By Mark Squibb/September 9, 2022
During this week’s council meeting, which was held virtually, online, picketers could be heard shouting outside councillor Isabelle Fry’s home.
“That is so disrespectful,” said Mayor Dave Aker. “Our union is out there during this proclamation blaring out of a microphone at somebody’s house. That is terrible.”
At the time, Fry was trying to speak to a proclamation recognizing September as Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. The proclamation was in coordination with Women of Hope, an ovarian cancer support group formed by Susan Glynn, who died in July, 2021 following a courageous six-year battle with ovarian cancer. Glynn was a familiar face in the council chamber, and a close friend of Fry.
The picketing by the City’s striking municipal workers seemed to die down after the proclamation.
During the round table discussion at the end of the meeting, council returned to the matter of folks picketing outside councillor’s homes.
“We all deserve to be treated with respect and dignity,” said Deputy Mayor Nicole Kieley, adding both sides need to acknowledge each other as human beings first and foremost. “I’ve been picketed at my own home, and I’m hearing today of colleagues being picketed, and that can be very difficult, especially if you’ve got neighbours who are senior citizens, or are individuals who have children. Please, be mindful that these are places where people are living. Everyone deserves respect during this time.”
Councillor Bill Antle added his thoughts.
“I certainly respect our strikers and our employees,” said Antle. “They certainly have the right to strike, and they certainly have the right to picket. But last Friday, around 10 o’clock in the morning, I had picketers show up at my house. And they were there for about an hour and a half, and they had bullhorns, they had loudspeakers, they had boomboxes, the cars were blowing horns, they were generally making a nuisance in the neighbourhood for an hour-and-a-half.”
Antle said his wife, who he reminded folks is not an elected member of council and has no say in City affairs, was home at the time, and was quite upset by the incident.
Antle said the protesters showed up again Tuesday morning, 10:30 a.m. sharp — this time while he and his wife were watching their grandchildren, aged five, four, and three.
“My grandson was here this morning and he was scared,” said Antle. “He was scared because the picketers were on my street, yelling, ‘Come out!’ And I’m not trying to get upset, but he was saying, ‘How come these people on the street are calling for you to come out?’ He was scared, so we put him in the back bedroom so he couldn’t see.”
He estimates there was about 25 to 30 strikers on his street – which he said is populated mostly with senior citizens— calling for him to come out.
Antle said the tragedy in Saskatchewan this past weekend, in which police hunted for the culprit of a stabbing rampage that left 10 people dead and 18 wounded, was upsetting enough for senior citizens in his area, without the added confusion caused by protesters.
“All they could hear was someone on a loudspeaker saying, ‘Come out, you’re going to be safe, come out,’” said Antle. ‘If you want to picket City Hall that’s your right… but the seniors didn’t do this.”
Councillor Mark Rice agreed with Antle, noting that strikers picketed his home as well.
“I was on strike twice with NAPE,” said Rice. “I was a NAPE union member for 22 years and I was on the negotiating team with NAPE, so I know what it’s all about, sitting at the table looking at management and sitting on the other side looking at workers. And I think right is right and wrong is wrong, and the longer this dispute goes on, it’ll get more complicated. I think it’s time to get back, and sit down and have a sensible conversation (instead of) being radical and being disrespectful. My neighbours came over to me Friday morning and they said, ‘How could you ever put up with stuff like that?’ And I said that they had the right, and the street was public City property, but it bothers a lot of people, and it bothered me as well. The longer this goes on, the worse it’s going to get.”
Mayor Dave Aker also shared a story about strikers protesting outside his home.
“Last Friday, my wife was home alone and we had to call the RNC and the Municipal Enforcement over, basically so she could get out of her house to go to work,” said Aker. “I think there’s some innocent people getting caught up in this. Like Councillor Antle, I do respect people’s right to picket but I think people should just think, for a second, about what they’re doing.”
He encouraged citizens to ignore the protesters as best as possible, and to not engage with them.
“My neighbours reported today that engaging with them is very difficult, and I want to say to people, please, don’t engage, try and ignore as best as possible,” said Aker. “It’s very, I won’t say dangerous, but it can be very concerning from a physical and mental point of view if you engage with some of the protesters.”
The mayor thanked the RNC and Municipal Enforcement officers for their work trying to keep the peace, and noted the City has made the union a “very reasonable” offer.
He encouraged folks on both sides to “just get along a little better.”
“I don’t mean that we have to be very loving with each other, I’m not trying to say that, I just want to make sure that we remain safe and respectful.”
As the strike in Mount Pearl drags on with nary an end in sight, the City has to date spent almost $70,000 on video and security services related to the dispute.
The Pearl previously reported that during an August 9 council meeting, council approved payment of two invoices, one priced at $24,880 and one priced at $19,029, for a total of $43,909, payable to Provincial Investigative Services for video and security services.
Deputy Mayor Nicole Kielly, during that August meeting, explained the costs were reflective of video surveillance costs associated with the labor disruption, and that the services were “instrumental in ensuring the safety of our workers crossing picket lines and performing the work of our City during this time.”
During this week’s meeting, council approved an additional invoice of $25,836 for video surveillance, made payable to Provincial Investigative Services.
