Tranplanner's Strike Diary!

[Tranplanner]

I'm sure everybody is just super interested in knowing what a striking planner does with his time. So, in the interests of public education, may I present Tranplanner's Strike Diary! I just hope the following doesn't make Mugbub's head explode.

If anyone is interested in the movie rights, give me a shout.

DAY ONE
0600 - Got up at the usual time, just in case a settlement had been reached overnight. No dice. Got up anyway. Realized I left my watch at work yesterday. D'oh!

0730 - drove the fiancee to work. Honked and waved to the outside workers at the waste transfer station on the way back. Felt guilty about not being out on a picket line, but that soon passed. I'm pissed at both sides.

0830 - Back home. Surf the net for a bit. Read the first 50 pages of "Truman" by David McCullough - excellent so far. Hmmm...maybe I should do some work. Nah, let's play Alpha Centauri instead!

1130 - lunch time - reheated last night's Thai noodles. Yummy! If anyone wants the recipe I can supply it... Watched the noon news - no talks laid on, no movement from either side. The trash sure does stink though.

1245 - woken up by a phone call from the fiancee. "What's that dear - why no, I wasn't sleeping. Oh, yes dear - I've done all the housework". Hurriedly start laundry and empty the dishwasher.

1300 - time to dust off the model railway! Fiddle around with that for a bit.

1430 - back on the internet...

 

[IPlan]

Okay you just have far too much time on your hands with this strike.

Try not to strain yourself.

Too bad you didn't have the strike during the World Cup, at least then you could have watched all the games during the day.

 

[JNL]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the strike about?

 

[Tranplanner]

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the strike about?

Well, it's about a number of things. Money, of course - though apparently that issue has been settled (3% raise per year for the next three years). The big issue is job security. The city is actively looking at privatizing many services in the city, and of course the union is totally against that.

Currently in our collective agreement union employees get job security after 10 years on the job - meaning that they can't be laid off, only shuffled around. The City originally wanted to push this up to 15 years, then came up with sticking with 10 for existing employees, but not giving any security to new hires. The union countered with a proposal giving workers security after 6 years...

I've only been with the city for a little over a year. I really don't care about job security myself.

The City is a mess - both sides are to blame. I just want to do my job.

 

[Stalds]

Ya this whole thing is a huge mess... The city smells like @#$%, in most parts anyways. And the streets lined with 10ft high piles of garbage, yea that attractive... not to mention healthy (/sarcasm). I have a couple friends who worked for the Toronto Planning & Development services department as students and now they're screwed out of summer jobs and money for tuition... Hope this gets solved soon, real soon.

 

[El Feo]

So much for my mental picture of Toronto as the very model of a clean, efficient North American city...

 

[Chet]

There was an article in our local newspaper today that makes the union look like idiots for seeking permanent employment status after 6 years. Odd, since our local paper is squarely pro-labor.

 

[pandersen]

What to Do When On Strike

Pick op some garbage that's likely spreading all over the streets of TO given the trash collectors are on strike as well!

 

[Tranplanner]

It's Over!

Yee-Haw, Tranplanner's back on the job baby!

We got legislated back to work by the Province yesterday. I'll leave the political speculation to others. I'm just happy to be back at work. And hey, it's an ultra short work week!

 

[Chet]

Welcome back tranplanner!

 

[planasaurus]

Re: It's Over!

We got legislated back to work by the Province yesterday.

Does that mean that they came to an agreement?

 

[Tranplanner]

Re: Re: It's Over!

Does that mean that they came to an agreement?

Nope - the province (state) government decided enough was enough, what with the Pope coming and all, and passed back-to-work legislation yesterday, ordering the unions back on the job, and imposing a binding arbitration process on the union and City. I think there will be an "agreement" made within the next week or so.

Now I just have to figure out what all these papers lying all over my desk are for. What was I working on again?

 

[Cardinal]

Hey, man... it's Friday and you work for the government. Leave work early like the rest of us.