Ottawa Transit Strike: Should transit workers be allowed to strike?

[Mille Sabords]

Major disruptions in store for tomorrow kids. Not only have our friendly transit operators decided to walk out, the weather will be out in fine form, with freezing rain, etc.

What an opportunity to discuss the following topic: should transit workers be allowed to strike, or should the federal government move immediately to declare them an essential service (at least in major cities) and require them to find other ways to bargain for contracts?

At the very least, should there be a demand from the city that all new contracts end in July, at a time when school is out and people have options, instead of December, when it's cold, everyone's out trying to get somewhere in the short dark days and we naturally begin to despise anyone remotely connected with driving a bus?

[Mille Sabords]

My vote is NO - they should not be allowed to strike. Immobilizing a major city over a contract dispute is way more leverage than any union should have. Unions that strike at car plants or meat packers affect their employers' bottom line, which then becomes an effective way to obtain concessions on a contract. Transit workers strand and antagonize hundreds of thousands of people and set themselves up as the villain.

Personally, I hope O'Brien kicks the shit out of them and forces them back to work as quickly as possible.

[Justin10000]

Yes, They should be allowed to strike! I will assume most people here, including myself have pretty decent jobs, that are not too stressful, but being a bus driver is a hard job. It requires a certain skills set that most people on this board could never attain.

It's a right that any workers should never lose. Telling a worker, that they cannot strike will only set up a volatile workplace, and a volatile employee.
I do not know the full details, but I understand the dispute is about contracting out services, and not pay.

Telling someone that they should not strike, just because you're going to be inconvenienced for a while is just selfish. Suck it up, and support the people who get you around.

[highdensitysprawl]

Originally Posted by Mille Sabords

Personally, I hope O'Brien kicks the shit out of them and forces them back to work as quickly as possible.

You mean just like the way he managed to get a 0% tax increase on the City budget this year.

Getting back to the poll, if I had it my way, unions wouldn't exist. I begrudgingly belonged to one in high school at a hospital and never have I seen people take advantage of the system as I have at that hospital. Since then, I've never worked in a union 'shop' and I don't think my outlook could take it for long. Spending a day at 110 Laurier gets my blood boiling at times trying to keep projects moving along.....

[harls]

First the Chaudière bridge is shut down (for 2 years I've heard?), now this. Sounds like a great time for transit users in Ottawa. Today's crappy weather is just the icing on the cake.

[Mille Sabords]

Originally Posted by Justin10000

Yes, They should be allowed to strike! I will assume most people here, including myself have pretty decent jobs, that are not too stressful, but being a bus driver is a hard job. It requires a certain skills set that most people on this board could never attain.

It's a right that any workers should never lose. Telling a worker, that they cannot strike will only set up a volatile workplace, and a volatile employee.
I do not know the full details, but I understand the dispute is about contracting out services, and not pay.

Telling someone that they should not strike, just because you're going to be inconvenienced for a while is just selfish. Suck it up, and support the people who get you around.

And stranding hundreds of thousands of people over a contract dispute is an unequal privilege only transit workers have over everybody else. That's unfair. I support the people who get me around, so long as they DO get me around. Making me a hostage of their contract dispute does not make me a willing supporter. How can you justify shutting down a large city on a contract item, when other unions' only recourse is to inconvenience only their employer? There is somerthing completely unfair and out of proportion here. If transit contracts lead to strikes every three years, at the worse possible time of the year, when the weather is at its shittiest and the most vulnerable people in society can't get around the city to go to work or school and earn their livelihood, something is seriously wrong. I'm sorry but I just can't suck this one up like any other.

[lrt's friend]

Apparently, transit workers have been without a contract since April.

[Aylmer]

I think it's a right but shouldn't be abused.

[lrt's friend]

Are we getting the whole story? It seems that mayor keeps bringing up the monetary offer but the union says its not that. What is the issue?

[Rathgrith]

This is why I think public transit in just a another form of communism.

[FFX-ME]

No offense but this is a ridiculous question, of course they are allowed, its a right. They are workers just like anyone, if you lacked sick days, respect etc. you would like to strike, why wouldnt YOU be allowed. Ridiculous

[p_xavier]

And the fucking week that I'm in Ottawa full time. I'm extremely pissed.

It's always about money. At least Toronto has passed an essential service bylaw.

Strikes for other fields, basically, they have their managers covering over to offer a service. If there's a strike in an hotel, the hotel is still open. Would you still say the same if a doctor went on strike? When you have a public monopoly, you shouldn't be allowed to strike, at all.

[AuxTown]

These guys don't lack shit! They are some of the highest paid transit workers in the world and they get tons of sick leave and vacation. The reason that they want to strike is because they want to be able to choose their own schedules and shifts. What company (other than Google or EA) allows their employees to choose their own schedules? It would never work. Oh well, I guess we better scrap our transit plan and start building roads because they will lose more and more riders every day that this strike continues. Screw OC Transpo.

[waterloowarrior]

anyone see the two interviews on CTV News?

http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip120101#clip120101
http://watch.ctv.ca/news/clip120211#clip120211

*shakes head*

[Spocket]

I was in Ottawa for a transit strike in 95 or 96. It's more than just an inconvenience for some people , it costs them every penny they have depending on how long the strike lasts. I was lucky enough to have a place to stay at during that strike that was close to my work but otherwise , I'd have probably found myself homeless and jobless by the time it ended. Just one more reason that I hate unions but that aside , it's NOT a right that transit workers should have to be able to basically send people to the poorhouse. Should they be able to strike ? Sure but considering how essential their jobs are it's not fair to the tens of thousands of people that rely on them when they shut the city down. There should be some plan in place to at least keep major routes going while the strike lasts.

[jchamoun79]

Originally Posted by Justin10000

Yes, They should be allowed to strike! I will assume most people here, including myself have pretty decent jobs, that are not too stressful, but being a bus driver is a hard job.

So is being a paramedic, or a firefighter.

Should they be allowed to strike?

[Cre47]

Originally Posted by harls

First the Chaudière bridge is shut down (for 2 years I've heard?), now this. Sounds like a great time for transit users in Ottawa. Today's crappy weather is just the icing on the cake.

Seems the bridge will open partially tomorrow. At least the STO buses will not be clogged as in the past few days. It took like 30 to 45 minutes just to get from the Rideau Centre to the other side of the river.

Meanwhile, I don't really care what cueball is saying lately, just can't wait for him to go away (and for his criminal trial to begin) so that the mess he created can be cleaned up. Since the issues are (again) are related to sick leaves, contracting and seniority/experience, why not scrap the proposal to modify the way to book shifts. Keep it as it is right now. How much more it would cost the city just to satisfy the union on these three aspects? Come on, city get this done.

[lrt's friend]

Clearly, this strike is a reflection of deteriorating relations between ALL city staff and an anti-staff mayor. This is a sign of things to come.

This is really no different than the showdown over the budget with city councillors earlier this week.

We have a mayor trying to take very strong action on budgetary matters, but failing to understand that he is dealing with real people, whether it is city councillors, community associations, arts groups, unions, or staff in general. Those real people are more than just dollar signs. This is why you get comments about respect and dignity.

Traffic was bad today (the snow clearing was awful as well), but clearly a lot of people stayed home, because of the weather, the strike and because of the school bus shutdowns. Expect more traffic tomorrow.

Meanwhile, while this dispute continues, all sectors are losing productivity.

[harls]

Good to hear the bridge is open at least, but I wonder how many people will hold their breath while crossing it? I saw the line up on the Parkway last Monday night for the Champlain bridge.. it was backed all the way to the War Museum!

I was one of those people that stayed home today, even though I'm in Gatineau and my bus is still running, I don't want to take the chance that I'll be late for work. Thank god for telecommuting.

[Mille Sabords]

It took me 90 minutes to drive my daughter to school and get back home to leave the car and walk to work, and I know lots of people stayed home. This is insane.