Ghost of a flea: Back to work

April 27, 2008

Back to work

The Provincial Legislature is to meet today to enact back-to-work legislation regarding the TTC strike. An interesting note on our government and constitution on why the Legislature is only back in session as of 1:30 this afternoon...

While the Legislative Assembly has sat on Sundays before – the last time being in 1997 during a filibuster surrounding the amalgamation of Toronto by then Tory premier Mike Harris – today is believed to be the first time the House has been recalled for a Sunday.

Getting the Legislature back involved tricky protocol issues. Government House Leader Michael Bryant's office prepared an order in council to facilitate the session. After McGuinty and Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, the chair of cabinet, signed the one-page order, an official had to drive it to the Scarborough home of Lieutenant Governor David Onley for his signature.

Ironically, traffic gridlock slightly delayed the reconvening of the Legislature. By law, there must be 24 hours' notice to recall the House and gridlock from Queen's Park to Scarborough meant the earliest it could meet was 1:30 p.m. today.

Related: From an update to yesterday's National Post coverage of the TTC strike.

UPDATE 12:50 p.m.: ... An important note, the back-to-work legislation requires the support of ALL parties at Queen's Park. The Tories and Liberals are willing to OK the legislation. The NDP haven't voiced their support for the legislation but NDP Leader Howard Hampton will be speaking at 1:30 p.m.

If the NDP doesn't OK the legislation, there will have to be debate on the bill, which could delay the return of the TTC.

For up to five days should the NDP have sided with the strike. I suppose that decision depended on whether Ontario's ersatz socialist party wanted to elect MPPs from Toronto ever again. Given that Howard Hampton still will not say whether he thought it was reasonable for the unions to break their word, strike with an hour's notice on a Friday night and strand over a million people downtown, I would say their chances are not looking good even if they should bring themselves to do the right thing this afternoon.

Unions are meant to help "working people", not establish a closed shop aristocracy of the proletariat. It is the working poor who are hurt by this strike, not the bosses at the TTC. A shift worker on minimum wage may easily spend more getting to and from a job s/he cannot afford to lose than s/he will make working their eight or twelve hours; a shift which could be the difference between buying groceries and not buying groceries. These are the people TTC drivers abandoned at midnight, so concerned at being "insulted" by the public last weekend. So much for solidarity.

Related: On the side of the angels.

Only NDP Leader Howard Hampton was left in a slightly awkward position – but not for long. "This is legislation we can support," he said, since it is "essentially the same" as that used to end a garbage strike in 2002.

More persuasive than precedent, however, was probably the compelling fact of where scarce NDP bread is buttered. The party holds only 10 seats. Four are in Toronto.

And the subway runs through all of them.

The same might be said for surprisingly moderate, reasonable Toronto Star coverage of the strike. Management must have decided not to incur the expense of replacing every blue newspaper box in the city.

Update: In case anyone still harbours sympathy for these TTC bastards.

2:28 a.m.: Queen Street East (The Beach), Rob Roberts, National Post Toronto editor:

Dan McBride, a 28-year-old salesman, said he's moving to Nanaimo, B.C., and he's a day late. He was at Eglinton and Yonge at midnight.

"They kicked everyone off the f***** train. It was really horrible and they were rude to everyone." He paid the fare than heard the announcement. "I said, 'buddy, can I get my $2.75 back?' He had a shit-eating grin and he said, all I can give you is a transfer." McBride took a $25 cab to The Beach to meet his sister. He was interviewed outside the Castro's Lounge.

Update: Correct.

Whenever they do return to work, Local 113 members can expect the cordial relations they enjoyed with the public after averting a strike to evaporate. Every operator who goes for a coffee, who throws his passengers out into the rain, who argues over a transfer will be subject to abuse.
...
Local 113 has blown its relationship with the most pro-labour Commission and Council they could hope to have across the bargaining table. From here on, who can trust their signature on a contract?

Excellent comments at the Steve Munro post. One from Subway Operator deserves particular attention. Also, from a bus operator.

The time of the strike, lack of notice, and stranding of riders is irresponsible in my opinion. I know that I will be demanding answers from my Union Representatives. This could have (and should have) been handled much differently.

Another operator points out that drivers will take 100% of the blame. At least one driver believes the vote was rigged. Something to keep in mind while considering the etiquette of your next bus trip.

I cannot believe all the whining and shit talking on here. Bob Kinnear did a good job in getting a good contract to ratify. I went down to vote in favour of it along with 8 other friends. We were all shocked that it did not pass. While we were voting, which was at the Harvey Shop, the maintenance people began to taunt us, and telling us that we ought to vote “no” since we’re voting on their territory.

Blood pressure warning on these comments from a former TTC maintenance worker. And I agree with this sentiment entirely.

I for one have to say it pains me to see that so many operators voted yes because I for one really really feel betrayed and stabbed in the back right now by all members of the union. I’ve always been the type of person that if someone dared to raise sh*t with an operator while I was riding on the bus, I’d jump to my feet and be the first to defend the driver. Honestly, I’m not so sure if I’d have the same reaction anymore, I really and truly feel like the entire TTC union has stuck a knife in my back.

Every time I get off the bus (assuming its not so busy that I’d hold up everyone) I make my way to the front and tell the driver to have a nice day. I defend them, I support them when talking with others, I look up to them; and what is the response? The response is that because I’m part of the dirty public, that I’m a bad person. That because some members of the public might choose to disrespect a driver, that ALL members are therefore the same. I question why I bother to be so supportive if this is how I get looked at.

Update: First, second and third readings of Bill 66 out of the way and the TTC is back to work. There is a lot here about how the drivers should be "treated with dignity" tomorrow morning, Premier Dalton McGuinty saying:

“I ask that upon restoration of TTC services, users extend their usual courtesy to workers there for the invaluable they provide. ... Courtesy and goodwill are the foundations upon which we should all seek to build.”

I cannot speak for the rest of Toronto. But I plan to treat TTC workers with exactly the same courtesy and goodwill they have shown to me.

Posted by Ghost of a flea at April 27, 2008 08:48 AM

Comments

I am a union-hater at the best of times, but oddly enough I didn't get too pissed this time around. I was mostly hoping for a weekday strike so I'd have an excuse to work from the pub. Simple plan, but even that got loused up due its happening on a weekend. Missed a TSO show but that can be rebooked.

That said, the strike was certainly ill-thought and who in their right minds strands people at 10pm on a Friday?

Phillip Preville's take in Toronto Life ("Fare Treatment") is exactly right:

The union asked for a guarantee that they will be the highest-paid transit workers in the GTA no matter what, and management, like Stockholm Syndrome–addled hostages, gave it to them. Then the union had the gumption to vote it down and return to the bargaining table with a list of new demands. The eventual bill for the collective agreement, whatever it turns out to be, will likely be paid at every fare box visit by Toronto commuters, the vast majority of whom, I am quite certain, are not the highest-paid whatever-it-is-they-do in the GTA.

That's a good point to consider even on the pro-union side.

Posted by: Chris Taylor at April 28, 2008 01:27 PM