Quebec locals use silk scarves to send bargaining messages

Stylish but serious, Quebec locals wore green silk scarves and CEIU buttons to support their bargaining team and to send a message to the Treasury Board.

According to Christiane Allaire, President of Local 10359, “We wore green to express our hope for a fair contract settlement, to show our good faith in this round of negotiations, to call for respect for our members and demonstrate our strong opposition to the employer’s plans to introduce more shift work. And on that last point, members are firm in their views. They are saying ‘NO THANKS!’, ‘IT’S OUT OF THE QUESTION!’ and ‘NO MEANS NO!’”

Members also sent postcards to the Treasury Board stating that they were responsible for delivering high quality services to Canadians and that they stood solidly behind their negotiating team.

National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay applauded the work of the Quebec locals, saying, “When you deal with an employer that doesn’t want to listen, you have to send your message over and over again. This is what these actions in Quebec are doing and I congratulate the locals on their work.” She went on to say that the same themes are emerging across the country: “Locals across Canada are expressing similar concerns—especially around the push by the employer for moving more day workers into shift work. And they are responding in the same way as our Quebec locals when they say ‘No means No!’”