The ONLY Way!

Should this guy be allowed the power to cripple the most powerful city in Canada? Should any one person have that power?

I don't think so.

Yet here we have the President of the Toronto Transit Workers Union Bob Kinnear staging an illegal walkout on Monday surprising most commuters and causing huge turmoil in the city—during a record-breaking heatwave and smog alert day no less.

Man, this guy's timing couldn't have been worse!

The TTC's slogan has been, "The Better Way" for the past umpteen years. This is because it is the ONLY way, and because of this, the union has some pretty impressive bargaining power. Every time their contract comes up for renewal they make bigger and bigger demands.

Only last April, the city averted a major strike as the union and the commission butted heads until an eleventh-hour deal could be reached. During this time, the entire city was left wondering how they were getting into work the next day. Employers were coming up with contingency plans, employees were scrambling for alternate means to get to work. The mere talk of a strike was already disrupting business. We were literally left twisting in the wind.

In fairness, this recent dispute wasn't related to compensation, but rather worker safety. I can empathize with their concerns, but they simply have to find a better way to get what they want. Holding the threat of shutting down operations during a weekday over the city's head is not going to win them much public support and will result in rants similar to this one, although—dare I say—perhaps not as reserved. I see only one answer, break this union!

On Monday, many people didn't come to work because they didn't have any other way to come in. Those who did make it in, had to drive and endure gridlock traffic, only to make it downtown and not find a parking space. Those already in the city had to fight over cabs to get where they were going. The commute home was even worse with temperatures reaching record highs, and so did tempers. This walkout came as a surprise to most—there was little warning. Millions of dollars were lost by the city's businesses.

The union seems to believe that until they get their way, no one else should be able to get to work. This is—of course—bullshit! Like divorcing parents using their children as bargaining chips, the general populace of the city of Toronto is being used in a never-ending war between the union and the commission.

To add insult to injury, early this year, we had to endure yet another fare hike. Many people don't want to say it—but I will—it's all thanks to this power-drunk union. I wouldn't be surprised if the guy who drives my sorry ass on his bus down to Union Station every afternoon was making way more than I am, and I work for a large investment brokerage on Bay Street!

Listen, I don't begrudge anyone for earning what ever they can. I'd be a hypocrite if I did, since I'm a contractor myself. Like a mercenary, I go where the money is, from one job to the next. I charge what I can—what someone is willing to pay me. But what I make and the terms under which I work, I negotiate myself, I don't hide behind a union to get it. This just goes to further prove to me that the days when unions were a necessary evil, are long gone.

These days, the government imposes standards and regulations for the workplace, everyone has the same rights, unions aren't as necessary as they once were. All they seem to achieve now are increases in the cost and time of progress.

As I stated before, earlier this year the TTC announced yet another fare hike. Now the cost of a token is $2.75. In comparison, we have the following US cities: New York: $2; Chicago: $1.50; Philadelphia: $1.30; L.A.: $1.35; and Boston: $1. Now granted, Toronto's transit system is the third largest in North America—behind only New York and Mexico City—it is also probably one of the oldest and by many accounts one of the most antiquated and in dire need of upgrades and extensions.

I'm not seeing a lot of improvement to the system for my money's worth. Instead, I'm hearing a lot of stories intimating that the TTC is a money-losing proposition. It seems that these fare hikes are going directly towards paying the union's increasing demands.

On Monday the combination of heat and added traffic congestion added to everyone's frustration with the TTC. In my opinion they're losing the public relations war with stunts like these.

So, here I go again...I haven't done one of these for awhile...

To Mr. Kinnear and his union,

For contributing to the decay of a once proud and prestigious organization; for using the citizens of Toronto as pawns in you dirty little negotiations; for holding enough power to cripple the economic backbone of our country and actually using it;

I give you long train of bitch slaps.

One for every car on every train, every street car and bus that your members service and drive.

Comments

[Phil]

Ahh unions they are have a definant role in the economy but....

I'd like to know how many members voted for the strike. Did they take a vote? Was it a secret ballot? Or did the executive committee just make the decision?

[Al]

I don't know how they arrived at the decision, all I do know is that it caught most people off guard. I only heard about it as I was driving to the train station.

[Sameer Vasta]

I'm pretty sure they didn't vote on the strike: in order for the union to organize a strike vote for its members, I would figure the strike would have to be legal, instead of the highly illegal and city-crippling wildcat strike that happened last week.