Letter to Board of Directors at L&A Interval House from Unifor Local 414

The following is a submitted open letter addressed to Chris Jackson, Chairperson of the Board of Directors for Lennox and Addington (L&A) Interval House. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of Kingstonist.

Mr. Jackson,

My name is Gord Currie, President of Unifor Local 414, who are currently in a dispute with Lennox and Addington Interval House (LAIH) over contract negotiations. I am requesting a meeting with yourself and any members of the Board you wish that wish to participate in order to clarify the issues, have full discussions on our concerns, as well as any the Board may have.

Our Local does not take lightly the gravity of a work stoppage at a women’s shelter, [which] effects vulnerable women in the community. However, the members of this Local vote 100 per cent in their strike vote, to gain simply language changes that other sister organizations already enjoy.

Further to the language disputes, the Management has stated that the Organization (LAIH) is covered under Bill 124, the wage restraint legislation for agencies [and] government employees, that caps total compensation to a one per cent increase as of June 5, 2019.

We have requested the audited reports from management, as well as you as Chair of the Board, and so far these public documents have not been provided, so we can confirm that LAIH as a non-profit organization receives or has received the required $1 million in funding from the Provincial Government to trigger the legislation.

This is very important, as the Management have stated that they are covered by Bill 124, and provided a 2021 audit, that clearly indicates that year the shelter did not receive the required funding. That is why we need the 2018 audit, that triggers the legislation. If you are gathering that information to send to us, that should clarify a lot of things.

So again, my Local hereby is requesting a meeting to clarify issues and start some constructive dialogue.

Respectfully,

Gord Currie
President
Unifor Local 414