But during the strike all I could think was how we were too reliant on the TTC as our single point of failure.  And then all I could think was that, dammit, why doesn’t Toronto have share taxis like a lot of major cities in southern countries do — jitneys they’re also called, apparently.

Share taxis aren’t a heck of a lot more expensive than transit. Had we had them, things would have gone a lot smoother.  And I can’t believe they’d take so much money away from the TTC; they’d end up especially getting used on routes where the TTC just isn’t present or isn’t very efficient anyway, or else people wouldn’t need to take them.

So?  What do you think about jitneys?

Steve replies:  The problem here is one of capacity.  Jitneys can supplement but not replace transit.  Also, as for serving out of the way locations, well unless there are a fairly large number of people in those locations, the jitneys, like regular taxis, will go where the fares are.  For example, I live near Broadview Station and can almost always get a cab simply by walking out to the street.  I don’t have to go far from downtown where cabs are few and far between, and the ones I see are already taken.

I see it as a management prerogative to schedule work.  I have no idea of the merits of the idea of rescheduling the maintenance as the TTC is planning/proposing.  With the system being busier now than in the past couple of years, perhaps this works better?

Regardless, the union is simply saying that it will not make it easy for management to make these types of changes.  The strike is an instrument of deterence against management exercising its prerogative to organize what work will be done when.

Steve:  The original proposal last January was to move a lot of the cleaning work to the evening/night shift when there were fewer passengers in the way and to do the same amount of work with fewer staff.  This was rejected by the Commission who decided instead to not lay off staff, but to preserve these positions on night shift so that an even better job of cleaning the system could be done.

It is management’s right to manage.  If they propose new shift arrangements, and the union doesn’t like the way they’re doing it, they should go to arbitration.  If the union wins there and the TTC still refuses to budge, then go to the court of public opinion backed by an arbitration ruling.

The city has a mayor and many councillors who are usually deemed to be “leftish” and labour-friendly.  The union would have found some sympathetic ears at City Hall, before they pulled this amateurish move.  They have squandered that.

This surely does not bode well for the next round of contract negotiations.

First of all, I feel personally stabbed in the back, finding out only 3 hours before I had to take the TTC.  I work the night shift, and on Sunday, when a very small number of media reported on this possibility, I literally had 9 hours between shifts, and therefore no time to really get the info.  Radio news is my only source, and they did not pipe up until their 5:15am pre-report.  Since I do not have enough money for a taxi, I walked home.

So be it, it is done; its not the walk I am upset about.  It’s the totally unexpected nature of this.  I hear comments that this was brought up in January, well to be blunt, hoping that 800,000 riders remember a small story 5 months later is just a ridiculous assertion.  Frankly, part of the whole problem is the TTC is under funded; this is basically my entire campaign, but I dread to think what people will say at the door when I tell them that they should give a bit more money to these people.  This is a short term ‘victory’ that will have long-term repercussions. I’m very disappointed and frustrated, and I don’t know what more to say.

Even if the TTC were to build the world’s best transit network, it would all be worthless if wildcat strikers go unpunished.

How did the TTC ever expect to save money by moving jobs to the night shift?  In every industry I am aware of, unionized or not, workers receive a shift premium for working the overnight shift.

Steve:  See my reply to an earlier comment.  The original plan was to do the same work with less staff because they could work more efficiently without passengers cluttering up the platforms.  The salary savings would much more than offset the small shift bonus.

While I don’t know the statistics, based on what I’ve heard first hand, TTC operators are assaulted on an almost hourly basis!!!!

While it was a 26 Km round trip (half of it UP HILL in 90 degree plus weather!), I CAN NOT support the managment of the TTC in turning a blind eye to the daily abuse and assault the operators suffer.

Steve:  I think that the TTC has been very lucky that Adam Giambrone has been doing much of the media appearances rather than Howard Moscoe.  There are times I have thought Adam was a bit naive as a Councillor, but he seems to be growing into this position.

Riding the Queen streetcar, there is usually a conversation going between the front passengers and the driver, and you notice little things like when the driver slows down to say hello to the driver of another streetcar, or helps a passenger carry their bags to the curb.  It’s all very human, in contrast to the machine-like efficiency of the German system.

The safety of our drivers is more important, of course, but I’ll be a little sad to see things change.

The maintenance workers, upon learning of a sudden shift change, should have grieved it, that would have gone through the normal channels, and the Union and Employer would work something out.

Steve:  I would hardly call it “sudden”.  This proposal was discussed in a public meeting in January where Bob Kinnear appeared as a deputation (!!) to argue against a proposal for changes in cleaning schedules and shift arrangements.  An odd way to conduct labour relations, but that’s what he did.

None of the issues raised in the last few days are things that can’t be worked out.  For example maybe a barrier between operator and passengers, similar to that in police vehicles.  If a passenger doesn’t pay his fare, stop the vehicle and press the fare dispute button on big brother.  Usually other passengers will resolve the issue, long before a supervisor shows up.  A supervisor can show up with a constable, who will resolve the issue.