He says he's trying to prevent future strikes, but imagine the proverbial waste-show waiting for any mayor who tries to mess with CUPE's deal with the city.

Rossi stood beside Christie Pits park today, which served as one of Toronto's iconic makeshift landfills during the strike last summer, and vowed privatize municipal waste collection. He said the move will reduce the risk of future strikes and save the city $20-million annually.

"I promise to bargain with our workforce in good faith, seeking co-operation, not confrontation," Rossi said.

Uh huh... let's see how well that goes.

Rossi said CUPE won't be written off altogether; it will have the chance to bid alongside private sector companies a new contract. Smitherman and Ford have both also talked about outsourcing garbage collection.

The current contract expires Dec. 31, 2011.