Thursday’s headlines

12 comments

1. CityNews has a video of the Union flood: http://www.citynews.ca/news/features_32041.aspx?&categoryurl=http://www.citynews.ca/news/features_691.aspx

2. How Miller could save on garbage

   Used to be garbage collectors were paid a premium to do their job because of all the heavy lifting, etc. And that premium remains. Today we have prepackaged garbage that comes ready to be mechanically lifted into the truck all the collector does is press a button while yacking on his cell phone. Given the considerable change to a collector’s job I think it’s time to remove this premium from their pay.

   See Mayor there are meaningful savings such as this that should be made before raising taxes or raiding reserves (which are no longer) to fund your spending spree.

3. How long before Miller wants to charge a user fee for the 311 service… if it ever gets up and running

4. Jeff, take your travelling freak show of ideas somewhere else. Do you know anything about collective bargaining? How exactly do you propose the Mayor just up and decide not to pay a provision that’s in the collective agreements? Do you think it’s worth a massive strike that will likely, as recent high profile strikes have shown, end up in arbitration where the city is likely to lose? Get real.

5. Miller charging a user fee for 311 service?

   Don’t be silly, why would he want a fee per use when it would be more lucrative to have EVERYONE charged a small monthly fee whether they use the service or not?

6. Gerry> I think Jeff makes a valid point: if the garbage collector’s job changes, why shouldn’t the collective agreement? Is Toronto going to be at the mercy of its public sector unions forever?

7. The bins still need to be moved, and as witnessed this winter, they have to be maneuver them over and around huge snowbanks. Who knows, maybe this will be removed in future negotiations.

   Im sure there are some that would rather have this service privatized and introduce a per pound charge that includes the weight of bins that you purchase from them at inflated prices.

8. At least the garbage collectors are getting paid for manouvring these bins around huge snowbanks… unfortunately, residents are not. Funny that in their infinite wisdom, our good Councillors didn’t even seem to consider the implications of winter weather (or of tight sidewalks, small lot sizes, frail senior homeowners, etc.) when they foisted these bins on us. I’m for increasing recycling but I think this program represents another example of “non-listening” by the City.

9. Gerry

   Do you like paying for the privilege of being a hostage? Do you want anything to change?

   Agreements are reached under what is supposed to be negotiation. Just because we have been held up as late and our leaders have no balls to play hard ball often for reasons of conflict of interest is no excuse to accept this situation forever.

   Like it or not what you have accurately described is the very problem we have today. The Unions have become the very thing they were created to fight against. In fact, the only one’s truly profiting from unions is the leadership not the members. Just ask some.

   In my opinion we the people should be launching a class action suit against all these organizations unfairly holding us hostage when we don’t have any input to the negotiations. All the students, families, businesses, etc. penalized by the York U strike, the transit strike in Ottawa, etc.

   It’s long past the time to make it clear that if a union wants to strike they have no right to take it out on the public. This entitled class has got to be disciplined.

   Obviously Gerry I don’t share your fear.

10. @ Gerry

    Let them strike. If a union member, especially from the drastically overpaid garbage or TTC unions, refuses to work for their ridiculous wages, then fire them and hire somebody who will. It is a recession after all, and it has already been projected that the unemployment rate in this city will rise to almost 10%.

    Unions served a purpose at one time…that time has long since passed. It is simply insane in every possible way of thinking to let such unions hold a city for ransom because they feel their compensation isn’t enough when they are making more than enough in wages to support a family comfortably in this city to move a garbage bin into place and push a button.

11. @ A

    You do realize that we have a drastic TTC operator shortage right now, right? TTC is temporarily rolling back service in February in order for the hiring to catch up with service improvements. That’s one of the reasons for the TTC overtime pay that people seem to find offensive — no one wants to be a transit operator.

    I believe that transit is an essential service, and should be legislated as such. A city cannot function without it. If Toronto were to actually fire all the TTC operators, then it would be without effective transit service for several years. That’s suicide.

12. Leo,
    I know several people working in the TTC, so I know you are making valid points. I’ll only add to what you’re saying by pointing out (for those who might not know about it) that there is a fairly high failure rate of candidates who are accepted to become TTC drivers — somewhere in the order of 35%. Considering that it takes 4-6 weeks to train an operator (at a cost of $12k-$18k per candidate), each candidate who fails to pass the training (or who doesn’t stay in the job for at least 2-3 years) represents money down the drain.

    To those who say “replace them all”, the fact is that they are already having trouble attracting people who can actually do the job AND are willing to put up with the lousy hours/conditions. The TTC should have an easier time recruiting in this economy — but a good portion of these recruits will likely leave when the economy turns around.