I can’t imagine this is old news, but this story just caught my eye. From the CBC:

Workers have voted to strike at the Ottawa Senators’ hockey arena and are in a position to walk off the job on the day of a possible NHL playoff game.

Sixty-one workers at Scotiabank Place represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees voted Monday 86 per cent in favour of striking, CUPE said in a news release.

They can legally walk off the job May 7, when the Senators are scheduled to play at home against the New Jersey Devils if Game 6 is necessary in their Eastern Conference semifinal. Ottawa has a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.

The workers, who include ice-resurfacing machine drivers, maintain the arena and prepare it for events ranging from hockey games to concerts.

They are trying to negotiate wages, benefits, job security and scheduling with Capital Sports Properties Inc., the company that owns the arena, for their first contract since they unionized in June 2006.

They unionized in June ’06 and haven’t gotten a contract worked out yet? First time contracts usually aren’t outrageous things, so what’s the hold up?

Here’s my question. If the union strikes, and the arena brings in outside (scab) labor, will the players cross the picket line? Or, to look at it another way, will the members of the NHLPA, a labor union, cross another union’s picket line to play a hockey game?

Mind you, the NHLPA members:

• Punch each other in the head quite often (not normally acceptable in other labor unions)

• Issue the occasional career ending bit of violence

• Paid no attention to the lockout news

• Took jobs away from other players during the lockout (Europe, Minors)

• Didn’t send their top representative to the CBA negotiations during the lockout

Yep, I bet I know what the NHLPA union members will be saying. “What’s the hold up? Let’s play a game.” If the NHLPA members have any sense of what their union is supposed to mean, they will be moving the game to another arena in the event of a strike. In fact, I want to see the game played in the Air Canada Centre, should a strike occur. Want to see some fast drying ink on paper? How embarrassed would Capital Sports Properties Inc be if the game were held somewhere else, like the home of the Maple Leafs.

I know that won’t happen, and I hope, like the union, there is a quick resolution to the issue. Plus, I don’t know how Canadian labor law works, so I don’t know if they could bring in outside labor. But if there is not resolution, the strike happens, and the NHLPA crosses the line, they deserve all the Alan Eaglesons and Ted Saskins they could ever imagine.

OK, maybe not Eagleson. That would be cruel.

Considering how the Canadian Parliament has been getting involved in hockey issues, expect quick action from them. Can’t let a pesky little thing like making a living get in the way of playoff hockey.

Update: Scotiabank says things will go on as scheduled if there is a strike.  From the newly updated CBC article:

Scotiabank Place vice-president and executive director Tom Conroy gave assurances Tuesday that a strike would not shut down the arena during the playoffs. He would not provide further details.

“Until we’re in a strike position … I’m not going to speculate on how we’re going to operate other than to say we’re going to operate in a business as usual position,” Conroy told CBC.ca Tuesday.

If that means no Zamboni, I would eat a skate for dinner (no, I would not).  This is going to be an interesting week for some people.  Stay tuned.

Technorati : Hockey, Labor, NHLPA, Unions