Yellowknife Gymnastics Club to reopen Sunday after talks with union

The Yellowknife Gymnastics club will reopen its doors Sunday after being forced to shut down Saturday after the union representing City of Yellowknife employees called for job action at its facility.

A not-for-profit organization  operates the club out of a gym it owns. But those facilities are attached to the Yellowknife Multiplex, a city-run sports complex that is shut down during the strike by workers. With its separate entrance, the gymnastics club continued to operate last week.

But the club shut down Saturday after the its president said he'd seen an internal union memo directing striking workers to form a strike line near the club's location.

Workers began striking at the entrances to the Yellowknife Fieldhouse and Multiplex at 8 a.m Saturday. 

In an email to members on Saturday, club president Steve Thompson said the club's board had been in talks with the union to "come to an arrangement."

"[Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of Norther Workers] has ensured to us that: 'Our message to our membership and everyone else is that our picket lines will be peaceful, family-friendly and positive," the email says.

"While we would prefer that no one crosses the picket line, we want to confirm that in no way will any of your members accessing your facility face anything negative from our picket line.'"

"Therefore, the Yellowknife Gymnastics Club has decided that we will remain open with this understanding in place, as we cannot afford to keep our doors closed any longer as we continue to try and recover from the disruptions the COVID closures brought to our organization."

Thompson says the club will reopen on Sunday, and that any members who chose to cross the picket line should notify the club if they are treated "in any way that is negative" by striking workers. 

"A lot of non-profit groups have been impacted when the City of Yellowknife shut down their facilities," Union of Northern Workers president Gayla Thunstrom said in an email statement Friday.

"City workers don't want to disrupt services. They are citizens of Yellowknife, taxpayers, and they use the same services that everyone uses. They are on picket lines demanding fair wages, respect and to be valued… Local 345 members will be picketing at the multiplex this weekend, and we request residents of Yellowknife to not cross picket lines in the meantime."