FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE        March 6, 2002
 

OPSEU members rally as strike deadline looms

MILTON - Correctional workers at Ontario’s largest correctional facility along with OPSEU members from the Milton courthouse and the E.C. Drury School for the Deaf will hold an information rally and barbeque tomorrow to prepare for the possibility of a strike.

Date: Thursday, March 7, 2002

Time: 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.

Place: Maplehurst Complex, Highway 25 and 401, Milton

Jim Richards, vice-president of OPSEU Local 234 at the facility, said that his members are prepared to do battle with the Tory government.

“Our members do not want to go on strike,” Richards said. “But the employer will have to offer a lot more than what was previously offered to prevent that from happening.”

Last Friday, members of OPSEU’s Corrections bargaining unit voted 98 per cent against the employer’s contract offer of 1.95 per cent per year in a three year contract.

“Our people are fed up,” Richards said. “We are working in dirty, dangerous conditions, and the situation worsens everyday. The employer has completely ignored our demands to improve safety and working conditions.”

Less than a month ago, staff at the jail refused to work under the Occupational Health and Safety Act due to the presence of weapons and drugs in the facility, and the employer’s unwillingness to address the issue. “Our job is to protect the people of Ontario,” Richards said. “We can’t do that if we have an employer that refuses to protect us.”

Liberal MPP and Corrections Critic David Levac, along with members of the OPSEU Corrections Bargaining Team, will address the members at 12:00 p.m.

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For more information:

Jim Richards (905) 741-4755