[ShonTron]

Has there been any word on the extra fringe benefit of getting their Ontario income taxes (the Health Premiums) paid for them?

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

a thousand bucks for chiropractic care? might as well give them a thousand bucks for chromotherapy

 

[Therion]

I understand it is a rant, but there is no way that any decent privatised transit system could even come close to making a profit,

Read up on the history of the New York City transit system, and you will realize that what you said is not true. In the early 1900s there were three competing subway companies, all of whom turned a profit, until the City government decided to engineer a takeover.

I think the TTC could turn a profit with current fare prices if they payed competitive wages and benefits to their workers, as opposed to the current system. Not to mention the inefficiencies that exist in all public bureaucracies with regards to the number of managers and such. The TTC almost breaks even for operating costs from the fares they take in. Making a profit would not be that difficult if it was privatized.

 

[unimaginative2]

Read up on the history of the New York City transit system, and you will realize that what you said is not true. In the early 1900s there were three competing subway companies, all of whom turned a profit, until the City government decided to engineer a takeover.

Actually, the third of those companies was created by the City, and the City only took them over after a string of bankruptcies.

You're probably right, though, that the TTC could turn an operating profit if it really wanted. It already gets close to 90% from fares, with admittedly generous pay scales and excessive staffing in many areas. The problem, though, is that a private company could never afford the capital projects that make up the vast majority of transit spending. There'd be nobody to complain to for service problems, and there'd be cherry picking of which routes to serve. What you'd likely see with full privatization is a milking of the existing infrastructure, especially the subway, with very little new investment. That's not a better situation than we have today.

 

[Kitsune]

I almost wish that someone got raped or shot as a result of getting kicked off the bus when they started striking last night. Then maybe Bob Kinnear can be held responsible for it, and then maybe he can be punished by being forced to tell his neighbours that he's a registered sex offender.

Not quite shot or raped, but I have a suspucion this poor guy was a victim of the strike:

Mere hours after TTC workers went on strike, a young man in the Davenport area was beaten and robbed of his Metropass.

Police say the man was walking in the area of Davenport Rd. and Oakwood Ave. around 2 a.m. Saturday morning when four men approached him.

http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/419039

 

[ShonTron]

Some have suggested that we replace the TTC workers with "100% Loyal" robots. While I think it's time for some automation, I'm afraid we will be replacing surly TTC employees with these:

"Please remove your backpack and carry it. You have 5 seconds to comply!"

(Image of ED-209 inserted into one of my Museum Station photos was from Don Solo as per Creative Commons license. http://flickr.com/photos/donsolo/)

 

[fiendishlibrarian]

No way am I defending the union on this one. Absolutely disgraceful, stranding people at midnight just like that...can't help but feel this is reflective of a generational turnover there, drivers of my dad's vintage would have told the shop stewards that doing this would make them look like morons, and if they wanted to take action at midnight, then stop collecting fares and finish their runs rather than force people off of the vehicles. Complete idiocy.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

No way am I defending the union on this one. Absolutely disgraceful, stranding people at midnight just like that...can't help but feel this is reflective of a generational turnover there, drivers of my dad's vintage would have told the shop stewards that doing this would make them look like morons, and if they wanted to take action at midnight, then stop collecting fares and finish their runs rather than force people off of the vehicles. Complete idiocy.

why don't they stop collecting fares as part of a job action rather than a strike?

the public would be happy, really happy. getting paid wages and not collecting any income is a bigger weapon to negotiate with than pissing off the public who has noting to do with anything.

 

[MetroMan]

^ because that is not legal. A strike is legal. Sabotaging your employer is fair cause for dismissal.

 

[Prometheus The Supremo]

^ because that is not legal. A strike is legal. Sabotaging your employer is fair cause for dismissal.

it doesn't get more sabotaging than a strike with less than two hours notice.

isn't there are rule where fares don't have to be enforced due to safety reasons? can't they legally strike in regards to collecting fares?

 

[Mustapha]

What they turned down


JEFF GRAY

Globe and Mail Update

April 27, 2008 at 2:53 PM EDT

Over the weekend, the Toronto Transit Commission released more details of the tentative agreement that union members turned down by a 65 per cent vote that sparked Friday night's surprise strike.

The TTC and union leader Bob Kinnear both said the three-year deal included “no concessions†for union members, and Mayor David Miller praised the agreement as both “fair†to workers and “affordable†to taxpayers.

Wage hikes: Union members turned down three years of three-per-cent annual wage hikes. The deal also included a possible extra raise for bus drivers, in a controversial provision called the “GTA clause.â€

Mr. Kinnear had said this clause guaranteed that TTC bus drivers would be the best paid in the greater Toronto area, and would receive an additional raise if another union won higher wage hikes by December 2009.

But the TTC said the clause would only kick in if an outstanding arbitration fight over driver wages that dates back to 2002 (believed to be a battle over job evaluations) does not result in a wage increase for drivers. If it does, then this controversial extra wage hike would vanish, the TTC said.

Benefits: Mr. Kinnear complained during the talks that TTC workers were “second-class†when their benefits package was compared to other city workers. The TTC says the tentative deal included several improvements to TTC benefits, including:

• vision care: $300 every 2 years; plus $50 for exams

• dental care: covers major restorative work, including implants up to $2,500

• orthodontic: up to $4,000 (50% TTC coverage)

• physiotherapy and chiropractic care: $1,000 maximum ($35 per visit)

• Long-term disability: $2,550 max, per month

Injured workers: The union had long campaigned on behalf of the many bus and streetcar drivers who are assaulted on the job, in incidents that have ranged in recent years from spitting to being shot in the face.

The TTC says it agreed with Mr. Kinnear's demand to top-up benefits provided from the Worker Safety Insurance Board. The TTC says it agreed to provide a top-up of 100 per cent of take-home pay from the current 93 per cent provided by the WSIB to 100 per cent for employees “injured while performing regular duties†and in an “unforeseen, extraordinary event.â€

Pensions: The TTC agreed to address improvements to the pension plan in its 2010 and 2011 budget and said “Both management and employees would have been bound by any contribution increases that were approved.â€

Contracting out: Cited by some as the reason maintenance workers led the push to reject the contract, the TTC said that there had been no attempt to contract out repairs to buses to reduce jobs at the TTC.

These benefits are just about right for a larger corporation's plan for rank and file.

 

[JasonParis]

I got on the King streetcar this morning and the woman behind me had the following dialogue with the streetcar's operator:

Woman: Man, you guys pissed me off on Friday.
TTC Operator: Fine, then buy a car like everyone else.
Woman: What? You work for the TTC and you are telling me to buy a car?
TTC Operator: Well if you did, I wouldn't have to listen to your bitching.
Woman: Unbelievable. (and she walked to the back of the streetcar)

 

[taal]

Although I don't agree with the driver's response ... they should not have to put up with "shit" like that from customers - they are not the ones who decide whether to go on strike or not - it's wrong to point fingers at any particular driver ...

You might be missing the whole story what if that wasn't the first time someone blamed him for the strike ...

She was out of line ... period. As I said his given response wasn't appropriate though but I do not blame him.

 

[MetroMan]

Athough I see your point and I wouldn't direct my hatred at the front lines of the TTC, 65% of them sparked the strike... the problem here is I don't know who voted for or against the contract...

 

[CityPlaceN1]

Although I don't agree with the driver's response ... they should not have to put up with "shit" like that from customers - they are not the ones who decide whether to go on strike or not - it's wrong to point fingers at any particular driver ...

You might be missing the whole story what if that wasn't the first time someone blamed him for the strike ...

She was out of line ... period. As I said his given response wasn't appropriate though but I do not blame him.

The driver's job is not just to drive. They are also responsible for customer satisfaction since they are on the front line. Responding like that to a customer in any private company would result in a lost job. Or, at least, a serious penalty. That they would speak back to their customers in this manner speaks volumes.