Happy New Year, and a Brief Recap
Happy new year! I hope 2012 is off to a good start for you and you were able to make a smooth transition back to work this morning.
Of course, anyone who relies on public transit in York Region for their commute would have been disappointed to discover the transit strike is still going on. We are now on day 72 of limited transit service and, although there has been a fair bit of activity in the last couple of weeks, it seems a resolution to the strike is no closer to arriving than it was at the start.
Here’s a quick rundown of what’s happened since my last post about the strike:
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On December 15th the Region announced it would use the tax money saved by keeping the buses parked to provide a month of
free
transit whenever service resumes. Although some people questioned whether this was the best use of the money, it occurred to me this has the benefit of providing a buffer between passengers and drivers once they are back on the job—probably a good thing considering the anger many passengers will be feeling. -
Shortly before Christmas there were two meetings between contractors and the union locals. On the 21st, First Transit met with Local 1587; on the 23rd, Veolia met with Local 113. Neither meeting was productive, with (predictably) each side accusing the other of not cooperating.
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Also shortly before Christmas, the union announced it would be taking a break from picketing over the holidays. I’m sure I saw a headline to that effect, though I can’t find a source now. Perhaps the announcement was retracted because at the same time the Region announced it would seek an injunction from the Ontario Superior Court of Justice against practices it described as
unlawful picketing
by union members.The timing was impeccable, as it would appear the picketing ended as soon as the Region sought an injunction—as though the picketing had been illegal all along, and the Region brought an end to it. That’s not true. However, the Superior Court did approve the injunction, imposing guidelines on how union members will be allowed to picket at transit terminals and elsewhere.
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On January 1st higher transit fares came into effect, raising the adult cash fare by twenty-five cents to $3.50. It should be noted the fare raise was approved by Council before the union went on strike, though this is little comfort for disgruntled riders who see prices going up while the available service goes down.
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First Transit announced that as a result of the strike it will be temporarily laying off some of its administrative staff effective today. Much is said about the needs of the drivers, but we should remember the private companies to which transit operations are contracted are themselves staffed by ordinary workers who are trying to hold down a job and provide for their family and they, too, are affected by the strike.
I’ll have more to say about these things over the next week or so. I doubt there’ll be much other strike-related news to write about, since each of the sides in the dispute seems to be more deeply entrenched than ever. None of them appears to have much incentive to back down at this point. It feels like we’re simply waiting to see who blinks first.
http://www.simcoe.com/news/article/1268703–judge-grants-injunction
“”Even without the order, things are bound to be quiet for the next few days.
No more pickets are scheduled and workers are being encouraged to spend time with their families during Christmas, Mr. Doyle said.”"
@Reader: Thanks. That’s as close to a source as anything I’ve found. I still think I saw an official release from one union or the other about this, but maybe not. Maybe I imagined it.
As an aside, I like this quote from Ray Doyle in that article:
“‘That’s the same as going to Disneyworld—it’s a fantasy,’ he said, adding the parties remain far apart.”
An odd analogy, considering that going to Disneyworld is something people actually do.
Not sure what specifically you were looking for but here’s from cp24 as well (you can also search on newswire.ca but I find it can be frustrating finding anything on there):
“”For people who are frustrated by delays caused by the picket lines, there appears to be some good news. Members of both union locals will take a break from picketing during the Christmas holiday, starting tomorrow, officials told CP24.”"
http://www.cp24.com/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20111221/111221_yrt_strike/20111221/?hub=CP24Home
@Reader: Ah, that line sounds familiar. I think that article may be what I actually had in mind. At any rate, it’s clear the union did indeed suspend picketing over the holiday.
Thanks Simon & the readers who added the links;
The strike is getting little media coverage these days, a lot less than the Ottawa strike received, evthough the regions have similar-sized populations.
I wonder how the students are faring in all this and if the school boards are still accomodating them well
@Alyssa: It’s true. The ridership is just too small to provoke the same kind of response. Scott Stinson poked fun at the situation in the National Post before Christmas:
http://news.nationalpost.com/2011/12/22/scott-stinson-york-region-transit-strike-goes-nowhere-fast/
I don’t agree that the strike hasn’t had an impact or that the Region hasn’t placed an adequate focus on transit development, but otherwise he seems to have captured the shape of things.
As you’ve probably heard by now two of the contractors’ offers will be voted on by union members this Friday, so despite this there is still hope for progress. I’m already hearing rumblings it’s doomed to fail, though. We shall see.