Toronto St Lawrence Centre Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | CreateTO | Hariri Pontarini

[Tulse]

Teachers plan and develop course material, and train for the following school year during their summer break; university professors conduct research and attend conferences (for many, their so-called "off" time is busier than their "on" time); and politicians meet with their constituents (for what it's worth). In other words, for much of their vacation, teachers, professors, and politicians actually work.

I've been a university professor, and my spouse is a teacher, and while it is true that some of summer is work time, a lot of it is vacation.

 

[condovo]

I've been a university professor, and my spouse is a teacher, and while it is true that some of summer is work time, a lot of it is vacation.

That's why I said for much of their vacation. You and the others do acknowledge that at least part of your vacation time is spent working. That's not what's happening with the St. Lawrence Centre workers. Their union is insisting they be paid 2 to 3 months a year to do nothing. Also, the role of teachers and professors (if not politicians) is indispensable in our society so the "perks" can be justified. Can the same be said about the workers at the St. Lawrence Centre? I think not.

 

[Maggie]

Much of the what you are calling so called vacation time is actually spent doing maintenance at the St Lawrence to keep the performers safe as well as the patrons and the workers not just trying to put in a descent show. Speaking of descent shows why not book half descent shows there, most of which are crap. Jim Roe could not run a lemonade stand on Yonge street let alone a theatre this guy really is a bad manager. The St Lawrence was always booked with really good shows at one time and a good rival to the Mirvishes and other production companies but alas when Jim took over it went into the shitter. Too bad, maybe Dan Cap productions should buy up the St Lawrence, Sony and North York Centre for the arts.

 

[Tulse]

Their union is insisting that they be paid 2 to 3 months a year to do nothing.

My understanding is that the issue is that theatre work is inconsistent (bookings are not reliable), and they are simply demanding that they be paid consistently. You may disagree with that, but it is not that unreasonable (and ultimately not that different from teachers, whose salary is based on the notion that they won't be in the classroom for three months).

And yes, teachers and profs are "indispensable", but if you want live theatre at the St. Lawrence, so are the theatre workers.

 

[condovo]

And yes, teachers and profs are "indispensable", but if you want live theatre at the St. Lawrence, so are the theatre workers.

Can't have live theatre at the St. Lawrence, or anywhere else, if theatre companies can't afford to stage shows because labour costs are so high. In defending the status quo, I suppose your response would be "Tough!".

 

[Tulse]

Can't have live theatre at the St. Lawrence, or anywhere else, if theatre companies can't afford to stage shows because labour costs are so high. In defending the status quo, I suppose your response would be "Tough!".

No, my response would be that, like any organization or business, SLC needs to have a reasonable budget that takes into account its expenses and revenues, and, like any union, the theatre workers union needs to ensure its members are treated fairly. This really isn't an either-or situation, but one where compromise on both sides is necessary.

 

[condovo]

No, my response would be that, like any organization or business, SLC needs to have a reasonable budget that takes into account its expenses and revenues, and, like any union, the theatre workers union needs to ensure its members are treated fairly. This really isn't an either-or situation, but one where compromise on both sides is necessary.

Well, the theatre workers are being treated so "fairly," the SLC and theatre companies can't produce budgets rich enough to meet their labour costs. Perhaps it's the labour costs that are unreasonable, not the SLC's / theatre companies' budgets. I guess you'd just pass all this on to theatre-goers. Theatre tickets are way too cheap these days.

 

[Tulse]

Perhaps it's the labour costs that are unreasonable, not the SLC's / theatre companies' budgets.

Possibly, and that's precisely what contract negotiations are designed to determine.

Labour/management negotiations are always about both sides trying to get the best deal. I don't understand why this comes as a surprise.

 

[condovo]

^^ What's a surprise is how uncritically some people in this thread have accepted the theatre workers' labour demands, accusing the city of "Thatcherism" and of waging a "war on creativity" for not wanting to pay them for not working for 2 to 3 months a year. I felt it necessary to counterbalance the easy, breezy pro-union bias here.

 

[Automation Gallery]

^^ What's a surprise is how uncritically some people in this thread have accepted the theatre workers' labour demands, accusing the city of "Thatcherism" and of waging a "war on creativity." I felt it necessary to counterbalance the easy, breezy pro-union bias here.

Im not surprised, all you have to do is read some of their views in the political threads....shocking

 

[condovo]

^^I can only imagine. I don't go to those threads. rabble.ca redux?

 

[Automation Gallery]

^^I can only imagine. I don't go to those threads. rabble.ca redux?

Dont blame you.

 

[adma]

^^ What's a surprise is how uncritically some people in this thread have accepted the theatre workers' labour demands, accusing the city of "Thatcherism" and of waging a "war on creativity" for not wanting to pay them for not working for 2 to 3 months a year. I felt it necessary to counterbalance the easy, breezy pro-union bias here.

Though to be honest, my own invocation of Thatcherism sort of subliminally alluded to the cause-and-effect issue--that is, a lot of Maggie T.'s more notorious "acts" were built upon a foundation of labour unrest and dysfunction. It isn't like she swept away the innocent, more like she put her foot down re ridiculousness.

In that light, StLC's crisis might as well be like TCHC's "spending scandal" as a gift horse in the phat philistine phuck's mouth.

 

[Urban Shocker]

Given the pittance the City transfers to the arts, compared to ( for example ... ) a bloated police budget that supports hundreds of officers to sit around twiddling their thumbs all day and writing up reports, I think this is such a minor issue. I'd rather see $30 lopped off my property tax each year with $20 of it transferred to the creative community .... with the remaining $10 as a reduction in my tax.

 

[condovo]

Time for police and fire to go on the chopping block too. They can make up the difference selling beefcake.