Choices for Youth says it has to operate within the financial confines it is presented with and thus, cannot meet the demands of the bargaining unit.

Their nine employees went on strike this morning at the 14-unit congregate living facility on Bond Street known as The Lilly.

Choices, a non-profit organization which receives funding from the provincial government, says management will step in and perform the duties of the nine employees.

Chelsey MacNeil, director of education, employment and social enterprise, says they were close to an agreement and believes one will be achieved.

NAPE President Jerry Earle can’t believe the situation has come to this as they have heard nothing from the employer since going public last week.

Earle says the workers would want nothing more than to provide support, care and mentorship to the people at The Lilly, but they will not continue to allow the employer to stonewall.

He says some workers in the organization got a bump in pay last year but the workers who were at the bargaining table did not receive it. They’re looking for compensation for the months that they did not receive the pay-bump.

However, Choices for Youth says this is not correct. In a statement issued this afternoon, Choices says they have offered the same compensation adjustments as all other Choices for Youth staff, with the premium for overnight work added.

The main picket line is at the Choices facility on Duckworth St. but there is also a picket line at the Lilly.