Tourism Toronto named their promotion campaign Toronto Unlimited. Certainly not the situation in Toronto at the moment.
It took me an insane 2 hours to get to work today. Yes, the Toronto Transit Commission, a slow, cumbersome way to travel at the best of times, decided to go on a wildcat strike. TTC = Take The Car.
This was an illegal strike. In the middle of the duration of your contract, you CANNOT go on strike. The transit workers decided to cherry pick an issue and stage a strike. They should all be fired AND jailed. *rant on* If this was Bangladesh people would be calling in the army, some would be grabbing a hockey stick and beating up the striking workers (well maybe not). I do not condone senseless violence under any condition, but it seems in some dictatorships you get better public/medical service than here in Canada. *rant off*
Our elected officials seem to have no spine. Native protestors dig up a road in Caledonia and all the government can do is urge people to "be nice" (while they are tearing down hydro poles) *rolls eyes*.
The TTC union went on strike because they knew there would be ZERO consequences for their actions, except causing an inconvenience to 3 million people (but what do they care). The government should ARREST the union leaders, as well as every third driver or worker on strike (since you cannot arrest everyone). And the police should stick to their guns and remain firm, and throw those guys in jail for a month or two. Repeat for other illegal strikes.
If they do that, the next time a union decides to hold a city hostage by an illegal strike, they will think again.
I honestly cannot understand what the hell do some of those fat TTC workers do? Sit in a cushy chair in a comfortable booth and watch people pour coins through a slot. Fire the lot I say, and get automated gates and smart cards. And you want workers? There are so many recent immigrants ready to work for the TTC. And in my opinion, unlike the current seemingly good-for-nothing bastards, they will PROUDLY show up to work.
Tags: Toronto TTC Illegal Strike
The personal, official blog of author Mezbauddin Mahtab
13 comments:
im scared of muslims when they get angry since they always get violent and carried away
even those that seem normal at first are scary when they are ticked off
Yes, You got that right when you said new unemployed immigrants would take the TTC job in a heartbeat at whatever is being paid to them. This goes to show the integrity and the work dedication of the hard-working immigrants.
All I have seen chubby arrogant-good-for-nothing-donout-heads do is just sip on timmy's and eat bagels/muffins and watch people put in tickets/tokens/coins to enter the ttc system. And half of the time, they dont even seem enthusiastic about what they do and just put on a god-this-work-is-no-worse-than-jail look on their face. (Mez...reminds me of your bank post regarding a *fake* teller smile on every customer she checks in). Then the TTC thinks why some people harass their workers...WELL DUUUUUH.... You are in a business where you have to be enthusiastic everytime and if you cant keep that impression and just put on a brick like face 24/7, then I say, you deserve to be beaten with hockey sticks and cricket bats for going on strike illegally. Well, I dont live in Toronto at the moment, but I can imagine what people are going through.
Well, mez..just hope that you can get back home in less than 3 hours from downtown.
- Behbood
Hi Mezba, nice blog! I found the link through Nermeen's blog. I thought I'd comment on this post of yours since I have been affected by the TTC strike as well. I had two job interviews in downtown today (I live in the east end-Scarborough) and I ended up cancelling both unfortunatley because of this illegal strike. I am just glad that it's over now and I hope your commute back home was less frustrating! Keep blogging! :)
dude. it's like when the NY MTA went on a strike. lasted a couple of days as well, i believe.
do you know what the reasoning behind the TTC protest was though? there was obviously a reason! greater pay, lesser hours??
(yes, I'd be mad if I were in your shoes as well. but it helps to calm down and look at things from the other side)
please calm down. in Toronto (so the fable goes) we know how to put ourselves in the other person's shoes.
i agree with most people that it was wrong to stage a wildcat strike; they should have done it legally if they had to do it at all. however, before condemning the workers, i think it might be a good idea to hear what they have to say. all of the major newspapers are giving the opinions of commuters, politicians, and TTC management. hasn't even a single reporter thought of interviewing one of the strikers?
in response to the last commenter, the immediate reason for the action was that track maintenance workers were being taken off their day jobs and given night shifts, beginning on the day of the strike. the rumour (and it remains a rumour) is that in fact it was originally a work-to-rule action in which maintenance workers didn't show up for their night shifts but did show up in the morning as they were accustomed to, only to find that management had locked them out. in any case, we should consider that *gasp!* management might be at least partly to blame. details here.
btw, pitting immigrants against labour = the neocons duping both groups of suckers.
relax, take a deep breath and count to 10 if you have to but don't be inciting hatered and advocating violence. what was once a great transit system has been hindered by more than just employee apathy it has been cripled by our societies growing trend to violence and discourse, which you seem to support.
get it through your thick head that these comments of yours do nothing towards fostering any hope for the future of our transit system or the city as a whole.
Grow up and suck it up!!
for every action there is a reaction and their will be consequences to those who participated in this illegal action. All participants will lose at least the days pay........possibly more. Some will be dismissed and others will have notations put in their employee file which could negatively effect them in any future disciplinarian action.
Yeah, well the above commenters would appreciate it if you just sat down at took it like a punk.
I for one agree with the sentiment - fire them, replace them. There is no reason for a freaking bus driver to make 58,000$.
Further - this strike is related directly to the movement of 32 janitors to a night shift, over the objections of the union.
If those janitors don't like it, they can quit, like the rest of the world does. I for one would be interested in how much these 'senior' (yes, they have seniority) janitors earn. How can one be a senior janitor? What kind of skills are required? Oh thats right - NONE WHATSOEVER. What a sense of entitlement these uneducated schmucks have.
You reap what you sow.
Hopefully this leads to the replacement of the striking workers - I believe, since this was an illegal strike, mass firings would stand up to court scrutiny.
Anon (4:14): Boo! Scared ya!
even those that seem normal at first are scary when they are ticked off. Applies to anyone.
Behbood: Agree exactly. And tt did take me 3 hrs to get back. The subway opened near 6 (rather than 5 as promised). The RT wasn't running as frequently and the bus was stuck on the jam.
Zehra: Welcome! Ya, lot of people had to cancel appointments or pay bloated taxi fares (that's another post). I would like everyone who now have to pay cancellation charges to dentists, doctors and other such appointments to send the bill to the TTC.
Nowal: Seeing the chaos yesterday, I can only imagine what it must have been like in NYC (a much bigger transit base), though the New York union was fined $2.3 million and their leader sentenced to jail for 10 days.
Pasha: Whatever sympathy I had to drivers and other personell I lost it due to their ILLEGAL action. If they wanted to protest they could just wear a black armband or say everyone rides free.
As far as the myth that the workers were locked out, the union's own website (ATU) said in the morning that the transit workers are 'walking off' the job. I checked that before I posted. They canNOT blame the TTC for the strike. It was the workers, period.
And the news reports (especially Star and 680) DID interview transit workers, who just didn't make a good case of WHY they were on a ILLEGAL strike.
Anon (3:09): No one is inciting hatred or violence. We want fair rules. If you don't show up to work without reason you will be fired. If you disrupt a city's life and econony you will be jailed. The rules should apply fairly here. This was an ILLEGAL strike.
Anon (3:14): Thanks. Good to know, hope you are right.
Anon (8:00): exactly.
A nice comment was posted on CP24's website. This man really hit it straight!
- "I will be walking past the TTC workers without paying my subway fare each morning until I have recouped the $15.00/day that I will lose due to the strike. If they can break the law and stage an illegal strike then I can break the law and not pay my TTC fare."
LOL :)
- Behbood
If they had atleast informed the public about their decision to strike, many people could have arranged different methods of arriving to work, school etc. I think the lack of notice was the problem.
Behbood: It sounds like a good idea - even though it's punishing the TTC and not the union. If the TTC wants they can fine the person 500$. Which just proves there's one rule for us, and another rule for the union.
Arnab: welcome back. ya man this strike had no bloody point. it wasn't even about unsafe conditions or anything, it started because TTC wanted to save a few bucks by moving a day shift to a night shift! I say if the TTC wants to cut costs without cutting public safety I am all for it.
Anon (11:15): I agree. Lack of notice AND lack of legality. The union showed it did not bargain in good faith, and demonstrated their power. Will our elected officials now show some spine?
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