The local chapter of the Industrial Workers of the World has suspended Richard Dalkeith, the Windsor man who was charged Dec. 5 in a province-wide child porn sting.

Hours after the news broke, the IWW membership decided to suspend Dalkeith from all further action with the union.

"I've known Richard for seven or eight years now and it's really, really sad to see what [police say has] happened," said Travis Reitsma, a delegate for the Windsor IWW branch.

"Obviously, we were shocked and disappointed when we found out [about the allegations]."

(Industrial Workers of the World)

Reitsma says Dalkeith was a "valued member" of the Windsor IWW for many years, but they felt they had to act quickly.

"A lot of us have been friends with him for a long time and so it was a very difficult decision to suspend him from the union," said Reitsma, adding it was "alarming" to hear there are allegations of victims being involved.

According to Reitsma, Dalkeith hadn't attended an IWW meeting since October, having suddenly pulled away from the organization.

"We didn't know what was going on," said Reitsma. "We weren't sure what was happening. We were all very concerned."

The group plans to focus on its goal of making sure vulnerable people are safe. Reitsma says they will continue to work with workplaces around the city for fairness for workers.

"The Windsor IWW is a safe place for survivors of sexual violence."

None of the allegations against the accused have been proven in court.