No talks are scheduled to try to end a strike by ten North Glengarry arena and parks employees who walked off the job August 23.
Workers at Glengarry Sports Palace, Maxville Sports Complex, Island Park, and the unionized employees at Glengarry Indoor Sports Dome, who have been without a contract since April 1, say the employer has refused to offer fair wages.
Members of the Service Employees International Union Local 2, the workers say they are paid less than their counterparts in South Glengarry.
Nick Hansen started working for the Township over nine years ago, after graduating from high school. “I think it’s important that we have good jobs in our community for our community,” he said in a press release issued by the union.
“Almost half of our staff have been here for over 25 years,” said Hansen, the lead hand at Glengarry Sports Palace. “We don’t want to have to leave our jobs to find fair wages. We just want to be respected and paid what workers doing the same jobs in other municipalities are making.”
The union says, “The workers’ last contract was signed during the pandemic. They could see it was a struggle for facilities and settled for small increases, even though inflation was rampant, and the cost-of-living was skyrocketing. The understanding was that they would receive wages during these negotiations to help them catch up, but that hasn’t happened. Despite the township saying they are willing to negotiate, they have not been willing to increase their wage offer.”
“I’ve been working for North Glengarry for 35 years to give our community a good, safe, and clean arena to enjoy,” said Faye Vogan, an equipment operator. “We are looking for comparable wages to other municipalities in our area who have been receiving higher wage increases then us. We are hoping to close the wage gap over the next three years.”
The striking workers do maintenance, mow lawns, and resurface the ice, among other things. Negotiations began in the fall of 2023; mediation in early August failed to end the impasse. Currently, starting wages are $17.58 for general labourers and $17.92 for equipment operators. Except for one employee, wages max out at $19.76 and $24.20. South Glengarry pays workers $3.28 per hour more than North Glengarry’s top rate for comparable work.
“Hansen and his co-workers would love to get back to the job and get the ice installed for their friends and family in the community. Getting back to negotiations however will require the Township offering fair wages, and to date, the employer has refused to budge from their final offer,” the union says.
