DNSSAB pleased two month elevator strike is over

DNSSAB News Release

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A two month strike by workers of the International Union of Elevator Constructors is over. Members of IUEC have accepted a new contract and should be back on the job by July 10th.

While this is welcome news for the Nipissing District Housing Corporation in North Bay (NDHC), the effects of the strike are still being felt. Before heading into the long weekend, four elevators at two social housing complexes were not working. By noon Monday, technicians were able to repair both elevators at the Edgewater Apartments and one at the Golden Age Towers. Unfortunately, the only working elevator at the Golden Age Towers has since gone down again. Repair crews are expected to arrive sometime Wednesday afternoon.

“We are relieved that the strike has been settled however we are still managing the emergency until all elevators are up and running,” says Carol Conrad, CEO of the NDHC. “It has been a trying time for tenants with mobility issues and I am extremely proud of how diligently NDHC staff has worked to help tenants and their care givers navigate this challenge.”

A contingency plan initiated last week will remain in place until full service is restored. The plan includes monitoring the needs of residents and providing them with necessary items such as food and medicine, temporarily moving residents out of their units if necessary, and keeping them and other community partners up to date on the elevator situation.

Chair of the NDHC Board, Judy Koziol, says she’s also relieved the strike is over and that all residents will soon be able to enter and leave their units. She adds that NDHC staff will continue to ensure the safety of tenants. “Staff have done an exceptional job in keeping residents safe and informed during the strike. They, along with our many community partners who have assisted us the past two months, deserve a lot of credit for their hard work and cooperative effort.”

Just before the strike ended, municipal leaders were asking the Province to intercede. North Bay’s Mayor Al McDonald and Chair George Maroosis of the District of Nipissing Social Services Administration Board and Chair Koziol of the NDNC sent letters to the Premier last week, asking that the people who repair elevators be considered essential service providers, and order the workers back to work if there was no end to the strike in sight.

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