HAY RIVER
The president of the union representing striking municipal workers in Hay River thinks they might need to become active, including possibly expanding picketing to some private homes.

Two striking municipal workers - Rachel Yee, left, and Kim Tybring - picket on a sidewalk on March 27. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

Todd Parsons, president of the Union of Northern Workers (UNW), said any labour dispute in the NWT is about building community support, including in Hay River.

"What is actually troubling and probably causing this strike to continue longer than it has to is these strikers do not want to do anything that's going to lose public support," he said.

For example, Parsons said the strikers have decided to only picket in the Rec Centre and fire hall area.

"But at some point in time, the union needs to take a hard look at whether or not the current tactics that we're using building community support in a passive approach are going to win this strike," he said. "I think it may be time that we look at other options that will bring greater pressure on this employer, who's showing no willingness to do what's fair and right."

The other options might include expanding picketing to other town property, such as the landfill.

"Maybe we should decide to go picket the councillors' and mayor's houses," said Parsons. "There are other things that require buy-in from the strikers for that to happen, and what's happened here is the strikers have decided they want to try to muster more community support in a less adversarial way. I don't know if that has been successful, considering we're out on strike now more than seven weeks."

Parsons was speaking on March 26, at which time there was no movement toward settling the strike, which began on Feb. 9.

The union president said any decision on a change of strategy would be made by the strikers.

"That's not something that union leadership, such as myself, would direct," he said. "I certainly would encourage these strikers to amp it up, though, because (the mayor and council) are ignoring what our efforts are currently."

Parsons said strikers have a legal right to delay anybody crossing a picket line.

"The picketers have decided they don't want to do it at this point in time, but I would ask them to review that," he said. "This is a very passive approach that they are trying to engage in because they don't want to lose the support of the community, and I believe they have a lot of support in the community."

While on the picket line on March 27, Rachel Yee explained the striking workers have adopted a calm, friendly attitude.

"That's how we've been approaching the community," she said. "Because we are residents and taxpayers of this community, as well. We're not out here to be vindictive or hurt the community in any way, or hurt the residents in any way."

Yee claims the striking workers have a lot of public support, mentioning drivers honking their horns as they pass by.

However, she said the mayor and council appear to be listening to a few negative people, who have been more vocal.

Yee said Parsons' suggestions for a more active strike, including possibly picketing the mayor's or councillors' homes, have been discussed by the striking workers.

"In larger centres, a more aggressive strike is normally how things are done, and even in Fort Smith they were a little more aggressive than we are being," she said, referring to UNW members picketing a manager's home during a recent strike at the Fort Smith Housing Authority. "However, we've maintained more of a friendly, neighbourhood kind of strike." That doesn't mean the strikers are not going to take a more active stance in the future, she said. "But at this point in time, we haven't been taking any aggressive action."

Yee, who is an administration officer with the Town of Hay River, said it is important to have public support, but it's not going to solve the strike.

"Unfortunately, we've got a very stubborn mayor that's got his heels dug in and he's never going to admit that he's wrong in any way," she said.

Yee also stressed that the workers are striking against their employer, but not against the community and its residents.

Another striker, Kim Tybring, echoed Yee's hesitancy to launch into a more active strike.

"It's pretty hard for us to sort of get in a spot where we're upsetting our neighbours," said the facility lead hand at the Rec Centre.

Tybring said it may come to a point where the strikers have to change tactics.

"I understand one way or the other that, if the strike drags on, there will have to be an acceleration," he said. "It might be an acceleration of friendly, I don't know."

Mayor Andrew Cassidy declined to discuss the strikers' behaviour on the picket line.

"I've said this before that right now the picket lines are being respected and being respectful," he said. "That's hopefully the way it will stay."