Local 87 members in Thunder Bay sent out-of-town scabs packing last week (May 11-15) some of them on the next bus back to Toronto!
The scabs had been brought in by the City Manager, Brian MacRae (B.C. folks will remember him from his time in Surrey) to try and pick up residential garbage.
Local 87 President Judith Mongrain said, “The City had told these guys that our members were off fighting the forest fire so they needed to bring workers in to pick up the garbage. Most of these guys had been lied to by management and didnt even know they were scabbing.”
Mongrain added, “It was like something out of a Keystone Cops movie, when dozens of our members in their cars followed each of these garbage trucks around town, as they struggled to find which streets the garbage was on.”
Community support for the 610 striking municipal workers has been solid since the outset. In their latest move, Local 87 has issued special certificates which say “I dont want scabs picking up my garbage” to residents so they can dump their garbage at the land fill. The idea was inspired by a similar tactic used during the Winnipeg strike in 1919.
To send a message of solidarity to Local 87, send a fax to (807) 345-4906. The President of Local 87 is Judith Mongrain. The National Representative working with the local is Howard Matthews.