Representatives of the Prairie Region Council (PRC), along with Prairies REVP Marianne Hladun and PSAC National Executive Vice-President Chris Aylward, stood together in solidarity with the striking Hay River workers. PRC Reps were in Winnipeg for a biannual PRC meeting and took the opportunity to send their messages of support.
Some of the handwritten messages in the above photo read: "Standing in Solidarity with UNW" / "Prairies Council Standing Up for UNW!" / "Hey, Hay River, PRC Supports You!" The photo has been widely circulated on Facebook and Twitter. The PRC also sent a donation to the strike fund.
"No worker wants to be on strike, that's not the goal of collective bargaining," said Hladun. "But sometimes when the employer is not willing to negotiate a fair and reasonable collective agreement, there is no other option. Prairies members have faced this dilemma and know the hardships a strike can bring for workers, so we are happy to send our support to Hay River. We encourage other locals to do the same."
Locals are encouraged to send strike donations to:
Union of Northern Workers
c/o Patty Ducharme, Director of Finance and Administration
CloudWorks One, 5112 52 St,
Yellowknife, NT X1A 3Z5
Over 30 PSAC/UNW members working for the Town of Hay River have been on strike for four weeks. Last week, PSAC National President Robyn Benson visited the picket line. Hay River is a town in the Northwest Territories, located five hours south of Yellowknife.