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-- Councillors move to make TTC essential service

Councillors move to make TTC essential service

http://www.thestar.com/news/gta/article/521065

it's about time!

quote:

Councillors move to make TTC essential service Oct 21, 2008 10:12 AM John Spears Staff Reporter A trio of city councillors kicked off a campaign this morning at Queen subway station,asking transit riders to help them get the Toronto Transit Commission declared an essential service. The councillors and their staff handed out thousands of petitions asking them to go online at www.cesarpalacio.com, and sign an online petition to put the TTC on the same legal footing as police, fire and ambulance services. That would make strikes illegal, and refer bargaining disputes to binding arbitration. The councillors plan to hand out flyers at selected stations throughout the rest of the week. Most riders took the yellow flyers and carried them off to work, although a few balked. "People are essential, not the TTC," snapped one woman, handing the flyer back. But others were prepared to listen. John Thompson, a downtown office worker, said he's in favour of declaring the TTC an essential service. "I think there would still be wildcat strikes, but I there it would be less likely to have a strike in the first place," Thompson said. He'll consider signing. He takes the TTC to work every day: "I never would drive downtown." During one of the wildcat strrikes, he ended up walking more than six kilometres to work. Others were curious about the issue. "I do take the subway every day. I'm definitely going to go online and check it out," said Navneet Lakhan of Woodbridge, who uses both Viva and TTC to get downtown. She said she hasn't formed an opinion yet on whether declaring the TTC an essential service is a good thing or not. "I have no idea," she said. "I'll be very honest. I'd like to go through more information before making a decision." But the flyer piqued her interest, she said, because "without the TTC I'd have no idea how I'm going to get down here every day." Councillors Cesar Palacio, Cliff Jenkins and Michael Thompson are behind the campaign. They hope to get the issue debated at next week's council meeting. Palacio said in an interview that TTC strikes cost the city $50 million a day in lost revenue and productivity. The immediate goal is to raise awareness of the issue, he said. Even if they're not successful in winning a vote at the next council meeting, the councillors plan to keep pushing and if necessary make it an issue in th 2010 municicpal election, he said: "We will continue to do this as long as it takes, because this is an issue that's not going to die."

Re: Councillors move to make TTC essential service

quote:

Originally posted by MarkT it's about time!

most definitely.

I'm all for this!

These TTC worker strikes are really getting ridiculous!

This is a horrible move. Shame on these councillors.

Way to restrict the free market bargaining process. Get ready for even higher TTC costs (without improvement in services).

Transit is not essential. Doctors? ok. EMS? ok. Police/Fire? ok. But not transit.

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker This is a horrible move. Shame on these councillors. Way to restrict the free market bargaining process. Get ready for even higher TTC costs (without improvement in services). Transit is not essential. Doctors? ok. EMS? ok. Police/Fire? ok. But not transit.

come on, RJ...TTC *is* an essential service for downtown Toronto, when you consider the lost $$$ for EVERYONE impacted.

this isn't a case of GM strikes and related suppliers/clients/employees are impacted. When the TTC is not running, EVERY industry is impacted by lost manpower. That is not acceptable and that alone could justify the TTC being deemed an essential service, IMHO.

the "free market bargaining process" only works when good faith bargaining exists, without wildcat/illegal strikes.

edit: this should be considered for schools too, IMHO. there is NO reason that EVERY time a contract is up, there's the threat of striking.

agree w/ rj, this is a v. bad move.. hope it doesn't go through

quote:

Originally posted by MarkT the "free market bargaining process" only works when good faith bargaining exists, without wildcat/illegal strikes.

Which is why the TTC should be punished for partaking in such activities - not benefited by making them "essential".

There is no reason for making this service essential - because it is not. The additional cost outcome of essential services are too significant to make this a rational decision.

If anything the TTC should be privatized.

This can only be a good or a bad thing...

/opine

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker Which is why the TTC should be punished for partaking in such activities - not benefited by making them "essential". There is no reason for making this service essential - because it is not. The additional cost outcome of essential services are too significant to make this a rational decision. If anything the TTC should be privatized.

I'd be fine with it being privatized (but highly regulated).

The union needs to go. In fact, unions in general need to go. They've ruined the North American auto industry, for one, and are an antiquated concept, IMHO. Legislation covers workplace safety, pay equity, etc. The unions suck money out of it's memebers and negatively impact efficiency in a company.

I'm sure some will flame me for that opinion.

I still think the TTC is so enshrined in our infrastructure that is is an "essential service". It's simply not possible for someone to otherwise traverse the city...so how is that not "essential" if there is NO alternative?

On the one hand, I'm glad I have a car and won't have to pay the exorbitant rates that will no doubt come as a result of this. On the other hand, I'm sure they're going to jack up property taxes and other municipal taxes to help pay for this new "essential service".

Boo. Yeah, the union needs to go, but I really think that just about all of Toronto's city councilors need to go, too.

They could just as easily pass legislation making it illegal to strike, without making it an essential service.

quote:

Originally posted by PivotTechno This can only be a good or a bad thing...

No shit, eh?

quote:

Originally posted by MarkT I still think the TTC is so enshrined in our infrastructure that is is an "essential service". It's simply not possible for someone to otherwise traverse the city...so how is that not "essential" if there is NO alternative?

Umm...walk, run, bike, cab, car, hitch hike, limo, private bus...etc. The others may not be as convenient or cost effective, but do not fool yourself into thinking the TTC is the only option.

This is the same problem that occurs with people who convince them selves there is no other alternative to driving. Again, you have to use the right type of transportation to meet your needs.

bad move...

quote:

Originally posted by Orko Umm...walk, run, bike, cab, car, hitch hike, limo, private bus...etc. The others may not be as convenient or cost effective, but do not fool yourself into thinking the TTC is the only option.

for a day or two, sure.

but how does one get from, say, the east end of Scarborough to their job in the financial district or to school out at York U?

without the TTC, you either drive (IF you have a car), find a ride (IF someone lives near you) or cab ($30-40 each way?).

come on...

the TTC *is* essential to this city. If its employees can be prevented from striking without legally deeming it an essential service, that's fine.

(Why are the councillors not exploring that option though?)

this bullshit with TTC strikes, teacher strikes, etc. drives me nuts...and I personally don't even benefit/suffer either way, since I live/work downtown (walk to work) and don't have kids!

quote:

Originally posted by rabbitjoker Which is why the TTC should be punished for partaking in such activities

I often wonder whether the TTC union actually suffered any consequences for those actions

last i recall the NYC transit union was fined $1 million a day by a district court and the union boss placed under house arrest when they performed a similar action there

quote:

Originally posted by dEsidEL I often wonder whether the TTC union actually suffered any consequences for those actions last i recall the NYC transit union was fined $1 million a day by a district court and the union boss placed under house arrest when they performed a similar action there

because canadians lack balls when it comes to dealing with illegal strikes and such

quote:

Originally posted by Yohan because canadians lack balls when it comes to dealing with illegal strikes and such

we've had the essential law thing for mass transit for as long as i can remember... so it seems ontarians lack balls

btw, the essential service thing is only for rush hour periods, not for everything else in between.

mass transit is as essential for rush hours, as firemen during a fire and army when there's a disaster.

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