Windsor correctional workers are preparing to strike.
The deadline for the province and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union to reach is a deal is 12 a.m. Sunday, but local workers say they are preparing for the worst.
There are about 180 correctional workers in Windsor, along with about 30 probation officers.
While negotiations are on-going, the president of OPSEU Local 135 Randy Simpraga says he's very confident a strike is coming.
It's common for supply trucks to make frequent stops at the South West Detention Centre, but some of the trucks these days are carrying uncommon items.
“Management are bringing in their strike supplies,” says Simpraga. “We're getting deliveries of couches, of basically all the necessities for them to live here during a strike."
A spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services confirmed to CTV News that the necessary supplies are being delivered to keep staff safe in the event of a strike.
"The writing is on the wall,” says Simpraga. “There is no bargaining in good faith. This government has spent millions and millions of dollars and we're going to be on strike come 12:01 on Saturday night."
The ministry says plans are in place to ensure the continuity of services and the safety of the community in the event of a labour disruption.
In an emailed statement, a ministry spokesperson writes "in both our correctional facilities and probation and parole offices across the province, we will have experienced managers on staff, which will be there to assist non-corrections managers with direct contact with offenders to ensure that both our staff and inmates remain safe."
The union is questioning how safe the plans really are.
"I anticipate management staffing levels will be probably around 20 per cent of where it should be and that's a concern."
The ministry says staffing levels will be appropriate and that managers.
The strike deadline comes after 67 per cent of bargaining unit members rejected an earlier tentative agreement in late November.
“We want to be deemed an essential services,” says Simpraga. “We don't want the right to strike. We are first responders. We are part of the justice system and yet our officers are going to be on a strike line. That's not what we want."
The ministry says the government remains committed to reaching an agreement and delivering the services that keep communities safe.
They estimate there are more than 8-thousand inmates in Ontario facilities.
OPSEU represents about 6,000 correctional workers, probation and parole officers.
