Picketing began outside Carleton for the union representing Carleton’s campus safety workers in the early morning of March 10 after workers walked off the job that same day at 12:01 a.m.
OPSEU 404 began strike action when negotiations on the union’s first collective agreement fell through after several months of talks.
Picketers were stationed at both the Bronson and Colonel By entrances to the school all day March 10, 11, and 12, working 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. shifts. Strikers played music, waved signs, and handed out information to drivers.
“So far, pretty much every driver has stopped and let us tell them why we’re striking, so there haven’t been too many angry drivers,” special constable Kelly Brown said.
But there have been some angry drivers. According to OPSEU negotiator Nelson Laguna there have been three incidents involving cars hitting picketers.
Brown said a car ran over her foot near the Colonel By entrance on the first day of picketing.
She said as she was stopping traffic the car pinned her foot instead of stopping.
“I got a scratch on the knee, but that’s about it,” she said. “I got right back up and got right back to my picketing.”
Brown said the driver may have been frustrated by the delays caused by the picketing. Picketers occasionally blocked cars from entering the university.
The incident reported to Ottawa Police Service (OPS) had cruisers on campus to investigate.
Fellow picketers reported the licence plate number to the OPS, she said, and according to an OPS spokesperson an investigation has been opened.
The union voiced concern about maintaining safety on campus during their time picketing.
Members of OPSEU have said they’re skeptical the contracted security company the university hired to replace them during the strike are capable of doing the same job.
Local president for the union Devon Reeves said the contracted security guards only have the authority to observe and report.
“They have no more authority than [students] do to enforce security on campus law,” he said.
Other than picket lines, Carleton’s director of communications Don Cumming said nothing will be out of the ordinary for students.
Strike co-ordinator Michael Radcliffe said the group decided to strike after negotiations became “hostile.”
“We just want a fair deal,” he said.
Laguna said the union is not looking to negotiate an above-average wage for its workers, but rather one that is on par with similar workers elsewhere.
“Our battle isn’t with the students, but with the employer,” he said.
Currently, he said striking union members are being paid through an OPSEU strike fund, funds donated from other unions, and money from OPSEU 404 that was granted to the local when they joined the union.
He said it works out to about $30 to $40 a day.
The strike will continue until Carleton makes a “reasonable” offer, Laguna said.
Carleton made the union an offer, to which the union made a counter-offer March 9. Since then, Laguna said Carleton has not responded.
Cumming said on March 10 that there were no further talks scheduled between the two groups.
