At time of press, the City of Toronto was one day away from a possible strike that would see at least 24,000 indoor and outdoor city workers represented by two locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees walk off the job as of 12:01 a.m. yesterday. They include garbage collectors, daycare employees, paramedics and parks and recreation staff.
If a negotiation can’t be reached, Toronto will be served with a reminder of the summer of 2002, where garbage collectors walked off the job for 16 days before being served with back-to-work legislation from then Progressive Conservative premier Ernie Eves. The main issues at hand are job security and increased wages and benefits for union workers.
Toronto’s indoor and outdoor workers provide invaluable services to the city, but shaking down taxpayers for extra benefits by threatening to hold the city hostage is a counterproductive way to improve the already strained union-government relationship. Windsor is going into its 10th week of a strike by city workers, where the city is overun with long grass and piles of garbage. A similar strike in Toronto would have a devastating effect on an area with more than 2.5 million residents and would create unsanitary conditions for the crowded city. The strike will also negatively affect the city’s already struggling tourism industry and will have detrimental effects on pre-planned summer events, such as Toronto Pride Week.
City workers deserve to be properly compensated for their work, but asking for 18 bankable sick days, which can be cashed out at retirement for up to six month’s salary, creates $186-million in unfunded liability for the City, which is already working under a strained operating budget.
Instead of letting issues involving wage and benefits escalate to boiling point and engaging in hasty last-minute negotiations, both parties would benefit from year-round dialogue and negotiations to prevent the fear mongering that preceeds city-wide strikes.
Although both parties have their backs against the wall, striking is only a temporary solution that causes undue stress to union workers, the City and Toronto residents. By emphasizing mutual long-term solutions instead of ultimatums, both sides can achieve their goals without drastic measures.
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