Adam Prudhomme
Editor
Union employees continue to picket outside of Lennox and Addington Interval House as the strike nears the three-month mark.
Approximately 20 union workers represented by Unifor began striking outside the shelter for women leaving domestic violence situations on Oct. 29.
Earlier this week the Lennox and Addington Interval House (LAIH) board released a statement.
“Since the commencement of the strike, LAIH has made several offers to resolve the collective bargaining issues, most recently tabling an offer in December 2021,” reads the board’s statement. “Unifor has not responded to these settlement offers, in any substantive way, and so the strike continues with no end in sight. During the course of the strike, Unifor members not affiliated with LAIH, and some of our employees have been picketing LAIH and other locations in the surrounding area. Some of these locations have nothing to do with LAIH. In particular, Unifor picketed the home of mayor Marg Isbester. Additional sites include the home of our executive director, and board member’s workplaces. The OPP have attended picketing sites on several occasions now to deal with picketing issues.”
The board also commented on a portable toilet that Unifor members had placed outside LAIH but was removed shortly after.
“On Dec. 16, 2021 the picketers placed a portable toilet on the County of Lennox and Addington’s road allowance which is maintained by the Town of Greater Napanee, in front of LAIH,” said the statement. “Picketers also attempted to place a construction trailer in or near the same location. The placement of such objects, we understand, is a breach of By-Law #2697-98 and the picketers were directed to remove the objects for that reason. The removal of these objects was not the result of any intervention by the mayor or any exercise of ‘political interference’ by the mayor as Unifor has alleged. LAIH is funded and governed as a provincial transfer payment agency and is not affiliated with or connected to the Town of Greater Napanee or the County of Lennox and Addington. We continue our efforts to resolve the outstanding collective bargaining issues.”
The Beaver reached out to Unifor representative Mike Armstrong for comment. He said the union continues to wait for an offer he said the board promised over a month ago.
“We had a scheduled mediation date with a government appointed mediator, so we listed the outstanding issues, what the five issues were to settle the strike as well as 28 previously agreed to language items that the employer now is saying that we’re not agreed, did not appear on their final offer vote and did not appear in their final correspondence,” said Armstrong. “They also said they were going to respond back to us on the outstanding issues, they did not on (Dec. 14) we waited all day (Dec. 15) with no response. I think that might be a little stretching the truth, we are waiting for the employer to respond to us.”
Armstrong questioned the town’s involvement with the removal of the portable toilet.
“(Town staff) also said that it interfered with sightlines exiting the property,” said Armstrong. “If they city has nothing to do with it, why are they commenting on it? They also phoned the rental agency and told them to take the porta-potty down. That’s pretty interesting for someone that has nothing to do with it.”
Armstrong says the union is willing to get back to the table but is still waiting for the board’s offer adding that they are in it for the long haul.
“The response we’re getting from the community, the amount of monetary donations that the ladies have been getting, nobody is hurting on that line,” said Armstrong. “It’s not a matter of people losing money or losing their houses. The community, the other major unions in the area have made donations that have been astronomical.”
The previous collective agreement with union staff expired more than one year ago. According to the Unifor website, workers are seeking the same or similar language and benefits that sister agencies in neighbouring communities have, aiming to address issues of representation, disciplinary actions and job postings.
The LAIH board reiterated that it continues to operate during the strike and provides service to vulnerable women and children of the community.