I've held off writing this for a few reasons. One I wanted to let it actually sink in and convince myself it was true. Second I wanted to give my union, OPSEU, an opportunity to make some sort of statement or move in response.
Well it has sunk in and I convinced myself it was true, then I looked in the mirror and thought to myself, is this really how the Government and OPSEU see me and the job I do. Well my union has yet to make a statement or call the Government out on their position, so as a Local elected leader I feel it is my duty to my members to speak out.
I want to first give some background. Currently the OPS(Ontario Public Service) has been working without a contract for 6 months. That is over 35000 employees of the Ontario Government who are only looking for a fair contract and good faith bargaining. Around 5500 of those members belong to the Corrections Bargaining Unit.
When negotiations stall and bargaining comes to an impasse, according to the Crown Employees Collective Bargaining Act or CECBA (not a four letter word but some treat it like it is), Essential and Emergency Service Agreements (EESAs) must be in place before a No Board can be called. We are divided into Unified and Corrections bargaining units, who bargain separate of each other and then have a Central table that we bargain issues together.
When negotiating EESAs you present your position and the employer presents theirs. In Corrections we have 3 options, one we ask to be deemed completely essential and be All In, two we negotiate partial staffing where only a percentage of us enters the building and works while the rest attempt a strike, or third we refuse to negotiate a shortage of staff and ask the employer to be All Out. The first option is not possible in the current legislation without making changes to CECBA, therefore it would be futile to even ask as our union has very strong feelings against opening CECBA, and would not support this position. The next option to have partial staffing is something every member of Corrections is against. We are already under staffed and face increases in assaults, mental health inmates and over crowding. How would we be able to live with ourselves if we put forward a position that endangers our own Brothers and Sisters.
So that left one option, All Out. With the January 30 Supreme Court decision on the Right to Strike we felt this is the best option. If the Government did not want to bargain fairly, then if we went on strike our position was that we would not work short staffed therefore we should all be out on strike. Especially with no alternate mechanism to solve a bargaining impasse in the current legislation.
Now the Government had their options in response. They could have said, no we realize how important each member of the Corrections Division is and can not continue to ensure our mandate of care, custody and control without you. Then they could have offered us interest arbitration and deemed us 100% Essential. If that wasn't something they wished to do, they also had the option to challenge our position at the Ontario Labour Board stating they felt our institutions could not run without its properly trained staff. Again they did not choose this option.
The option that my employer the Ontario Government chose was to tell me and every other Brother and Sister in Corrections that they were not needed. That anyone can do our jobs. That our work was Non Essential and the number they need to run the jails was ZERO. Wow, I have never been more insulted. Some will say well that is what you asked for, to be All Out. I disagree, we asked to not have staff put in dangerous positions with less trained officers and workers doing the job. The Government had the option as I stated to make the needed change in Corrections and show us respect by making us All In. Instead they chose to slap each and every member in the face.
I am angry, my members are angry, my family and friends are angry, and I sure hope the general public and the media becomes angry. In the past month in Corrections there has been 4 riots, multiple attempted suicides, members I know personally watched an inmate bite out a vein and almost bleed out as they helped, assaults have continued to rise. Now we have a Government so arrogant that they believe we are not needed or we will fold cause we don't want to actually be All Out. I say have at it. I hope all your Managers enjoy dealing with the nightmares and PTSD that my Brothers and Sisters on the front line deal with on a daily basis.
In saying all that, what makes me even more angry, is that after a week of living with these feelings of disrespect and insult, my own union has yet to make a statement. OPSEU has yet to speak with the media and say, our members do a job very few in this world could. Our members do a job not just for the money, cause we are highly under paid comparatively to other Peace Officers, but our members do their job cause they care, because they are professional and its what they signed on to do.
Why OPSEU, why haven't you made this statement? Why are we not just agreeing and giving this Government what they want, while the world watches the Pan Am games, and all the managers are getting ready for their approved vacations, we walk and let them handle the problems we face? Why are we not already 17 days from a legal strike position? We can strike over Corrections issues, we are our own Bargaining unit. We do not need to fight for the central issues, we can fight right now for a fair and proper wage adjustment. That is a Corrections only issue and one we have the right to strike for on our own.
But no instead lets put out an announcement to my members in Table Talk stating we are taking August off so staff can have vacations. Thanks. While members across the province have their vacations revoked. Do what you will to me, I have been elected by my local members to fight for them. With or without you I will continue to fight this Government. Fight for safe workplaces, Fight for proper tools and training, Fight for a fair comparative wage. I will fight for my respect and dignity and the respect and dignity of my Brothers and Sisters. I truly wish that you, as my Union, would join me.
