I received great reports from our members who said Good Morning at the executive garage. Picketing at Central in general is going very well. Don't forget to make leafletting and speaking to the public your top priority.
In addition, we hit two locations today: Meadowvale and Courtneypark.
"Fun Times at Meadowvale today!
"The managers were playing Pokemon Go, as they tried to chase us around and find us. We could not stop laughing.
"We had so much fun as we split up and they couldn't keep track of us. They had to chase us around the mall sidewalks, the transit terminal and even the new branch. I wonder how they liked being out today. They even asked us where the other people went when they couldn't see us all ... but we wouldn't tell them.
"All in all we had a productive few hours, talking to many members of the public who showed support for us.
"Negative news: we did learn that we cannot distribute flyers at the transit terminals. I double checked the bylaws."
"I was coming out of Shoppers when my manager hailed me and started chatting. She must have thought I was with the picket team today. I told her I had been at Central all morning. She said she was trying to round up the seven members of the team and appeared to be frustrated that she could not find any of you. I do not think Amy had fun today in the sun.
"I also spoke to a lot of people in Shoppers and Metro. So many people miss us. Truly heartwarming. So many said keep on fighting."
"Thank you for giving us the opportunity to hand out flyers to customers and the public picking up their kids from summer school.
"We had a very successful morning and met quite a few of our regular customers who were very happy to see us. They were supportive and said that they missed us and would email the mayor.
"We were able to talk to the kids attending summer school at break time and explain why the library was not open. Many said that they could not get the books or resources they needed for summer school and took the flyers be able to email the mayor and councillors.
"Parents commented on how their children could not borrow books during the summer break and missed coming to the library."
"We were very successful at reaching out to our customers today at Courtneypark. Everyone did an amazing job interacting with the public.
"Students were extremely supportive and immediately posted our flyer on social media and some emailed the Mayor right away. They also told us that they missed us and needed our resources to help them with their assignments.
"Faithful customers coming for our programs were very upset to learn that all libraries were closed. They had to make other arrangements and find programs for their children to attend at last minute. One customer mentioned that he has been using our library for the last three years in order to complete his work license and he was horrified to learn how we are being treated by our employer.
"We received lots of support from our customers and hopefully they will pass along their thoughts and concerns to our Mayor and Councilors."
Many of you have received the generic form letter that Mayor Crombie's office sent out. 1989 members are expressing all the disgust, anger, and head-shaking I would expect. If you haven't gotten this letter yet, you soon will. Tone deaf is an understatement.
I have heard from several people that calls to 311 are not being put through to the Mayor's office. This may be so, but I promise you that every call to 311 is logged, and every opinion is tallied. Every pro-strike message is being counted. We can -- we must -- continue to urge the public to call in support.
"I just discovered the CUPE 1989 website last night & was so impressed with the reports, the outdoor storytimes (!) & it pulled at my heartstrings seeing those familiar faces amidst all the pink, looking confident & cheery for the cause. I feel I should be there picketing with you (which I would if I was anywhere near Miss. even for a day, which I'm not) but I would like to make a donation to the strike fund asap if you could tell me how please."
A Mississauga resident and CUPE member (different local) emailed asking if his teenage daughter can volunteer to work on the strike and earn volunteer hours. The answer is yes! If you know someone who might be interested, let me know.
Did you know CUPE 1989 has a YouTube channel? It's a fledgling effort so far. If you have videos of our strike, can you please upload them to Dropbox or elsewhere, and give me access? I will post them.
More than 80 "Dear Valued Employee" letters were returned to Library Director Rose Vespa today. Sorry, but our landlords don't accept form letters in lieu of rent.
To everyone who is working so hard on our strike, to everyone who is on the line, to everyone who has visited us, written letters on our behalf, called the City, brought us water, sent supportive emails, or honked their horns: thanks for being out there!