All 14 libraries in Essex County, near Windsor, Ontario, have been closed since early summer, when Essex County Council pushed 58 library workers out on strike, over a phantom issue that even library management admits is not an issue.
Why is Essex County Council directing the library board to force library workers to accept a sick plan that will cost more and not save any money? Essex County is also paying $29,000 a week for security personnel guarding libraries that have been closed since June 25. Sixty four percent of the striking library workers don’t even make that amount in a year.
In addition to the financial costs of closing libraries, the Essex community has been deprived of library services for over three months and counting. All summer programs have been cancelled. Seniors, adults and children have been shut out of their community hubs and with schools now open again, students are denied access to research materials, computers to do their homework and a place to learn.
Essex County Council is using libraries as a pawn so they can get the sick plan change they want – it does not seem to matter to Council that workers are out on the street and our community has been denied library services for months.
Essex County mayors and councillors have ignored residents’ calls to open libraries because they are still directing the library board to impose the same sick plan that caused the strike in the first place.
Libraries open minds but Essex County elected representatives are closed minded and they are not listening to the community. It is time for residents to remind them they were elected to represent the community and not to deprive the community of essential services like libraries.
Call Essex County Council and Management
Brian Gregg, CAO of Essex County, 519-776-6441 ext. 1325, bgregg@countyofessex.on.ca
Robin Greenall, CEO of Essex County Library, 519-776-5241, rgreenall@essexcountylibrary.ca
Richard Meloche, Library Board Chair, Deputy Mayor, Town of Essex, 519-982-2776, rmeloche@essex.ca
Andrew Dowie, Library Board Member, Ward 1 Councillor Town of Tecumseh, 226-773-1910, adowie@tecumseh.ca
Bart DiPasquale, Library Board Member, Deputy Mayor, Town of Amherstburg, 519-791-2636, bdipasquale@amherstburg.ca
Nelson Santos, Library Board Member, Mayor, Town of Kingsville, 519-796-5259, nsantos@kingsville.ca
Tom Bain, County Warden, Mayor, Town of Lakeshore, 519-567-9812, tbain@lakeshore.ca
Ken Antaya, Deputy Warden, Mayor, Town of LaSalle, 519-563-8883, kantaya@town.lasalle.on.ca
Aldo DiCarlo, Mayor, Town of Amherstburg, 519-253-3000 ext. 2669, adicarlo@amherstburg.ca
Ron McDermott, Mayor, Town of Essex, 519-791-3561, rmcdermott@essex.ca
Gord Queen, Deputy Mayor, Town of Kingsville, 519-733-4241, gordon.queen@gmail.com
Al Fazio, Deputy Mayor, Town of Lakeshore, 519-567-9958, afazio@lakeshore.ca
Marc A. Bondy, Deputy Mayor, Town of Lasalle, 519-734-8001, mbondy@town.lasalle.on.ca
John Paterson, Mayor, Leamington, 519-325-0332, mayor@leamington.ca
Hilda MacDonald, Deputy Mayor, Leamington, 519-326-8035, councilmembers@leamington.ca
Gary McNamara, Mayor, Town of Tecumseh, 519-735-6654, gmcnamara@tecumseh.ca
Joe Bachetti, Deputy Mayor, Town of Tecumseh, 519-990-2981, jbachetti@tecumseh.ca