An Open Letter to Leah Casselman

Dear Ms Casselman:

I have been working for the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources at its Peterborough office as a cartographer since 1997. During the 2002 strike I joined the OPSEU picket lines in front of my work location and wrote a regular striker’s journal about those events. The 2002 OPSEU strike was the first strike I had ever been involved with and, because of that, it was an interesting and enlightening experience. I was able to work alongside my co-workers in an entirely different environment. As a result, I came to know and appreciate many of them in a way I would not normally have. In that regard, the strike was a good experience.

On another level, the strike hit me and my co-workers very hard. Fifty-two days on the picket line comes to about 14% of one’s annual salary - in my case about $8,000. I was fortunate to have a caring family and community that enabled me to weather the strike better than many of my coworkers. However, I’m not sure if I could do that again. Many of my co-workers are still paying off their debts that they accumulated the last time.

I am writing to you because it seems another strike is imminent. A co-worker at our building proudly displays a sign that reads “Days to a Strike.” Today the number is 26. Each day of the countdown sees my heart get heavier and I wonder: “Is this already inevitable?”

I and many of my co-workers are not interested in displaying the union’s strength in numbers at this time. Most of us are more interested in keeping our lives financially afloat. Going on strike does not help us in that manner. Some issues are worth striking for - but not all. Reviewing the key issues on the table, I feel that for, at least, there is nothing worth striking for, nothing worth losing 15% - or whatever that amount turns out to be - of my income for. I and many of my co-workers do not want another strike, especially one that is just 3 years from the last one.

Please listen to your union members and do all that you can to avoid a strike. Remember that the union’s purpose is to serve its members and improve its members’ work environment. Take control of the negotiations and do not fall into management’s trap of “forcing” us to go on strike. We would only be doing them a favour and saving them money.