The government of Ontario would have us believe that the labour dispute between Community Loving Renfrew County South and its workers represented by OPSEU Local 472 is strictly and exclusively a matter between the employer and the employees.
Which of course is a laughable attempt at a smokescreen.
What we are actually seeing is the weaponization of essential public service delivery for exclusively partisan political objectives. It’s a Conservative thing.
First, CLRCS gets all of its funding from our taxpayer dollars, that being the provincial government, currently a so-called Progressive Conservative government. As in Doug Ford. That’s an established fact.
Secondly, it’s the Ford’s government intentional and chronic under-funding of this sector that is the root of most of what stands between the parties, as money is connected not just to wages, but also to staffing, related staff shortages, staff recruitment, and money intended to enhance services. This is, admittedly, a position of the union.
But thirdly, agencies like CLRCS across the province, also facing strikes, are all saying that their hands are tied because money for staff and services is provided exclusively by the provincial government, the same one that doesn’t want us to think that they’re involved. The executive directors of these agencies have stated clearly that their room for manoeuvre has been handcuffed by the limitations imposed upon them through inadequate provincial funding, although they won’t come out and say that the funding is inadequate, no doubt fearful of a provincial government backlash resulting in even less funding for their little empires. After all, you don’t want to piss off Doug ‘cause he plays hardball.
On this third point, the agencies, including CLRCS, through statements such as these, as much as admit that the governments does, indeed, have a role in all of this, and it’s a prominent one at that. Money is at the core or influences mightily many of the issues between the parties, and with the funding entity intentionally and purposely squeezing the hose, it stand to reason that the grass isn’t going to get watered perhaps as much as needed.
So when these striking workers approach local Conservative MPP Billy Denault, the best they can get is a boilerplate statement that the dispute is exclusively a matter between employer and employee. He doesn’t even deign to see them, his own constituents.
It’s Bullshit Billy, getting a solid start as a brand-spanking new Conservative MPP. He’ll fit right into that Tory caucus just like a hand in a premium Bulgarian sports car driving glove. Except Bulgaria doesn’t exactly have anything to do with gloves, sports cars, or much of anything that could be classed as premium. But still, Billy will fit in there just like that. Just 25 years of age and already looking and sounding like a typical Tory crank.
To suggest the province has no dog in this fight is complete horseshit, and anyone with a modicum of awareness sees that and knows it to be a fact. It’s the government with the biggest dog in the fight, the one that wants to chew union locals to rat shit, an intentional campaign to put the boots to organized labour. And they do this by tightening up the purse strings.
And these poor, hapless executive directors “negotiating” new contracts with their workers get caught in the middle. But that’s their problem, not ours. They take the intentional negligence of the government and simply bow to it, and actually work towards making this mean-spirited approach work. They are the government’s hit team, doing what the government itself doesn’t want to be seen as doing. Bad optics for Doug, you see, and we can’t have that.
These execs may be caught in the middle, and I bet that its an awkward position to be in, but at the end of the day, it’s you yourself, as an executive director, that makes the decision to be “caught in the middle.” More than anything, you remain in that position willingly because your bread has already been buttered, what with 10% raises and Sunshine List status. Like who the hell would walk away from that just for something as stupid as your integrity? As if.
So we play the game, and do it knowing full well that people are getting hurt.
In an attempt at objective fairness, I put myself in the same scenario that the current executive director is in. Would I willingly remain in place if I knew that my actions, or lack thereof, were hurting innocent people? Would I allow myself to run point for a vindictive provincial government? Would I walk away from a $110,000 annual salary to be consistent with my principles?
Admittedly, I can’t really prove to anyone the integrity of my answer here, but I concluded that I would not remain in place, and I would walk away from that money. If I’m as good and as smart as the current ED thinks she is, and is happy to remind folks of, then I’d have to feel confident that I could secure executive-class employment elsewhere. I’d have to, in affect, bet on myself. I’d rather work for an employer who behaves better toward its employees and clients then this pack of ill-disciplined goons that make up our current government..
Of course, all of this is based upon having principles in the first place.
This is the latest of Doug Ford’s boondoggles and we seem never to tire of them. First it was the scrapping of all sorts of deals reached by the previous Liberal government. The breaking of these deals cost the province hundreds of millions of dollars. Then it was the the cancellation of the agreement with the Brewers — aka The Beer Store — where taxpayers were forced to cough up a penalty that was again in the hundreds of millions of dollars. Add to this the Bill 124 fiasco where Doug and the Slugs attempted to limit collective bargaining rights for public-sector employees. The Supreme Court of Canada struck that down as being unconstitutional, and ordered the province to provide retro-active pay to impacted workers. That cost us all unnecessary hundreds of millions old dollars more. Sadly, it appears members of OPSEU Local 472 saw none of that retro-active pay.
And now this strike, intentionally provoked by the provincial government.
To pound these striking employees into the ground, Ford is willing to hire replacement workers and pay them $4/hour more than the workers on the picket line were making on a contract that expired over two years ago. He’s willing to provide them daily meal allowances and lodging in hotels. He pays for their transportation as they move about. He’s hired security guards and private investigators province-wide, their meals and transport and rentals and lodging all paid for on the public dime. And this, friends, will cost us hundreds of millions of dollars again.
That’s a pretty significant footprint for a guy not involved.
This is an illustration of the great irony of the Conservatives who, despite their claims to be prudent fiscal managers, run up debt and deficits like nobody else. And here they are spending even more on an ideological attack against a perceived opponent. Paid for by the rest of us.
I wonder which would have cost less? Reaching an agreement for fair wages and operating budgets or enormous amounts of money for scab labour and private dicks? All so he can satisfy the baser parts of his personality and ideology.
Doug Ford is a millionaire, and like most of them, he pretty much feels that the rest of us can go to hell if we don’t agree with him.
So come on Renfrew Count South, let’s rise to the moment. Let’s all of us, including CLRCS and its executive director and Board of Directors, join togather in lobbying the government for more money, for real money. The money that should have been there all along.
Let’s be the outlier. Let’s show our fellow Ontarians what we’re made of in this part of the province. Let’s band together and confront the government with a joint message saying that this is not good enough. That the government has to adequately fund this sector responsibly as it is mandated to do. Let’s stand up to the real bully in the room, Doug Ford and, by extension, his collection of applauding seals.
I’m sick and tired of these asshats wasting our hard-earned money for the premier’s petty vindictive indulgences. This is not good government by any measure.
What’s he gonna do, this Doug-a-Lug? Close the place down? Really? That would be such a good look for him, especially after he shot himself in the foot with that attempt to buy that plane. What lengths would he actually go to, what retributive actions would he take, to put down such a revolt? Why are we so afraid of the Straw Man who has backed down every single time when faced with pushback? A bully with fragile self-esteem who found himself in the premier’s office. A political thug put in his place by more than one Supreme Court ruling.
His poll numbers are trending downward for reasons having nothing to do with this strike. He’s in his third term and will face the inevitable voter fatigue by the time the next election rolls around. And people are starting to tire of his mis-management of key files and issues. Members of his cabinet are beginning to take his measure as they assess their own possible leadership aspirations. His caucus, especially those in ridings where the election results were close, is beginning to get restless, with some actively worrying about their seats the next time we go to the polls.
If I was an executive director or a member of the Board of Directors, I’d want to put as much daylight between myself and this guy as I could. I wouldn’t want to be seen wearing the stains from all the crap he’s splashing up.
I know I sure as hell wouldn’t be working hard to assist him in his reprehensible goals.
Full disclosure, I supported the premier’s attempt to purchase that jet, for reasons outlined in a previous post. But now I’m more than having second thoughts.
As far as I’m concerned, he can walk.
NEWSMAGRENFREW 