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Mayor David Miller on the TTC Strike - Help Your Fellow Torontonians

Posted by Jerrold Litwinenko / April 26, 2008

25 Comments

ttc streetcars sit stillThis afternoon, CP24 had Toronto Mayor David Miller live in the studio to comment on the snap TTC transit strike (and he speaks directly to us at 6m20s in the video below).

While seeing that our mayor shares our frustrations about the strike situation doesn't do much to instill confidence in the public in our mayor's ability to do much about it, it is reassuring to see him appeal to the good in us to help the situation. Work from home, work flex hours, carpool, bike, walk, offer rides to those in need, be patient with taxis, and with each other - find transit alternatives, and be aware of one another.

Torontonians aren't happy campers, and reaction seems to range from frustration to outright anger. At a time like this, it's important that we not make problems worse. We all need to vent, and there are certainly more and less effective and acceptable ways to do this.

How to complain:
- file a complaint on the city's official TTC complaint form
- join Metronauts, and be proactive about bringing about greater change

How NOT to complain:
- by vandalizing TTC property
- by taking it out on TTC employees and your fellow Torontonians (face to face, and online)

Hang in there folks. Be kind. With any luck, this will all be over soon enough.

Photo by Hamish Grant.

Discussion

25 Comments

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Peter G / April 26, 2008 at 03:16 pm
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What IS hard in all of this is trying to scrape together ANY empathy for the TTC and Mr Kinnear. There was a deal: give the city 48 hours to prepare. They instead locked the public out at midnight on a Friday. They've lost my respect, certainly.

Hey, TTC! I belong to a union too, and I would NEVER walk away from my responsibility in the middle of my working day. And by the bye, it's ridiculous to expect that the public's willing to fund allegedly (see plants in newspapers about a month ago) stressed workers at 100% of salary while they're on indefinite leave. I'm a provincial civil servant, and I can't think of any union where this benefit has been awarded. Let's hope the provincial gov't legislates this service essential.
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Rick / April 26, 2008 at 03:24 pm
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I wish there was something constructive the public could do... a protest or something.
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Sean / April 26, 2008 at 03:48 pm
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@Rick.

Gee Rick, a protest or something? Like what? We can't go anywhere!

How about this...?

When this mess is over, cash payments for the TTC should be in pennies. YES - PAY WITH PENNIES!

That's a safe protest.

TTC can't turn down legal currency.

PAY WITH PENNIES!
PAY WITH PENNIES!
PAY WITH PENNIES!
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Mike / April 26, 2008 at 03:49 pm
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This is outright outrageous. I mean, striking with only a half an hour warning at most, and doing very little to get the word out. I saw many people stranded last night and I myself, had trouble getting home today (I was in the east end and I live all the way in the west). TTC employees already get paid a lot and there have been countless fare hikes over the last few years. I don't understand how they are "not getting paid enough". The Union should stop thinking about themselves for once and do what's better for the city of Toronto.
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j / April 26, 2008 at 04:24 pm
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so the bosses at the union feared for the safety of their drivers last week...I have a fear for their drivers next week when they are legislated back to work...I just hope cooler heads prevail...if you feel need to vent anger do it online... I think we all agree the TTC are kinda over paid...especially the ticket takers in the booths at the subway stations who make over $20/hr to be rude and talk on the phone...and the guys who clean the subway cars at night who do their job in and hour or 2 and spend the rest of their shift sleeping in subway cars...but it is the only system we have and we are all held hostage to these overpaid crybabies...that is just my vent...whew i feel better now....but am still stuck at home!!
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Chris / April 26, 2008 at 04:50 pm
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Sean: hahahahah! I would love to dump 275 pennies into a collector's booth!
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Carrie / April 26, 2008 at 06:54 pm
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I have a whole tin full of pennies. Now I know what to do with them...I'll roll them all, bring them to the collectors booth and bust the roll open. Sweet.
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Allan / April 26, 2008 at 06:55 pm
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I support unions, but not the TTC's anymore, not after they walk off the job without giving us, the paying public, 48 hours notice. What a selfish, arrogant move. The TTC workers were offered a 3% raise, which beats the rate of inflation. They were offered reasonable terms that are the envy of many working people in this city. Let's remove the TTC union's right to strike by making the TTC an essential service. Enough of this crap.
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Greg Smith / April 26, 2008 at 07:35 pm
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"Hey, TTC! I belong to a union too, and I would NEVER walk away from my responsibility..."

It concerns me that so many people seem to be confusing the striking union and the TTC itself.
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mark / April 26, 2008 at 07:36 pm
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I could go on about the irresponsibility of the union walking out at the last minute, the fact the TTC workers are already well compensated, and the lack of any official statement from the union leadership.

What really struck me was watching CP24 interviewing one of the union memobers who supported the walk out while driving out of a parking lot in his car.

Must be nice ya prick.
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Jerrold / April 26, 2008 at 07:41 pm
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@ Greg Smith

I think people are fed up with the whole system. From lack of government funding and support, to TTC mismanagement, to the abuse of powers by union and its members. The whole thing is a mess and it's gotten to the point where people feel justified in saying "I hate the TTC". What a shame, eh?
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megan / April 26, 2008 at 08:13 pm
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yeah, i'm worried about what will happen come monday too. the truth is that there are a hell of a lot of drivers and booth ticket takers etc that voted to accept the contract. and, even if they didn't, i'm betting they didn't expect the union to say off the job at midnight. that wasn't the decision of individual members, that was the decision of the union executive.

i know everyone is pissed off, and the way the strike was handled is ridiculous, but i actually feel really bad for the TTC operators right now 'cause i'd stake a fair bit of money on the fact that this isn't what they expected to happen, and now they're probably scared shitless about going back to work and having to face the public.

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North York / April 26, 2008 at 08:25 pm
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Maintenance vs. Operators: the TTC union finally eats itself.
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jack / April 26, 2008 at 11:58 pm
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dont even get me started on the maintenance people working at the stations... for years, i always spotted them pretend to be busy.. yeah.. always takes like 5 mins to pick up a piece of garbagage, then sweeping the floor back and forth on one frigging spot..and you know they are just there pretending...
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Sean / April 27, 2008 at 12:33 am
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Hope when this retarded walkout/strike is over, the TTC will give SEVEN DAYS OF FREE RIDES! It would be a great PR stunt.

Sure, many of us have the weekend off but not all of us. Many work in restaurants, hotels etc.

Let's hope a week of FREE RIDES will do the trick, after all, THE TTC UNION LIED TO US ABOUT A 48 HOUR NOTICE OF A STRIKE.

And they want us on their side? Yeah right. Flip the bird to all of them.

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Tapan / April 27, 2008 at 01:22 am
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TTC should remember that they are government funded and that is directly public money. This is not about Miller or the premier. Can the health care proffessionals take off just the way TTC did? and if no why not ?
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A.R. / April 27, 2008 at 02:40 am
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When I was in high school, I hated the student card and eventually I refused to get one (because there was plenty of acceptable forms of ID I reasoned). I carried a hundred pennies in a pouch in my bag ro protest if I was ever forced to pay the extra dollar for not showing the card. However, I never was carded after I started carrying the pennies...
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Victor / April 27, 2008 at 07:51 am
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I feel a better piece of legislation would be to outlaw the transit union altogether and put the TTC into the hands of a commercial enterprise that would pay more reasonable wages for an honest days work. I mean what can we think of an unskilled person sitting with their feet up all day long being paid $25 per hour. I see the ?ticket collector? at the Yonge/Bloor station doing this and most of the time they are talking to someone and not even watching the fare box. I say fire the lot of them and hire people willing to work for an honest wage.
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Tara / April 27, 2008 at 08:59 am
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Most of the TTC drivers and booth collectors are rude they talk on they phone not even a simple hello in the morning. And by the way at least they have a job some of us are looking for work and need the ttc to get around and I bet there will be a fare hike within a month.
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Ryan L. / April 27, 2008 at 09:42 am
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Tuesday morning on my way to the train station and walking through the Union subway station I noticed a train full of tourists entering Union station expecting to hop on the Subway, but instead were faced with locked gates. The lack of notice for the strike has affected not just residents of the city. Imagine shelling out $100 for a train ticket only to find out that you'll be forced to spend absurd amounts of money on cabs because the Union wouldn't be bothered to give the 48 hours notice.
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Sean / April 27, 2008 at 10:09 am
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Looks like the union head guy will lose his job for lying to the paying public.

I also hope the tv and radio screeners will take a week off their jobs to let all of us vent our feelings.

Two thumbs up to blogto.com
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Sean / April 27, 2008 at 10:19 am
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Pay with pennies!
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aahhrrgg / April 27, 2008 at 11:30 am
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and paying with pennies affects the union,...how?
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Equalizer / April 27, 2008 at 11:47 am
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I played City Conflict last night. Let's just say I did a lot of damage on the subway and in the station!!!
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Stephen / April 27, 2008 at 11:49 am
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Re the pennies thing.

It sounds fun, however:

<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_tender#In_Canada";>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legal_tender#In_Canada<;/a>

... so if you give them more than 25 cents in pennies, they can refuse the amount in excess of that 25 cents because it is no longer legal tender in that quantity. At least, that's my interpretation of what this is saying. Please correct me if I'm mistaken.
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