Inmate Dies In Custody - April 27/09

Inmate dies in custody
LondonTopic.ca
The death of an inmate at the Elgin Middlesex Detention centre is under investigation by the London police Major Crime Section, police said Monday (April 27).The man, identified as Randy Drysdale, 46, of London, was transported to the London courthouse at 80 Dundas St., April 16 when authorities realized "he was in medical distress," police said, adding he was then taken to hospital for treatment.Drysdale died as a result of his injuries Saturday (April 25). An autopsy conducted Sunday (April 26) showed Drysdale had suffered head injuries "which contributed to his death," however, police said the investigation is ongoing as the cause of his death is unknown at this time.Anyone with information is asked to call the London Police Service Major Crime Section at (519)661-5670 or contact Crime stoppers online (see link) or call 1-800-222-TIPS

The Chatham Daily News - April 14/09

Delays affect court process
By Erica Bajer The Daily News
Long waits at a London detention centre are causing some delays at the Chatham-Kent Courthouse. “It’s ridiculous,” local defence lawyer David Jacklin said of recent prisoner delivery backups from the Elgin-Middlesex Detention Centre. “The problem is you have people in custody, usually females, scheduled for 10:30 a.m. court and not arriving until after 1 p.m.,” he said. “The whole court system comes to a halt while we wait for these people to arrive.” Jacklin said he’s heard that the delays are a result of job action at the detention centre. Rick Kennett, vice-president of the Ontario Public Service Employees' Union (OPSEU) Local 108 that represents guards at the London jail, denied suggestions last week's delays were an intentional display by OPSEU members unhappy with recent changes to overtime compensation. Kennett said overcrowding at the London jail, a building designed for 300 inmates, caused the delays. The overcrowding means five inmates often share a cell designed for three, he said. Though the courts expect inmates to arrive promptly, Kennett said it takes a significant amount of time and "a lot of manpower" to get the prisoners to the courthouse, causing the backlog. "Our process is safety first," he said. "As far as I can tell, everyone who was scheduled to go to court went to court. Whether they went there early or late, they got there." Frequent remands also crowd the facility, Kennett said. "If the lawyers keep remanding the inmates into custody, the jail gets more and more crowded, and everything takes that much longer. "The reality is it takes time and we do what we can." Sgt. George Vieira, head of security at the local courthouse, said his officers started noticing the delays on April 2. He said delays of two-and-a-half hours picking up and dropping off prisoners have been fairly consistent since then. He noted local police don’t attend the EMDC daily but do transport prisoners a few times a week. Vieira is documenting when the delays occur and said local judiciary and Crown attorneys are aware of the situation. “We’ve made every effort, when we know we are going to be late, to contact our partners at the courthouse,” he said. “We have no control over it, it’s a corrections issue, not a police issue.” The sergeant said the issue results in overtime costs when there are long waits when prisoners are returned to the facility. Jacklin said clients have expressed frustration with the waits. “It causes a great deal of anxiety for the accused people because they don’t know why they are being held up,” he said. Defence lawyer Gudrun Mueller-Wilm said waits at the detention centre have only impacted one of her clients so far. She’s concerned about the issue, hoping it is resolved quickly. Mueller-Wilm said a local justice of the peace announced last week that delays should be expected because of job action involving EMDC. Ontario's Attorney General Chris Bentley, who represents London West, said he's aware of the issues locally and has passed them on to Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci. "I'm concerned about any delays in the courts and hope that any issues between parties get resolved as quickly as possible," Bentley said.

Mr. Bartolucci What About Correctional Staff?

The Family Counselling Centre of Cornwall and United Counties will be benefiting from a $133,486 Victim Safety Project grant, announced local MPP Jim Brownell recently. The grant the Family Counselling Centre of Cornwall and United Counties is receiving will go to the hiring of a local coordinator to work with police, the Family Counselling Centre and probation and parole officers to make victims aware of their offender’s sentence and scheduled release. The coordinator will also provide safety audits of the victims’ homes.The Victim Safety Project (VSP) is a province-wide, joint initiative between the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services and the Ministry of the Attorney General. Grants are available to municipal and First Nations police services that are partnering with not-for-profit, community-based victim service agencies. VSP will invest just over $2.8 million on 26 projects to enhance victim services where gaps in victim safety have been identified, including approximately $429,000 for five projects in Eastern Ontario. All projects will be completed by July 31, 2010. Funding for VSP comes from fine surcharges, including traffic violations, imposed under the Provincial Offences Act and Criminal Code of Canada. “These initiatives address the need for victims of crime and domestic abuse to feel secure in their homes and protected in their communities,” said Community Safety and Correctional Services Minister Rick Bartolucci. “Bringing perpetrators of crime to justice is an important part of our justice system, but it is equally important to provide support to the victims of crime. (Today’s) announcement will help ensure local victims of crime receive the support they need,” said MPP Jim Brownell.

Mr. Bartolucci what about initiatives supporting correctional staff who are victims of violence including assaults? What about correctional staff who exhibit Post Traumatic Stress Disorder?

Thomas, Rout Acclaimed As OPSEU Leaders

TORONTO - OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas and 1st Vice-President/Treasurer Patty Rout have been acclaimed into their positions for another two-year term at the 34th Annual OPSEU Convention. It is the first time in OPSEU history that both positions have been acclaimed in the same election year. In his acceptance speech, Thomas said he was honoured and humbled by the support of the members. “This is a great union, and it is the members who make us great,” Thomas said. “I thank you for your confidence.”Thomas, 56, works at the Providence Continuing Care hospital in Kingston. He said the fight for good jobs and working people will continue, and he vowed to defy any moves to weaken the public sector contracts. “If any government wants to kick working people when they’re down, they will have a fight on their hands the likes of which they have never seen before.”Rout, 57, who works at the Lakeridge Hospital in Oshawa, said in an emotional speech that it is a great honour to be acclaimed. She acknowledged the support of her family and supporters, and especially thanked Smokey Thomas for his ongoing support and assistance. “As a union, we come together as one, and that’s where we get our strength,” Rout said. “Our prize is good collective agreements, good pensions and good jobs,” The prize now is to keep our collective agreements and the pensions that low our members to retire in dignity.” OPSEU represents 130,000 members across Ontario, including members working for the provincial government, colleges for applied arts and technologies, hospital professionals and workers at the LCBO.

On behalf of Local 517 congratulations to Warren "Smokey" Thomas and Patty Rout. Thank you for your continued support of our division and our local.

OPSEU 1-800 Line For WDHP Complaints

1- 800 LINE FOR MEMBER ON MEMBER
HARASSMENT & DISCRIMINATION COMPLAINTS
1-800-268-7376 Ext. 8789
STEP ONE
1.Tell the member that the action is unwelcome and to stop.
2.Notify your Local President or Highest Ranking Officer of the incident (if not involved with the incident).
3.Write down name(s) of respondent(s); date, time, place of occurrence and a short synopsis of incident and any actions taken by yourself.
4.If behaviour/actions continue, move to step two.
STEP TWO
1.Call OPSEU’s 1-800 Line. Leave a voice mail containing the following information:
i)Your name,date & time called, work location,local number and a short synopsis of incident(s),including name(s) of respondent(s).
ii)Leave a contact number where you can be reached, including any cell phone numbers.
2.A person from OPSEU’s Head Office will gather the information in the voice mail left and contact your Local President/Highest Ranking Officer (if not involved with the complaint), Regional Representative and the Equity Unit.
3.Someone will be in contact with you within 5 business days to discuss your complaint and resolution.
NOTE: To protect the interests of the Complainant and the Respondent, CONFIDENTIALITY will be maintained throughout the process, subject to the requirements of a fair investigation and resolution process, or as otherwise required by law.

Health And Safety-Workplace Violence April 21/09

Ministry initiative to stem workplace violence a step in the right direction
OPSEU has welcomed the announcement by the Minister of Labour that amendments will be made to the Occupational Health and Safety Act to help protect employees from workplace violence and harassment. “After years of lobbying and all-out campaigning by OPSEU and other unions, the changes announced by Minister of Labour Peter Fonseca are like a gust of fresh wind blowing through the workplaces of Ontario,” said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas.
“We warmly welcome the government’s initiative on this critical health and safety issue and we can only hope that the changes will be locked into place with the required resources and enforcement muscle.” The proposed legislation to the OHSA would, if passed:
-Require employers to develop a framework that would include policies and programs to help prevent workplace violence and harassment
-Require employers to take reasonable precautions to protect an employee from domestic violence in the workplace
-Allow workers to remove themselves from harmful situations if they have reason to believe that they are at risk of imminent danger due to workplace violence
In his announcement, Fonseca also promised the government would appoint two Healthy Work Environment Champions whose task it will be to “build a culture of workplace safety in health care settings across the province.”Thomas said it is clear the government could no longer hold back on the changes in the face of years of campaigning by OPSEU and other unions, as well as the strong recommendations from the 2007 coroner’s jury following the tragic workplace murder of nurse Lori Dupont. “When I read the announcement it is clear the Ministry has been paying close attention to many of the arguments we have been raising over and over again for years. We are particularly pleased that the definition of workplace violence has been expanded to include harassment, as well as the spread of domestic violence into workplaces – issues that we have been fighting in support of for years.” Thomas also paid tribute to NDP leader Andrea Horwath whose private member’s Bill – tabled in 2007 – mirrors the Ministry’s proposed legislation. In October 2008, OPSEU, in response to a call for consultation by the Ministry, released a position paper on workplace violence. In it, OPSEU put forward several recommendations which appear to be addressed by today’s announcement.

Message From MERC Member Dan Sidswoth

I have not written anything for fourteen days, that being on April 04, 2009. In that entry I gave my opinion of what I saw developing and where I thought we should be going. I wrote:
“From the information I have, each local is setting up General Membership meetings. I believe these meetings can be used to empower all of us as a united group to discussed strategies for change. I prefer to see us move forward united and with strength. We should turn this situation into a positive one. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. ~ Mary Pickford
“If we choose to rescind our notification of withdrawing from the CWW agreement at this time we should all do it as one collective. We have shown our resolve. We have forced the employer back to the table to negotiate. We have shown we will fight hard for our CWW agreement. We wanted an action for CTO and are still on high alert. We have a lot more fight left in us.We can use this as an opportunity to move forward. We can all hold our heads up knowing how difficult this is and that we need to remain united”
Since that time the employer has met with OPSEU and after what sounds like posturing on both sides, the employer decided to walk away from the meeting with no desire to discuss and resolve the CTO issue. CTO is a negotiated benefit and this dispute will need a negotiated settlement.We have not achieved our gaol of impacting the employer on how important this issue is to us collectively. Waiting for something to happen at the GSB will take too long. We must show the employer that we continue to have the resolve to influence a positive outcome for both sides.I do understand the employer’s need to save money during this economic time. The various layers of bureaucracy have all been given their mandate to cut costs. We understand.The number of Correctional Officers has remained stagnate for decades, with our workplaces falling into disrepair. When the too few facilities were built by the Ministry they cut corners to save costs on design, security and the number of Correctional Officers. (Maybe that’s why the pods are not square?) During this same time the numbers of police officers, judges, and crown attorneys have all increased, which resulted in an increased number of remanded inmates in the system. The irony being additional beds were never added to the system despite the new buildings.The added workload has never been addressed with additional resources or modified procedures, so that we may continue work in healthy and safe workplaces. As we know there are many problems within Corrections. As Smokey has stated:“We remain willing and ready to work with the employer to solve these problems. In the meantime, our members are refusing to take any more chances with their jobs…and their lives. I will always support my members who are following the rules – even if the system breaks down because of it." There is a reason Corrections in Ontario is one of the few provinces that hasn’t had a major disturbance in the last five years. The members have gone above and beyond the call of duty on a daily basis. In the past we have taken the short cuts, strived to make things work when we know if we did things by the book, the resulting impact would have negative outcomes. Whether that be getting inmates out to court on time, working in over crowded ranges without proper staffing levels, or getting the bare essential duties completed just to be able to placate the inmate population.This coming week OPSEU will be having its annual convention. This opportunity for the Corrections Division to Caucus together again is very timely and does not happen very often. The employer knows we will be taking full advantage of this. We will be organized, we will move forward together, and we will remain determined to resolve this issue.Like the trains that run past the windows at my post like clock work, the time now has come that we can no longer ensure that the “trains run on time” in Corrections. Knowing that the sacrifices we make are at our expense. The time has past where we can turn a blind eye to all the short cuts we take on a daily basis. Our job is to make sure that we all get home to our families safely. It is the employer’s job to make sure all the resources are available for the system to operate and run on time.Smokey hit the nail right on the head…without the memberships buy-in, the system will break down.Stay safe,
In Solidarity, Dan Sidsworth

An open letter from the MCSCS MERC Chair

Greetings everyone,

On April 15, the MCSCS and MCYS MERCS met with the employer to discuss the CTO issue.
Management arrived shortly after 10 a.m. at OPSEU Head Office and it was quite noticeable that their side consisted mostly of the same managers who were at the bargaining table, David Logan (MGS), Mark Dittenhoffer, Barry Thomas, Rose Buhaghiar, Lisa Nowak (MCYS), JoAnne Miller Reid (MCYS) and Steve Small. David Logan was involved with bargaining in his capacity as ADM of Management Government Services (MGS).
David Logan was clearly the lead and he started by reiterating management’s position that the union was given notice of withdrawal of all CTO agreements during bargaining, and that it was within their right to give notice during bargaining. That said, management stated that they hoped we could move forward on this issue.
We countered that we were not conceding that notice was properly given and in fact that it was not within any proper time limits. We indicated that we also wanted to move forward and we tabled our initial proposal in the spirit of negotiating a resolution to the issue.
We offered the employer time to caucus and they borrowed one of our computers to work on a response to our proposal. After an hour they called us, informing us that they were now ready to reconvene.
David Logan reported that they could not present a counter-proposal because they could not reach Ron McKerlie or Jay Hope, the Deputy Ministers for MGS and MCSCS. When we pressed Mr. Logan about the general thoughts on the proposal, he stated that they actually had “no appetite” to deal with any CTO accumulation and that they were not going to counter-offer at this time.
David Logan stated that he would try and speak to their “principals” and would get back to us by that night. The door was not closed on negotiating this issue further although it appears that the sticking issue will be the banking of CTO time as it exists. Mr. Logan did make the comment that “there were other ways to slice the pie,” seemingly suggesting that there may be some other compromise available.
David Logan did call back later and claims that he has not been able to reach the deputies for further comment and that he would call back tomorrow.
Today, I received word from Logan that he did speak to the Deputy Ministers, and has now said, and I quote, “I will not be able to provide a proposal that would meet your objective.”
Where do we go from here?
The CTO agreement withdrawal is really just an extension of the sick time issue from bargaining. The employer blames sick time for creating overtime cost expenditures. They then blame the banking and use of CTO for creating further OT accumulation and staffing shortages. They also insist that the increased availability of OT is an incentive to use sick time illegitimately.
One of the employer’s initial opening remarks was that the “noise in the system” had brought them to the table that day. That means that the pressure we have been applying has provided an impetus for the employer to meet with us. However, they are making it clear that they will not back down from this issue, unless we can convince them to.
Our response to the issue and the actions we take in our local worksites is the leverage we need to save this benefit and any others that may soon be on the chopping block. As always, our strength is in the solidarity and sacrifices we take together to protect our collective agreement.
For locals who have still not served notice on their CWWA, I encourage you to do so ASAP. For the many locals who have given notice on the CWWA, I encourage you to stay strong and hold the line. It is our strongest bargaining chip and it will cause the deepest pain for the Ministry, which is primarily why they came to the table. For those locals who are going to employ other methods of pressure we need a concerted effort to push the employer on as many fronts as you can muster.
There are movements afoot within the Division to encourage locals to withdraw their notice and back down. This only damages our ability to negotiate. The employer clearly has their sources (just as we do) and they are aware of the strains that this issue has placed on the Division. The employer is watching and waiting for Corrections to break. In my opinion, that is the reason for their decision not to negotiate with us on the CTO issue. It has been suggested that the employer is waiting for our caucus at convention, which they believe will demonstrate our strength or weakness as a Division.
As leaders and elected representatives, we have taken a strong stand with the employer on a serious issue, a stand that was agreed to by all who were on the conference call. We all need to understand that this is the ultimate test of the Division and, for the most part, I believe that the local leaders understand this. If we back down, or demonstrate that we are vulnerable by withdrawing, we will have shown the employer that the Division is no longer able to protect its interests.
If that break is evident, the employer will force its will on each and every local. There will be little sense in sitting with the employer at any table; we will have no leverage. Your bargaining team can tell you how difficult this round of bargaining was and you can draw your own conclusions as to what the future will hold if we do not hold together now.
The employer has admitted that they came to the table in response to the “noise” in the system. It is time to crank up the volume and get them back to the table to start resolving this problem as well as others.



In Solidarity,


Eddy

New Corrections Merc Website

New Corrections

MERC Website
Information regarding the pressure the corrections division is applying to the Corrections Ministry and the results being achieved on CTO. Letters from Merc Chair Eddie Almeida and ADM David Logan available.

Letter From David Logan To OPSEU - CTO Issue

April 9, 2009
Warren (Smokey) Thomas
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
100 Lesmill Road
North York, Ontario
M3B 3P8



Dear Smokey:
During the most recent round of collective bargaining with OPSEU Correctional Bargaining Unit, the Employer provided notice to discontinue the receipt of compensating leave in lieu of overtime pay under COR8.5. This notice was provided to both the Correctional Bargaining Unit Team and yourself in a letter dates February 28th, 2009, As you are aware, this issue has garnered significant attention and the OPSEU Correctional Bargaining Unit continues to express concerns regarding the notice that was provided.
In light of the concerns raised by the Correctional Bargaining Unit, I believe it would be prudent for us to meet to discuss the issue, and to invite representatives from ERD, MCSCS/MCYS and the Correctional Bargaining Unit to be present at this meeting. Please contact Matt Siple at (416) 325-1534 or matt.siple@ontario.ca to arrange this meeting at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, David Logan, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employee Relations Division, HR Ontario, Ministry of Government Services.
Update: This meeting is taking place on April 15, 2009.

More News from Local 517

CTO Policy Grievance Update - April 7/09

Grievance Officer Brother Scott Andrews, MCSCS Vice Chair, Brother Gord Longhi along with myself met with Regional Director Marg Welch and three Employee Relations Staff today for the Stage 2 meeting on the above subjected matter. Thank you to the brothers for their assistance and support. The parties went through a comprehensive two hour meeting where the Union emphasised the need for staff to be allowed to continue to bank compensating time off. Some of the reasons presented included: Mutually beneficial for the parties due to:a) High stress levels associated with rotating shift work; b) Poor work environments; c) Aging work force; d) Family care, elder care, and our own health issues; e) The Employer’s need for staff to be willing to perform overtime work;We asked the Employer to explain the change to the long standing practice of allowing locals to negotiate CTO agreements (similar to CWWA) and the Employer stated that they had concerns regarding an inability to staff the institutions without incurring significant additional costs through pyramiding, i.e. having to pay overtime to cover the hours that staff are off on compensating leave. As well, the lack of consistency in CTO agreements across the province has caused the Employer concern. We emphasized that there are numerous agreements on CTO across the province and that the language of Articles COR8.5 and COR8.6 as well as Article 16 of the Collective Agreement supported such agreements and are similar to the locally negotiated CWWA:COR8.5 Where there is mutual agreement, employees may receive compensating leave in lieu of pay at the overtime rate or may receive pay at the overtime rate in lieu of compensating leave.COR8.6 Compensating leave accumulated in a calendar year which is not used before March 31 of the following year, shall be paid at the rate it was earned. The March 31 date may be extended by agreement at the local or ministry level.ARTICLE 16 - LOCAL AND MINISTRY NEGOTIATIONS16.1 It is agreed that all ministries may enter into local and ministry employee relations negotiations such that are appropriate as not being excluded by the provisions of the Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act, 1993. Such negotiations shall not be subject to the mediation and arbitration procedures under the Act, provided however, that nothing shall preclude a grievance alleging a violation of the Central Collective Agreement, as provided in the said Act. We took the position that if the MERC table, which is where this issue belonged from the beginning, cannot come to an amicable agreement then:1. We expect the Employer to abide by those local agreements, a number of which do not have expiry dates or caps attached to them. In total, we will be reviewing 31 adult institutions and 4 youth facilities to determine the contents of each agreement, which includes various notice period for change. A Policy Grievance for the Youth facilities has also been filed.2. No corporate direction can nullify all of the bona fide local agreement where the Collective Agreement language (which did not change), and the long-standing history supports these very agreements.3. Compensating time off allows staff to decompress and to cope with life/workplace stressors which is important to avoid further absences due to illness which could push the total absences over the target thresholds. Failure to meet the threshold on January 1, 2010 is a lose-lose situation for everyone.4. We are not conceding at this point in time that proper notice was provided to the Union prior to the ratification of the current Collective Agreement.5. A labour dispute that eliminates CWWA and the HPRO system are again in no one’s best interest and that chaos will ensue within the institutions if a resolution is not agreed to.Marg Welch assured us that there would be a speedy response to the Stage 2 meeting. During our conversation we also questioned why the line staff were being treated one way, yet managers and others were not being treated the same way in regards to compensating time off being removed, as the management rank have the same issues as the correctional officers regarding sick time and pyramiding? They informed us that management is governed by different policy and that’s why they were not given the same letter/memo. Our response was; “Are they still not ultimately governed under Ministry of Government Services”….after some thought the answer was “yes managers are still managed by MGS”. The Ministers Office of MCSCS has contacted the Presidents office, we are still waiting to confirm on a meeting date with Minister and the Deputy. Spoke with Glenna and she has her first MERC meeting with employer tomorrow. In Solidarity, Eddy

OPSEU This Week

Your guide to the OPSEU website - www.opseu.org - April 6, 2009


LIQUOR BOARD EMPLOYEES DIVISIONOPSEU files for conciliation to encourage employer to bargain2009 Bargaining Bulletin, Issue 4: "Filing for conciliation means we’re at the table to bargain and we’re serious." more...

PART-TIME COLLEGE WORKERS Colleges continue to block vote count at Labour BoardThe Part-Time Times: Colleges fail to provide key information; next meeting set for June 12. more...

NEWS RELEASE Niagara Parks Commission slashes hours of low income earnersThe Niagara Parks Commission will slash hours for up to 500 seasonal workers, a move that will not only hurt the workers but will contribute to the ever-worsening conditions of Niagara’s parklands. more...

HEALTH CARE DIVISIONAL COUNCIL Upcoming protests and town hall meetings around hospital cutsDespite more than $4 billions in corporate tax cuts announced in the provincial budget, the McGuinty government could not find $268 million (1.4%) more to stem the cuts to Ontario's hospitals. more...

HEALTH CARE DIVISIONAL COUNCIL Durham Summit to discuss Central East LHIN Clinical Service PlanThe Ontario Health Coalition is organizing a regional summit April 20 to plan a response to the Central East LHIN’s Clinical Services Plan. more...

SAFER NEEDLES Needle safety regulation expandedOPSEU is providing detailed information to assist Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSCs) and Health and Safety (H&S) Representatives with their work convincing employers to remove or control, as appropriate, medical sharps hazards in their workplaces. more...

NEWS RELEASE Ontario must follow Canada-Québec model on tax harmonizationOPSEU opposes a blended GST-PST tax, but if it goes ahead we must follow the Canada-Québec model to save public sector jobs. more...

HEALTH AND SAFETY National Day of Mourning April 28, 2009Join us on April 28, as we remember those killed or injured at work and recommit to the challenge of preventing, reducing and eliminating workplace deaths and injuries. more...

ORGANIZING Welcome to our newest membersOPSEU welcomes our newest members at Huron House Boys' Residential Home in Brights' Grove, near Sarnia. more...

For more information please visit: www.opseu.org

News from 517 Web site

I have been following what has been transpiring and here is an update on what we have accomplished so far.1.We have gotten the attention of MGS who made this decision.2.Our policy grievance will have a stage two hearing this coming Tuesday.3.The heads of Corporate OPSEU and the Ministry are meeting this coming Week.4.The MERC will soon table CTO at the first meeting scheduled.
From the information I have, each local is setting up General Membership meetings. I believe these meetings can be used to empower all of us as a united group to discussed strategies for change. I prefer to see us move forward united and with strength. We should turn this situation into a positive one. You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call 'failure' is not the falling down, but the staying down. ~ Mary Pickford
If we choose to rescind our notification of withdrawing from the CWW agreement at this time we should all do it as one collective. We have shown our resolve. We have forced the employer back to the table to negotiate. We have shown we will fight hard for our CWW agreement. We wanted an action for CTO and are still on high alert. We have a lot more fight left in us.We can use this as an opportunity to move forward. We can all hold our heads up knowing how difficult this is and that we need to remain united.
In Solidarity,Dan S.