My name is Tamie, I am 16 year olds. I am supposed to be working as a lifeguard and swimming instructor this summer at Etobicoke’s Memorial Pool. Instead, as a member of CUPE Local 79, I am  on strike. And on Canada Day, I picketed at the Ingram Transfer Station. Going on strike was not part of my summer plans.

I started off not caring at all about the actual meaning of the dispute: I was there for the strike pay, not to support my fellow workers. If I worked for just four hours a day, five days a week, CUPE 79 would pay me $200. For a student like me, that seems like decent enough money. I soon got a reality check. I am currently scheduled at the York Civic Centre, where I picket in the back parking lot. On my first day, a woman brought along her 2-year-old toddler, for whom she couldn’t find daycare. The second day, I overheard another woman talking about being behind on her phone bill. 

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