Children’s Aid Society (CAS) workers with Family and Children’s Services of Guelph and Wellington County remain on the picket line after mediation talks between their union and management broke down on April 20.
“As a result of negotiations last week the mediator … asked for an end to the day and at this point … there has been no decision about returning to the table,” said Family and Children’s Services executive director Sheila Merkle on April 26.
The striking CAS workers have been picketing outside of the head office of Family and Children’s Services in Guelph since April 11.
The local union and Family and Children’s Services management have been negotiating a new contract since March 2015.
The abrupt end to last week’s talks “puzzled” CUPE local 4325 president Cathy Thomas.
“While we had come down in our offer to meet halfway with management they were unwilling to budge from their offer,” she said.
Thomas added management officials showed the union negotiating team it wasn’t financially possible to meet the union’s demands.
“We disagree and we think the cost is minimal to the employer so we’re a little bit puzzled as to why they can’t meet us on the financial issue that we’re asking for,” she said.
“Now we’re asking to get back to the table again this week because the cost savings alone with us being on (the) line without having to pay our wages … easily cover(s) the small percentage increase we’re asking for over what management offered.”
Thomas added the April 20 negotiations were “very emotional for the negotiating team to really, to really get a deep feeling that we as employees didn’t matter.”
She explained the negotiations are about more than just fair wage increases across the organization.
“It has ramifications about the way you’re treated in the workplace, it has ramifications about the fact that we as workers really look to our management team to not exercise power over but to be supportive of the members that do really difficult work,” she said.
One of the concerns shared by both the union and management is the safety of the children and families the organization serves.
However Merkle explained the organization is continuing to provide essential services and is managing.
“The kids and families that we serve continue to be supported and any new investigations or any new requests for service or needs for service are being attended to as necessary,” Merkle said.
Though the satellite office in Elora is closed, Merkle said the children and families that use that facility are being cared for.
“The visits that would normally occur out of that office are either happening in the community or they’re happening (in Guelph),” she said.
“Some visits have happened out of the location if they needed to … but there are management staff that are serving those clients and connecting and doing home visits and providing support to those … kids and families.”
The phone number for the Elora office is being monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week and supervisors are responding to calls.
Though essential services are being offered out of the Guelph head office, Merkle explained a number of services were suspended until after the strike is over, including processing new foster and adoptive parent inquires, community group programs and non-urgent information requests.
The local union represents 130 social service workers providing ongoing support and services to about 450 families, assisting 150 to 200 children in the agency’s care, working with 74 foster families, and handling 25 to 50 walk-ins per day.
Both parties said they’re eager to get back to negotiations and are hoping a mediation day can be scheduled soon. However, as of April 26 no talks had been scheduled.
