Free Bus Rides... sort of
The bus driver this morning was refusing to collect any fares from boarding passengers. She would put her hand over the farebox and say "It's not working; just have a seat" as each person got on.
I read about this last week; that the TTC would, instead of immediately going on strike on April 1st, begin a "work-to-rule" campaign that would involve doing everything strictly by the letter of their contract. Amongst other things, they would conduct mandated safety checks of their vehicles (thus slowing down service), not collect fares, and not wear their uniforms.
...so what the hell kind of contract do TTC employees have that stipulates that they (a) do not have to collect fares from passengers and (b) do not have to wear uniforms identifying them as employees of the TTC? Who wrote this contract?? (Actually, I suspect that it is likely some idiotic union stipulation like "Only fare collectors may collect fares, and only bus drivers may drive buses, etc").
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In other Transit Union News: For about all of March, it was all over thenews that the TTC was likely to go on strike on April 1st, thus depriving millions of people their principle means of transport to work. Right up until March 30th, we were on this kind of "countdown to strike" clock. Then, on March 31st, the union announced it would graciously give the people of Toronto 48 hours' notice if they were going to strike. I went to go by my Metropass for April on that day, and the guy in the booth had stuck up a hand-written sign taped up to the glass that read "Do NOT ask about strike!!!!!!!" (I don't know the HTML code for "underline the word 'not' a dozen times"). That note is still up in his booth. I keep wanting to stick a note on my side of the glass so he can read it: "Do not continuously threaten strike for 30 days!!!!!!!" but I seriously doubt he would see my point.
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The first contract that the union rejected (by a whopping 99.2% majority) offered TTC employees a 2%-a-year wage increase over the 4-year span of the contract. Let's see, three-year 'veteran' bus drivers currently make $26.80 an hour, so raising that by %2 each year would see them getting $29.01 an hour in year four of their contract. And they rejected it as not being anywhere near good enough.
Man. $29/hour, a sweet pension that allows retirement at 60, health benefits out the ying-yang and the total job security of being a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
I gotta learn how to drive a bus.
I read about this last week; that the TTC would, instead of immediately going on strike on April 1st, begin a "work-to-rule" campaign that would involve doing everything strictly by the letter of their contract. Amongst other things, they would conduct mandated safety checks of their vehicles (thus slowing down service), not collect fares, and not wear their uniforms.
...so what the hell kind of contract do TTC employees have that stipulates that they (a) do not have to collect fares from passengers and (b) do not have to wear uniforms identifying them as employees of the TTC? Who wrote this contract?? (Actually, I suspect that it is likely some idiotic union stipulation like "Only fare collectors may collect fares, and only bus drivers may drive buses, etc").
♣ ♣ ♣
In other Transit Union News: For about all of March, it was all over thenews that the TTC was likely to go on strike on April 1st, thus depriving millions of people their principle means of transport to work. Right up until March 30th, we were on this kind of "countdown to strike" clock. Then, on March 31st, the union announced it would graciously give the people of Toronto 48 hours' notice if they were going to strike. I went to go by my Metropass for April on that day, and the guy in the booth had stuck up a hand-written sign taped up to the glass that read "Do NOT ask about strike!!!!!!!" (I don't know the HTML code for "underline the word 'not' a dozen times"). That note is still up in his booth. I keep wanting to stick a note on my side of the glass so he can read it: "Do not continuously threaten strike for 30 days!!!!!!!" but I seriously doubt he would see my point.
♣ ♣ ♣
The first contract that the union rejected (by a whopping 99.2% majority) offered TTC employees a 2%-a-year wage increase over the 4-year span of the contract. Let's see, three-year 'veteran' bus drivers currently make $26.80 an hour, so raising that by %2 each year would see them getting $29.01 an hour in year four of their contract. And they rejected it as not being anywhere near good enough.
Man. $29/hour, a sweet pension that allows retirement at 60, health benefits out the ying-yang and the total job security of being a member of the Amalgamated Transit Union.
I gotta learn how to drive a bus.