Here’s the history of strike action by the union representing TTC workers.
- 1952: 19 days
1970: 12 days
1974: 23 days
1978: 8 days
1991: 8 days
1999: 2 days
2006: 1 day wildcat
2008: 2 days+
Total: 75 days over 87 years (the TTC was established in 1921)
Average: 0.86 days of strike action per year
Does less than one day per year of inconvenience (or hardship depending on your point of view and economic situation) justify stripping someone of their labour rights?
Apparently nobody ever relied on the TTC before 2008; for 86 years it was not an essential service, but now it is. Who knew?
three of those strikes were halted by legislation, dating all the way back to 1974. evidently there has been some notion of the essential nature of public transit in the big city, preceding this past weekend. so the membership have been “stripped of their rights” for well over thirty years. who knew?
http://www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/345361
Does less than one day per year of inconvenience (or hardship depending on your point of view and economic situation) justify stripping someone of their labour rights?
Yup.
However, to be clear: there is no such thing as a “right” to break the law and break your contract; nor is there such a thing as “labour rights”.
Moreover, you’ve done a nice conservative bit on the numbers there. What they really show is that (a) the number of strikes for these hardworking but overly-well off employees is increasing and (b) the public and/or the union allows the duration of the strikes to last an increasingly short time because they recognize that in modern Toronto and Canada, public transportation is an essential service.
So it may not always have been, but over time it has become increasingly (not “suddenly”) essential.
And just to underscore the point, after what the TTC union did last time - an illegal strike - and on Friday - another illegal strike because they did not forewarn the public as they were required to at law - I really really really really don’t give a crap about this particular union.
Especially when they rejected such a sweet economic deal.
But most especially when they surprise people who are depending on them to get to their kids in daycare, get home to families, and are given no time for alternative arrangements.
And who do you think suffers more from an illegal TTC strike: the well-off who can afford to drive and pay for parking or take a taxi home, or those who take the TTC because it is the only affordable way for them to live in AND work in the city?
Who’s side are you on in this illegal strike? The workers of Toronto or this out-of-control union?
Robert, what exactly is your position on breaking the law if the law-breaker feels it serves their own interest? And do you feel that financially penalizing the law-breaker for not abiding by his end of the contract, which he signed in good faith, not a justified measure?
Just some general union history for you to shed some light; craftworkers began forming loose unions back in the mid 1800's. Later lager unions formed, breaking and forming but not lasting very long as it was a criminal act to strike. In 1872 John A. Macdonald created the Trade Unions Act, which made strikes LEGAL.
Over time, with the first largest union created being the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labour, wages, living conditions, and benefits were gained over much upheaval and severe resistance by employers. These gains are now enjoyed by EVERYONE, both unionized and non-unionized, public and private sectors. Your wage today is largely the result of the unions of the past and present.
The Strike of 2008 was not illegal-the union was no longer under a contract. It was also five days notice-the City of Toronto did not divulge that if there was a "no" vote that there would be an immediate strike. The strike was also 35 hours, which is less than 2 days.
The right to strike is the primary means for a union to negotiate working conditions (which was the main issue-assaults), and wages/benefits.
As for overpaid, although the contract consists of many job classifications, the main one that people view is that of the operator. In October of 2009, after seven years of getting the proper job description by an outside arbitrator, it was found that a TTC operator was UNDERPAID (although not by much).
Hopefully, even though quite late, this may help better understand the importance of unions to society for both unionized and non-unionized workers.