Mock Funeral - Ken's Speech

March 25, 2014

Hi FRIENDS OF SUPPORTS FOR ARTSPACE INDEPENDENT

LIVING INC. (SAIL)

Glad to see you all here today.

My name is Phil Haug and I am the brother in law of Ken Thomas. Ken has typed out his speech and asked me to read it for him.

I am Ken Thomas and I have been living at Artspace for 24 years. In 1990, we had to fight to get homecare in Artspace and we are fighting again to keep our consumer controlled home care program now. It seems like I and my friends have to be constantly vigilant so the things we have fought for over the years don’t get taken away from us. I am glad you have shown up today because it shows we have allies who are willing to support us, and listen to us and help us try and win the battle we are in nor .

I feel that every time AUPE brass spokesmen open their mouths they are trying to speak FOR US. So just to be clear, I want to say:

• I am not missing the staff who have been on the pick line who have been screaming and calling us and the replacement workers and other members horrible names

• the replacement workers, are qualified, are taking good care of us

• our SAIL BOARD is doing a good job of managing the SAIL program.

I want to tell you what it has been like living at Artspace over the past two weeks, during the strike. 180 people live here. This is a private residence. The police say this is the most unusual situation they have ever seen, where private residences are the target of a strike.We have to face the picketers each time we come and go from our homes. One of the AUPE organizers sometimes places his chair directly in front of the entrance of our building, staring at people as they come and go. On some occasions the AUPE picketers yell, scream, and use fowl and degrading language. They direct their anger at me and other users of SAIL, at other members of Artspace, at our security guards, and at the replacement workers. Boy, you should hear them. But you probably won’t because every time the media comes around they are quiet.

On Wednesday and Thursday those on the picket line detained the replacement workers for one hour. These replacement workers aren’t going to work to turn widgets or work in the mines or build things. The replacement workers are here to provide essential services.

One of my friends was not able to get out of bed and get to work on time because AUPE detained her replacement worker for one hour. This might be against the law. I think the Co-op has made reports to the police and to our lawyers.

On Friday one of the picketers read hate literature, out loud, to anyone who was on the street, and to our replacement workers.

Here is an excerpt from the horrible poem they were reading. It is called “ODE TO A SCAB”. For those who don’t know, a scab is what the AUPE calls a replacement worker.

Anyway, here is a bit from the poem:

When a scab comes down the street, men turn their backs and angels weep in heaven
And the devil shuts the gates of hell to keep him out.
No man has a right to scab as long as there is a pool of water
deep enough to drown his body in, or a rope long enough to hang his carcass with.”

The AUPE is inflicting psychological torture on us and on our replacement workers. They arealso detaining us from entering leaving our own property. WE ARE CALLING ON YOU TO DEMAND THAT AUPE STOP THIS BULLY ABUSE!

• WE ARE CALLING ON YOU TO PLEASE HELP US TO SAVE OUR BELOVED S.A.I.L. CONSUMER CONTROLED HOME CARE PROGRAM.