OR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 10, 2001
Staff at Young Offender
facility deliver 99 per cent strike vote
UXBRIDGE - Staff at an area Young Offender
facility have voted 99 per cent in favour of strike action.
The workers at Kennedy House Youth Services (KHYS)
in Uxbridge, formerly the St. John’s Training School for Boys, are
members of Local 361 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union.
Kennedy House took over operation of this Young
Offender facility last July from the Christian Brothers. Although no
cutback in funding has been announced by the provincial government,
management of the facility (Mr. Mark Prazoff, Superintendent) has
demanded severe concessions from the union at the bargaining table.
Among the takeaways tabled, the employer proposes to:
- eliminate paid pregnancy and parental leave;
- force all employees to forfeit accumulated
sick leave credits, giving the employer over $400,000 in earned
benefits;
- move overtime payments from after 40 hours
worked to after an averaging period of 176 hours;
- change rules to give the employer more
discretion in hiring and layoff;
- reduce the employer’s health and safety
obligations;
- change rules so that more temporary employees
may be used;
- ensure the employer can contract out current
services; and
- strip employees of the right to bargain wage
increases from contract to contract.
The employer applied for conciliation on April
18, 2001. Conciliation will occur around the end of May. If
conciliation fails, strike action is possible before the end of June.
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For more information, contact:
Charlie Bryans, Local 361 president:
905-852-3351 (work); 705-324-1709 (home)
Barry Casey, OPSEU Staff Representative: 905-720-3434
