Hundreds of Hamilton CRA workers picket as part of massive Canada-wide public service strike

Hundreds of federal workers are picketing in downtown Hamilton as part of one of the largest strikes in Canada in decades. 

On Wednesday morning, the workers, mostly from the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) union, marched up and down Bay Street North. They held signs calling for wage increases.

About 1,800 union members work out of the federal office in Hamilton across from the FirstOntario Centre. 

Laura Farr was among them. She's a CRA employee and co-chief steward of the Union of Taxation Employees Hamilton local, which falls under the PSAC umbrella. The single mom to a 10-year-old boy said with only her salary, she can't keep up with the rising cost of living.  

"It means I don't buy as much meat. It means I can't pay our entire gas bill this winter," Farr said. "When you're falling behind trying to provide the necessities of life to your family, you sort of feel nickel and dimed when it comes to these negotiations." 

Union's wage demand 'unrealistic': federal government

An estimated 250 other demonstrations involving about 155,000 federal public servants were also taking place across the country.  

Chris Aylward, PSAC national president, told the CBC's Power and Politics that "workers are fed up. They're frustrated. They watch these mega-corporations making record profits. We sit back and everybody want to repress the worker's wages. That's the issue we are really having with the government. This government is on record as saying they believe in workers. Being the largest employer in the country, don't try to repress wages on your own employees."

The PSAC's previous agreements with the federal government expired in 2021 and they haven't reached a new deal since. A main sticking point is a wage increase. 

The PSAC has demanded a 4.5 per cent increase for 2021, 2022 and 2023, which Treasury Board President Mona Fortier called "unrealistic" at a news conference Wednesday.

"We've put a good offer on the table that benefits workers and is fair to taxpayers," Fortier said.

Workers also want to continue working remotely after the government demanded they return to the office for a few days a week. 

CRA call centre officer Gina Degner is acting president of the local chapter of the Union of Taxation Employees. She said Hamilton members are "in full support" of the strike. 

"Hamilton is a union town," Degner said. "Ever since negotiations began, our members are interested in a fair contract. We shouldn't have to go on strike for our voices to be heard. We are hard workers and we are here to make a difference for all workers everywhere." 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Tuesday that the government made an offer Monday but the PSAC didn't respond to it. 

"Right now, they need to get back to the table because they haven't been over the past number of hours," Trudeau told reporters.