Get Out Your Walking Shoes - TTC Strike To Start Monday, April 21, 2008

Not looking forward to this... I'll be avoiding downtown if/when this goes down :S

Jerrold - yeah, I live in the thick of downtown. I'm really thinking I'll be sticking close to home. If you see me I may be shaking, 'cause I'm expecting the next little while will mean more Jet Fuel lattes for me...

It's as if I saw this coming...I'm going on vacation (out of town) for a week. Hopefully this will be resolved very quickly.

Good luck to everyone!!

This sucks. I live at Bayview/Sheppard and don't have a car. Cabs are a rip-off going downtown from my area and I have so many things to do next week. Not to mention work!

Does anyone have an idea how long the strike's gonna last?

The union workers should go to work but not collect fares. People could go to work/school etc., yet the city won't get $$$ regardless. At least the city businesses won't lose money this way and the city will still hum.

Meanwhile, at a time critical of a looming transit strike, mayor Miller is schmoozing in a communist country - China.

ok.. and the last 5 strikes in 10 years were about the same damn thing wasnt it?

please someone refresh my memory.. this is not acceptable

I imagine that things will be very difficult for commuter students at UofT, as final exams start next week.

Greedy bastards.
I just want to know how long it will take to legislate them back to work..
And when will the government get the courage to make them an essential service?
A city this size that has encouraged people for so many years to get off the roads should not allow itself to be held hostage by a greedy union.

So how do I get to Work next week, and Hot Docs?
The 1 and half hour long walk to work isn't so bad but the walk home. That I am not looking forward to.

get bike, solve problem.

I believe the TTC strike of 2008 will have the same end result as the strike of 1991 (I believe): terrible loss of ridership from which the TTC never recovered, and more cars on the road. Let's just deem the TTC an essential service to prevent strikes in the future, and get it over with!

I take no stand for or against the union striking - however - not only will it be almost impossible for me to get to work (barring an almost 2 hour walk each way), nor can I get to my other part time jobs on time, but I need to make a contingency plan to get a cast of 35ish people to rehearsals all week! Who knows? Maybe it will all work out on Sunday?

The TTC is easily the worst transit provider I've ever used, and that's including the STM in Montreal. There, there's always partial strikes, systems only running during peak hours, etc. But at least the adult passes are almost half the price of TTC ones. Meanwhile we'll probably be getting another $10 fee hike before the year is out to compensate for decreasing ridership, increased TTC wages (with shittier workers!), and maintenance for vehicles that are falling apart.

I don't think I can afford a bike and don't really fancy cycling down and up Yonge Street.

yeah - quick craigslist check has confirmed that I can't afford a bike right now

...and the mayor is in red communist China. This city doesn't even have leadership.

bring it on!

I guess I picked a good time to be hanging out in Europe for a while. Let's hope this all gets sorted quickly. For my sake, of course, I get back to Toronto at the end of the month. =)

Yes, the strike is a huge inconvenience for a lot of people. Not a good scene. But as far as it causing havoc on the roads, my experience has been that traffic just flies when there are no streetcars or buses. The biggest problem I see will be the increased number of cyclists, most of whom have no regard for the rules of the road whatsoever.

So there's finally an upside to being unemployed.

One word - MOBSTERS.
Get rid of the unions!!!!

i'm gonna start tearing down those 'worth a million' ads on my way home from work today. 55k a year to drive a bus, with some benefits, does NOT make you a second-class citizen.

you may not be compensated as well as some, but you're compensated better than most. buncha greedy assholes. BOOOO TTC EMPLOYEES!

@Billy Nasty: that's neither funny, witty, insightful or helpful in the least.

let's try to keep this intelligent folks.

I made a blog posting about the TTC strike - in my own perspective, complete with a music video. The posting can be viewed at simontonekham dot wordpress dot com.

@Hans Lucas: that on the other hand is all of the above! agreed!

anyone know what happens to those of us with monthly metro passes? will we get a refund or something?

"get bike, solve problem.
Posted by: matthew at April 17, 2008 12:53 PM "

Its not that easy for most. I, myself would have to bike about 2 and a half hours, uphill, to get to work. If I made it halfway, I'd be lucky. My bike needs post-winter repairs and there are no bikelanes on the way there. Not to mention the massive increase in traffic I'll have to try not getting hit by.

Considering the focus of the recently passed 'Places To Grow Act' focuses on increased transit ridership, it'll be interesting to see how the province reacts to this in the end. They should just end all this silliness right now and deem the TTC an essential service. Any staff who feels that they are being treated unfairly in terms of compensation can be (im)politely shown the friggin door, especially those boneheads who are in charge of the decision making.

Last time I was home to Toronto I went to the subway station to buy a day pass and I kid you not, the person in the booth was asleep with his feet up on the desk.

Overworked, overstressed and under paid my ass. If their skill at their job is any mark of their intellect, many of them are lucky to be working at all.

Kate, check out the best prices in the city at Bike Pirates. There's a catch though, they show you how to repair things and then you DIY. They usually have some ready to ride bikes on hand though.

It should be a mad house there on Saturday with the impending strike.

@ Matthew.

FOR ME TO "SOLVE MY PROBLEM AND BUY A BIKE" I WOULD HAVE TO START MY RIDE FROM MY HOUSE AT ROYAL YORK AND LAKESHORE TO VICTORIA PARK AND SHEPPARD AT ABOUT 1 AM TO GET THERE FOR 9 AM

Thanks Ben!
Also since we won't know officially until Sunday at 4 pm this doesn't really seem like the promised 48hrs notice. Instead more of a 90 hour limboitic period.

I just noticed the already-updated bio of Bob Kinnear on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Kinnear

The internet, man!

TTC sucksssss

Start organizing those car pools folks. Last time this happened, yeah, it was brutal on the roads, but at least some people were still able to get to work. If I ever see Kinnear on the street though, I'm going to give him a swift tap to the nuts.

Sorry for being the minority here and maybe I don't know all the facts but I don't find their demands that excessive. It's only fair that they get compensated for their time off if they are injured at work, isn't? it sucks that they have to resort to these tactics to get what they want though. I agree with an earlier poster who suggested they just let everyone on without paying. That would be much more effective, IMO.

I, for one, have been using the TTC for the past 7 years and have no real complaints. Of course, there will always be the odd rude and obnoxious driver but they have been a minority in my experience.

heh, gee, it's too bad people don't have strong opinions about this, it would make things so much more interesting. ;)

I've updated the article to include the unsurprising public statement by TTC which is basically a glorified 'no comment'.

My dream is that some private enterprise would seize the opportunity to rent some buses and replace the surface TTC routes for that week.

I'm sure they'd manage to make a profit. Why can't they do this? Are there insurance reasons I'm not aware of?

Perhaps there are logistical problems, like finding and hiring competent drivers with the proper licenses.

But there's a GLUT of taxi cabs in the city, why don't they just organize a system of routes that somewhat mirrors the surface TTC routes, and people can just share cabs. Make it a fare system, just like the TTC has, limit the number of passengers to 4, and off you go.

Wouldn't the cab companies make more money this way? Or is it more profitable for them to have their entire fleet slog through gridlock?

Seriously, why are there no contingency plans in place for this? It's not like this hasn't happened before. It's not like we didn't know this could happen. As a city, transit is fundimental, yet we allow ourselves to be held over a barrel by a union OVER and OVER. It's inane.

I could go on, but honestly, does anyone else have any new ideas for dealing with this. Besides just taking the opportunity to whinge pointlessly about how they might have to get off their fat asses and bike for once?

Another idea: Turn Yonge St into a bike only lane between Bloor and Front during 8-10AM, 4-7PM. The same for Queen and Dundas between Bathurst and Broadview. I'm sure the logistics of this needs more work, but that's why their called contingency plans and why they're worked out BEFORE they become necessary.

Frustrated.

"Sorry for being the minority here and maybe I don't know all the facts but I don't find their demands that excessive. It's only fair that they get compensated for their time off if they are injured at work, isn't? it sucks that they have to resort to these tactics to get what they want though. I agree with an earlier poster who suggested they just let everyone on without paying. That would be much more effective, IMO."

My issue with this is that there is already some controversy on some TTC employees' claims that they are actually ill/injured.

Remember the report that suggested that TTC employees experience the same level of post traumatic stress as soldiers?

"On average employees missed about 49 days of work, and the traumatized drivers missed close to 9,000 workdays in all. Others missed time for anxiety and depression. Bob Kinnear, president of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, said operators are put in a difficult position."

49 days of work. FORTY NINE. That is SEVEN WEEKS, or almost two full months!!!

Those 9000 days for 'stressed' workers? If we pay them because they don't feel like coming in? That's about 2 million dollars ($1,904,000 based on the average salary). (I wish I knew how to bold words in my comments, because that deserves it)

Seven weeks.

Miller: "The biggest problem this city has is legal target shooters! Ok, going to China now! Good Luck! I'll write!"

might have to buy new shoes on the weekend... I am seeing more walking in the future.

oh, and isn't 49 days actually 10 weeks?

Everytime the TTC goes on strike they don't pay salary to their workers. They end up saving 3/4 million + a day.

It's also obvious the TTC union can negotiate and is bullish in their tatics - they have have striked 5 times in the past 10 years? Do I want to trust these people to drive buses?

I am f**king confused. And all I know at the end of the day is that we lose and somebody else wins.
We need to build other methods of sustainable transit in this city.

jam

Ontario needs to wake up to urban issues and pass a law like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taylor_Law

When a TTC electrician works past the end of their shift, they are paid double time, for the entire length of the next shift, independant of how much time they actually work into the next shift.

So if you work 1 hour into the next shift, you get paid for 16 hours.

But I'm sure they don't abuse that system. I'm sure they're complaints are legitimate. I'm sure the problem is that the provincial government is just being stingy, and that's what is keeping the level of service on the TTC so low.

What a joke.

"oh, and isn't 49 days actually 10 weeks?"

You're right, 10 Monday to Friday weeks.

to Ryan L.:

Thanks for the info. I did not know that!

"On average employees missed about 49 days of work..."

Where did you find that quote Ryan L.?

From Kinnear himself when they released that report

http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_18775.aspx

They should get at least $35.00 per hour and 6 weeks vacation, plus.plus..plus..we have just "BEND OVER" as we are doing it right "NOW"

I think Sean's comment about free rides is an excellent idea, it hurts the employers while retaining the public on the union's side, rather than holding the whole city hostage.

I also hope that Billy Nasty's IP info has been forwarded to the police for follow-up, because even if that's anger masquerading as wit, it's unacceptably stupid.

Exams + No TTC = Lose

The saddest thing is that by the time I have kids the TTC still won't be functioning properly and it'll still be one horribly run operation.

Seriously!!? I am so sick of these strikes!! How is it that some dude driving a bus is getting paid 100,000 dollars a year to sit on his butt. Mean while all us peeps who actually require university have to shell out $3.00 dollars from their 40,000 dollar salary just because some lazy richy wants four weeks vacation. We just had an INCREASE! I propose a strike, I say ALL the TTC riders should WALK until the union goes bankrupt and we can hire regular employees like any other company. And making campaign donations?? That just REEKS of unethical. You might as well sleep with the mayor too!!

Thanks Chris Orbz.

It makes so much sense to get free rides from the TTC. Just reading the thread above shows everyone will have their lives turned upside down if the strike takes place.

This way, we the riders will respect the transit workers and they in turn won't make enemies.

It's the top management and city Hall that's at fault not to resolve anything. Just look at Miller hightailing out of Toronto knowing all this is happening but chose to visit communist red China instead. It boggles the mind. That alone should keep him from running for mayor ever again.

FREE RIDES TTC!!!
YOUR UNION AND EMPLOYEES WOUL EARN MORE RESPECT FROM THE RIDERS.

DON'T STRIKE - GIVES US (TAXPAYERS) FREE RIDES INSTEAD!

FREE RIDES TTC!!!

I question the legality of giving free rides.

Management/the city owns the buses, subways, tracks, etc.

I also question whether the average ttc driver would still go into work despite not being paid.

I'll be taking a sick day! It'd take me over two hours to walk downtown from the west end...

this sucks

Free rides wouldn't work, the TTC would just lock them out

I could lose my job if this happens...thanks alot, TTC, you greedy f*&ks!!!!! >:(
Must be nice to work for a union...those of us working for 10 bucks an hour just to LIVE aren't so lucky.

If the salary is the issue:
why don't the union disclose the salary range they have now and let the public judge whether they should raise it.

Im just tired of TTC making threats of a strike using it as an excuse to get what they want. This is outrageous !!!! Why is the public allowing TTC to blackmail us almost every year ???

Ryan L - "Management/the city owns the buses, subways, tracks, etc."

Uh, WE (citzens/taxpayers of Toronto) OWN THE TTC.

Sean - sure, technically, in the same way we own the liquor stores and the hospitals. it doesn't mean we get to do what we want with it. it doesn't mean that the transit vehicles are in our names (that'd be one hell of an ownership paper).

as for free TTC for people, the problem with that is that our fares don't just got to line the pockets of TTC big-wigs. It goes to paying insurance and maintenance and gas, all things that they can't do without, so, as cool an idea as it would be that a strike would somehow involve workers proving a point by providing free service, it's really not viable. shame though, 'cause it's a really cool idea.

Management and unions hate binding arbitration, and that's exactly why it should be mandatory when a public sector contract re-negotiation fails. Both sides will be motivated to negotiate effectively, so that the contract they end up with will be set on their own terms, and the public has the assurance of uninterrupted service and of some degree of fairness. There are more than two options -- "a million dollars and a pony!"; "outlaw all unions!" -- and binding arbitration is a good one.

Frankly, as a PUBLIC SERVICE any and all should be deemed essential. Those that can?t abide should find another job.

How can any reasonable thinking individual, union or company agree to paying a ?starting? position the same as an experienced position. With that logic Kinnear should be paying each of his union employees the same salary he gets. Such nonsense, yet this to him is a worthy strike issue.

The union, and not just this one, has clearly outlived its once created usefulness as has the archaic military management style of orgs like the TTC.

And let?s not exclude council. How can Miller possibly fix anything when he starts every year with a minimum 3% increase in salaries for every employee? Add to that COL increases, benefits, etc.

Its time to introduce the concept of earning one?s salary and performance increases with accountability from the top down AND bottom up.

No service, no performance, no pay. Just like the rest of the population.

Further, ask kinnear and his union how much more in taxes they are willing to pay for a larger increase.

This ?service?, union, its leadership, etc. that demand from us, the public, the ability to live in an entitled world.

Everyone should be writing their MPP and demanding a change.... immediately.

i have no sympathy for the ttc workers.. esp the tickets booth monkeys who make over 100k a year...

j,

Yes, but:
- The Mayor is a pansy
- The Premier gets a free ride because Mr. Tory makes McGuinty look like Churchill.
- You're demanding action from a city that has seen fit to not only reelect every incumbent that ran municipally in 06, but give 18 of 22 seats at Queen's Park to Liberals?

I've said it before, I'll say it again. We are getting exactly what we deserve. In a real city, this grease monkey Kinnear wouldn't have anywhere near as much as power as he does right now. But because we've been too busy being politically correct, incompetent pansies such as Messrs. Miller and McGuinty have taken over, avoiding conflict at all costs, giving raises to all the unions, so that kids can't have their pools, but God forbid anyone who works for gov't doesn't get a raise.

The void that is leadership grows every day. I'm losing hope that it will ever be filled.

Someday, we'll live in a real city. :(

TTC should be essential service. No questions. Many other public service are. Salaries should be disclosed. Not informing the public of the current wages tells me they don't want me and others to know how good they have it. This statement about TTC workers being treated like second rate citizens is a load of crap. Considering their current pay, benefits, vacation, etc etc and now they want more I don't see how they can say that. They have it to good. They have it far better than the majority of people out there. In fact they make more than some Nurses in Ontario cities! Can you believe that? A ticket taker makes more than some Nurses! Do the research. And a Nurse deals with life and death situations, care for patients and even has to clean up poop when a patient has an accident... I'd like to see the TTC workers try that out. Maybe then they'd see how good they have it! It's just plain old greed. Flood the TTC union with complaints and disgust! Take your city back people! the TTC is laughing while they hold every citizen in a headlock waiting for them to say uncle! It's wrong!

I'm with Sarah - I don't see what's wrong with expecting to be compensated for being injured on the job. I take the TTC everyday and I have seen so many streetcar drivers yelled at/confronted/threatened.

it appears that its not just the ttc union who is greedy did anyone notice that the day the strike was announced the price of gas went up to $1.20 per litre?

I think someone has already mentioned this but I suggest that Toronto does what Glasgow has done - de-privatise public transportation.

The subway in Glasgow, however, is still public but buses and what not are all private firms - each running against one other and competatively priced!

If there is a strike, it will last just long enough to offset the losses of giving the workers a raise... out come the calculators and .. hmm .. you want a $3 raise ? go on strike for 3 weeks and we'll give it to you.
Toronto, and Canada in general is nearing the last straw for being "too politically correct" and lukewarm.. btw. I'm trying to avoid the TTC in general as much as I can from now on.

Politically correct is a disease spawned by governments to cause chaos.

+++++++++++++
OH CRAP!!!!!

RAIN FOR MONDAY
+++++++++++++

Wow, McGuinty is finally talking about making them an essential service, about bloody time

Yeah, but it won't be in time for Monday...: (

I suspect the money saved by the city by not paying the TTC workers during the strike + whatever wage increase they want is far and away dwarfed by the money lost through lost tax revenue because businesses lose customers, can't operate efficiently, spend less in other areas, etc, during the strike.

You'd hope this wouldn't need explaining, but Toronto's economy is tied to it's population, which is tied to the public transit system.

The TTC strike will be tough on all the people in Toronto. Miller won't step in. The city was covered in ice for a month , Miller had no salt. The city is full of street crime ,organized and unsafe streets . Miller looks away . He shows consistency in being useless.

The TTC operators who make $100,000 - who some were complaining about above - worked 55 hour weeks every single week of the year (on average). No vacations, no time-off. Some of those were no doubt split shifts, meaning that instead of a 9 hour day (assuming a 6 day work week) it was probably more like a 12 or 14 hour day.

Is $25-$35 an hour a lot for a bus driver? I don't know. What I do know is that it's 2-3x what a burger flipper makes, and it probably requires at least 5-6x the skill. I'll post the math if you'd like.

But: if you are so impressed with their earnings, why don't you go get a job for the TTC - there are a ton of openings listed at http://www.toronto.ca/ttc/jobopps_current.htm

To summarize: University girl and everyone else: either apply for a job at the TTC or SHUT THE FUCK UP about how good they have it. It's supply and demand, and unless you've applied and been rejected in favour of the Mayor's friends you bitches are all talk.

"What I do know is that it's 2-3x what a burger flipper makes, and it probably requires at least 5-6x the skill. I'll post the math if you'd like."

Please do post the math.

No problem:

The average burger flipper has approximately 2.3 units of general skill. The average bus driver has approximately 12.72 units.

Now all we do is solve 2.3x=12.72, and voila, x=5.53. Since the combined SD is 0.5, we get precisely 5-6x the skill. QED.

What is a "unit of general skill"?

(and I'd also like to see your hourly pay math because I don't know anyone that flips burgers for $12.50 or $11.67 per hour as your math suggests)

Units? Has this tread steered to units?

I hate the politically correctness movement but, let's focus on mayor Miller who hightailed of the country to spend time in red communist China? What's his carbon footprint? Better than talking about units.

Speaking of footprints, how many of us will be forced to walk on Monday to work or face losing our jobs?

How many elderly and sick will miss appointments with their doctors?

When Miller gets back, it is our right to impeach him for leaving the country to hang out with communists therefore avoiding this pending strike. He will have to cough up the taxpayers for that trip to red China too.

This strike threat we're facing has so little to do with Miller that the scapegoating is so easily dismissed, IMO.

this is so unfare it has to be on the day my class is going on a blue jays game now i have to wait intill june

A unit denotes how much effort, skill, and training goes into a single superunit of labour at the specific job. Each profession requires one superunit of labour per hour, except for students which take 1.5 and blog writers which take 0.5.

So the summed total of a burger flipper's effort, skill, and training equals 2.3 units, whereas a TTC operator's effort, skill, and training equals 12.72 units.

I hope this clarifies things.

Wow, impressive!
Arbitrarily assigned "units of skill". What a convincing argument and based totally on zero empirical data.

How much harder is it to drive a bus over a car? Or a cube van? They are not even close to being as difficult to drive as a big rig with 10 or more gears? Buses are automatic transmission and the subway trains and streetcars run on tracks.
Driving can be stressful in this city, sure. Some riders are jerks, true. But who doesn't have a job that imparts stress? Who doesn't have to deal with clients or co-workers who are jerks? There are more stressful jobs than driving a bus or sitting in a booth giving change when a machine can do it quicker and with less attitude.
And to those who say the workers should be compensated for being injured on the job - uh, they are, and even if not by contract (which they are) then under the WSIB like everyone else.
Their complaint about not making as much as other GTA transit operators - 5 cents difference. Yes folks, they think you and I are pieces of turd since they will screw your shit up for 5 cents an hour. My heart bleeds.
I have dealt with shitty drivers who smoke on buses in the loop just before they circle around and pick up riders, drivers on cell phones, asshole drivers verbally abusing passengers who didn't deserve it (some for just not speaking English well enough, a system that runs every 25-30 minutes on routes with 5 minute posted wait times, trains and buses going out of service all of a sudden or the dreaded "short turn", and a ton more unpleasant situations.
As a 21 year rider of the TTC they should be giving me and others like me appreciation not the sneering contempt we are met with instead.
That said, I have encountered about 10-12 superior operators who possessed concern and honor and I ALWAYS called the TTC to commend those people. Thank you to those guys and girls. Screw the rest of 'em. I have managed to get to work 9 months out of the year using a bicycle or motorcycle without paying to use a lousy, overcrowded system.
Oh yeah, another thing, streetcars are the stupidest idea for a 21st century city. Especially on streets that are reduced to one lane from on street parking.

doesn't affect me at all. I'll be shopping downtown monday hehe

TTC is the heart of Toronto. I don't understand why they just give them what they want. The city cannot run without the transit system. It will be hell. Honestly

TTC wages are not based on supply and demand. It's a state imposed monopoly. How do you figure anything about a state imposed monopoly is affected by market conditions, supply and demand? It's obvious you're just being a prick, but whatever, your a prick and you're wrong.

The units of skill are not at all arbitrarily assigned.

Each unit of skill corresponds to the specific level of effort, skill and training that goes into a specific career. That is not arbitrary.

The empirical evidence is quite clear as well, and it's cited in one of the posts above.

well, it's sunday, it's over an hour past the deadline and there has been no announcement of a strike. i have to say, i'm feeling pretty hopeful that there will still be transit tomorrow.

yay for tentative deals! yay for transit on monday! woo hoo! okay, yeah, i'm done now.

Just saying units of skill correspond to specific level of effort, skill and training still does not define them clearly.
Skill and training are different for every vocation so comparing apples to oranges, as you did with "burger flippers" and transit monkeys is ineffective.
What empirical evidence? You have none. Do you understand what empirical evidence means? For an "A Grade Student" you don't seem to grasp debate fundamentals.
Thank you Montrealshorts for saying what I was thinking.

This is the biggest joke. Don't these people realize the global economy has changed, not to mention based on the US slowdown/recession, we in Canada is going to be affected. There are so many workers out there working for $8/hr, $10/hr. You "stupid TTC workers" are making very WELL money, you also have the responsibility to serve Torontonians. It is so ashame that someone would pay almost $40/hr to a TTC driver, comeon, how many people in GTA get a job for $80000!!! This is totally unfair to all the people using Toronto service, not fair to the Ontario taxpayer - you Stupid TTC Worker costs not only the taxpayers money, but our economy (as a hault in Toronto businesses also affect the rest of Ontario). Don't be too greedy, just remember lots of workers today actually either get laid-off or cut-back in their pay. As in fariness, you STUPID TTC WORKERS should get a BIG PAY CUT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is just ridiculous that the Union is able to do this to us. I mean they already got a 3% raise, what else do they want?! There are plenty dangerous low paid jobs that are essential to the public, you don't see them going on strike! How would TTC workers feel if all the firefighters went on strike? I just don't understand how David Miller can seat back and do nothing about this. He is a mayor, is he not?! I would get rid of the union, see workers going on strike then. TTC workers should be ashamed of themselves for being greedy and not caring about anything else except their well being.

Come on, they are already getting paid higher than many university- educated professionals! What's Bob Kinnear's problem??? Isn't it amazing how he is able to brainwash all the employees? They should all be fired: there are many other people who'd be happy to take their jobs!!! They are so selfish and don't give a shit about those affected and put in danger by the surprise strike at night. Bob Kinnear should be taken to court to answer for this. Simply ridiculous!