Truckers block major highway in Ontario Wednesday, 18 October 2000 21:14 (ET)

Truckers block major highway in Ontario

TORONTO, Oct. 18 (UPI) -- About 100 truckers blocked two lanes of a major Ontario highway Wednesday to continue a protest against high fuel prices that they say are pushing them out of business.

The protest along Highway 401 came a day after the National Truckers Association rejected a deal with industries and shipping companies that use the truckers' services. The deal, brokered by Ontario's trade minister, Al Palladini, called for the industries and shippers to voluntary increase the rates they pay to independent truckers, to make up for rising fuel costs, giving them up to 22.5 percent more than they now earn.

Leaders of the independent truckers, who rejected the deal in a meeting with Palladini, said the offer was "ridiculous and meaningless," as there were no guarantees that the companies would abide by the deal. Representatives of the truckers said it would make more sense if the Ontario government were to legislate the rate hikes, but Palladini said that would not work either, as the industries and shipping companies would ignore the legislation.

The independent truckers said earlier that trucking companies working on contract with some of the larger industries automatically pass on extra fuel costs to their clients, but shippers using the services of independent truckers refused to pay anything more when fuel prices rose. This was pushing independent truckers out of business, leaders of the group said.

The truckers, who began their latest protest Monday, have been blockading key industries, such as General Motors, to "light a fire under the government," and pressure it into coming up with a better deal.

After slowing down traffic on Highway 401 on Wednesday, the truckers asked motorists for "understanding," saying their protest was relatively mild.

They had also planned to park their trucks en masse outside the Ontario Legislature in Toronto on Wednesday, but called off the move after police told them not to go through with it as the protest would snarl traffic in the downtown area.

Keith Swayne, who resigned as vice president of the National Truckers Association on Tuesday, said there were 20,000 truckers in Ontario, but only 100 turned out for Wednesday's highway action. There was no immediate word on whether bigger protests and blockades would follow later in the week, but groups of independent truckers have been meeting to decide on their next move. --

http://www.vny.com/cf/News/upidetail.cfm?QID=129080

-- Carl Jenkins (Somewherepress@aol.com), October 19, 2000