FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 9, 2006
Striking
youth workers to picket Minister’s office
TORONTO – Striking workers at Kennedy House, a young offender
facility in Ajax, east of Toronto, will picket the office of
the Minister of Children and Youth Services Wednesday.
Date: Wednesday, May 10, 2006
Time: 1 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.
Location: 56 Wellesley St. W. (at Bay
St.)
The workers have been on strike since March 28. The key issues
in the dispute are employee safety, wages and hours of work.
“So far, Kennedy House Youth Services has shown no interest in
resolving this dispute” said bargaining team chair Steve
Canning. “The Ministry of Children and Youth Services funds
this company, and the company is not providing any services.
It is time for the Minister, Mary Anne Chambers, to take
action.”
Youth Service Workers at Kennedy House are paid $10,000 a year
less than workers at other young offender facilities in the
province, and are forced to work with sub-standard security
measures.
The 24-bed maximum-security facility, dubbed “volatile and
vulnerable” in a Ministry report released in 2002, has had
nothing done by the employer to improve safety for the workers
since the report was released.
“We aren’t asking for the moon,” Canning said. “We just want
to be able to go to work and earn a decent wage without
fearing for our lives.”
Kennedy House houses youth between the ages of 12 and 17.
Residents have been convicted of crimes such as armed robbery,
murder, sexual assault, drug and weapons offences, home
invasions and escape from custody.
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For more information, please contact:
Steve Canning, President, Local 361:
289-314-4505
Barry Casey, OPSEU Staff Rep: 1-800-263-392
