Well, it went and happened. CUPE Local 416 and 79 are on strike, stopping sanitation, city day care and a host of other services for our long-suffering metropolis. People are very angry, and perhaps justifiably so. But before everybody swarms into the streets out ofr union blood, it may be wise to put things into context.
As always, I’m thinking out loud here. I’m sure you’ll disagree, and I hope you’ll tell me why in the comments.
Now, I don’t really agree with 416 and 79′s position. With a recession in full swing and Toronto in the midst of a seemingly interminable budget crisis, some concessions probably need to be made. But that’s an outside view. I can understand the frustration of the city workers who are being asked to give up pieces of their collective agreement. That’s just human nature. It’s also important to remember that unions are only accountable to their members, not the public. We shouldn’t be surprised when a union goes on strike, even when we can’t rationalize their bargaining demands. They are simply obeying their own internal logic, and while we don’t agree with it, it’s hard to justify calling it a capricious or malicious plot against the citizens of Toronto.
We should also recognize that both the City of Toronto and CUPE are being penalized for deep systemic problems in the structue of municipal finance. The city is on the hook for a substantial portion of welfare costs, which (surprise!) always increase in times of economic trouble. But unlike the provincial or federal government, Toronto does not have sufficient taxation power to increase revenue in the face of these growing costs. And the taxes the City can charge – property, automobile, etc. – tend to also decrease during a recession. Rising costs and declining revenue puts Toronto in a bad financial situation, and forces it to seek concessions from its employees. Conflict, angst and a general gnashing of teeth ensures.
As annoying as it is, the strike is also an opportunity to reconsider how we provide municipal services. I’m a firm believer in the right to strike. Unfortunately, in the context of a union of public employees with a monopoly on a variety of essential services, a strike constitutes a disruptive burden on Toronto. We literally have no other options if these workers choose to withdraw their labour. This actually distorts the bargaining proces, as CUPE has disproportionate power at the bargaining table and in bindind arbirtration. It also forces the City into a settlements that slowly but inexorably increase the cost of public services. This is an unaccpetable outcome for taxpayers, and is ultimately unsustainable.
So what is to be done? One possible solution would be to increase the amount of privatization in city services. The City of Toronto would contract with multiple private service providers for contracts in a region-by-region or ward-by-ward scheme. People living in these areas would have input into bidding process, and could even make important decisions about the level of service – and associated cost – they desired. Employees of these private entities would be free to join a union, just like anyone else. And, if one service provider goes on strike, the whole city isn’t affected. What’s more, the City could arrange for another company to provide emergency coverage in a given area. This insulates the city from lengthy and expensive collective bargaining, introduces an element of cost-controlling competition, and helps guard against crippling city-wide work stoppages.
That’s just one solution. But I’m sure we can all agree a cash-strapped city, a striking union and citizens without services is an outcome that we need to prevent.
In the short-term, I hope everyone can manage their rage and keep the anti-union rhetoric to a minimum. Strikes are no fun. But this one will end. And if we use it as an opportunity to think about improving the current system, then maybe it won’t be a total wash.
One thing about the concessions and the unions refusal to take any more of them: The economic downturn is temporary. Contract concessions put into place now will be near-impossible to get back once the economy recovers. So while it can be easy to say “But look at the economy!”, it’s not so easy when you think 4 years down the line.
I’m fairly sure that someone must be bringing similar ideas like you’ve written to the table. Not being at that table, I’m not sure how feasible such options actually are or what complications would come along with them (there’s always a con for every pro), but thanks for not being pissed off just because someone isn’t going to take out your trash today, and for presenting what seem to be rational options. Our world will not end because of this strike, and I’ve got news for everyone; Toronto smelled like shit yesterday and it’d smell like shit next week. Just a bit more so, and thanks in no small part to people not recycling, composting, and throwing their garbage all over the street.
So much I could say, but it comes down to this: What I want at the end of the situation is for someone to reimburse me (and everyone affected) for the services our taxes have paid for but are currently not being provided.
I’m tired of hearing the boo-hooing over not have a satisfactory contract since January. Where was the strike then? Oh wait. It serves their purpose better if services like Public Pools and garbage pick-up stop in the SUMMER. I don’t want to hear a single word about how I should sympathize with their plight. This strike was malicious and manipulatively planned.
Fire them all – and start a new hiring process immediately.
I’d love to see how many of them re-apply for their job.
@SassAFrass I’m pretty sure striking only becomes an option when a contract expires. It expired yesterday, and there was no renewal, so a strike was called. If they were to strike while still in contract, it would be an illegal strike. That’s what Bob “Wildcat” Kinnear did last summer with the TTC.
Like you said in your post, public services have a monopoly and a strike will only hurt the public, not the employer. The idea behind the right to strike is to cease production and to hurt the employer, which does not happen for municipal, provincial, or federal services. The employer will simply use less of its budget.
I do not believe in the right to strike for public servants because the only person who ever suffers is you, the public. Nothing good ever comes from these strikes. I am a public servant and know that any strike on my part would destroy any faith that the public has in my organization and make public relations much more difficult.
“It’s also important to remember that unions are only accountable to their members, not the public.” This is untrue. Unions use dishonest tactics to get their members to feel oppressed and vote for a strike. The truth is that even when employees are treated very well, unions will find the smallest reason to make their members feel discontent and strike. Union members who disagree with the union are either ignored, ridiculed, shunned, or harassed. This is true, ask anybody who has ever tried to fight their union what kind of treatment they received.
Unions have their place, yes, and that is to provide a safe and fair work environment for their members, not to find the smallest imperfection in their life and hold the public hostage until they get what they want. These employees DO have a safe and fair work environment.
If my union ever votes to strike, I will hang my head in shame; public servants have it so good. Every public servant should take a year off and work for a private company; after that, we would see how much they have to complain about. I invite any public servant who says that they don’t have it good to make their working conditions public and see how the rest of the population reacts to their complaints.
Just a thought … If Toronto residents are really fed up being held hostage under mounds of garbage, why not simply dump your garbage off in front of those picket lines of striking civil servants? Similarly, why not dump your garbage off at municipal offices, police stations, the mayor’s residence, the residence’s of City councilors, etc.? Wouldn’t that make cleanup easier once the strike is over? (Always think ahead!).
If anything, once opposing sides in this dispute are directly exposed to the rotting refuse they so flagrantly inflict on local citizenry, the smell alone might help remind them that their primary commitment is to the taxpayer!
Personally, and as a rural resident, I have no great love for the hopelessly gridlocked, multi-confused ‘Big Smoke’ or whatever misery its residents so willfully endure. It could be argued that the smell of rotting garbage is a noticable improvement. It’s all part of the “Manhattanization” experiment you sewer rats were all so fond of.