By MICHAEL JIGGINS

Staff Writer

 

Striking St. Lawrence College Brockville faculty have accused city police of using intimidation tactics and siding with college administration by shutting down a picket line on Magedoma Drive.

"We have been told to move by police. We are challenging their rights to dictate how we run our strike," said Graeme Aubert, president of Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 417.

"We have been threatened with arrest if we picket there. It's a very serious situation," Aubert said Wednesday. "We're definitely not thrilled with how the police service are handling this situation."

The union represents 35 full- and part-time Brockville campus faculty who walked off the job at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday as part of a provincewide strike.

Aubert said the Magedoma picket was pulled Wednesday afternoon until the local can get advice from OPSEU lawyers.

"They have not been neutral on this issue," said Aubert of the police, insisting, "We have our right to do pickets at the boundary of the college."

Brockville police Inspector Adrian Geraghty dismissed the union's characterization of what happened.

He said it was over public safety concerns that the picket was shut down, adding police have received five complaints from Memorial Centre users.

"It wasn't a decision that we forced them off, we were trying to accommodate everybody," said Geraghty this morning.

"It was getting to be a safety issue for both the people who were picketing and the people attending other functions at the Memorial Centre. Seeing that Magedoma Drive is city property, we suggested to them that they move up to where the entrance way is to the back parking lot of St. Lawrence College."

As to the charge of taking sides, he said he's met with both sides on two occasions.

"I don't agree with that at all. We stay neutral in strikes," he said.

Tuesday morning, faculty began picketing on Magedoma Drive, which serves as an entrance to both the Brockville Memorial Centre and the college.

Union members are also picketing at the main college entrance off Parkedale Avenue.

The location of the picket on Magedoma has upset Bryan Aimer, who owns Trophies Plus inside the Memorial Centre.

"I respect what they are doing," he said in reference to the faculty strike, "but I don't understand where they have the right to stop traffic (on a public road).

"Yes, it very well could hurt my business because if someone chose to come in to my shop and saw what was going on, they could very easily turn around and go somewhere else."

Although Aimer, who has complained to police, conceded the picket line hasn't yet hurt his business, he said customers who did come in were clearly upset.

"And it's not just my business. I know there are some things going on at the rink that has absolutely nothing to do with the college and they have upset those people as well," he explained.

Memorial Centre manager John Sharpe said he hadn't heard of any issues arising from the picket line.

"We're working and meeting with the strike captains on and off, so it's working really well for the Memorial Centre at this time," he said. "It's only been two days, so let's hope everything gets settled and works out between us all."

Dave Morgan, Brockville parks and recreation director, did not return a message left at his office.

Aubert claimed no one headed to the arena was being delayed because pickets were checking with drivers stopped on Magedoma. Memorial Centre traffic was waved through, he said.

College-bound vehicles, however, were stopped for five minutes each, as is the case at the Parkedale Avenue entrance.

Aubert noted the union had proposed to St. Lawrence officials prior to the strike that the north entrance doors to the college be closed, thus eliminating the need for a picket line on Magedoma.

Lorraine Carter, executive director of the Brockville campus, said that's unacceptable.

"The college has two entrances and we still have staff who have to come to school and we still have T.R. Leger (adult continuing education and alternative high school program) which rents the third floor of the building and they continue to run classes," she explained.

She added having one entrance to the college where only 12 vehicles per hour were being let in by the union could create a hazard with traffic backed up onto Parkedale.

Carter said about 52 employees continue to work at the college daily. As well, there are 10-12 teachers and up to 60 students at T.R. Leger.

The college also remains open to students during the strike.

Carter noted the college has proposed having pickets inside the traffic barriers at the access to the college parking lot off of Magedoma Drive.

"We've suggested that it would be far safer and less inconvenient to everyone else if they picketed right at that entrance," she said, adding, "I'm 100 per cent supportive of them not interrupting the flow."

But Aubert said with a section of the Memorial Centre parking lot reserved for college parking, staff could simply park there and cross the picket line without delay - rendering the picket ineffective.

"We're saying that's a good solution if they stop St. Lawrence College staff from parking in the Memorial Centre," said Aubert.

 

Published in Section A, page 1 in the Thursday, March 9, 2006 edition of the Brockville Recorder & Times.

Posted 4:30:04 PM Thursday, March 9, 2006.