Wednesday 11 January 2012

Another "Garbage Strike" in Toronto?!?!

http://news.nationalpost.com/2012/01/03/what-the-is-another-city-worker-strike-in-the-cards-for-toronto/

What the #!%*?: Is another city worker strike in the cards for Toronto?

Jan 3, 2012 – 7:21 PM ET | Last Updated: Jan 3, 2012 7:24 PM ET
Tyler Anderson/National Post files
Tyler Anderson/National Post files
A CUPE Local 79 picketer in June 2009. It may soon be time to dig the old strike signs out of storage.

In this occasional feature, the National Post tells you everything you need to know about a complicated issue. Today, Megan O’Toole looks at Toronto’s looming labour war.
What is the status of labour negotiations?
The contracts of about 22,000 inside workers and 6,000 outside workers, represented by CUPE locals 79 and 416, expired on Dec. 31. As that deadline neared last year, the rhetoric on both sides intensified. Local 416 president Mark Ferguson blasted Mayor Rob Ford’s administration for seeking to eviscerate key collective agreement protections, while local 79 president Ann Dembinski accused the city of “stonewalling” union demands for financial information. The city, meanwhile, accused the inside workers’ union of bargaining in bad faith and requested that a conciliator be appointed by the province to both sets of negotiations. Should the conciliation process lead to an impasse, the two sides could be in a legal strike or lockout position within weeks.


But the contract expired Dec. 31. Why wasn’t this resolved beforehand?
The city sent out a notice to commence bargaining on Oct. 4, but amid growing animosity between the two sides, the process languished. It is not an uncommon scenario for negotiations to extend well past the expiry of a previous contract; most recently, Torontonians will recall the great garbage strike in the summer of 2009, under the leadership of then-mayor David Miller. After a contract expires, union members continue to operate under their old contract until new terms are put in place.
So now that conciliators are on board, negotiations are underway and things are looking good, right?
Tim Fraser for National Post/Files
A scene from the great garbage strike of 2009.
Not exactly. Negotiations are indeed underway, but the war of words intensified Tuesday after Deputy Mayor Doug Holyday, who chairs the city’s labour relations committee, publicly reiterated his past criticisms of a number of “outdated” collective agreement provisions. He specifically took issue with the “bumping” process that allows unionized employees who are downgraded to a lower position to continue receiving their old salary for up to three years, and scheduling that allows some employees to work 10 hours a day, Monday to Thursday, instead of eight hours a day, Monday to Friday. “We’re looking for some changes to the contract that eliminate some of the clauses in there that no other municipalities have, and certainly no private employer would ever consider,” Mr. Holyday said, noting some of the provisions cost the city millions of dollars and “we simply can’t afford it.” In response, Mr. Ferguson, who defends such clauses as reasonable, ramped up the hyperbole: “The city has chosen to be provocative at every step of the way. They are looking to essentially dismantle the collective agreement… It’s very much like asking which child would you be prepared to sacrifice.”
Does this mean we’re doomed for another strike or lockout?
Mr. Holyday says the city has no desire to lock out its workers, but he cited a need to get an agreement sooner rather than later, accusing the union of trying to delay negotiations until the summer, when a strike would “do the most damage.” Mr. Ferguson says he has no timeline, but is committed to preserving key aspects of the collective agreement that the city wants to strip away. “We need to bridge that chasm,” Mr. Ferguson said. Left-leaning Councillor Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park) expressed concern that the “radical conservative attack” on unions would lead to serious service disruption in the coming months. “A winter without proper services is something simply unacceptable to me and my constituents,” Mr. Perks said.
National Post


MY Reflections on this article:

1.      What is the link to Crisis Management?

There may be a crisis for the City of Toronto and its residents if there is a local workers strike. They would have to live without some essential services such as paramedics, snow removal etc. The CUPE local 79 and 416 unions are currently in negotiations with the city over their collective agreements that expired on Dec 31st 2011. The last time the CUPE local 79 went on strike was for over a month in the summer of 2009 and is known as the “Toronto Garbage Strike”, although many other workers were part of the union including staff in : Recreation Centres, seasonal programs for children, child care programs., long-term care facilities and supportive housing, Employment Resource Centres, public health offices, Bridgepoint hospital and TCHC, which is home to about 164,000 low and moderate-income tenants in 58,500 households, including seniors, families, singles, refugees, recent immigrants to Canada and people with special needs.

The CUPE local 416 includes paramedics, social housing workers, water and wastewater specialists, gardeners, labourers, animal control officers, parking lot attendants, snow removal and garbage removal.

2.      What stage of Crisis Management does the system appear to be at?

The system appears to be in pre-crisis mode. I don’t believe the City or the Union has made any preparations to go on strike but the deputy mayor of Toronto has said that the union may be extending the negotiations to extend a strike into the summer when it would have the most impact.

3.      How well does the system appear to be handling the situation?

The city officials and union leadership appear to be in negotiations and have elicited the help of a conciliator. Tensions and emotions are still high so in my opinion, the risk for a lock-out or strike is high.

4.      What level of crisis preparedness does the system appear to have?

Since the City of Toronto has gone through a similar situation (June 2009) they are moderately prepared. The only issue would be if the lock-out or strike were to happen in the winter and there was a snow storm the crisis could prove very serious and possibly deadly.

5.      What personal reactions/feelings does the description trigger in you?

I feel stress after reading this story. Although I won’t be directly affected even if a strike or lock-out does happen I still fear for the people of Toronto that would be inconvenienced and possibly put in danger if this crisis were to unfold.

6.      What advice would you offer to those involved?

To the City of Toronto, I would say enlist the help of the conciliator as much as possible and try to decrease your rhetoric in the media because it is just leading to more tension. Also, I would request the unions to take other people into account when at the bargaining table. If there was a lock-out or strike their own families would suffer because they wouldn’t be getting a pay check and times could get tough. They may need to agree to the city’s demands if the strike goes on for a long period and they get desperate. they would end up losing the upper hand and their pride.