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Times Advocate, 1997-11-05, Page 7TT'S YOUR BUSINESS Times -Advocate, November 5, 1997 Page 7 T -A SURVEY Intensity of demonstration lessens, retailers fear business is being hurt Like it or not, Exeter's downtown businesses are caught in the mid- dle of the fight between Huron County teachers and the provincial government. After four days of constant demonstrating (Monday to Thursday) teachers should already have proven to every- body in this community they stand behind their union lead- ers and have firmly resolved to battle Bill 160. But do they have to do all their demonstrating in our downtown area? Unfortunately for Exeter merchants, MPP Helen Johns has her office on Main Street. Teachers are targeting Exeter despite the fact Johns is in Toronto. In a statement issued Friday she said she will continue to monitor the business community and if their economic viability becomes a concern she will temporarily move her office to a more isolated location. On Wednesday (after three days of demonstrating) the T -A dropped off a questionnaire to 100 businesses, We had heard merchants were suffering and wanted to know first hand the impact of the picketing. Responding to the survey was a chance for store managers to express how their businesses were doing. It didn't take long to find out as many answers were faxed to us within minutes. Friday morning the results of the T A survey were delivered to teachers' representatives and whether or not it is a coincidence, the style of the demonstration softened dramatically. There weren't as many picketers. The demonstration focused only on the vacant lot of the former municipal building and Johns' office. The following is a breakdown of some of the responses to the three questions we asked. Also included is a sampling of how retailers expressed themselves, many bitterly. HAS YOUR BUSINESS BEEN ADVERSELY AFFECTED? No 5.. • In fact it has been positive. Businesses won't complain when teachers go into their stores and spend. •Probably not. We're a service business'and don't have a lot of walk-in traffic, however, the peeping horns tiaye'been disruptive. • Not at all., 1. Yes '29 • • We are at the opposite end of town and have noticed the -number of customers dwindling since Monday. Wednesday was the worst day. • We've been greatly inconvenienced. • Business has fallen drastically to nil. Please help. • I have lost $100 worth of business that 1 am aware of. Protesters , have blocked the entrance,to my office building for many days. • Our regular customers have avoided coming downtown although some teachers have stopped in for a treat. There is no cpmparison to what regular sales should be the week before Halloween. Any non - teachers that have made it in have been angry and non -supportive: • Customers have said they can't wait to get home and out of this mess. I have seen customers park on Main St., get out of their car& step up to the sidewalk and not be let through the picket lines to get into the store. Customers are intimidated. • Customers have a difficult time parking. Our senior clientele arc surrounded and intimidated especially when they have to go against the flow. • Our business is seeing a decline of clients by a minimum of 50%. • People are staying away. • Customers are Uncomfortable • When the teachers showed up on Monday it was like they chased all the customers away. • Customers are nowhere to be seen. Elderly people had to go on the road to get out of the way. When the picketing switched to six -hour shifts it was less intimidating. • Business is half what it should be. • We have had complaints from customers about traffic and noise. Fewer customers this week because of all the hassle in front of the store.' DO YOU FEEL THIS ACTION WiLL HELP OR HINDER SUPPORT FOR TEACHERS? Help 5 Hinder 25 Uncertain 1 • Picketing downtown does not help teachers. No action at the office of Helen Johns has made a difference. The issue needs to be dealt with at the bargaining table. 1 don't agree with force tactics. Both sides should concentrate on solving the issue in their own territory, • Monday and Tuesday, with all the large numbers support for teachers was probably hindered but after the group segregated into smaller factions the animosity seemed to dwindle considerably. • If sales for retailers suffer no one will be out there for us when our business fails. • By affecting the business sector like this it is obviously going to be hard for teachers to gain any support. A very selfish move on their part. • • We have had a lot of customers comment on the situation. Many are not pleased with the congestion downtown. • It will help. Bill 160 must be adjusted, not all one way for the government. • It could help, but only if they show some respect for businesses and their customers by having a single fife parade of people. Space on the sidewalk is limited when they walk in groups. They should have ' flyers or arrange a town hall meeting. They should not hog the inter- sections when crossing the street, cars cannot turn at Main and Huron with no break in the lines to allow vehicles a chance to turn,. They should go in single file and not cross the street. • From wnat customers say this action has made them less sympa- thetic toward the teachers' cause. • I can't imagine businesspeople being supportive of a group that is lacking in simple common courtesy. No wonder our children are quite often without respect...for the law or anything else. Is this an example of what they get from school'? • Who can have respect for someone who breaks the Jaw and edu- cates our children. • How many have gone to London or other places to shop? • So far they've killed three days of business. They would have me lynched if I took three days of their pay away. • They are taking up our downtown parking. •. Each day this demonstration continues teachers will lose the support of more of the local citizens, however, truckers love it. • The "illegal" strike will greatly hinder support for teachers. • If they keep picketing in front of stores. They should only be in front of Helen's office. • Neither. People have decided already. DO YOU THINK HELEN JOHNS SHOULD MOVE HER OFFICE TO A NON -BUSINESS AREA IN ORDER TO MOVE THE DEMONSTRATION TO ANOTHER LOCATION? Yes 14 No 22 • If this happens on an ongoing basis I would say yes, otherwise, it's just a bit of bad luck we have to,deal with. The teachers should really be picketing at the schools, not as many people would see them but -they'd be out of the way. • Definitely, considering she's not even in the office. It's somewhat pointless. It's only hurting the small businesses tt at,ai'e wound her office. • The den'ionstrators should be the ones to move, they're interfering with retail practices. • The teachers should go to Helen's home area but 1 don't think this will help as she is never -around anyway. • Our MPP should not have to relocate her office. Relocate the law- breakers from the business arca. • How do ybu feel about your elected representative not being in her office to address the issue? • The office needs to be visible for those who need to find it. Why picket her office when they know she isn't there. • The demonstrations are for public relations and publicity and the value would be lost if Johns moved • If not visible, demonstrations of any kind wouldn't be effective. We all have that right (to demonstrate). • Get her here and take some heat. Where is the spine, in Toronto or Exeter? • Demonstrations should take place around the school or at Queen's Park, Toronto. • Mrs. Johns should not be forced to move her office but she should be willing to stand up for the policies that her government is pushing through and, at least, meet with teachers and listen to her constituents' concerns. These should be made known to the policymakers. She was elected by Huron County to serve Huron County. • The teachers should be,picketing in front of the school, not Main , Street. In any other company strikers picket in front of their own location. Strike organizers attempting to alleviate picketing problems Pickets on' Exeter's Main Street have left business owners, shoppers and teachers frustrated EXETER - The striking teachers realize they have had an impact on downtown businesses but hope they've made efforts to improve the situation. Terry Wilhelm, President of the Huron Perth English Catholic Teachers Federation said the teachers may have made a "few tactical errors" during the first week of the strike. "We've made some mistakes because we haven't done this before. I agree it has been an inconvenience at times," he said, adding, "Some stores are probably feeling the pinch in walk-through traffic or sales." Wilhelm also questioned if some parents with chil- dren at home and extra time may have chosen to shop in London. "I heard Masonville's business was booming," he claimed. The teachers, 650 in number last Monday, have been picketing Main Street because of the location of Huron's Member of Provincial Parliament Helen John's office in the downtown core. "We're targeting Helen John's office. It's not our fault she's not there," Wilhelm said. Responding to accusations that picketers were.rude and abused shoppers, Wilhelm said he can't say all teachers are "angels" but thought the vast majority were well-behaved. Niall Straw, principal of McCurdy Public School in Huron Park and a resident of Exeter has talked with the merchants and the Exeter Business Association. According to Wilhelm, the teachers would like to have a shopping spree in Exeter when the strike is over. cc targ Helen offs not our she th He said the strike May have benefitted a'few businesses; as many strike materials as possible were purchased in Exeter. RSD Sports Den has been selling hats with a strike slogan and restaurants have been patronized by the teachers. The teachers had been located at the corner of Huron and Main but moved after the building's owner received a complaint from the public. The Ranch House has provided the conference room at no charge as the teachers' headquarters. "He'll (the,owner) end up getting spin-off business," explained Wilhelm. • Signs in the strike headquarters request teachers walk only two abreast and not impede pedestrian traffic. Picketers have been asked to not park on Main Street. This week, the protesters have spread to other Huron County towns including Wingham, Clinton and Goderich. Wilhelm said teacher representatives approached the business associations and police forces in the respective towns ahead of time. "We want to get the message out that we don't want to dis- rupt business,'"Wilhelm said. He anticipated only 20-25 protesters ,would remain in Exeter and they would follow any re -location of Helen Johns' office. On Sunday afternoon, Johns said she would move her office if she received a "couple more calls" from business owners complaining about the strikers. If merchants or shoppers are encountering problems with the picketers, Wilhelm encourages them to call him. "We try to address problems as quickly and effectively as possible." We 're eting John's e. 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