Students call for an end to the strike

[attach]464[/attach]A group of about 30 student city workers protested outside Queen’s Park Friday to ask Premier Dalton McGuinty for back-to-work legislation that would allow them to do their summer jobs.

Chants of “We want work” and “Legislate to arbitrate” murmured through the park.

“I want to get back to work and start making money,” said Brian Gillett, the strike organizer. “I’m tired of this strike and I kind of feel like Dalton and (Mayor David) Miller are not getting to action and I want to do something about that.”

Gillett, a pool manager at Leaside Park outdoor pool, said he decided to start the protest after he received an automated email response from Miller and couldn’t contact McGuinty.

“I don’t even know if he (Miller) read it or some secretary in his office did,” said Gillett. “I just feel the student perspective isn’t taken seriously and is falling through the cracks.”

The North York resident is in-between studying human resources at the University of Toronto and George Brown College.

Until now, he’s already lost about $2,000. And his whole family is losing money. Gillett has five younger siblings who all work for the city’s pools.

It’s not that he’s angry with the unions, he said, they’re doing what they need to protect their benefits. Rather he’s unhappy with the politicians’ handling of the strike.

Brendan Ross, a lifeguard who attended, is fed up with strikes. The Carleton journalism grad started a petition asking McGuinty for back-to-work legislation.

“In seeing just from the last few strikes that I’ve sort of experienced, both of those strikes were only settled through back-to-work legislation,” said Ross, referring to the York University and the Ottawa transit strike.  “To me it was a no brainer at that point.”

Since July 2, the petition has grown to 2,480 signatures.

He initially started it for lifeguards, but Ross said that full-time staff, Centreville workers and angry citizens have signed it too.

Jia Junaid, another lifeguard, also attended. She just finished studying at the University of Toronto and plans to go to law school next year.

And she’s short money for tuition. Junaid has lost over $1,600 so far and doesn’t qualify for OSAP.

Her parents don’t help with tuition and she’s been looking for work as a babysitter or dogwalker.

She’s applied to other jobs, but she said no place is hiring with the recession.

“No place is hiring me because they know as soon as the strike is over I’m obviously going to go back to that job which pays me more,” she said.

Another reason Junaid is protesting is because she feels bad for low-income families who rely on city services.

“You know what, we’re all paying taxes for these services including these low-income families,” she said. “Can you imagine the situation they’re in right now?”

Anne Kieser, a pool manager at the O’Connor Pool, shares her fellow protestor’s frustrations.

She’s headed to teacher’s college at York University after the summer, and she said they suggested her not to work because of the program’s intensity.

“This is the time of year to make money where I’m guaranteed 40 hours a week,” she said, adding she has been working with the city for nine years and experienced the 2002 strike.

She refuses to picket this year after what happened then.

“The last time I picketed I was verbally assaulted by people of all ages,” said Kieser. “Also when we’d make people wait at civic buildings for 15 minutes there was one woman … she ignored me and put her foot on the gas.

“I rolled out of the way but my flip flops were still under the car. I don’t think $200 is enough for me to do that again.”

Though the number of people in attendance is small, Gillett said he’s not deterred.

“It could have been better,” said Gillett, who was expecting 100 advocates. “I still intend to hold rallies for sure.

“It was a pretty last minute kind of thing.”

Another rally is set for July 17.