Premier feels heat in Ontario developmental services dispute

Striking employees are joined by families and patients

London (5 July 2007) - The strike by developmental services workers in Ontario landed in the lap of Premier Dalton McGuinty this week when he was confronted by the tearful parents of disabled adult children begging him to provide adequate funding to resolve the dispute.

Hundreds of workers accompanied by patients and their families rallied in London. McGuinty was in the city campaigning for the Oct. 10 Ontario election.

Joan Ingram, whose 40-year-old daughter requires constant care and hospitalization, spoke to McGuinty as he entered a local community centre.

Told by the premier that it was not necessary to have a disabled child to understand the situation but simply to "have a heart," Ingram replied. "That's the trouble, you don't have a heart."

The Ontario government has seriously under-funded developmental services for the past 15 years. Wages are now 25-30% below rates for similar work elsewhere or for identical work in the Ontario Public Service.

The Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) says McGuinty provided misleading information during his visit by claiming in a London radio interview that the province is budgeting $200-million in new funding for developmental services.

Misleading claim

In fact, this money may not be seen for another three years, the union says. With only $20-million budgeted to deal with the wage gap this year, even employers are saying the amount is not enough. They also acknowledge that they need to pay staff substantially more.

While in London, the premier offended many of those affected by the dispute when he said the wages of developmental service workers in the region compare favourably with those of garbage collectors.

The average wage in the sector is $17.39 an hour but some agencies are paying as low as $10.38 an hour. Employers are offering a 2% raise, which amounts to a pay decrease when current inflation rates are taken into account. Based on the average wage for all employees on strike, it works out to a miniscule 35-cent an hour increase.

"Too many people are leaving the profession because they just can’t afford to take care of their own families," OPSEU argues. "Agencies are having huge problems with recruitment and retention, and colleges across the province have had to cancel the developmental service training programs because of low enrolment due to the low wages in the sector."

More than 1,000 workers in four London area agencies have been off the job for more than a week. NUPGE

More information:
? Ontario premier must settle developmental services dispute
? Developmental services strikes are spreading in Ontario
? Slowdown draws near in developmental services dispute
? Developmental services strikes loom in Ontario