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Exactly one week after a wildcat strike caused Monday T.T.C. closures and wreaked havoc on Toronto’s streets, residents of the city who ride The Rocket as well as those that drive it could be preparing for exactly the same thing.
“You just hear a lot of talk going around,” said streetcar driver Faye Budree.
“There could be something happening tomorrow again, that’s all I want to say.”
The previous week’s one-day strike shut down all the transit systems throughout the Greater Toronto Area, leaving thousands of would-be passengers stranded and many of them equally furious.
The issue stems in part from T.T.C. workers complaining of management not taking enough responsibility for their day-to-day safety. The problem of driver and employee safety is a real one, but responses and solutions have been slow to come.
Understandably, this has led to aggravation on both sides of the debate.
“There will always be frustration,” said a driver that asked not to be identified.
“It’s never going to stop now.”
Two court orders were needed to force transit employees back to work last Monday, and this time officials with the City of Toronto say they have a plan should another strike take effect at 12:01am Monday.
“Our senior staff are going to be standing by going into work tonight if anything happens, and we’ll make sure we get a warning out if it does,” said T.T.C. Chair Howard Moscoe.
“But they’re (T.T.C. employees) are going to squander any goodwill whatsoever that they’ve built up with the people of Toronto.”
Most workers and union representatives are keeping quiet about just how realistic a strike could be, but since any work stoppage would technically be illegal that should come as no surprise.
Union head Bob Kinnear says he’s given no instructions to walk off the job to those he represents, but it’s happened before, meaning there’s no reason it can’t and won’t happen again.
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Just surrender yourself to the rhythm,
With your hands up in the sky,
Feel the energy deep inside your system
And leave this world behind...
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