What’s Toronto Mayor David Miller Doing With His Garbage?
Posted July 21, 2009 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
David Miller’s garage stinks. It should-it’s full of trash.
The Toronto city workers’ strike has already dragged on for a month. As a result, municipal services like pools, daycares, kids camps, and garbage collection have been shut down. (Grab a copy of this week’s Maclean’s for more on the strike.) If residents want to get rid of their refuse they have to take it to one of the city’s management-run temporary dump sites, 19 of which are still accepting garbage. But the Miller family has held on to their trash, and plan to continue adding to the garbage heap until the strike ends. Hauling it to a temporary dump site isn’t an option. “That’s sort of like giving in to the strikers,” says Miller.
Read more at Macleans.ca.
Meanwhile, Mayor David Miller appeared on Breakfast Television on Monday to address concerns about the strike, suggesting there has been progress at the bargaining table.
“I should give union leadership and our management team credit for that. But from my perspective and as I’ve said all along, there never should have been a strike in the first place,” he said.
“They’re the ones who chose to go on strike.”
Back in 2006, the province ended similar job action after just 16 days. This time, Miller has not requested similar legislation.
“The reason [we haven’t asked the province to legislate them back to work] is that the city doesn’t do very well in arbitrations. If we had that kind of settlement [we had back in 2006] today, it would mean that next year we would have to have service cuts and probably lay-offs.”
The job action has lasted 30 days and it’s not only garbage collection that’s been affected. Ferry services, city-run day cares and summer camps, and swimming pools have been effectively shuttered for the summer.
The 24,000 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Locals 416 and 79 have been off the job since June 22. Both unions have been talking with the City for the past six months to replace a contract that expired on December 31st. The main issue: employees want to keep 18 sick days a year which can be banked and cashed out at retirement. But the City wants to create short-term disability programs instead.
There are also conflicts over job security, scheduling and seniority rights.
Residents Band Together To Clean Up City Streets
Mayor Miller Talks Strike With Gord Martineau
Toronto Environmental Alliance: Ways To Reduce Your Garbage
Deserted Island: How A Summer Hot Spot Became A Virtual Ghost Town
Image credit: Carrie Musgrave
