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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE September 30,
1999 Housing Authority security officers deliver strong strike vote TORONTO - Security officers at the Metro Toronto Housing Authority have given their union bargaining team a stunning 99.1 per cent strike vote to back their contract demands. "This is one group of employees who are tired of being bullied and are ready to fight back," said Tim Zavitz, chair of the bargaining team for security staff in Local 592 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. "A strike would be the last resort, but if it comes down to that, our officers are willing to go all the way to see this through. "The message to MTHA is, ‘Get back to the table with a reasonable offer.’" One in 20 Toronto citizens is a Housing Authority resident. The 190 security staff at the municipally-funded MTHA include dispatchers, parking enforcement officers, fire safety officers and about 165 uniformed Community Patrol Officers who protect 125,000 tenants in 110 complexes across the city. MTHA security staff are first on the scene at over 90,000 reportable incidents every year, responding to reports of disputes, assaults, lost children, thefts, fires, and deaths. About one in four Toronto murders occurs on MTHA premises. Contract talks broke off Sept. 17 after MTHA management refused to budge on the issues of wages and treatment of contract staff. "MTHA has created an underclass of contract employees who have no benefits, no vacation entitlement, no pension plan, no seniority, and no rights at all if they are disciplined. We now have 70 per cent of staff who are on contract. We have about 80 contract workers who have been on the job for between three and 10 years. The work is permanent and the workers must be permanent as well." On wages, MTHA has offered a three-year contract, with wage increases of 1.5 per cent per year. "This is an insult," said Zavitz. "We don’t want to strike, but we haven’t had a raise since Jan. 1, 1993. Why should we settle for less than municipal employees?" The union hopes to have a conciliator appointed and be back at the bargaining table in the next week or two. The current contract expired June 30, 1998. For more information:
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