In my opinion...

In my Opinion...

This is a phrase that I love because I can pretty much say anything I want without worrying too much about what other people say.

Garbage Strike

I don't work for a union and never have, so I don't understand how they work or who they protect. I know that people that work in jobs that have unions want to be in them, and people who don't find them annoying. That's the category I'm in. After years of working in the minimum wage world of restaurants and bars, I don't have much sympathy for people wanting "job security and slight wage increase". While many of us put ourselves through school there were no guarantees. You still got the least amount of money legally possible, you still had to work hard for tips amidst the cheap people and there was always a chance that you could be let go with little or no recourse. After 17 years of a failed acting\writing\music career I don't have any benefits, or security. And if I were to join another restaurant with my vast experience, it would still be from the bottom of the pile. The people that slave long hours working on a patio in the summer want more money and security. So do the kitchen staff, buss boys, hostess, etc. If the restaurant and bar employees of Toronto went on strike who would you complain to? Who would fetch you a pint when you smacked your hand on the bar? Who would throw your quarter in the tip jar?

I don't doubt that the city workers feel that they deserve more money and job security. There isn't a person in the country that doesn't feel the same way, but using the city as ransom isn't winning any support from me. Their strike is affecting the people that aren't as lucky as them to have jobs, or have the security they already enjoy. Kids can't gain valuable experience from camps, and summer work. The income that young people need to gain perspective, and the value of a dollar is lost. Our recreational leagues and programs are not available for children. Don't they deserve a hard earned summer? Our beautiful parks are unkempt, some even have piles of garbage. People that rely on the tourism of our great city for a living are in jeopardy because another group of people want more. And how are the city workers going to reimburse them? How are they going to use their wage increase to help the economy? We are in a very tumultuous time and many hardworking people have already, or are soon to be out of work. I wonder how they see these people leveraging their city to gain an advantage? I'm sure that you could find plenty of ex-car manufacturers that would love to work again.

Maybe we should take a page from the auto industry. They had the most extensive union policies and they still got fired. I say we just cut these people loose and start over. We are trying to rebuild an economy. I know that there are at least 24,000 out of work people that will gladly spend summer working outdoors, cutting grass, driving the ferry over to Toronto Island, and setting off elaborate firework shows. Heck I'll even apply. The bigger picture should be the city, the children, the programs, and the tourism. These things are a renewable resource. They'll always be back, and they'll always be appreciative. If this contract was so important for the workers why didn't they strike in winter? Is standing in the snow too much for them?

PS -1) any city worker that doesn't live in Toronto should immediately be fired. You should have to smell the bags to strike.
- 2)When this is over, the streets better be clean enough to eat off. If you're going to complain about your work, when you get back it better be beautiful.
- 3) I don't live in Toronto anymore so I'm a hypocrite