No Deal in Toronto - 24,000 CUPE City Workers Strike

by Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke | June 22, 2009 at 02:49 am

2014 views | 48 Recommendations | 18 comments

Update 24 Jun 09 - Day 3 of the strike and Garbage is piling up. Transfer Stations are being blocked by strikers. The city has zero tolerance for garbage dumping,.

Update: This is Day 2 of the strike and as you can see in the picture file the garbage is piling up, even though some transfer stations have been made available for people to take their garbage to.

Residents of Canada's largest city are scrambling this morning to make alternate arrangements for day care and garbage disposal, as 24,000 city workers walk off the job.

Collective Bargaining between the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE) and the City of Toronto broke down. No deal was reached by 12:01 am this morning.

24,000 workers walked of the job this morning,. The strike affects garbage pick up, recycling, water and sewer services, recreational services, museum and cultural services operated by the city of Toronto and some 57 day care centres.

Police, Fire and Transport Services are not affected by this strike.

Issues of contention include job security, seniority and scheduling, along with proposed changes to a sick leave plan that would scrap employees' ability to bank days and cash them out at retirement

The strike comes at the worst time with the start of the tourist season and the warm weather.

An extended strike, while saving wages for the City of Toronto now, could stifle the Toronto economy.

As an aside, Windsor, Ontario is on Day 68 of a city workers strike.

Bloomberg Article on the Strike Read Here

About 24,000 Toronto city workers walked off the job after their unions and city officials couldn't reach deals by the 12:01 a.m. Monday deadline, the unions said.

"It's clear to us we have no other recourse but to call a strike," Ann Dembinski, president of CUPE Local 79, which represents about 18,000 office workers and other inside staff, said at a news conference.

"It's unfortunate that [at] this late stage we have not seen a collective agreement offer from the city that would be acceptable to Local 79 members," Dembinski said. "The city continues to table proposals that are far inferior to what other unionized City of Toronto employees received in negotiated settlements."

Mark Ferguson, president of Toronto Civic Employees Union CUPE Local 416, said 6,200 garbage collectors and other outside workers would also walk off the job.

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Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 03:03 on June 22nd, 2009

This is definitely the case, they feel disenfranchised, while the city is under severe budget restraints. Most municipalities in Canada are struggling with crumbling infrastructure and these so-called shovel ready projects affected by the federal stimulus seem to take too long to crank up.

Mary Richard

at 06:08 on June 22nd, 2009

Should get stinky pretty fast, temperatures will be in the high 20s all week.

Please do your bit, by taking your coffee cups, etc. with you when out and about - hopefully this won't last too long, and we want our city to remain clean.

There's a list of the only five transfer stations that are accepting waste, on the Toronto.ca website.

The strike is expected to impact:

garbage collection

child-care centres

golf courses

the island ferry

recreation centres

wedding services

city-run sexual health and dental clinics

restaurant inspections

city-run events in public squares and public parks

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 06:05 on June 22nd, 2009

Thank you for this Blue Crush:)

Jordan Yerman

at 06:21 on June 22nd, 2009

Garbage strike + Toronto summer = nastiness.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 06:25 on June 22nd, 2009

Like they would say in Alberta. "No poop"

BS (not verified)

at 11:27 on June 22nd, 2009

Another reason for privatizing these services!!

j WILLCOCKS (not verified)

at 16:04 on June 22nd, 2009

I wish the general public would realize that these workers have worked hard to get what they already have and if they lose this fight then the public is also at risk. Every worker is at risk to be walked on. Mayor Miller was elected because he is supposed to be pro Union now hes making a mistake for his future career.

These are not salaried workers. City workers have had cut backs and more work with less help etc to do their work. They are essential to having Toronto The Good. The TTC workers got raises and no concessions. They want to take back what they already won. Wages are not the issue here.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 16:25 on June 22nd, 2009

The city offered a three-year contract that freezes wages for two years, and provided a 1 percent increase in the third year, according to striking workers including Jane Arbour.
Dembinski wouldn’t confirm the wage offer, though she said the proposal is “a fraction of what’s been offered” to other unionized city workers in other agreements. “They all were able to get in a three-year deal, increases of 3, 3 and 3 percent or more, plus no concessions.”

City spokesman Kevin Sack declined to comment on the wage proposal.

The city made additional “encouraging” proposals to Toronto Civic Employees Union Local 416 earlier today, union President Mark Ferguson told reporters, and the sides “are closer on a couple substantive issues.”

“I’m not the least bit optimistic at this point, but certainly time changes things,” Ferguson said while walking a picket line outside City Hall.

Miles Apart

“We’re just miles, miles apart,” Ferguson said. “Unfortunately the city wants more than a pound of flesh, and we’re not prepared to give it to the city.”

Among city demands is replacing a program that lets workers bank unused sick days with a short-term disability plan the union deems “inferior.” The current program gives workers 18 sick days a year, and as many as six months’ worth can be carried over until retirement.

Mary Richard

at 18:02 on June 22nd, 2009

That must have been the talk of the town today, 18 BANKABLE sick days a year...

Ian12 (not verified)

at 21:08 on June 22nd, 2009

They don't have much short term coverage. It's EI or whatever sick days the employee has banked. That includes days for family for those with children or other ill family members. Remember for the last 20+ years average, hard working people have continuously lost income, benefits and job security. The Government does nothing to prevent jobs from being shipped off shore, and makes no bones about trying to diminish what the workers now facing strike will lose. It's time for everyone to get behind the average person and start demanding better. The strategy used by big business and government is divide and conquer. While average people fight amongst themselves over who has better jobs and benefits everyone loses. Keep your eye on the ball. It's about you and me and everyone else losing more and more as we all have for so long now. If money is saved at the bottom, it ends up going into the pockets of CEO's, other wealthy individuals etc. Taxpayers and consumers are not going to gain an inch no matter how much workers lose. If you support banning strikes, don't support those that are forced into a strike position, and focus on petty issues facing workers you are helping to bring us all further down. I can remember when people dreamed of improving wages, benefits and a better standard of living for our children. Now a lot of us just hope to get by. It would be better for most everyone if we all started supporting average people and demanded more and better for us all. The next thing we'll see is a fight towards privatization of public services. That's when we'll really get the shaft. Wages drop. Valuable equipment (maybe garbage trucks or snow removal rigs etc) will be sold for a buck to private fat cats while workers take a bath in reduced wages, benefits and working conditions. Look what happened with the 407 ETR. Now a private corporation is making millions from a toll road paid for with tax dollars and sold for pennies on the dollar to private interests. All so a few can take the taxpayers money to the bank. We should not be supporting the wealthy in this way. We should be demanding more and better for the average worker. This latest strike doesn't even do that. The unions in this case just want a wage increase close to inflation and to keep benefits. I wonder how much the media will stir the pot on this one? Don't get sucked in to the small issues. Everyone is losing here except for the few, the mighty and the wealthy.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 18:12 on June 22nd, 2009

lol Blue Crush :)

Krupo

at 13:07 on June 23rd, 2009

Citizens obey the sign "please do not litter" sign, in their own way.

Courtesy www.krupo.ca

Krupo has contributed a photo to this story.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 13:14 on June 23rd, 2009

Thank you seastererrin, jasonpink, Krupos and fruvous for the pictures.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 15:04 on June 23rd, 2009

Thank You Danielle Scott.

ip.sebastian

at 18:32 on June 23rd, 2009

ip.sebastian has contributed a photo to this story.

Karl Gotthardt - albertacowpoke

at 18:36 on June 23rd, 2009

thank you sebastian:)

kris petersen (not verified)

at 14:47 on July 5th, 2009

These workers have ridiculous demands! I don't want my tax dollars to support their lavish lifestyle anymore. Pension, sick days to be banked....these guys need a reality check. I hope they stay on strike for 6 months and only get strike pay. That'll teach them a lesson!