SNOW DAY!!!

hopefully this gets resolved sooner than later...

Wildcat? That's a creative name for illegal--talk about doublespeak.

The union that perpetrated this strike should be promptly decertified. Its employees should be severly reprimanded for failing to show up for work.

Unions are out of control. This behaviour is something one would expect out of a three year old...

It's on days like these I'm glad I work a stone's throw away from my apartment. Or maybe not so glad...I haven't had a snow day in ages. =)

It's making me happier and happier that I'm a cyclist now; just about to head off to work; this should be fun.

Of course reports so far seem unsure if it's a strike or a lock-out; it may be too early to blame the union quite yet.

The Vice Chair of the TTC admitted on CP24 that they did indeed LOCK the doors because they felt they could not run a transit system with only part of its employees on hand.

So it is a bit of both - a wildcat strike and a lockout - and the Union and Management should be ashamed! What a joke.

Too much politics, not enough real progress or action. Yet another reason why they (TTC) needs a HUGE overhual from top to bottom. Both the Union and TTC Management.

It's not a lock out. The union went on illegal strike, so they locked the doors.

It's an illegal strike.

This union doesn't care about its employees, or Toronto. It cares about some petty political squabble with city hall. Kids.

70 minute walk. Grrrr.

Torontonians have just had the most unpleasant Monday morning surprise when the union representing the Toronto Transit Commission's (TTC) 8000 workers decided to do a’Wild-Cat’ Illegal Strike.

While many residents were taken aback Monday morning when the buses, subways and streetcars were not running. It nevertheless an outrage that Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union can hold the city hostage when it bargains with the city. The two-day strike of April 1999 inconvenienced 3.3 million riders, while the eight-day strike of 1991 created so much chaos that even the union-friendly NDP government of the day was ready to enact back-to-work legislation.

A union-management battle that has been brewing for months over several issues including driver security, health premiums, job evaluations and shifting for employees who do track maintenance and cleaning for the TTC.

In spite of the self-congratulatory TTC propaganda one finds plastered throughout the subway, public transit in Toronto is a mess. Thanks to a withdrawal of steady provincial funding, the system has 10% fewer buses – and 20% fewer streetcars – today than 15 years ago, and requires $300 million a year to keep its aging fleet in a state of good repair.

The city subsidizes the TTC with over $240 million in tax revenues every year. Numerous fare hikes and decreased service have taken a toll on ridership, which fell from a high of 465 million a year at the end of the 1980s to 372 million in 1996, although levels have risen since, especially with the introduction of weekly passes, and high gas prices.

Toronto's buses and subway cars are frequently overcrowded even outside of rush hour periods . The city came up with a Transit Growth Strategy that it seems to have forgotten about. As well, many grumble that their friendly bus driver often isn't very friendly. Of the 16,773 complaints lodged against the TTC in 2004, 6206 dealt with driver behaviour. Interestingly, the TTC acknowledged it was at fault for over 65% of complaints.

Supporters of public transportation argue with some justification the TTC is underfunded and merely needs more financial resources. It sounds nice until you realize that neither the province nor the city has any extra cash lying around, and that throwing money at government monopolies is a questionable strategy.

As is getting the province to declare the TTC an essential service, subject to binding arbitration. While such a move would prevent future strikes, it would also be a recipe for ever-expanding costs, and it would leave public transit in the hands of a monopoly. If some drivers can get away with being surly to passengers, it is because they are protected by a union, and the TTC is the only mass transit system in town.

Instead, Toronto could follow the examples of London England, Las Vegas, San Diego, Stockholm, Copenhagen, and other cities in privatizing – or just partially privatizing – its transit system. In the years since private bus service arrived in London, ridership increased, waiting times fell, and fares were reduced relative to inflation. Ridership rose by 300% in Las Vegas after its entire system was privatized, while cost per vehicle hour dropped by 33%.

If a total privatization seems too radical, imagine if the TTC leased out its busy arterial bus routes to a private operator, and concentrated instead upon the subway system and out-of-the-way bus routes. The city could beef up service, earn millions in leasing fees, and ensure that business wouldn't grind to a halt in the event of a strike like Monday.

Such an option is of course unthinkable under Toronto's current Mayor and left-wing Council. Still, breaking the TTC's monopoly over public transit – as well as the union's ability to shut down the city – would indeed be a "better way" for Toronto commuters.

Update:

CP24 just reported that services will NOT be restored for after work rush hour service today.

Snow day continues!!! :)

Tune into the 3pm City Hall press conference for the announcement of a RESOLUTION to the strike (live on CP24 TV).

Workers have begun heading back to work, but expect only limited service to resume and delays to continue this afternoon, until normal service levels are again reached.

Snow day is over. :(