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City Workers Strike 2009

Heres a thought for you, Whats going to happen come sept if the city works strike isnt ended, do you think the school board may try it as well?
 
Mr.Colley said:
I know if anything mine's increased, but thats because im having my first child so we had to get a lot of the stuff. Crib, playpen. DIapers. Ect.. it costs a lot of money lol.
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Well the diapers cost money (and a great investment ... got 36 of them 20-months ago ... I'm so glad that I'm not using paper ones with the garbage strike).

But a lot of people just end up giving away a lot of baby stuff to get rid of it. I can't think much we've spent money on, except for a small stroller (small ... those SUV ones are just a pain ... try getting one onto a streetcar!), some baby gates, and the odd piece of clothing here and there.
 
nfitz said:
Well the diapers cost money (and a great investment ... got 36 of them 20-months ago ... I'm so glad that I'm not using paper ones with the garbage strike).

But a lot of people just end up giving away a lot of baby stuff to get rid of it. I can't think much we've spent money on, except for a small stroller (small ... those SUV ones are just a pain ... try getting one onto a streetcar!), some baby gates, and the odd piece of clothing here and there.
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We've gotten a lot fo stuff thanlfully but most of it we bought but we did a lot of shopping around and bought stuff on sale too which helped. :)
Bu having a kid is expensive lol
 
Ironically, so far the garbage strike has worked out better for me.

I couldn't get rid of some garbage for my last garbage pickup day because I was out of town that day, so it was just sitting in my shed ready for another two week wait. It was significantly more garbage than usual too for various reasons. Then the following week saw more garbage than I normally put out too. Thus, I had two large bags of garbage that would normally cost me one of those yellow tags, or possibly two yellow tags since I had another week before I hit garbage pickup day. Or else I'd have to go to a transfer station and wait in line in the stink to spend 10 bucks to drop off the garbage.

Then they opened the temporary dumps. So I just popped over there - 5 minute drive - and dropped off the two big bags for "free". I may drop another bag off this week. So, three bags of garbage for the price of one. ;) At least I'm not dumping the 20 bags of garbage a few people have gotten away with though.

------

BTW, I drove past one of the temp dumps today and there was someone there spraying the pile. I believe it was pest control. Hopefully that's just preventative, and not a response to vermin already showing up.
 
Eug said:
Ironically, so far the garbage strike has worked out better for me.
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Not so much for the city workers' strike in general though. I just called the city about a sick tree and they're on strike too and won't look at any trees unless the trees are actually hazardous or blocking roadways or whatever. ie. A tree emergency, as it were. So, I've called a private arborist instead.
 
http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2009/06/30/matt-gurney-in-patriotic-toronto-pride-parade-goes-ahead-canada-day-gets-the-axe.aspx

National Post's take on the garbage strike, regarding the city decision to clean up Pride Parade garbage but not for Canada Day.

I intentionally cut out the highly offensive remarks in the users comment section; read them at your own risk.

Matt Gurney: In patriotic Toronto, Pride parade goes ahead; Canada Day gets the axe

What's the difference between Gay Pride and national pride? In Toronto, one goes on in spite of the strike, and the other gets cancelled. Guess which one got the axe? If you guessed Canada Day, that would be correct!

Pride Week is one of Toronto's most famous, most profitable festivals. It brings people in from all over the world for a huge party and one massive, event-ending parade. While a huge boon for Toronto business owners and tax revenues, packing a million people onto downtown streets obviously results in a lot of litter. Normally, that would be no big deal, and in years past, the city is quickly and efficiently returned to pristine condition. Well...as close as Toronto ever comes, anyway.

This year, though, with city workers out on strike, the massive cleanup job fell to the city's non-union work force and a handful of private contractors. Along the way, union members picketed and otherwise interfered with the private workers, spouting the usual drivel about non-union members doing the jobs the union members refuse to do. Nonetheless, despite the poor weather and the pickets, the streets were swept, the trash collected, and another successful Pride Week was brought to a close.

Canada Day, though – not so lucky.

While there will still be several provincially and federally run events taking place within the confines of Toronto, such as fireworks at Ontario Place and the former CFB Downsview, all city-run events have been cancelled due to the strike. With the workers on the picket lines, there is not enough staff to run the events, city officials say, and no one to clean them. Their argument is that Pride, though massive, is at least geographically constrained, whereas Canada Day events would be scattered across the city, and therefore harder to clean up with limited staff. I know that David Miller isn’t one to provoke a union if he can at all avoid it, but it would have been nice to see at least a glimmer of citizenship from both the government and the unions. Surely the one day of the year where we celebrate our nation could have been salvaged? I guess it goes to show you how the unions and the city officials think. We daren't offend the Pride organizers, that would be politically incorrect. Canadians as a whole, however? Screw 'em.

Torontonians who don’t want to shuffle north or south to take in the fireworks will have a harder-than-usual time organizing a neighbourhood event. City parks, normally a great place for a picnic and some celebratory flag-waving, are in the process of being turned into open-air dumps for the city’s rotting trash. Nineteen already have been so converted and currently house the city’s waste. If things aren’t resolved soon, dozens more will be turned into dumps. How delightful. Really stirs up the patriotic fervour, doesn’t it?

Canadians are blessed to live in a rich, peaceful land. Let’s hope that knowledge is enough to placate 2.5 million Torontonians on Wednesday, all dressed up in red and white, and with no clean place to go. Those who can would be well advised to flee into the countryside around the GTA. Even when it rains, the parties go on.

Happy Canada Day to you, Toronto! Don’t mind the smell.

Matt Gurney
National Post
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City Hall should do what Reagan did and fire everyone of these idiotic union workers and hire an entirely new staff. We shouldn't be getting bullied by the selfish idiots running the services around here.
 
egotrippin said:
City Hall should do what Reagan did and fire everyone of these idiotic union workers and hire an entirely new staff. We shouldn't be getting bullied by the selfish idiots running the services around here.
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i'm up for a career change for lifetime job security!
 
egotrippin said:
City Hall should do what Reagan did and fire everyone of these idiotic union workers and hire an entirely new staff. We shouldn't be getting bullied by the selfish idiots running the services around here.
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You mean the air traffic controllers? That kind of thing would never happen here, least of all with Miller/McGuinty in charge. Even Harper wouldn't attempt it.
 
^"c) they are not overpaid "

I'm sure they wouldn't mind bidding against a private contractor, then?
 
They are overpaid. Those trash collectors make more than the Air Force privates i lead and they have half the employable skills. If they think they are employable like Afransen suggested let them go up against a private contractor.
 
kEiThZ said:
They are overpaid. Those trash collectors make more than the Air Force privates i lead and they have half the employable skills. If they think they are employable like Afransen suggested let them go up against a private contractor.
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CITY TV reported city trash collectors make $25/hour + benefits, while the contracted out pvt collectors in Etobicoke make ~$17/hour without 18 bankable sick days/year.

That's at least 35-40% premium !
 
cdr108 said:
CITY TV reported city trash collectors make $25/hour + benefits, while the contracted out pvt collectors in Etobicoke make ~$17/hour without 18 bankable sick days/year.

That's at least 35-40% premium !
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That's what - around $34,000 a year or so? Frankly, $17/hour with no real benefits for trash collection appears pretty damn low for the crappy job that it is.
 
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