The Editor, Re: "Ikea, union lock into mediation," News, July 17. With regards to the recent story on the labour dispute at the Richmond Ikea, it might have been nice if the writer had gotten a little more detail. We are not on strike; we are locked out. We are fighting a tiered wage system. The section in the article about the benefits is mostly correct. We are running a 24-hour picket line and are always available to talk to whomever drops by. We are not a violent bunch; we are retail workers and not thugs. Perhaps if one of you came to speak to us you may find out a few more things about why we are out here.
We have been wondering if the reason that nobody seems too interested in our story comes from the fact that Ikea spends so much money on advertising, but what do we know? If anyone from your paper would care to speak to us, Friday afternoons are the best times as we all try to meet up for a barbeque and to get our strike pay. Feel free to drop by.
Dorothy Tompkins
(one of the many picketers)
