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| quote: | City fears possible TTC strike
May 28, 2006. 08:25 PM
VANESSA LU
CITY HALL BUREAU
The Toronto Transit Commission is bracing for a possible wildcat strike or co-ordinated sickout Monday morning that could disrupt travel plans for 700,000 commuters.
Even though Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 president Bob Kinnear says he is not ordering any type of job action from 8,500 members, chief general manager Rick Ducharme is not so sure.
“We have some evidence that there’s been some coaching at the union executive level,” said Ducharme.
The union-management battle has been brewing for months on several issues including driver security, health premiums and job evaluations. Just last week, the union announced that its operators would not force passengers to pay their fares if a confrontation seemed possible.
The campaign quickly fizzled with the majority of operators collecting fares as required, said Ducharme.
The timing of Monday’s possible job action coincides with new schedules that went into effect Sunday night for employees who do track maintenance and cleaning for the TTC.
The TTC wants 53 of 87 janitors and 53 of 91 subway track workers permanently moved to the night shift from day jobs as part of a cost-savings measure.
Although the TTC can cope if those particular employees don’t report to work, Ducharme is worried that “the union is trying to entice others” who could directly affect service including those who move subway trains and other vehicles from yards for operation overnight.
“If something happens there, it would be a domino effect,” Ducharme said, arguing the commission has tried for months to negotiate with the union with no success.
“Usually, you can sit down and negotiate. But with (Kinnear), it’s his way or no way,” he said. “I’ve never seen anything like it and I’ve been in this business for 34 years.”
Kinnear argues that the TTC, chair Howard Moscoe and Mayor David Miller have no intention to resolve outstanding disputes.
“The employees aren’t seeing their issues at least acknowledged,” Kinnear said.
“There is a perception they have to take things into their own hands – potentially walking off the job,” he said. “There comes a point, you put people in a corner, and they come out swinging.”
Mayor David Miller said he concerned about the threat of illegal job action, noting he spoke with Ontario Labour Minister Steve Peters yesterday and asked for the ministry’s help.
A provincial mediator is expected to contact both sides today to try to resolve outstanding issues.
“The TTC is doing everything it needs to do to ensure the system will continue running and to deal with an illegal walkout should it happen,” Miller said.
“Employees are obliged to show up for work.”
He argued that with a collective agreement in place, there are legal mechanisms to resolve disputes including the grievance process.
If there’s an illegal work stoppage today – it would be the first since 1989 – the city would go to the labour board to seek a back-to-work order, said Miller.
In 1999, there was a legal two-day strike and in 1991, an eight-day strike ended with back-to-work legislation.
Kinnear argued that the TTC is trying to provoke a work stoppage with memos from Ducharme and human resources in recent weeks reminding employees that they are required to report for work.
Kinnear said just three weeks ago, he personally sent out a phone message telling all his members “to go to work even though the TTC continues to violate the collective agreement.”
Ducharme believes the threat of job action is linked partly to the union’s internal politics. Kinnear is up for re-election this year.
Kinnear dismisses any such talk.
“The first year I was elected, it was all because I had just been elected. The second year, it was a contract year. Now it’s an election year,” he said. “It’s just Rick Ducharme trying to deflect attention from the issues like assaults on drivers.”
TTC chair Howard Moscoe remained hopeful that it will be business as usual today.
“I’m fully confident that the union will want to fulfill their obligations to the riders,” he said. “I hope the union is not going to take this out on the travelling public.”
During the busy holiday season last December, New York city’s transit union organized an illegal strike that halted buses and subways for three days. In April, a judge fined the union $2.5 million (U.S.) for the strike and union leader Roger Toussaint was ordered jailed for 10 days for contempt. He was released after serving four days, for good behaviour.
For information on TTC service, call 416-393-4636 or visit www.ttc.ca.
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http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/Co...ol=968793972154
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