2 Dietz & Watson employees drive into union picket line
Protesters injured during first day of protests.
UNION PROTESTERS who were working a picket line yesterday outside of Dietz & Watson's Northeast Philadelphia plant twice found themselves having to dodge the fenders of company employees.
Police said two members of the Millwrights Local 1906 were struck by a GMC truck that was driven through a picket line by a Dietz & Watson official about 8 a.m.
Members of the Police Department's Civil Affairs Unit, who were at the plant monitoring the protest, tried in vain to get the motorist to stop.
He apparently barreled through the picket line anyway, striking two men, ages 29 and 43, who were blocking an entrance to the plant, on Tacony Street near Van Kirk. Both were treated at Aria Hospital's Frankford campus for minor injuries and released.
The 63-year-old driver was arrested at the scene. His name has not yet been released. Charges against him were pending last night.
Later in the day, a Dietz & Watson employee again drove through a picket line, injuring another union protester, CBS3 reported. Police officials could not confirm the details of that incident.
Amazingly, all of this happened on what was the union's first day of picketing.
Local 1906, which is a part of the Metropolitan Regional Council of Carpenters, weren't actually protesting Dietz & Watson, which broke ground on a $50 million distribution center at that location last fall.
The union's beef is with Sanmart Corp., a contractor hired by Dietz & Watson to install equipment in the plant. Local 1906 wasn't allowed to bid on the job, said John Reape, a regional council representative.
"We were out here having a peaceful demonstration, exercising our right to free speech, and a Dietz & Watson employee came through our demonstration at a high rate of speed, putting two of our members in the hospital," Reape said.
"It's unheard of, especially in this day and age."
"Dietz & Watson is cooperating fully with the Philadelphia Police Department as they investigate an incident involving one of our employees attempting to drive his car into our parking lot and protestors who were blocking access to our facility," the company said in an emailed statement last night.
"At this time, we must respectfully defer any further comment to law enforcement as they conduct their review of the situation."
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