Walk to support striking health centre workers planned for Monday

"As a city, we're asking them to get back to the table, start bargaining in good faith with these women, with their employees," organizer Lori Paras told CBC News.

People will meet at 5:45 p.m. in the vacant parking lot at Fort William Road and Burbidge Street

CBC News ·
Approximately 65 workers at the Port Arthur Health Clinic have been on strike since Monday, April 9 after their last collective agreement expired at the end of 2017. Officials from Unifor Local 229 said precarious work contracts and wages are some of the key issues up for negotiation. (Gord Ellis / CBC)

Supporters of the striking workers at the Port Arthur Health Centre will hold a walk on Monday evening to urge the workers' employer to come to the bargaining table. 

About 65 appointment secretaries, medical aides and medical records staffers have been on the picket line since April 9.

All of them are women.

UNIFOR, their union, says low wages and a lack of permanent stable employment are key issues in the dispute, and the employer has twice refused mediation, the union said.

"We want to show them that we want them to get back to the table," said event organizer Lori Paras, who is also a business owner in the community.

Business owner Lori Paras organized Monday's walk to try to urge doctors at the Port Arthur Health Centre to bargain in good faith with their employees, she said. (Heather Kitching/CBC)

"As a city, we're asking them to get back to the table, start bargaining in good faith with these women, with their employees," she added.

Paras was motivated to plan the walk after seeing a video about the strikers produced by their union, in which appointment secretary Lori-Ann Salmi breaks down crying.

"Who can't answer a call when a woman is crying?" Paras asked.

"I had just gone through a situation where people in power, people with authority, decided they're going to band together and not talk to you, not deal with you, not answer your call, not answer your email. I thought, 'this has got to stop because it's becoming a trend in our society'," she said.

Event-goers will meet at 5:45 p.m. in the vacant parking lot at Fort William Road and Burbidge Street.

They will then walk to the health centre, where they'll hold a rally for the striking workers.