The region's correctional workers with OPSEU Local 135 are preparing to hit the picket line.
The Ontario Public Service Employees Union is looking to have a no-board report signed off on by the Ministry of Labour — which could see Ontario's 6,000 correctional workers on the picket line before January 12.
Local 135 president Randy Simpraga says talks have broken down after 91% of corrections officer rejected the last offer from the province.
"We deserve the respect that our federal counterparts get. We just want to be equal with them in terms of monetary compensation, so it's nothing drastic," says Simpraga.
The tentative deal was rejected by 67% of union members system-wide.
"We don't want to go on strike. We want to be deemed essential service workers like a TTC driver or an Ontario Clean Water Agency worker, but we're not," says Simpraga. "We can strike. We don't want that right."
Local 135 met with its membership Wednesday night to go over strike preparations.
"We're ready. We have the burn barrels, we have the strike trailer — again, we don't want this. We want to go to binding arbitration," says Simpraga, again telling BlackburnNews.com of his safety concerns should corrections officers strike.
No new talks between the union and the province are planned.
