THUNDER BAY — OPSEU Local 740’s picket in front of a local MPP’s home was not retaliation for his truck bumping a union member a day earlier, member Erin Smith said Wednesday.
“No, actually we had this planned for Friday,” Smith told Dougall Media as about 40 fellow Ontario Public Service Employees Union members carried signs and the OPSEU flag on a road in Conmee, where Thunder Bay-Atikokan MPP and cabinet member Kevin Holland lives.
“We planned it a week ago because in Toronto our crew is going to Ford Fest,” she said, referring to a political event set for this Friday in Toronto.
“And so we call this the Holland Heist. We had it planned for Friday and we couldn’t get a bus because in Thunder Bay there’s a bunch of cruise lines coming in, and so all the buses were (booked). So we ended up just pivoting to Wednesday.”
Why picket in front of an MPP’s home instead of his office?
“We’ve been to his office,” Smith said. “He does not answer.
“And in my opinion politicians come to our house when they want something, so why not go to their house when we want something?”
In response to the picketing in Conmee, Holland’s office issued a statement Wednesday saying “respectful democratic engagement should never involve intimidation tactics or threats at one’s personal home.”
The statement said the government is “not a party to” negotiations between Community Living Thunder Bay and OPSEU Local 740.
Further, his office said, “our government is continually making historic investments in the development services sector, including nearly $4 billion this year.”
“As MPP, I am always available to work with and listen to all members of our community,” Holland’s statement declared, “and my office remains open for those who wish to engage in respectful dialogue.”
On Tuesday afternoon, a pickup truck driven by Holland made contact with an OPSEU picketer in Thunder Bay.
City police said in an email Wednesday that they’re “looking into” the incident and no charges have been laid.
A union official told Newswatch Holland “was actually quite aggressive on the line” and almost hit picketers before coming into contact with the OPSEU member’s right leg in front of a Hewitson Street restaurant.
Holland issued a statement about the incident saying he “listened to (picketers’) concerns and suggested that they contact my office” but “they refused to let me leave.”
His statement, released Tuesday evening, concluded by saying he “remains open to respectful dialogue, and I will continue to work with, and listen to, all members of our community.”
An OPSEU member contacted Newswatch by email to say that last part is contradicted by communication she received from Holland’s office.
The email, to Stefanie Bourelly, said Holland “is not allowed to meet with people and unions who are currently on strike or in negotiations.”
A spokesperson for Holland’s office clarified to Newswatch that the MPP is open to receiving the workers’ concerns via phone or email but cannot respond until the conclusion of negotiations.
OPSEU Local 740 members who work for Community Living are on strike.
Union president J.P. Hornick told Newswatch earlier this month that the province’s Progressive Conservative government “has turned their backs on these workers.”
