USW: Female Police Officer Hit By Car Carrying Crown Holding Corporate Officer

TORONTO, Nov. 19, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- A female police officer who was dispatched to a peaceful protest by Canadian members of the United Steelworkers at the headquarters of Crown Holdings in Philadelphia was struck by a car allegedly carrying a key corporate officer of the company.  The incident occurred at approximately 9:00 a.m. today.

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The identity and condition of the police officer has not been disclosed.

Carolyn Egan who headed a delegation of Steelworkers on a 500 mile bus trip from Toronto, described  the incident as horrifying and without provocation.

"The police were just doing their job ensuring that everyone was safe in the peaceful protest, and the driver stopped briefly to take a leaflet and said, 'you better let me through because the guy in the back may be able to solve your problem' and then sped away hitting the officer," said Egan.

The identity of the corporate officer has also not been disclosed

The police were there to keep everyone safe, could not have been more polite and then this happened, said Ken Hetherton, president of USW Local 9176.

According to the USW, the injured officer said if the Steelworkers were not there to help her and pull her out of the way she could been more seriously injured.

"While this may not have been intentional it does show the level of tension that has been building as a result of Crown forcing us on strike," said Hetherton.

Over 120 USW members were forced on strike in Toronto after Crown Holdings demanded that new and younger workers be given a lower permanent wage scale and other cuts.

The union members protesting against Crown and its CEO John Conway who earned $6,000 per hour in 2012 and whose salary was the target of a major shareholder campaign.

Contacts
Joe Drexler, USW Strategic Campaigns, 416-544-6009, [email protected]

SOURCE United Steelworkers (USW)