Striking Community Living Prince Edward workers picketed Loyalist College last week, protesting the management decision to relocate residents there from Picton. 

36 people residing in Community Living-supported homes were moved to the residences at Loyalist College in Belleville on Sunday, May 24th in anticipation of the strike action. 

“On Sunday, we were in a position to strike or be locked out by midnight,” said Stacey Kinnear, Coordinator of Supported Independent Living. But Sunday afternoon some staff were told that they should leave and that management was taking over.

“It had become clear that residents were going to be packed up and taken somewhere,” Ms. Kinnear said. 

They were moved to Loyalist College, to be supervised by temporary workers.

After three days of picketing outside the Loyalist residences starting Monday 25 May, CLPE Executive Director Susan Treverton indicated residents would be brought back to Picton.

City of Belleville buses, UPS trucks, and Brink’s Canada security workers refused to cross the picket line onto campus, while classes at the college moved online. 

“We want to stress that we understand that it was difficult at times being at Loyalist. We empathize with students, we empathize with professors, we empathize with absolutely anybody who is disrupted,” said Katie McKinley, Coordinator of the Associate Home program.

“It is the absolute last thing we wanted to do, however, our point needed to be heard. It was for the greater good of the people we support.”

“We’re really glad that people are coming back to their homes in Picton, but there’s still a struggle to be had,” said Amanda Aman, who works in Community Supports and Services.

CLPE is calling on the provincial government for a retroactive wage increase of 6.5 percent to compensate for the Ford government’s unconstitutional Bill 124, which capped public sector wage increases at 1 percent. 

While OPSEU Local 448 bargains directly with Community Living Prince Edward, workers say chronic underfunding from the province is making it impossible to keep up with the cost of living and maintain adequate staffing levels. 

Thousands of social service workers from community agencies across the province walked off the job May 25th, calling for retropay and increased funding to the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services. 

“I just think it’s the saddest thing that the provincial government doesn’t recognize that this work is so important and it gives so much meaning to the people that we serve and it keeps the community together too,” Ms. Aman said.

OPSEU President JP Hornick and Premier Ford met on May 27th, but as of May 29th, there was no word on the outcome of the discussion.

“We don’t want to be out here for long, that’s the thing,” said Ms. Kinnear. “We want to be able to get back to work and support people.”