court in St. Catharines, Ontario, to resolve issues arising from the workers’ continual picket line outside the closed plant.

The workers are protesting their treatment in January when their jobs were terminated without severance pay.  Quad/Graphics, who owns such assets inside the closed plant as equipment, paper, and ink, and is in the process of having these assets relocated, had filed a motion for an injunction, claiming the workers have no right to form a "blockade" preventing trucks going in and out of the plant, since their dispute is with Vertis not Quad/Graphics. 

But since the U.S. parent company of Vertis filed for U.S. bankruptcy protection last year and Vertis has told the ex-workers they have no money, the ex-workers are afraid these assets are their only potential source of recompense.  They don't want to see them removed until they are paid what they claim is legally owed to them, an amount estimated at around $2.7 million.

Justice Robert Nightingale postponed the hearing until Monday 11 March 2013 to give the union time to prepare its case. 

Meanwhile, lawyers for the two sides have agreed to try to come up with a mutually acceptable “picket protocol” that will include rules for how long the the protesters can stop a vehicle.
http://www.printaction.com/News/20130317-vertis-quad.html

http://www.niagarafallsreview.ca/2013/03/07/former-vertis-workers-quadgraphics-head-to-court

http://www.forterietimes.ca/2013/03/07/former-vertis-workers-quadgraphics-head-to-court
http://www.bulletnewsniagara.ca/2013/03/07/labour-company-takes-picketing-vertis-employees-to-court-seeking-to-end-plant-gate-blockade/
http://www.wellandtribune.ca/2013/03/07/former-vertis-workers-quadgraphics-head-to-court

More background on this story is available at:

http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/02/may-closure-of-vertis-plant-in-medina.html

http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/01/mpp-kim-craitor-champions-ex-employees.html

http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/01/sudden-closure-of-canadas-only-vertis.html

Updates are available at:
http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/03/ex-vertis-workers-in-fort-erie-post.html

http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/03/vertis-set-to-close-dallas-plant-on.html
http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2013/03/vertis-communications-files-for.html

Appeal granted: Toronto printer Rob Ford keeps his job as mayor

The verdict is just in:  Toronto’s printer Mayor Rob Ford will remain in office after winning his appeal of a November court ruling evicting him as mayor over a conflict-of-interest violation.  

His legal opponents plan to apply for leave to appeal yet again, this time to the Supreme Court of Canada.

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1319970--mayor-rob-ford-wins-appeal-will-stay-in-office

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2013/01/25/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-decision.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-wins-appeal-will-stay-in-office/article7848448/

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/523947/breaking-rob-ford-wins-appeal-keeps-his-job-as-mayor-of-toronto/

http://www.680news.com/2013/01/25/verdict-in-ford-appeal-expected-friday/

http://o.canada.com/2013/01/25/rob-fords-legal-opponents-comment-on-appeal-ruling-that-favours-toronto-mayor/

For more background, please see my blog post of 27 November 2012:

http://vicg8.blogspot.ca/2012/11/torontos-printer-mayor-rob-ford-will.html 

Toronto’s printer Mayor Rob Ford will fight court ruling to remove him from office

Toronto’s printer Mayor Rob Ford says he will appeal yesterday’s verdict by Ontario Superior Court Justice Charles Hackland to remove Mr. Ford from office. The judge ruled that the mayor of two years violated the Municipal Conflict-of-Interest Act by speaking and voting in city council on a motion that recommended Mr. Ford repay $3,150 he improperly solicited from city hall lobbyists for his private football foundation.  In anticipation of potential disruptions to both Toronto’s civic government and the judicial system, Mr. Justice Hackland put his ruling on hold for 14 days to go into effect December 10^th.

In response, Mr. Ford (left centre) says that besides appealing the decision, he will also seek a stay from Divisional Court to keep him in office beyond December 10^th until the appeal process is finished.  He also says that, if he loses the appeal, he will run again in the by-election to fill the office he has vacated pending the general election of 2014.

Rob Ford and his family are owners of Deco Labels and Tags (Toronto, Chicago, and New Jersey).
https://www.box.net/s/4hohjfcrcrytfkal0oq1

https://www.box.net/shared/lx31eionez

As you can see from the sampling of Web links below, journalists and bloggers are having a field day of speculation as they consider possible interpretations and future results of these latest events.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/toronto-mayor-rob-ford-removed-from-office-vows-to-appeal/article5661417/

http://www.globalnews.ca/video/raw+video++rob+ford+confirms+he+will+appeal+guilty+verdict/video.html?v=2309524527#canada

http://www.citytv.com/toronto/citynews/toronto/citynews/news/video/237927--mayor-rob-ford-to-appeal-judge-s-guilty-ruling-in-conflict-of-interest-case

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/1293190--mayor-rob-ford-guilty-kicked-from-office-but-can-run-again
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/story/2012/11/25/toronto-ford-conflict-case-decision-release.html

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/11/26/f-rob-ford-mayor-future.html

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1293441--fiorito-judge-s-rob-ford-decision-was-not-about-the-money

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/rob-ford-too-stubborn-to-be-mayor/article5707594/

Addendum:  A few more links from 28 November 2012:
http://www2.macleans.ca/2012/11/28/rob-ford-says-hes-sorry-but-pledges-to-fight-to-stay-as-mayor-to-finish-job/

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1293585--rob-ford-s-appeal-will-be-filed-in-the-next-couple-days
http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/cityhallpolitics/article/1294164--plan-c-a-ford-switcheroo

http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/456483/if-rob-ford-cant-run-in-byelection-its-dougs-turn-for-mayor/

http://news.nationalpost.com/tag/rob-ford/