• Place an order, or for other inquiries:
  • 416-923-3567 ext. 3325
  • content@newsmediacanada.ca
  • Home
  • Why CommunityWire
  • How It Works
  • Services & Rates
✕

Library lockdown highlights chronic safety concerns

6 October 2023
Categories
  • English
  • Finance and Business
  • Government
  • Health and Safety
  • Media Release
Tags
  • Canadian Union of Public Employees
https://cupe.ca/

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON –/COMMUNITYWIRE/– An incident on September 11 that caused a lockdown at the James L. McIntyre Centennial Library and triggered a Ministry of Labour investigation is a symptom of chronic health and safety problem in the city’s libraries, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 67.

“Violence against library workers is increasing, and nobody is taking our safety seriously,” says Janelle Martin, president of CUPE Local 67, which represents about 90 City of Sault Ste. Marie employees and 50 public library workers. 

The workers have been asking management to restore the security guards who helped protect them during the pandemic, but which were removed.

“Having security guards in a library is not the final solution, but the number of disturbing and violent incidents has been going up every year. Our members aren’t trained to deal with substance abuse or mental health crises and need to be protected. We aren’t equipped to handle what is happening and our mental health is taking a hit,” she said.

The local is asking for security as an emergency measure while the city, province, and the federal government address the root causes of the incidents, including a lack of affordable and supported housing, proper mental health and income supports, and supports for people caught in the opioid crisis.

Further, they are asking that guards assigned to the library be provided extra training so they can safely and respectfully assist people in distress, particularly when they are also from marginalized communities.

“A lot of the incidents are the result of various levels of government having abdicated their responsibilities,” she said. “Until they fix the problems, library workers are on the front line of almost every social challenge in the city. And it’s wearing on us. Staff are having more mental health issues and are scared to come in to work.”

Many incidents occur at the Centennial Library during the evenings and on weekends, when management is absent and cuts have left the library with a skeleton staff of just three adults.

Staff are required to check washrooms in case of an overdose. With so few staff on duty, this has meant women checking washrooms alone. This has resulted in a worker being cornered in a terrifying incident.

“The lockdown was not an isolated incident. It was a symptom of a chronic problem, and it is long past time that the library’s management and board started taking this seriously,” said Martin.

CUPE represents workers in more than 65 public and university library systems across the Ontario.

-30-

For more information:

Craig Saunders, CUPE Communications
416-576-7316
csaunders@cupe.ca

Share
ENGLISH
FRANÇAIS

Submit Your News

EVENTS CALENDAR

  • MEDIA ADVISORY: CUPE locals joining rally in solidarity of locked out Black River-Matheson municipal workers
    16 November 2023
  • MEDIA ADVISORY: CUPE to protest Red Deer Catholic trustee’s meeting
    13 November 2023
  • MEDIA ADVISORY: CUPE to protest Red Deer Catholic trustee’s meeting
    12 November 2023

RECENT RELEASES

  • 124 food banks across Canada receive $247,250 from the Steelworkers Humanity Fund
    7 December 2023
  • New Data by Breast Cancer Canada Reveals Almost 3 in 4 Canadians (73%) Turn to Search Engines to Understand a Diagnosis from Their Doctor
    6 December 2023
  • Developmental service workers vow to keep fighting for programs and a fair contract as day programs close
    4 December 2023
  • Windsor-Essex County Health Unit urges provincial safeguarding of public health services amidst layoffs and funding challenges
    4 December 2023
  • Maple From Canada Will Pay Americans Back If They Add Pure Maple Syrup to Their Breakfast Orders
    4 December 2023

CATEGORIES

Be seen where the audience is looking
News Media Canada
365 Bloor Street East, 3rd Floor
Toronto, Ontario MrW 3L4

416-923-3567 or toll-free 1-877-305-2262
content@newsmediacanada.ca

© Copyright 2023 News Media Canada. All rights reserved.