Developmental services workers target minister's office

Madeline Meilleur locks her office door as bus loads of strikers picket

Ottawa (23 July 2007) - More than 200 chanting members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) picketed the constituency office of Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur Monday, demanding that the province settle the strike by more than 1,000 developmental services workers.

Several buses filled with employees travelled to Ottawa from Southern Ontario, where workers at four community living agencies in the London area have been on strike for the past four weeks. They are seeking fair wages and working conditions.
Bob Eaton and Smokey Thomas

Bob Eaton and Smokey Thomas

They were met by locked office doors and uniformed police officers as they paraded in the afternoon sun on the sidewalk in east end Vanier. The demonstration was noisy but peaceful. Neither the minister nor anyone from her office opened the doors to meet with the strikers.

Although the average wage in the sector is $17.39 an hour, 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 cents an hour.

The workers were addressed by a series of OPSEU leaders including OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas and regional vice-president Bob Eaton.

Thomas said he was disappointed that the minister and her staff would ignore striking workers who had travelled so far to deliver a message to the government.

If the McGuinty government continues to drag its feet, the strike will escalate and the next stop for the workers could be Toronto, he said. He again urged the premier to intervene and settle the dispute. NUPGE