Strike at Tropicana following years of wage freeze

BY PAUL JUNOR

Tropicana Community Services (TCS)has served the African-Canadian community well ever since it was founded in 1980 as a non-profit community organization. In 1984, it became was the first black community organization to become a United Way member agency.

Its location at 1385 Huntingwood Drive is ideal to serve the wider community. It is truly unfortunate that the fifty unionized workers who are part of Local 2 of the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) have been on strike since November 9^th. The Caribbean Camera reported on November 19^th that the strike is a result of a dispute between TCS management and workers who are fighting for a wage increase, but instead are offered a wage freeze.

In a tweet that it released on November 9^th at @Tropicana.com, TCS assures the wider community that, “We’re disappointed the unionized employees of Tropicana Community Services have elected to strike. Tropicana intends to continue operating all our programs and services safely and securely during this labour disruption. The community’s needs are too important to simply shut down.” Its Facebook homepage reports “Our plan is to keep our administrative services and facilities operating safely and securely. At our day-care centres, we have certified early professionals on hand, and we’ll continue to meet or exceed all provincial health and safety guidelines. We also plan to continue delivering our virtual remote services.”

GlobeNewswire reported on November 2^nd that the majority of unionized workers voted for a strike mandate. It quotes Adrian Yusuf who explained his reason for reason for voting to strike. He states,”It’s been over a year that we’ve been trying to negotiate a fair deal with management. We’ve had fifteen years of wage freeze and they want us to accept another three or four years. I can’t hold on for that long.”

The news report notes that despite receiving funding from the Province and the City of Toronto and espousing a social justice focus it has not paid its workers well. It notes,“But this hasn’t stopped Tropicana from engaging in years of poor treatment and wage freezes, leaving workers behind as Toronto’s cost of living escalates.”

Toronto.com reported on November 6^th that there has been a high turnover at TCS. Over thirty-two staff have left. Sylvia Waldron, who has been with TCS for thirty years rising from an educational assistant to an administrator told Toronto.com,“We love what we do, but we also need to be compensated and treated fairly. The cost of living is going up and we’re still getting the same pay.”

Many have accused TCS of poor management over the years. An advertisement from SEIU quoted Sylvia, “We were always told that there was no money. But management got bonuses while my co-workers and I were left behind.”

Management in a prepared statement released on Friday, November 6^th states, “We made a fair offer that struck the balance between recognizing our unionized employees’ valued contributions to Tropicana, and the ability to sustainably offer culturally appropriate and supportive programs to those most in need.” It blames constraint by Ontario Bill 124 which has imposed a wage freeze of 1% for all public sector employees.

Raymond Guiste, executive director of TCS told The Caribbean Camera that, “Tropicana has attempted to be flexible in how we can manage within this restrictive framework. As part of an overall compensation package, including benefits, we have made various offers which address the issue of wages, inequities that may exist, and comply with Bill 124.”

A website,TropicanaStrikes.ca/take was created to inform the public.