After a 10-week strike, two youth mental health workers in Hamilton say union members are returning to work feeling supported by the community but disrespected by the provincial government.
Amanda Fry-Smith and Tamara Putland are members of Local 262 of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU). They’ve been at Lynwood Charlton Centre near Mohawk and Upper Paradise roads for 20 and 30 years, respectively.
The centre operates four live-in treatment programs and day treatment programs, provides in-home services and counselling, and helps people access other services for children and youth.
According to its latest annual report, Lynwood Charlton served about 2,300 clients in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
About 130 members of Local 262 walked off the job on May 25, the same time about 4,000 support workers from some 20 locals across Ontario either went on strike or were locked out during contract negotiations.
OPSEU ran a provincewide campaign, called Worth Fighting For, that highlighted those job actions.
In an Aug. 7, news release, the union said workers at about 20 other agencies were still on strike. CBC Hamilton requested a tally update on Monday, but did not receive a response before publication.
At the time, workers picketing in the city said in interviews that their sector is chronically underfunded, with many taking on multiple jobs and burned-out employees leaving the field.
The strike ended after Lynwood Charlton agreed to mediation-arbitration with its workers at the end of July, Putland said. The process resulted in an agreement she described as a good deal overall that includes a 16 per cent pay increase over four years.
She attributed the workers’ success to their campaign, saying that without it, the wage increase would have been much lower.
“It really made me see the power that the workers actually have when we stand together,” Fry-Smith said.
Centre’s operations ‘returning to normal’
During the strike, Lynwood Charlton temporarily halted some programming. The centre’s executive director, Michelle Hayes, didn’t tell CBC Hamilton how many programs were disrupted or how many clients were affected.
In an email Monday, Hayes said “operations have been returning to normal following a return to work” on Aug. 6. She said appointments are being scheduled with social service navigators, and live-in and community-based treatment programs are preparing to resume this week.
“The past several months have been difficult — for our staff, for the families who rely on us, and for our community,” Hayes said. “We are grateful for the expertise, compassion and commitment our staff bring to this work every day, and for the patience shown by the families and community partners who stood by us throughout.”
Fry-Smith, who managed Local 262’s social media, said the strike helped members get to know one another and brought them closer.
“Overall, our agency will be stronger because of it.”
They also connected with workers from other local unions who were dealing with similar issues, including in corrections and children’s aid, Putland said.
“We all got great tans” from picketing in the sun, she joked.
Drivers honking their horns near the picket line and passersby dropping off gifts like popsicles on hot days “really kept us going and helped us feel seen and important,” Fry-Smith said, “which was helpful because our government did not make us feel that way.”
Union members came to feel they’re “not a priority for [the provincial] government,” Putland said, that they’ve been “disrespected” by provincial leaders and their concerns were largely ignored.
Call for Ontario child mental health strategy
Local 262 tried to bring their concerns directly to MPPs, she said, including by picketing the offices of MPPs Donna Skelly and Neil Lumsden and holding a protesting at Premier Doug Ford’s annual Ford Fest.
OPSEU said it has filed “more than a dozen” Unfair Labour Practice applications “regarding the Ford government’s responsibility as the funder of these sectors, as employers have repeatedly cited underfunding in negotiations.”
The union added that workers continue to seek a remedy for Bill 124, which capped public-sector wage increases at one per cent and was later ruled unconstitutional. Putland said the union is looking at legal avenues to get back the money lost by her members.
CBC Hamilton asked the Ministry of Children, Community and Social Services to respond to OPSEU’s allegations.
Spokesperson Julia Lombardo didn’t specifically address the questions, saying in an email that the government “has made historic investments in the development services sector, including nearly $4 billion this year, an increase of $1.6 billion since the government took office.”
Putland said it’s been frustrating to hear the government repeat that figure when asked about the strike because her members serve people younger than 18 and aren’t considered part of that sector.
Hayes noted that Children’s Mental Health Ontario, which represents Lynwood Charlton and other centres, continues to warn about workforce recruitment and retention challenges. It’s also calling for “a comprehensive child and youth mental health HHR [Health Human Resources] strategy, and progress toward wage parity to improve stability and reduce wait times,” she said.
Community services ‘worth fighting for’
On social media, some people reacting to the strike accused workers of just being in it for the money, Fry-Smith said, adding that’s far from the truth.
She said workers lost money while on strike, but they walked out because they want good jobs in the sector.
When it comes to children’s mental health and youth violence, “early intervention is the best intervention,” Putland said, adding that her own experience backs that up.
She said her son received community care for his mental health needs at a young age. At 18, she said, he has finished high school and is working full time. Had it not been for that early support, he could have ended up in the youth criminal justice system, Putland said.
“Community services are worth fighting for. There’s a significant value to them, and if they’re lost, people will be lost without them. And just because the Ford government has chosen to ignore us now doesn’t mean our fight is over.”
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