Several district high school teachers joined the picket line on Scott Street on Wednesday afternoon in a show of support for striking CUPE Local 65 workers at the Association for Community Living here.
Ed Ojala, president of Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation District 5B, also presented a cheque for $200 to Jules Tupker, CUPE national rep, to help with the union’s labour action.
Tupker accepted it on behalf of CUPE Local 65 president Gwen Miller, who was in Toronto on union business.
“OSSTF supports Local 65 in their struggle to achieve improved wages and working conditions,” said Ojala.
“After all other options in the negotiation process are exhausted, a strike becomes necessary to draw attention to hard work of the workers and the excellent service they provide,” he added, urging other district unions to support the strike through picketing and donations.
“The support given to Local 65 by the teachers of OSSTF District 5B is greatly appreciated,” said Tupker, a Thunder Bay resident who has visited here several times since the strike began.
“The strike action taken by the workers . . . to achieve a fair wage increase in one that many public sector workers have been taking, and will be taking, in the future because of regressive funding practices of the Mike Harris government,” he said.
“It is vital that all unions, in particular private-sector unions, stand together to ensure that public sector employers are given funding that provides a fair wage increase for workers,” he added.
As CUPE 65 members spent their 27th day on the picket line Wednesday, Tupker noted there’s been no sign the strike will end anytime soon.
“At this point, the employers haven’t come to us with any propositions. The mediating officer will probably contact us in a week or so,” he said.
“In the meantime, we’ll keep waving the flag and rallying more support,” Tupker added.
(Fort Frances Daily Bulletin)
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
