In Windsor striking city workers have been the targets of vilification, smear, and assault.
A striking union member was assaulted by a motorist on a picket line.
http://www.windsorstar.com/Business/Tempers+flaring+both+sides+CUPE+lead...
A video of questionable authenticity is claimed to show a union member dumping garbage back onto public land by the river front after it was picked up by volunteers. The A-Channel narrative includes: "The grandfather says she then yells, in front of the little girl, 'Here's some more garbage, since you think you should be doing our jobs.'"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EAqMn4gEe00
The video doesn't actually show the child, have audio to corroborate the anonymous provider's claims of what was said, or, most importantly, even establish that the people dumping garbage are actually striking city members rather than hired actors. Despite this highly questionable "evidence", and despite the huge incentive for opponents of the striking workers to smear them with a falsified video, the comments to the video are predictably dominated by slurs, anti-union bigotry, and threats of violence.
Anti-union messaging is spinning the strike into a conflict between union members and citizens. Unions seem on the back-foot in the battle of narratives, with an official of CAW Local 444 threatening to pull funding from youth sports leagues if coaches and parents mow fields.
http://www.windsorstar.com/Sports/Playing+field+mowers+scabs+warns/16405...