Interval House should listen to solutions proposed by workers

I was dismayed yesterday to learn that the workers at L & A Interval House are on strike.

These workers provide needed services to enhance and promote the safety of women in our community, and provide safe refuge when required.

In speaking to these workers, all women, I discovered that they have been in negotiations for over a year, seeking the same rights and benefits as their sister agencies in neighbouring communities. Issues like posting and filling job vacancies, union representation in meetings with management, and misuse of casual staff have been outstanding for many years, with no resolution in sight.

L & A Interval House has stated its aims on its web site. Their first aim is: Empower women to recognize when they are not being treated fairly and to find solutions that work in their lives”
Yet when their own women employees do exactly that, Interval House drags out negotiations, fails to negotiate in good faith, and seriously undermines the very services they are committed to provide.

I hope Interval House comes to its senses and seriously considers the solutions being proposed by these women through their union.

Sincerely,
Eric DePoe
Napanee