Members of OPSEU Local 448 were on the picket lines Monday, however, they were not just in the county.
They are staff at Community Living Prince Edward (supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families).
OPSEU is currently in negotiations with CLPE, as their last collective agreement expired in 2024.
Kim Rosborough Pres 448 and says there are several layers to what is going on.
“The first layer is the bargaining component. Community Living Prince Edward and the members and OPSEU have met to collective joint bargain collective agreement, and we have not come to terms, we’re pretty far apart. We are also a part of the Worth Fighting For campaign. The Worth Fighting For campaign is about the Ford government, who imposed a one per cent wage freeze. It was called Bill 124. That wage freeze has been deemed unconstitutional and struck down by the Superior Court.”
“The reason we’re at Loyalist College today is because Community Living Prince Edward has removed all of the individuals from their homes and told them they were going on vacation and have moved them into these dorms. So, we are here to fight for our clients.”
“Community Living Prince Edward has villainized frontline members picketing in front of the homes. But, in our experience, they look forward to seeing the people that they know and that care about them out front every day. Happy, smiling faces of people that they love and care about. People dress up in costumes and do everything we can to make it as enjoyable for them as we want. We’re here fighting for them too. For so long, we have been underfunded, worked short-staffed.”
Victoria Robinson is the VP local 448.
“It was heartbreaking to see them loaded up into vans and driven here last night or yesterday, knowing that they want their home, their security, their routines. Today, we want to see them back in their homes.”
We have contacted Community Living Prince Edward to offer an opportunity to respond.
They tell us about 4,500 OPSEU members went on strike as of 12:01 a.m. Monday.
