The City of Richmond Hill is using replacement workers to do work normally performed by 200 striking employees after they walked off the job on November 22, over wage increases.
The CUPE 905 bargaining unit includes workers who maintain parks, arenas, community centres, roads and sidewalks, ensure clean drinking water and produce all events at the Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts.
While the City has closed arenas - affecting hockey, figure skating and ringette - they are paying replacement workers to keep other services running while refusing to pay a fair wage increase to their own employees. Work normally performed by CUPE 905 members is being done by management, part-time workers, contractors and anyone else the City can find to continue services.
The Richmond Hill Centre for the Performing Arts, technical team expressed concern for the safety of patrons and performers after witnessing replacement workers crossing the Union’s picket line at the theater this past Friday. “The City is bringing in scabs with no knowledge of the facility, who aren’t using proper personal protective equipment, who don’t know our fire evacuation procedures for events with hundreds of patrons,” said Brandy Trunk who represents theatre workers on the union’s Bargaining Committee.
“Performing the work of striking CUPE members is scabbing. We’re asking other workers to refuse our struck work. Anyone doing our work is helping the City keep us on the picket line for longer without any income.”
This evening, November 25th, the theatre is holding a YRDSB fundraising event that will see performances by high school students. “It’s shameful that the City is encouraging theater patrons, including children, to cross union picket lines” said CUPE 905 President Katherine Grzejszczak. “Mayor David West and Council need to settle this strike so that we can get back to work and Richmond Hill residents can enjoy City services over the holiday season.”