Why have the unions given Ford such an easy ride. And why were they so hard on Miller?
One reason may be that from day one, Ford has been a known threat to city workers. Conversely, Miller was a friend who became, to some, a traitor. Another reason may be that city workers felt excluded from the up-and-onwards vision for Toronto that Miller represented whereas Ford propagates a vision of a city in all-out decline. It may be because Miller never wanted a huge fight (I doubt he could ever pull off a lock-out), but Ford would love nothing more than a big dispute with the unions.
I'm inclined to believe that, regardless of who was mayor, CUPE was more interested in smoother negotiations this time around. They know that the last strike was a PR disaster for them, and I doubt they'd want to further alienate the people of the city - people whose support they'll need when more significant concessions are demanded in the future. Ford is a really unpopular guy right now - by conceding to certain demands from the city, the unions look like the sane ones in the room by comparison. They hope this will, on some level, generate some good will in an otherwise hostile citizenry. Note how the Fords' crazed attacks on the libraries have led to tremendous good will in the city for library workers - workers who
did go on strike under Ford not having done so under Miller (regardless of the fact that the librarians' union was negotiates with their board and not City Hall directly).
In the end, I'd honestly like to hear your answer to these two questions:
1) How much did Miller really lose to the unions when the contracts were finally signed?
2) How much has Ford really gained during this round of negotiations?
