Let me get this straight. They’re striking for the right of long-time drivers to pick which shifts they want to work?
Oh, brother.
Updated Dec.13:
I’m trying to figure it out. I get that the union guys sincerely feel that the right to pick their shifts is the only perk that goes with seniority, because they are all paid the same.
But I’m not sure that their desire to have a perk is a compelling reason to strike. The job is bus driver. It pays pretty well for unskilled work. Who says they’re going to get perks too?
Citizen columnist Randall Denley argues that management needs to have the right to manage driver schedules, especially because uncontrolled scheduling has been identified as a major money-loser by the auditor general. I agree with Denley: management has to be able to manage.
I think this strike is doomed and the city should win it.
For a lot more strike talk, including arguments from drivers, visit the OC Transpo Community blog.
4 Comments
I’m with you dude.
The time for unions has passed. We have better labour laws, better workplace security regulations, simple ways to publicize employment problems when they occur and many more people who do not work in unions. There needs to be a better system for ensuring employees are not abused than one which allows – even forces – employees to abuse the public and their employers. That’s what we have now, and it cannot continue.
I’m not certain about Ottawa but its quite common in municipal transit that the new drivers get the special joy of split shifts. This means that since there are usually 2 rush hours per day some of the drivers are required to come in twice per day to cover the rush. Senior drivers get to work an 8 hr shift through the day and then go home. It might be that, that they are fighting for. However as a photographer if they are going ot have a strike they could at least do something photogenic so we have interesting shots for ourselves.
It is so wrong that a union has the legal ability to not just directly hurt a company, but ruin the economy of a city, put innocent people out of work and hurt families. I hope that the bus drivers appreciate the harm that they brought upon the innocent. Years ago, Ronald Reagan fired all air traffic controllers, gave them a number of days to resign if they chose, and those that didn’t lost their air traffic control jobs permanently. This is what is needed here. There are a lot of people who would love to have a bus driver job. By the way, I said the same thing to, then Toronto Mayor, Mel Lastman during the last garbage strike. He didn’t have the guts to do it.
Giving employees some strength in negotiation with an employer has gotten out disproportional. Here, the damage to others is severe and they do not have direct recourse to push back. That is wrong. Citizens are victim of bully unions.
Further, I object to the secret negotiations. As an Ottawa taxpayer, I cannot see who is behaving badly, greedily, etc. I cannot decide to vote out the current city administration if I can’t judge their behaviour, nor can I see how bad the union behaviour is if I’m kept in the dark. I believe that in cases where the impact on the public is so damaging, we should be able to judge the facts. I feel helpless against the bus drivers and their unions, don’t you?