Point Edward – The 47 workers represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) who work for Blue Water Bridge are holding a solidarity rally on Friday, November 18, 2016.
Members from various unions will be joining these workers in a show of support given the potential strike or lockout that seems imminent given the employer has offered only one day for bargaining, on Saturday, November 19, 2016.
“We have said to management that the cuts to benefits and the changes they want to force on us are unacceptable”, says Paul Haney, Local President. “Our members are ready to walk to protect their rights and we have received a lot of support from workers in our community.”
Members have undergone strike training and PSAC is ready to issue the necessary 72-hour notice that will put us in a legal strike position should talks fail. If the employer is not willing to move on the major concessions it is asking of these workers, including on benefits, maternity and parental leave, overtime and scheduling, then we will be forced to take action.
“The Federal Bridge Corporation that owns Blue Water Bridge can give these workers a fair agreement, but instead they’re trying to bully them into a contract that will send them back years,” says Sharon DeSousa, PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President. “There is no reason for the mean-spirited demands the employer is asking for, and if they were really serious about achieving a new contract, they would come back with new proposals that will make the lives of their workers better, not worse.”
For more information or to book interviews, please contact:
Lino Vieira, Political Communications Officer, vieiral@psac-afpc.com or 416-577-0238