It seems to happen every time there's a strike - tension builds between members of the public fed up with the disruptions and the unions manning the picket lines. It appears to have boiled over again on Tuesday, with a true he said-they said dispute, after union reps allege a frustrated motorist deliberately tried to hit a picketer with his car.
It took place at the entrance to the Toronto City Hall underground parking lot, as CUPE members circled the scene, delaying motorists who were seeking access for about five minutes.
According to the union, a man pulled around a stopped vehicle and tried to force his way through the temporary roadblock.
Police received the call about an assault at the location around 1:40pm and are still trying to sort out what happened next.
"I saw the driver coming towards our line and ... he started to approach me with a fair bit of velocity, like he intended to plow through us," alleges witness and striker Twila Plant. "So people jumped out of the way ... and Mike [the alleged victim] stepped in to tell him to stop again and he's like, "No!" and just ran into him."
The man in the car (top left) adamantly denies the accusation, telling
CityNews "nothing happened." He calls the strikers' reports of the incident "fairy tales."
An ambulance was called to the scene, after the victim (below) says he was bumped on the leg by the vehicle and lost his balance, but it doesn't appear the picketer was seriously hurt.
Plant swears her account is true and is shocked at the anger that appears to be out there. "Hey we're a picket line, everybody knows we're on strike, we're doing our best, don't hit us."
She says her people will continue to do what they have been despite the alleged incident, detaining drivers for a brief time before letting them pass.
No charges were laid, with police telling
CityNews.ca they'll do everything they can to try to cool off tempers in the heat of the strike.