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The Ontario government’s plans to privatize and restructure correctional services are facing stiffening resistance throughout the province. Communities and OPSEU members are continuing to build the opposition to this government’s misguided, irresponsible plans.

Residents of Iroquois Falls, location of the Monteith Correctional Centre, packed the local Lion’s Club May 23 to express their opposition to ministry plans to close the centre. They formed a community group to organize strategies to keep Monteith open and public.

Local politicians joined with OPSEU members to organize the meeting. Speakers included local Liberal MPP David Ramsay, Liberal Corrections critic David Levac, (who came all the way from Brantford), Iroquois Falls Mayor Ken Graham, and OPSEU Executive Board Member Doug McDougall.

Resident after resident stood up against the closure. The fightback campaign is supported by local citizens, businesses and politicians from Iroquois Falls, Timmins, Black River-Matheson, Temiskaming and surrounding areas. Many local businesses donated time, money and food to the meeting.

Iroquois Falls Councillor Gilles Forget will chair the committee, which includes Liberal MPP Ramsay as well as OPSEU members Rick Dagenais and Cindy McQuarrie of Local 642.

"If Monteith C.C. closed, the economic impact on the town and surrounding area would be devastating," said Dagenais. "The community vowed to fight this to the end. Many interesting strategies were discussed – stay tuned for further details!"

OPSEU members at the Toronto (Don) Jail held a successful demo at the jail on Thursday, May 25. The original plan for the demo had been to continue showing opposition to the government’s privatization plans. Mission accomplished, and then some!

The dangers of the government’s privatization plans, which we have warned them about repeatedly, were exposed last week in an incident at the Toronto East Detention Centre. An employee of the private canteen operator was charged with smuggling illegal substances into the East in cigarette packs and canteen bags delivered directly to inmates.

"Before the company took over the contract, we always searched canteen service personnel when they entered the jail and then escorted them on their deliveries," said OPSEU Local 530 president Tom George. "Management said these procedures were no longer needed because the company had met their security criteria."

A previous private contractor smuggled drugs into the Don Jail.

"Privatization of canteen services has enhanced the influx of contraband like drugs into our correctional facilities," NDP Corrections critic Peter Kormos. "It’s putting our correctional officers, the inmates and our communities at risk. Somebody is going to get hurt and if it isn’t stopped, someone is going to die."

"If the government can’t even privatize canteen services safely, how can they be trusted to privatize whole jails?" said Barry Scanlon, OPSEU Chair of the Corrections Ministry Employee Relations Committee. "Obviously, they can’t."

Thanks to the members from Toronto East, Toronto West, Mimico, Ontario Correctional Institute and Guelph who showed up to support Local 530.

After many invitations and previous promises to attend, Chris Hodgson, chair of Management Board and Lindsay-area MPP FINALLY attended a meeting of the Lindsay superjail Public Liason Committee.

Hodgson started his remarks by letting the jam-packed room know that he had only 30 minutes to talk to his constituents. After spouting the government line for five minutes, he opened the floor to questions and comments. One after another, people stood up to express their opposition to privatization and their concern that the Lindsay superjail would also be privatized.

Hodgson referred most questions to Corrections Ministry official Eric Chandler, beleaguered foot soldier from the Penetanguishene front.

Re-location grievance win:
The cost of restructuring just went up

OPSEU’s latest victory at the Grievance Settlement Board has upped the cost of implementing the government’s monstrous jail restructuring plans.

In 1998, OPSEU alleged that the employer had violated the redeployment provision of the collective agreement, including Article 13, in its surplussing and assignment of staff after the closing of three jails – Cobourg, Haileybury and L’Orignal.

When the government announced the closures, OPSEU tried to negotiate on behalf of the members at the three jails. The employer refused to talk, walked away from the table, and filed for arbitration. They lost. We won.

The arbitrator ruled that "Appendix 13 applies to bargaining unit employees whose work or services remains in the public service, but is moved to a location over 40kms." This means members from those three jails did in fact have rights to the provisions of Appendix 13 (e.g. the right to follow their work, the right to relocation expenses if they did move), and also to the application of Article 20 (pay in lieu or the right to bump).

OPSEU has already advised counsel to immediately begin proceedings to negotiate the implementation of this award for the members from those three jails.

"We’re very happy to have won this decision and be able to help assist our affected members from Cobourg, L’Orignal and Hailebury," said Barry Scanlon, Corrections MERC Chair.

"It remains to be seen what impact this decision will have in other areas in the future," Scanlon said. "But we do know that it could cost the government a ton of tax dollars. If they’re really serious about saving money and providing a safe, effective correctional system, they should stop the privatization plans and work with us."

OPSEU has called for a halt to privatization of young offender centres after the government failed to find successful bidders for the Syl Apps Youth Centre in Oakville or the Sault Observation & Detention Home. None of the organizations who bid on the two facilities met the contract criteria.

Eager to privatize, the government has decided to try again, with a new concept: "invitational" Requests for Proposals.

The Ministry of Community and Social Services will invite selected groups – maybe six or eight for each facility, to bid on the two facilities. The policy seems to be, "If at first you don’t succeed, change the process!" OPSEU’s ComSoc MERC is following this closely. We’ll keep you posted.

On June 2, OPSEU Local 263 (Vanier Centre for Women) will host an anti-privatization demonstration from 12:00 noon to 2:00 p.m at 205 McLaughlin Road South, Brampton. All locals are urged to attend.

The number of Ontario municipalities opposing privatization is now 77.

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