Pending Transit Strike [MRG]

[gottabekd]

Completely wrong. History, like lightning, never strikes twice. Or something like that.

[Flame On]

Originally Posted by browna

People survived for 40+ days when the Union tried to hold the gun to the head of the city and its citizens 5 years back...and the union ended up having little to no leverage and folded in the end. I expect the same this time around.

Awful lot more parking spaces to be found (and afforded) back then.

[STeeLy]

Originally Posted by gottabekd

Completely wrong. History, like lightning, never strikes twice. Or something like that.

Lightning never strike on the same spot twice?

[Daradon]

Can someone update me on the arguments of this strike? What os the union looking for? Just pay?

Often it has to do with more hours, or better conditions. What are the details here?

[Top Shelf]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Can someone update me on the arguments of this strike? What os the union looking for? Just pay?

Often it has to do with more hours, or better conditions. What are the details here?

Check out the first page, there are several links to some good pages.

From what I can tell, the main issue is regarding the decision of the city to purchase some new shuttle buses, and that will affect the existing union members. There is way more to it then that, but just check the first page and that will save me the typing

[The Goon]

Originally Posted by browna

People survived for 40+ days when the Union tried to hold the gun to the head of the city and its citizens 5 years back...and the union ended up having little to no leverage and folded in the end. I expect the same this time around.

The city's a little more crowded now, with the same amount of roads, and there's less parking. I don't think it'll go as smoothly this time around.

I really hope I'm wrong and you're right, though.

[habernac]

screw transit. Ride your bike.

[Daradon]

If it's about more equipment, I'm down with that.

Uhhhm, we're awash in cash. When do the poor see it?

[Ayrahb]

Originally Posted by habernac

screw transit. Ride your bike.

I would be happy to ride my bike to work regardless, but my employer doesn't provide a place to shower/change or a secure spot for the bikes.

I also hate the fact that there are no designated bike lanes on our roads (and I don't mean leisure biking paths).

[Reaper]

Originally Posted by habernac

screw transit. Ride your bike.

That sounds great. I'll just ride a bike from Somerset to SAIT and back every day. No problem.

[The Unabomber]

Another strike, another joke. City Hall doesn't care if transit strikes, they get free parking underneath their place of employment, they probably haven't seen the inside of a bus or a train since they were students and have long forgotten what it's like.

People saying that they will carpool or drive to work downtown, have fun finding a parking spot. Now that construction is underway for the Encana towers, that take another parking lot out of the mix with limited parking available already. People will need to be downtown by 6:30 to even have a chance to find a stall, so i doubt that's going to work unless you are paying a monthly fee for a stall.

I don't agree with employees who provide necassary services to the community that go on strike, there should be a better way for them to solve the problems they have, what that might be i have no idea.

A rotating strike sounds like lots of fun, one day the bus i catch is running, the next day it's not, the day after it might be but i will have no idea. Might as well just go on strike.

[Daradon]

Oh wow, my green march is falling right in step!

[Rhettzky]

It is about money and I can see why some bus drivers would be a little pissed at city hall. Funny how they approve 10% increases all around the board but when it comes to their own staff they can only offer 12% spread over 3 or 4 years. The cost of living increase nationally (calgary is much, much higher) is something like 4.6%. So can you honestly tell me that if your employer offered you a 3% pay increase per year, knowing that everyone working in the private sector is earning +10% and the people on the other side of the negotiation table just approved a +10% increase for themselves, you would be happy? I can see clearly that this is going to be a long strike. I'd predict that unless the city buckles that this will last until just before Stampede.

[Burninator]

So when are we suppose to hear what the vote was and all that?

[ken0042]

They said on Global this moring that the voting would be open from 6am to 8pm. I'm thinking we should know something by around supper time; if not just local media predictions.

[Eddie Bronze]

Originally Posted by Burninator

So when are we suppose to hear what the vote was and all that?

Global News this morning said the voting doesn't end until 8pm tonight.

[Dion]

The union says they will do rotating strikes if members vote to strike.

[Clever_Iggy]

If they do strike, I think that one of two things will occur:

1) The strike will last a couple days and then the public (and corporate) outcry will become so bad, city hall will buckle, or

2) City Hall will declare transit an essential service and force them back to work.

People that are employed in "essential services" are really hamstrung. They lose all negotiating powers.

[RougeUnderoos]

660 News says "late tonight". The vote closes at 8 o'clock.

[Dion]

http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/...a26f5e&k=51261

Alan Levy, an expert in dispute resolution and labour relations, said that with the city and its transit union on the brink of a strike for the second time in six years, it's a sign of an unproductive relationship.

"They're only going to continue to go around this merry-go-round unless they realize they both have to alter their relationship," said the University of Regina assistant professor.

The most obvious issue is wages -- the city has offered a 12 per cent increase over three years; the union wants 13 per cent over 30 months.

But Mahar said there are equally important outstanding issues: they are concerned about rolling back a pay increase given to some trades to address market inequities, they want the excluded trades given the same bump and they don't like a proposed move to use larger buses on shuttle routes, where the drivers are paid less.