Are Ontario Correctional workers going on strike?

[Boges]

http://globalnews.ca/news/2434165/last-ditch-talks-set-on-friday-for-ontario-correctional-workers-ahead-of-strike/

TORONTO – The union for correctional and probation officers has scheduled a last-ditch attempt at reaching a contract with the Ontario government and avoiding a strike.

Smokey Thomas, the president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, says the two sides will meet Friday.

The workers – who rejected an earlier tentative settlement – will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01 a.m. Sunday.

The government, meanwhile, has been making contingency plans in the event of a strike to have managers from other areas of the public service to help keep the jails and probation offices running.

A spokeswoman says most direct contact with inmates “will be handled and overseen by experienced corrections managers.”

Strike preparations have long been in the works, as the correctional and probation workers have been without a contract since December 2014, with the government spending $8.5 million on training and renovating spaces in the jails.

Great way to get the public on your side by putting the public in danger by going on strike! If the radio ads I heard before Christmas are accurate, they want more staffing. What public service doesn't want more staffing?

But is there really more people that need to be watched?

http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2015001/article/14163-eng.htm

In 2013/2014, on any given day, there were on average 139,337 adult offenders being supervised in either provincial/territorial or federal correctional services.^{Note 4} In the 10 reporting provinces and territories for which both custody and community data were available, there were a total of 116,442 adult offenders in either custody or a community program on a given day. This represents a rate of 492 offenders per 100,000 adult population, a decrease of 4% from the previous year and a decline of 12% compared to five years earlier (Table 1). In addition, on a typical day, there were 22,895 adult offenders in the federal correctional system. This represented a rate of 81 per 100,000 adult population, a figure that was down 3% from the previous year. However, compared to 2009/2010, the federal rate was up (4%).^{Note 5}

More than 8 in 10 adults under correctional supervision in the provinces and territories in 2013/2014 were in the community (82%) and the remaining 18% were in custody.^{Note 6}

This is a fairly low skill job, I'm sure there would be plenty of people willing to be scabs should there be a strike.

[capricorn]

This has the potential of becoming another fiasco by the Wynne government.

Less than a week before Ontario correctional officers are planning to strike, the province has begun moving in large trailers to house the managers who will fill their jobs.

The Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services also confirmed Monday that managers from other Ontario ministries will be “redeployed” to provincial jails to perform work typically done by those who may be on strike.

Denis Collin, president of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union local representing Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, said the first of the 60-foot trailers began arriving at the Innes Road jail at about 11:15 a.m.

A heavy-duty crane used to hoist the trailers into place at the rear of the detention centre arrived at about 6 a.m. Monday morning, said Collin. He added that between 11 and 13 of the trailers are expected to be brought to site of the chronically understaffed jail.

A trailer holding a fully equipped kitchen and dining hall is also expected to be installed. Collin said he has learned managers will be living at the jail for the duration of a strike.

http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/ministry-prepares-for-strike-by-bringing-trailers-onto-ottawa-jail-site

So potentially, we could have managers from the following Ontario ministries in charge of provincial jails:

Aboriginal Affairs

Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs

Attorney General

Children and Youth Services

Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade

Community and Social Services

Community Safety and Correctional Services

Economic Development, Employment and Infrastructure

Education

Energy

Environment and Climate Change

etc

https://www.ontario.ca/page/ministries

Will these managers be able to maintain order if inmates protest the necessary curtailment of visits and cancellation of programs? Those institutions are dangerous environments to begin with. The dangers are now multiplied tenfold.

[Topaz]

If things get out of control, its going to get dangerous and violent and the government will be forced to settle or order them back to work. Since the government needs money they probably keep them out for as long as they can, so they aren't paying wages. I just hope no one dies over this.

[Topaz]

Well, that was quick with kind of agreement, yet to be voted on, but a relative did tell me, who is a security guard, thought they wouldn't go on strike because of their jobs doing security. http://www.am980.ca/2016/01/09/opseu-tentative-deal-reached-ontario-corrections-staff/