Barrie city police were briefly called in after local lab technicians kicked off their strike for better pay and benefits at LifeLabs locations in Barrie on Thursday.
Several of the LifeLabs employees, who are members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) Local 389, began their strike action in Simcoe County this morning against what they say are unfair pay and benefit packages.
Striking employees in Barrie could be seen assembled in the parking lot of the LifeLabs building on Wellington Street near the city’s downtown, along with the lab location on Huronia Road in the city’s south end, where they held picket signs and banners in support of their demands.
There are labs in Barrie, Orillia, Wasaga Beach, Collingwood, CFB Borden and other areas in Simcoe County.
Renee Aiken Kearsley, president of Local 389 for the Simcoe County workers of LifeLabs, told BarrieToday that talks broke down at midnight last night, triggering today’s strike action.
“We could not get a deal and we stayed as late as we could. We really wanted to get a deal that was fair for our members from the employer, but it just didn’t happen,” she said Thursday morning at the Wellington Street location.
According to Aiken Kearsley, they are the first LifeLabs employees to unionize.
She also said police were called in by LifeLabs this morning when four picketers arrived at the Wellington Street location. She claimed there was some shoving and name-calling.
“We were standing at the back door, linked arm in arm, and they were trying to shove us out of the way," said Aiken Kearsley, adding she told police they were being peaceful and handing out flyers.
“What’s it going to look like when we have a hundred?” she asked.
Barrie police communications co-ordinator Peter Leon confirmed officers were dispatched to the Wellington Street location today, after picketers attempted to block staff from entering the building. Police advised both sides about the rules to follow during strike situations and then left the scene. No charges were laid.
Aiken Kearsley said wages are a huge factor in the strike.
“We would like to make sure that we are getting the same wages as a non-union (employee), at least, and that is where we are at a standstill, really, at this point,” she said.
An email to BarrieToday from a LifeLabs spokesperson says: “LifeLabs is committed to open, constructive and respectful negotiations with OPSEU Local 389 to reach a fair and mutually beneficial agreement. We respect the negotiation process and the rights of our employees to pursue their interests.
"We remain open to further discussions and will continue to work diligently with OPSEU to find a resolution that is fair and aligned with the values of our organization," reads the statement.
They also noted that “as a trusted partner in the health-care journey of millions of Ontarians, we remain committed to providing our customers with reliable access to care. We do not know how long the job action will last, but we have put plans in place to mitigate the impact this action will have on our operations and customers."
The LifeLabs official said "most" of its patient service centres will remain open and laboratories will continue functioning "as usual." However, some locations will be closed due to the ongoing job action.
Sick time is another major issue workers are fighting over, according to Aiken Kearsley.
“The sick time was awarded to us by an arbitrator in 2019, and the employer has been trying to take it away from us from that day,” she said.
The unionized employees in Simcoe County were awarded unlimited sick time, she claimed.
“They wanted to give full-timers 12 and part-timers eight days,” Aiken Kearsley said. “We are 80 per cent part-timers.”
She also noted LifeLabs is operating with “scab staff,” and “people who do not know our patients, do not know our area, and with people who probably aren’t as qualified as we are. It’s long lineups, it’s going to be busy and it’s only going to get worse.”
Jeff, a LifeLabs patient who was at the Wellington Street location to have a blood sample taken, said it is business as usual inside.
“But there’s definitely more of a wait now," he told BarrieToday in the parking lot after his morning appointment.
“They seem unorganized,” he added. “Some people have 9 a.m. appointments and they are letting in 9:20 people first. It’s kind of all scattered. The TV screen in there that shows the appointments is not even on.”
Diane Hughes, a lab technician and the strike captain at LifeLabs' Huronia Road location in the south end, said she never thought it was going to come down to a strike.
“Nobody (here) has ever done this,” she said. “You’d think after COVID and all that there would be more respect, but there’s a lack of respect and I think that’s what we all feel — we don’t feel respected.”
Aiken Kearsley said she attended the late-night negotiations before it ended at midnight Wednesday and was “running on four hours sleep today.” She noted the overall mood at the negotiating table was not good.
“The employer was like, ‘it is what it is, this is all we are giving you, we are not giving you one penny more, and we are not offering you anything else,'” she said. “The mood was disappointment for sure on our side.
"These workers work hard for their money, and they work every day, and they care about their patients, and it seems that LifeLabs doesn’t," Aiken Kearsley added.
A BarrieToday reporter visited the LifeLabs corporate office on Wellington Street, across the street from their lab location, asking for comments on the strike’s effects on the public and for their take on negotiations. The reporter was turned away by an official on site.
BarrieToday has also contacted the spokesperson for Sylvia Jones, Ontario’s deputy premier and minister of health, seeking comment on the labour action, its effects of the disruption of services to patients, and whether the ministry plans to take any action. BarrieToday had not received a response to the questions prior to the publication of this story.
