At Home in Hespeler

Turned on my local news station, 570 News, this afternoon, only because they usually carry the Blue Jays, and heard the 4:20 news update, including this item (not verbatim):

Toyota workers in Cambridge and Woodstock will vote next week to join Unifor, Canada’s largest union. For workers, this means greater job security and productivity improvements…

That, I repeat, was the news, not somebody from Unifor citing talking points. Unionizing means job security and productivity improvements: this apparently is now a fact, not an opinion.

unions Toyota, Unifor

At a Union Convention, a few hundred delegates get together and vote on a number of issues. The votes of those few hundred make up a decision for the whole union. Or, as Robert Smol self-servingly put it in today’s Toronto Sun:

…when a union of 45,000 make a decision…

See how that works, A few hundred leftists get together, vote on a leftist position, and call it fully democratic for the entirety of the 45,000 members.

In this case, Smol and his smug, self aggrandizing unionistas decided that the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association would levy “ a $60-per-member fee increase specifically earmarked to help elect an ‘education-friendly government.’” In other words, they chose to stiff the hard working teachers to pay for an anti-Tim Hudak campaign. And because these few hundred delegates voted on the teachers behalf (without prior consultation, of course), that is a “democratic decision.”

Reminds one of an unnamed Parliamentary page, who truly believes democracy means only her vote counts.

Smol uses various familiar rhetoric to defend his version of democracy, including allowing that members can work to change the bylaws and motions at general meetings. What he fails to mention is he, and his activist brothers, will use company and union resources to oppose him, while the member must do any fighting on his time and dime. This is one of the tricks unions use to fudge democracy to their side, to keep mere members from having any real say.

The same applies to Mr. Smol on his arguments for allowing teachers to take paid days off to campaign for “education-friendly candidates.” The taxpayers won’t be picking up the tab, assures our teacher of logic, the union will. And if you are a catholic school teacher who votes Tory? What if you want to spend some time, and money, supporting your candidate? Well, stop your, “petulance,” and support your candidate on your time, your dime, while the union supports their candidate on… your time, your dime.

Nice democracy you have there at the OECTA. Pity if Robert Smol should happen to it.

unions

I was in Toronto last week for one of my very seldom visits. While I have read a story or two of the stench of rotting garbage on the streets, the disgusting mess of litter on the sidewalks, I found that not to be true.  Was there a slight odour of garbage, left out on a summer day? Certainly, but that’s as expected in a dense metropolis. Garbage will accumulate, and it will offer a distinctive scent if left on the sidewalk for a summer afternoon waiting collection. So no, Toronto wasn’t disgusting just because the public union said it should be so.

Yet I’ve started to hear the old legislate them back to work canard. One hubby and the Mrs. radio show in particular yesterday was pushing for the province to legislate CUPE back to work. Other op-eds are starting to mention, casually, the possibility.

The instinct to force the union back to work usually comes from my side of the political aisle. Conservatives, who tend to dislike the unions anyway, are often quick to say, legislate them back to work. The pressure will come from Conservatives, the NDP will oppose any such motion.

The Toronto inside workers strike is now over two weeks old. In 2002 the provincial government of Ernie Eves legislated Toronto’s striking workers back to work by this time.  Permier Dalton McGuinty, who was then leader of the opposition, led the fight to have them legislated back. In arbitration, the union won a ruling on job security, the main issue in the strike. This time, McGuinty appears to be leaving the strikers alone: in Windsor a similar strike has been ongoing for almost three months.

The Premier is right: let the workers strike. Toronto is not falling apart, in fact they seem to be managing quite well. It is likely the workers were happy to go on strike, fully assuming they would be legislated back after a few weeks, and would then win in arbitration. That’s been the modus operandi for as long as their has been garbage strikes, and it has failed the public good. Let the workers strike, let them learn what we private sector union workers know: once you walk off that job, there’s no guarantee you go back. It is the one reign on unions behaviour and demands. Let the unions action have real consequences, and next time they’ll think twice; next time they’ll consider how many years of sick days they’ll need to bank to make up for the days lost to being on strike.

And here’s some good news for beleaguered Torontonians: as of today it’s that number is one… and counting.

unions 2002 strike, CUPE, Dalton McGuinty, David Miller, Ernie Eves, Garbage Strike, Liberals, Mel Lastman, NDP, Progressive Conservative, The Motts, Toronto

It is being reported tonight that 65% of Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) members have rejected the contract reached last weekend between the TTC and their union. The TTC will, surprisingly shut down operations at midnight tonight: anybody who went into Toronto for the night will be be out of luck for getting home after midnight:

“We have assessed the situation and decided that we will not expose our members to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public,” said Bob Kinnear, ATU Local 113 President.

The big issue seems to be that maintenance staff did not receive the infamous highest paid in the GTA clause that front line TTC staff received.

Question for Bob Kinnear: who is going to protect the public from the irrational members of your union?

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UPDATE: A “visibly angered’ David Miller, mayor of Toronto, called the strike “unacceptable and irresponsible.” He asked Bob Kinnear to give 48 hours notice but was refused. Miller has already talked to Premier Dalton McGuinty about back to work legislation, and is now “reconsidering his opposition to the idea of having the province declare the TTC an essential service, like police or firefighters, to take away the union’s right to strike permanently.”

As I suggested earlier, it sounds as though many people got caught downtown, with rumours of the strike circulating in the club district, and others arriving at locked subway stations after their night out.

TTC strike, unions