Comments on: City of Toronto Strike – Day 3 – Stories From The Picket Line http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/ Chances Are I Already Hate It! Mon, 21 May 2012 16:55:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Sharkboy http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2311 Sharkboy Tue, 30 Jun 2009 19:11:04 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2311 Well said Fail. Well said Fail.

]]> By: fail-o-matic fail-a-rator http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2309 fail-o-matic fail-a-rator Tue, 30 Jun 2009 17:47:52 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2309 <i> Fire them all and privatize the job.</i> So let's get this straight: instead of fighting for better benefits and working conditions, fed up already thinks City workers should be fired just because he had to take a pay cut. Why isn't he fighting to improve everyone's situation instead of siding with employers who want to take this recession as an excuse to roll back benefits? "I can't have it so he shouldn't have it either" is really stupid. Note: I am not associated with any union, nor is anyone in my family. Fire them all and privatize the job.

So let’s get this straight: instead of fighting for better benefits and working conditions, fed up already thinks City workers should be fired just because he had to take a pay cut. Why isn’t he fighting to improve everyone’s situation instead of siding with employers who want to take this recession as an excuse to roll back benefits? “I can’t have it so he shouldn’t have it either” is really stupid.

Note: I am not associated with any union, nor is anyone in my family.

]]> By: SharkBoy http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2302 SharkBoy Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:36:07 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2302 fed up: This strike is not about wages, please read more about it. No one is expecting a wage increase. I'm sorrry that you are having trouble at the dumping sites, it's not right. Please see the new sites that were open as of Thursday, you shouldn't have any trouble going to any of the new ones. fed up: This strike is not about wages, please read more about it. No one is expecting a wage increase. I’m sorrry that you are having trouble at the dumping sites, it’s not right. Please see the new sites that were open as of Thursday, you shouldn’t have any trouble going to any of the new ones.

]]> By: fed up already http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2300 fed up already Sun, 28 Jun 2009 16:01:27 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2300 How does the city workers expect any sympathy from the public? In todays economy, people in every sector are taking hits in wages. The Industry that I work in has had to reduce rates back to 1990 rates to keep the work here so families can afford to eat and pay rent. We wish our rates were todays rates but they are not. Also, it really upsets me that the city workers have any right to block my way into a building or dump that I have a right to access. The City has said (in news papers, on their web site, TV news etc...) to bring your garbage to the "designated" transfer Stations across Toronto. So, I pack up my garbage, load it into the car (or maybe I should take my smelly garbage on the TTC down to the dump?) only to find that I can't dump it because of some Union member standing in my way to enter the site. I am also threatened with violence if I cross the line. They shouted rude things at me and all I wanted to do is what the City has said to do in order of a strike. Also, I pay for my garbage to be picked up yearly. Will I be able to get a rebate on that payment for the weeks that my garbage was not picked up? Violence is never the answer, nor is intimidation. Fire them all and privatize the job. Etobicoke seems to picking up their garbage with no complaints! How does the city workers expect any sympathy from the public? In todays economy, people in every sector are taking hits in wages. The Industry that I work in has had to reduce rates back to 1990 rates to keep the work here so families can afford to eat and pay rent. We wish our rates were todays rates but they are not. Also, it really upsets me that the city workers have any right to block my way into a building or dump that I have a right to access. The City has said (in news papers, on their web site, TV news etc…) to bring your garbage to the “designated” transfer Stations across Toronto. So, I pack up my garbage, load it into the car (or maybe I should take my smelly garbage on the TTC down to the dump?) only to find that I can’t dump it because of some Union member standing in my way to enter the site. I am also threatened with violence if I cross the line. They shouted rude things at me and all I wanted to do is what the City has said to do in order of a strike. Also, I pay for my garbage to be picked up yearly. Will I be able to get a rebate on that payment for the weeks that my garbage was not picked up? Violence is never the answer, nor is intimidation. Fire them all and privatize the job. Etobicoke seems to picking up their garbage with no complaints!

]]> By: SharkBoy http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2298 SharkBoy Sat, 27 Jun 2009 04:28:25 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2298 I know... it's really mind blowing... I know… it’s really mind blowing…

]]> By: Confused http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2297 Confused Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:07:45 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2297 What I don't understand, is the anger towards those who have nothing to do with the strike, no power to change things, and its not only the tax-paying citizen to which is occurring. Paramedics picketting the combined Fire/EMS Headquarters, have not only delayed the Firefighters working there from going to and leaving work, but some have been yelling obsenitities and making derogitory comments towards the Firefighters. Do they really think this will create support? What I don’t understand, is the anger towards those who have nothing to do with the strike, no power to change things, and its not only the tax-paying citizen to which is occurring. Paramedics picketting the combined Fire/EMS Headquarters, have not only delayed the Firefighters working there from going to and leaving work, but some have been yelling obsenitities and making derogitory comments towards the Firefighters. Do they really think this will create support?

]]> By: Al http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2290 Al Thu, 25 Jun 2009 01:54:21 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2290 The people of this city make a poor example to follow considering the fact that there is such complaint re the city workers being on strike. Ordinary residential waste collection, under normal circumstances, would have resumed on Tuesday. How can the volume of waste being produced be so great that on Monday everybody had to be going to the transfer station? If there was no strike, and you had a Thursday collection day, than the waste would still be on your property on Wednesday anyway, regardless of the weather. It is high time that people understand the true value of labour organization and rally together, that is to say all those that are a unit of labour, to push for the private sector to finally follow the lead of the public sector in establishing a work environment that recognizes the importance of the employees that perform the work rather than holding people under pressure. People are trying to provide for themselves and their families, private sector organization slashes and burns wages and benefits at the expense of employees for the sake of an increased profit margin. The people of this city make a poor example to follow considering the fact that there is such complaint re the city workers being on strike. Ordinary residential waste collection, under normal circumstances, would have resumed on Tuesday. How can the volume of waste being produced be so great that on Monday everybody had to be going to the transfer station? If there was no strike, and you had a Thursday collection day, than the waste would still be on your property on Wednesday anyway, regardless of the weather. It is high time that people understand the true value of labour organization and rally together, that is to say all those that are a unit of labour, to push for the private sector to finally follow the lead of the public sector in establishing a work environment that recognizes the importance of the employees that perform the work rather than holding people under pressure. People are trying to provide for themselves and their families, private sector organization slashes and burns wages and benefits at the expense of employees for the sake of an increased profit margin.

]]> By: SharkBoy http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2288 SharkBoy Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:03:07 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2288 A lot of people think like you Jason Lee and sees this as a good thing as well as a punishment for the workers who don't necessarily want to be caught as pawns in this game between union and City representatives. But the reality of it is, in my office, there are an average of 800 people coming daily through our doors for court requests for traffic ticket they've received, or infractions to by-laws they committed, or for meetings with Justice of the Peace or Provincial Prosecutors to try to come to an early resolution. This office remains open during the strike and those people continue to come in as Police Officers continues to give tickets to people who disobey provincial laws or city by-laws. There are 6 managers high on Aspirin running my office right now compared to the 43 workers we normally have on a daily basis. All I can tell you is that everything I am not paid while we are on strike, I will make up and more in overtime when we return to work as it will take weeks if not months to clean up all the backlog created. So the City is not putting this "saved" money in the bank at all, they might be gaining a bit of interest on it while it's not being used. A lot of people think like you Jason Lee and sees this as a good thing as well as a punishment for the workers who don’t necessarily want to be caught as pawns in this game between union and City representatives. But the reality of it is, in my office, there are an average of 800 people coming daily through our doors for court requests for traffic ticket they’ve received, or infractions to by-laws they committed, or for meetings with Justice of the Peace or Provincial Prosecutors to try to come to an early resolution. This office remains open during the strike and those people continue to come in as Police Officers continues to give tickets to people who disobey provincial laws or city by-laws. There are 6 managers high on Aspirin running my office right now compared to the 43 workers we normally have on a daily basis.
All I can tell you is that everything I am not paid while we are on strike, I will make up and more in overtime when we return to work as it will take weeks if not months to clean up all the backlog created. So the City is not putting this “saved” money in the bank at all, they might be gaining a bit of interest on it while it’s not being used.

]]> By: Jason Lee http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2287 Jason Lee Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:37:45 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2287 The City of Toronto save $25 million dollars for every week they don't pay wages of employees. I say let the strike go on as long as possible. My payment in the form of salaries equal lower taxes for the residents of Toronto. 8 weeks strike like in Windsor, Ontario would be GREAT. Cool $200 million in saved wages expenses. The City of Toronto save $25 million dollars for every week they don’t pay wages of employees. I say let the strike go on as long as possible. My payment in the form of salaries equal lower taxes for the residents of Toronto. 8 weeks strike like in Windsor, Ontario would be GREAT. Cool $200 million in saved wages expenses.

]]> By: snotty http://sharkboy.ca/2009/06/24/city-of-toronto-strike-day-3-stories-from-the-picket-line/comment-page-1/#comment-2286 snotty Wed, 24 Jun 2009 18:18:54 +0000 http://sharkboy.ca/?p=1748#comment-2286 If security guards have no legal authority to detain people, why does your steward want you to put yourself in danger doing something you have no right to do? The part about a union member complaining about union "featherbedding" in the bottled water part is funny. If security guards have no legal authority to detain people, why does your steward want you to put yourself in danger doing something you have no right to do?
The part about a union member complaining about union “featherbedding” in the bottled water part is funny.

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