The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

4 - The Canadien Champion, Tuesday, July 21, 1998 s. AIR CONDITIONINO SER VICE Have your air conditioning system inspected and serviced today by a licensed C.F.C. facility. Licensed Technician on duty for both R 12 and the new R 134A Freon HAVE YOUR COOLINO SYSTEM lnspected & flushed before heading out on that long Environmentalty conscientious. Our used anti-f reeze is taken away to be recycled. Workers who help troubled teenagers hit the bricks By PAUL MITCHISONe Special ta The Champion0 A picket line was set up outside the Guelph Lined offices of Halton Adolescent Support Services (HASS) after social workers walked off the job in ac contract dispute.f Darrell Baudoux, union representative, said the strike began reluctantly after members votedMTursday to reject the company's final offer. He said members felt badly young people were being adversely affected by the dispute. "We'd raher be back working with young people, but we' re prepared to stay out as long as we need to - the membership is very strong," he said. There are about 55 striking members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, Local 262, many of themn part-timers, whose job it is to offer counseling and support for teenagers and their fami lies. Management said the strike boils down to a demand that the union reduce vacation time and sick days for a handful of members. No raises are being requested - salaries range (rom $23,000 to $36,000 - and the pay scale hasn't increased since 1993. The social workers had earlier receîved the final contract by courier at their homes, which Mr. Baudoux described as an attempt to undermine the union leadership. Management said it wanted correct information to reach the membership and to encourage a vote. That prompted a Thursday vote on the contract and the ensuing rejection. The bargaining committee had been given a strike mandate by workers in May. HASS operates a 24-hour crisis line and three group homes throughout Halton for young people unable to live at home. One is in Milton. Management said the outstanding issue involves its demand to scale back vacation time for six members. .1The union maintains it will eut some of those vacation others and also for time-and-a-half on statutory holi- days. Ugo Filice, executive director of HASS, said the organization has no choice but to demand concessions from the membership, including what he called ."excessive"~ vacation entitiements allowing several employees two months off. He said the organization had a deficit of $42,000 last year, which depleted its reserves by haîf, and that no union jobs have been lost despite declining operating funds from the province. Lcah Casselman, Ontario Public Service Employccs Union president, joined the picket uine Friday morn- ing, and told strikers they were doing the right thing. More than a dozen pickets carried signs with slo- gans such as "We are here for fairness, is that wrong'?' and "This is flot what wc want". They also handed out information leaflets to passing drivers. Young people in crisis care are being retumed to their families. The equivalent of five management workers remained on the job, said Mr. Filice. The organization has somewhere between 150 and 200 ongoing cases, and a strike meant only 27 of those clients were expected to continue receiving service. Theft attempt Two vehicles in the driveway of a Coulson Avenue home were damaged in what police are viewing as an attempted car theft. The vehicles were likely damaged early iuly 4, before 7 a.m., police said. A 1996 green Plymouth Voyager Van valued at $25,000 had a door pried open and it's ignition damaged in the attempted theft. A white Dodge Spirit in the same driveway had its idoor pried open. Alexian Carpets Ruffins Twice The Deal Pizza (P) Shoppers Drug .Mart Spectrum Flooring (P) Zellers asBroos arlBa oetC re 5O.7OPo co cr29te 1