The grand opening of the McGregor Parkette on Thursday had sun, dignitaries and more people than expected — thanks to a rally by striking Essex County library workers.
About 80 CUPE members and strike supporters looked on as Town of Essex Deputy Mayor Richard Meloche — and chair of the Essex County Library Board — cheerily opened the new park.
Meloche did not mention the nearby strikers as he extolled the benefits of the $90,000 park and the people who worked to construct the green space, such as the Communities in Bloom Committee, starting last year.
The neatly finished park on Walker Road at Stewart Street offers such features as: benches, flowers, a gazebo, a pergola, grey stone mulch, a Japanese maple, a baby blue spruce, and a cement pathway with a central circle.
Richard Meloche and Mary Ellen Morton-Collins, left, open McGregor Parkette as striking CUPE members move their picket line a few metres south on Walker Road to join the ribbon cutting ceremony Aug. 4, 2016. Meloche also serves on the negotiating committee for Essex County Library. (NICK BRANCACCIO/Windsor Star)
“It’s a beautiful little addition to the community,” Meloche said about McGregor, which has a population of 2,000, the west half officially in Amherstburg and the east half in the Town of Essex. “This is just for people to stop, have a rest, reflect. And I think it turned out fabulous. There should be something like this in every small community.”
Meloche said after the speeches that he was glad the CUPE supporters attended the park opening, even if the real reason was to send a message to Meloche about negotiating.
“It’s wonderful that they show up for these events,” Meloche said. “And that’s their right to do so. They were very respectful of the event today and I appreciate that.”
Fifty-eight employees from 14 branches have been on strike for 41 days. The sticking point is with short-term disability qualifications and sick days — even though both sides acknowledge library workers typically don’t abuse time off.
But Meloche said these negotiations could potentially affect contract talks of other groups in the future.
Management and the union return to the bargaining table Monday, though both groups say they’re waiting for the other side to present a new proposal.
“We’ll see what happens Monday,” said Mark Hancock, national president for the Canadian Union of Public Employees, who came from Ottawa to show support for the striking librarians and other workers. “But the offers to date have been stuck on this sick-time issue, which is not a cost savings. Our members don’t abuse it.
“So if the employer gets that off the table, and they come with some reasonable proposals, we’ll get a deal. We negotiate across this country thousands of times a year and we have very few disputes. Disputes like this are rare and I think it’s reflective of the employer.”
Lori Wightman, sub-unit chair of CUPE union Local 2974, said strikers remain united but can’t understand management’s position on sick days.
“We’re still positive, we’re determined, but we’re a little frustrated,” she said. “It was interesting today to hear Deputy Mayor Meloche speak of the importance of community spaces when it’s now 41 days that the most important community space, the libraries, have been closed.
“But we’re hoping for a good outcome on Monday. We’re cautiously optimistic.”
