Toronto's Garbage Strike Comes To a Miserable End

Posted by Laura Steiner Aug 3, 2009

I don't live in Toronto. That means there are some people out there who will give me ample change for adding my two cents worth on the Toronto garbage strike, and that's fine. Consider this then the opinon of someone who loves the city; someone who no matter how bad things get sees the potential for Toronto to be the world-class city it wants to be.

And that's all it's been so far; potential. The countless announcements on funding for the waterfront, rennovating Union Station, plans for transit... all talk and no action. And that's what in the end the garbage strike was: all the talk about standing tough against the unions- all the talk about not giving in on the banking sick days issue, the city having to tighten its financial belts was just talk. The union has gotten everything they wanted and then some. In their settlement they got a 6% raise over the next three years; existing workers who have worked there over 10 years get to keep their sick time or have it bought out by the city. To top it off: any sick and vacation time earned throughout the strike is counted, and as part of a back to-work protocol nobody is to face any penalties for slashing tires or other illegal behavior. It's like a case of revisionist history; as if the strike never happened.

And the sad part is, it seems like that's how the mayor wants it. Throughout the course of the strike it appeared to me as if he was playing both sides against the middle. On one hand he was the tough-talking, take no prisoners, stick up for the voter Mayor Miller. On the other hand he was the guy with alleged union sympathies who was content to allow the illegal behavior to continue (no filing for injuctions), and one who refused to play it as hard as he should've with them. (ie: hiring replacement workers).

Now Toronto is stuck with a settlement about which there are doubts the city can afford. The sick time buy out alone is said to be in the thousands. But Miller will pay the political price. Opponents are already lining up- beginning with 11 councillors, and rumoured candidates for Mayor George Smitherman, and John Tory.

The voters will not easily forget the strike, and line up against Miller as well. Torontonians deserve a mayor who will stick up for them, no matter the consequences... even if it means the city will stink of garbage, and being the unions least favourite person. The city deserves a mayor with the vision for the city and the guts to make to it happen. Hopefully Toronto voters will remember the past 7 weeks and Miller's conduct in another year and do something about it. I don't want to think of what could happen otherwise.