Treaty 3 Police Services staff told the Chiefs are shutting down another First Nation essential service
Treaty 3 police officers given notice
Written by Mike Aiken on Friday, 05 July 2013
Treaty 3 Police Service is to shut down within 45 days, as layoff notices issued to officers.
(File photo)
Officers with the Treaty 3 Police Service are finding themselves out of work today. The news follows weeks of talks over wages and benefits.
"We recently learned that the Treaty Three Police Service Board has decided to shut down the police service," says union spokesman Lino Vieira in an e-mail Friday.
The police association also included correspondence, which describes what transpired in recent days between the membership and the police service board.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents Treaty 3 Police officers had asked for an audited financial statement from their employer. They say the issue is with underfunding from the federal government, rather than wages and benefits for officers.
A class 1 constable with five years experience is currently on par with the OPP at about $80,000 a year. The cuts requested means they would face a cut of $4,000 a year to about $76,000 a year. This would equal a rollback to 2007 levels. Benefits would also be cost-shared 50-50, along with reductions to provisions for maternity and parental leave.
Sharon de Sousa offered her comments on behalf of the union Friday afternoon. She says there are alternatives to shutting down the police service, such as lobbying Ottawa for more funds.
"I'm really disappointed. I cannot express what this means to our members in the communities, especially First Nation communities. It's not just that they work there. They also live there. The work that they do they're really proud of it," she said.
"Instead of having a conversation and being consulted on financial difficulties they didn't cause, is really astounding," she continued, comparing the decision to union busting.
She noted the service would shut down in 45 days, unless the police board reconsiders their position.
Correspondence attached to the union's press release included a letter from the board to union members dated yesterday, July 4.
"Our chief's spoke from the heart, when we related our collective position and asked for understanding and compromise to move forward to save our service until our situation improved. Rather, the union rejected our passion and commitment to save our police service and continue to provide culturally appropriate public safety service to our people, choosing instead to focus only on individual wants and failing to take into account the well-being of our communities. Moreover you seem to believe that we are in a position to conciliate. We are not," it said in the letter.
"The actions of the officer's union have left the board of directors and elected member representative communities no choice but to direct our chief of police to begin engaging the governments and the Ontario Provincial Police to begin assuming policing responsibilities for our communities. We are forced to begin developing an exit strategy and our management team will ensure that all our employees are notified of the impending layoffs and closure of our police service," the letter says.
For more information:
Treaty 3 Response by Public Service Alliance of Canada
Board's response to the union
Treaty 3 Police board's response to the union