"It is high time the Board of Directors of 'My Sister's Place' People in Transition Inc., a women's shelter in Alliston, Ontario, dealt with the serious administrative and management problems that have plagued the shelter over the past year," says the Service Employees International Union Local 1.on. The union represents 11 full and part time counsellors at the shelter.
Linda Thayer, SEIU Local 1.on's representative claims management at the shelter is incompetent and does not care about delivering services to women in Simcoe County."
To back up her allegation, Thayer points out that on June 27th the shelter laid off all staff. The reasons given to SEIU Local 1.on is that the shelter could not recruit a new executive director and that the shelter will be undergoing renovations.
"This is the busiest time of year, because women wanting to leave abusive relationships do so more in the summer, because they know they can leave without having to worry about their children's schooling," Thayer says.
"If the shelter's Board of Directors is really concerned about caring for abused and vulnerable women, it could have appointed a staff member as a temporary supervisor, and the shelter's outreach program could have been run off site," Thayer says.
The Chair of the Board of Directors, Debbie Hutton, has also sent a letter to all staff stating they are not to talk to any news media about these lay offs.
The letter states, "This letter also serves to provide all employees with written notice that any future incident(s) involving staff either 1) communicating with the press and/or individuals outside the agency about My Sister's Place and our operations, or 2) speaking with and/or working with any clients or potential clients about issues normally handled by agency employees, will result in disciplinary action, up to and including employment termination."
The union has filed grievances against the shelter's threats to our members and for violating their Charter rights.
SEIU Local 1.on will also file charges against My Sister's Place at the Ontario Labour Relations Board.
The union has written the Minister of Community and Social Services, Sandra Pupatello, to conduct a review of the shelter's operations and management practices.
Last fall the shelter forced its employees into a six week strike.
SEIU Local 1.on is 40,000 member Ontario wide local union. It is affiliated to the largest union in North America - the 1.8 million member Service Employees International Union.