TTC: Other Items (catch all)

[Richard White]

I remember the last strike when my father was still working for the TTC.

We got an automated call from Bob Kinnear telling 113 Members that as of 12:01 am the union would be on strike. That message came around 9 pm.

It went on to tell union members not to report to work the next day and await further instructions relating to pickets.

Eventually when they went back to work it was interesting to watch the buses start to roll out of Birchmount division.

 

[allengeorge]

I’m glad a strike was averted (for now); let’s see what union membership says.

That said, I think it’s super nutty that cross-border bussing is seen as a major problem by the union. I understand that it _may_ (key word: may) result in fewer TTC buses over time, but Toronto needs more transit service, and I suspect operators can be reassigned to better uses. I also wouldn’t be surprised if cross-border bussing combined with the one-fare program increased the demand for transit, making this a win for all transit agencies. I have zero sympathy for the union’s stance here.

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

I remember the last strike when my father was still working for the TTC.

We got an automated call from Bob Kinnear telling 113 Members that as of 12:01 am the union would be on strike. That message came around 9 pm.

It went on to tell union members not to report to work the next day and await further instructions relating to pickets.

Eventually when they went back to work it was interesting to watch the buses start to roll out of Birchmount division.

I remember that strike, and my father - he was near the top of the seniority list at the time - telling his union steward and route supervisor to go fuck themselves, he wasn't going to stop his bus at 12:01am and leave old people and women stranded by the side of the street at night.

 

[ssiguy2]

If it means that the city will be inconvenienced, well, it sucks, but one rarely makes progress without causing disruption in the process. Workers need to look out for their own interests first and foremost, because if they don't, you can rest assured no one else will, either.

What I think should be illegal is the ability to legislate striking workers back to work. What good is the right to strike if your strike can be called off by a third party if it's deemed inconvenient? That's a farce.

A person not being able to get to work to pay the rent and put food on the table, your kid not being able to get to school, you having to call in sick and lose money because your childcare centre is closed down due to an inability for the actual workers to get there, missing an important medical appointment that you have waited 6 months to get, a student potentially losing an entire semester, businesses closing due to the workers can't show up, huge loses to small businesses due to lack of customers, and people not being able to access key gov't services {including social services} are NOT "Inconveniences" as you state.

If you lose your income for a couple months and can't pay the rent or put food on the table for you and your kids and hence end up on the streets living in a tent and lining up at soup kitchens, you won't mind us just telling you very uncharitably, "well, it sucks" and then having a good laugh.

 

[T3G]

There are alternatives, such as taxis, Ubers, carpooling, driving, personal transportation such as bikes and scooters, and GO Transit, so it is not as apocalyptic as you seem to be suggesting.

N.B. I seem to recall that it was not very long ago that we were quite content with shutting down the economy for 2 years during the pandemic. To frame workers striking for even a few weeks as some kind of attack on small businesses after COVID feels pretty disingenuous. If we were content with shutting down businesses to protect people's health, surely a bit of inconvenience so that people can attain better working conditions should be an absolute cakewalk.

 

[picard102]

It's almost as if society has failed when employers pay their employees so poorly that a person calling in sick results in them "living in a tent".
If only there was some way to force employers to negotiate with employees, like some kind of collective, or union.

 

[turbanplanner]

There are alternatives, such as taxis, Ubers, carpooling, driving, personal transportation such as bikes and scooters, and GO Transit, so it is not as apocalyptic as you seem to be suggesting.

N.B. I seem to recall that it was not very long ago that we were quite content with shutting down the economy for 2 years during the pandemic. To frame workers striking for even a few weeks as some kind of attack on small businesses after COVID feels pretty disingenuous. If we were content with shutting down businesses to protect people's health, surely a bit of inconvenience so that people can attain better working conditions should be an absolute cakewalk.

lmao, driving would be hell. Today has been my worst commute since the 401 closed a few months ago. People say drive to the GO to stations that either have zero parking or 20 spots max.

 

[evandyk]

You wouldn't be able to drive anywhere in less than 3x or more what it usually takes if the TTC was on strike.

 

[T3G]

Sounds to me like the TTC is pretty damn essential, and therefore the safest and most socially responsible way to avoid the carnage of a TTC strike is to stop being cheap bastards and give them what they want... Just a thought.

 

[Northern Light]

Sounds to me like the TTC is pretty damn essential, and therefore the safest and most socially responsible way to avoid the carnage of a TTC strike is to stop being cheap bastards and give them what they want... Just a thought.

Since we don't have all the details of 'the ask', I'm not clear that that is the right answer.

I'm all for a living wage (or better) and for decent benefit, vacation etc.

Those I'd happily support, but no one should get 'carte blanche'...... surely every person thinks 1M per year sounds nice, hell why not 2M or 10M? I realize that's not what we're talking about here, but a responsible take surely requires knowing what the ask is before demanding it be granted.

 

[Northern Light]

There are alternatives, such as taxis, Ubers, carpooling, driving, personal transportation such as bikes and scooters, and GO Transit, so it is not as apocalyptic as you seem to be suggesting.

I don't think that take is at all reasonable. I have a friend who lives in south Scarborough and works downtown, nowhere close to a GO station.

He was very concerned what would happen if there was a strike. He doesn't own a bike, or a scooter, and if he had enough spare cash, there likely wouldn't be one to be found within hours of a strike being called. He doesn't drive either.

He was facing the prospect of a 2 hour walk to work, and a 2 hour walk home, after a 12-hour shift!

For him, there is no slush fund to pay the rent.............and his employer would not pay him if he missed work.

That really would be a disaster for him; and he's hardly alone.

There are literally hundreds of thousands of workers dependent on TTC.

The idea that even if someone happened to live near a GO Station, AND work near one, that there would be sufficient spare capacity to absorb even 5% of TTC traffic is entirely unrealistic. There is no such spare room at current service levels, and limited ability to ramp up service with any speed.

****

One can reasonably debate whether TTC workers should be deemed 'essential' and what the appropriate offset is in the law should that be the case.

But to suggest the impact would not be severe for many people is not in line w/the realities of many.

 

[turbanplanner]

Since we don't have all the details of 'the ask', I'm not clear that that is the right answer.

I'm all for a living wage (or better) and for decent benefit, vacation etc.

Those I'd happily support, but no one should get 'carte blanche'...... surely every person thinks 1M per year sounds nice, hell why not 2M or 10M? I realize that's not what we're talking about here, but a responsible take surely requires knowing what the ask is before demanding it be granted.

As I mentioned earlier, some of the asks seem unreasonable. (routes having hard boundaries at city lines) With housing prices and the shift to gig work a lot of people cross boundaries, especially with the onefare changes.

 

[gabe]

There are alternatives, such as taxis, Ubers, carpooling, driving, personal transportation such as bikes and scooters, and GO Transit, so it is not as apocalyptic as you seem to be suggesting.

N.B. I seem to recall that it was not very long ago that we were quite content with shutting down the economy for 2 years during the pandemic. To frame workers striking for even a few weeks as some kind of attack on small businesses after COVID feels pretty disingenuous. If we were content with shutting down businesses to protect people's health, surely a bit of inconvenience so that people can attain better working conditions should be an absolute cakewalk.

As a transit rider without a car, yes we have alternatives. But i find the ones up and arms the most at my work about a possible strike, don't even take the TTC lol They drive everywhere!

 

[generalcanada]

What the TTC workers union won in last-minute deal

The last-minute deal between the TTC and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 late Thursday night averted a strike that would have shut down the transit network.

www.thestar.com

ben spurr with the latest on what the union won

3 year deal

averaging about 4.5% increases per year for 13% over 3 years. union wanted 18/3 ttc wanted around 10
some provisions for no contracting out and as discussed above no yrt/miway busses picking up passengers in Toronto are the major highlights.

 

[Northern Light]

What the TTC workers union won in last-minute deal

The last-minute deal between the TTC and Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 late Thursday night averted a strike that would have shut down the transit network.

www.thestar.com

ben spurr with the latest on what the union won

3 year deal

averaging about 4.5% increases per year for 13% over 3 years. union wanted 18/3 ttc wanted around 10
some provisions for no contracting out and as discussed above no yrt/miway busses picking up passengers in Toronto are the major highlights.

A snip from the above:

The contracting-in of maintenance jobs has my attention.

@smallspy would likely know, but to my recollection the in-station staff are all Commission employees, the contracted out jobs were for overnight bus and streetcar cleaning.

I wonder if that is coming back in-house.