TORONTO -- A year after Internet trolls harassed the Cincinnati Zoo's Twitter account into hiding, striking union workers at the Toronto Zoo are stealing the spotlight with their wildly punny signs.
A labor dispute shuttered the gates of the zoo on May 11 when the Canadian Union of Public Employees 1600 went on strike. Horticulturalists, maintenance staff, zookeepers, veterinary technicians and many more remain on strike, displaying their creativity rather than the animals they care for.
Signs reading “I otter be working! Fair contract now!” and “We aren’t lion. We need job security!" were among the many signs picketers have carried in front of the zoo.
"To keep the best staff, the zoo must pay its workers decent wages. It only makes sense that the best way to keep staff and keep the zoo world class is to improve staff wages," the union wrote on its website.
The zoo has responded by saying "the union’s demands were simply unaffordable and do not reflect the financial realities facing the zoo or other settlements reached within the city of Toronto."
Check out the strikers' handiwork below and see more at the link here.
Toronto Zoo workers still off the job https://t.co/iS1IJqBcBh pic.twitter.com/BxvNuSacBd
— CTV Toronto (@CTVToronto) May 24, 2017
Striking Toronto Zoo workers are having some fun with their signs. pic.twitter.com/5f7gbD7r4Q
— David Rider (@dmrider) May 11, 2017
The Workers @ZooToronto are on #strike against #ContractingOut - Support them #ourTorontoZoo @cupe1600 @CUPEOntario #Solidarity pic.twitter.com/PII9kzbaW3
— Fred Hahn (@FredHahnCUPE) May 12, 2017
Striking Toronto Zoo staff picket signs kick asp. pic.twitter.com/pkwUf5aK76
— Andy Bowers (@evilpez4) May 18, 2017
