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I'm sure you've all heard about it...but just in case you live under a rock or bowl of poutine. Prepare for alternative routes to work. Horray for me having to get up early to drop wifey off at the Go station if this happens.. and then pick her up.. blah!

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/415567

Quote:The clock is now ticking on a potential transit strike that could cripple Toronto Monday morning.

Toronto Transit Commission drivers and operators will not report for work starting at 4 a.m. on Monday unless a deal is reached by Sunday afternoon, Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 president Bob Kinnear said this morning.

If there's no contract agreement by 4 p.m. Sunday, he said, the union will begin notifying its 8,900 members that they are on strike.

Speaking at a news conference this morning, Kinnear said he regretted having to issue the strike deadline, but noted that there's still plenty of time for Mayor David Miller to step in.

"We haven't taken this decision lightly," said Kinnear. "We recognize the majority of Torontonians who use the TTC have no alternative but we cannot continue to subsidize this transit system."

Kinnear said the city of Toronto treats transit workers as second-class citizens when it comes to wages, benefits and pensions compared to other city employees.

TTC chair Adam Giambrone promised that TTC negotiators will "continue to discuss as long as it takes" to reach a settlement.

“We’re committed to a fair deal for our employees that is affordable to the City of Toronto," he said during a news conference at City Hall today.

"We’re encouraged that both sides have expressed a real willingness toward a negotiated settlement," he said.

“For those of you who’ve covered other collective agreements this isn’t always the case, and I think that bodes well for the next couple of days."

He appeared to draw a distinction between union negotiators and the actual drivers, ticket collectors and other workers who operate the TTC day to day.

“We’re also very committed to our front-line employees, and as you know they are not the ones at the table," Giambrone said.

"They are the ones who are serving the public each and every day, moving the 1.5 million people who use the TTC every day, and deserve our respect. They don’t conduct the negotiations.”

When asked what he plans to do in the event of a strike, Giambrone said he’s got his bike ready.

"I was the former chair of the cycling committee, so one of the advantages of that is I've got my bike ready, so if necessary I would do that,” he said.

"But hopefully we're going to avoid any situations and I'll be taking the TTC to work Monday."

Speaking to reporters in Toronto from China this morning, mayor Miller said the city needs to be fair to its workers but cannot afford to be too generous.

Miller also said he has no intention of getting involved in contract negotiations as the strike deadline looms.

Speaking in Barrie this afternoon, Premier Dalton McGuinty refused to comment directly when asked whether his government would end a transit strike with back-to-work legislation.

"I remain optimistic, as I must, that this will be resolved by the parties," McGuinty said. "I want to impress on the two sides that they have a very heavy responsibility."

won't effect me in a way that i wount take the red rocket, but i guess this will incrase the loads on the highways bc everyone will be taking thier car to work.

Lot of ppl at my work have already booked one week of car rental just incase it does happen.

ironic this would happen the week that I actually HAVE to go into the office.

All you single guys should offer your co-workers a ride.......for a fee.... ( cup of coffee) :rolleyes:

I'll probably just walk to work...

this is so stupid they're always on strike. if it were me in the company id say...


ok you drive a bus everyday for work, sitting doing nothing. stop complaining and get back to work.

if the answer was no, then i'd say

well you're not irreplaceable, so ok you're fired, lets get a job fair goin folks!

Spinal,Apr 18 2008, 02:04 PM Wrote:this is so stupid they're always on strike. if it were me in the company id say...


ok you drive a bus everyday for work, sitting doing nothing. stop complaining and get back to work.

if the answer was no, then i'd say

well you're not irreplaceable, so ok you're fired, lets get a job fair goin folks!
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mmmm, i guess you never worked in a union enviroment. Its lot easier then said. These guys pay union dues every month for things like this.

Spinal,Apr 18 2008, 10:04 AM Wrote:this is so stupid they're always on strike. if it were me in the company id say...


ok you drive a bus everyday for work, sitting doing nothing. stop complaining and get back to work.

if the answer was no, then i'd say

well you're not irreplaceable, so ok you're fired, lets get a job fair goin folks!
[right][snapback]262375[/snapback][/right]

Always?

Try doing their job before you make inflammatory comments.
Yes, they are well compenated.
Yes, it does sound like they are whining about their working conditions.
However, if you listen to what the union boss was saying, he just wants his members to be treated the equally as the rest of City employees and the non-union management of the TTC. If you listened carefully, you would have noticed that the union person when off sick, doesn't get the same benefits as the non-union employee.To be treated equally.

Where I work, we have four different unions, and management,with varying qualifications,but everyone gets the same "basic" benefits. The same percentage of pay increase, the same working conditions and the same respect, no matter what job you have.

...and in other news, North Bay Transit went on strike and no-one noticed. The bingo halls and coffee shops did report lower than usual revenues, however. :lol:

NOS2Go4Me,Apr 18 2008, 11:24 AM Wrote:...and in other news, North Bay Transit went on strike and no-one noticed. The bingo halls and coffee shops did report lower than usual revenues, however. :lol:
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:lol:

That's ok, when the snow finishes thawing they can just ride their ATVs to Bingo.

Spinal,Apr 18 2008, 09:04 AM Wrote:this is so stupid they're always on strike. if it were me in the company id say...


ok you drive a bus everyday for work, sitting doing nothing. stop complaining and get back to work.

if the answer was no, then i'd say

well you're not irreplaceable, so ok you're fired, lets get a job fair goin folks!
[right][snapback]262375[/snapback][/right]

Hehe my wife drove a TTC bus for a while. She says its not as easy as it seems. Any little thing wrong and you get hauled into the office. And once she went down (I think it was) Lawrence sideways on ice.. Thats when she turned in her keys and said F it.

But even she is like "stop whining and work, you get everything handed to you, and when they don't want to do something for you, you complain and strike".

Wendy Whiners.

OAC_Sparky,Apr 18 2008, 11:43 AM Wrote:

NOS2Go4Me,Apr 18 2008, 11:24 AM Wrote:...and in other news, North Bay Transit went on strike and no-one noticed. The bingo halls and coffee shops did report lower than usual revenues, however. :lol:
[right][snapback]262388[/snapback][/right]

:lol:

That's ok, when the snow finishes thawing they can just ride their ATVs to Bingo.
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We already broke our "ATVs" out ;)

I think the biggest problem, and this is something that even Mike Harris, the biggest union buster around never tried as premier was to simply declare the TTC an essential service.

Don't think that public transit is essential to Toronto? Watch the chaos that will happen on Monday folks <_<

Look, I'll admit I'm unionized myself and all about protecting worker's rights here, but holding an entire city hostage is a disgusting tactic that should not get rewarded IMO.

Declare them an essential service, binding arbitration (on both sides, only way to make it at all acceptable) and there you have it, problem solved and we don't have to hear stories of TTC users, esp. Wheel Trans users becoming virtual shut ins when the drivers decide to hit the bricks...

NefCacnuck

well this dosn't affect me either as I work in Brampton and rarely venture into Toronto durring the week. too bad for anyone without a car though.... even though traffic will be a nightmare.

Well, the TTC strike is averted... there goes my morning walk ..

now I'll make it to my conference in time for breakfast -- here's hoping there's lots o' free danishes!