...organize this...

I made a big mistake this morning - my usual morning plan involves waking, putting the coffee on, reading the news online, and then getting showered/dressed for the work day. Today, having run out of coffee yesterday, I decided to shower/dress first, then watch news quickly on my way out the door to grab coffee at Starbucks before rushing to make it to work at 8:30.

When I finally got around to watching the news just a little while ago, it was to find out that last night just after 11 the TTC workers rejected the tentative deal that had been worked out this week, and called a strike as of midnight. This left commuters with barely a half hour's notice that there would be no train service last night, and great difficulty finding contingency plans.

I have no contingency plan today - I am supposed to be at work in an hour and a half. I usually take the bus, and then the subway. I don't drive. A cab downtown from where I live in the suburbs would cost me 2/3 of what I would expect to get paid in a day. So, in about an hour, as soon as I think someone will have arrived at the store, I will be calling my boss to say I'm not coming in to work today. It is likely one of many such phone calls he will get today. So now I am showered, dressed, with nowhere to go, and a suprise day off, which will let me continue studying for my exam on Monday except that I have no coffee.

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Out of last night's press release from the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113: “We have assessed the situation and decided that we will not expose our members to the dangers of assaults from angry and irrational members of the public,” said Bob Kinnear, ATU Local 113 President.

Yes that makes a lot of sense - you want to protect your workers from public anger. This is why you called a strike to start 37 minutes after you left the vote - to stop the "irrational" public from being mad at you that you trapped them in the depths of the city, for some with no way to get home.

Kinnear's arrogance astounds me. To pull a stunt like this with no notice, no consideration for the people who rely on public transit in this massive city as their only means to get around. Who already have difficulty paying for the $109 monthly metropasses, or even the single $2.75 fare on a regular basis. I mean it, he has a lot of explaining to do and I hope someone takes him to task. David Miller that is you, and Adam Giambrone that is you.

I had a long debate with my mother about this on the weekend. She is a strong believer in unions and labour action, groups of happy, working, noble individuals banding together to fight "the man" and stand up for their rights. In theory, I am not against that. But in this day and age, the mechanisms are there for workers to be appropriately compensated within the confines of organization policy, industry convention or labour law. There is absolutely no nobility, no integrity, in what the transit unions did this past week and more.

Notice that I did not go so far as my mother and refer to "rights" - the TTC employees do not have a "right" to be paid as well as their counterparts in other cities. There is no logical connection between the two concepts save the arrogance of Toronto transit workers who play the Toronto card as if it means something, as if working in the "centre of the universe" itself entitles you to better conditions than everyone else.

Well I am entitled to some things too. So where the fuck is my union? Who is looking out for my rights? Where is the union for the low-wage retail employees who work on Bay Street but live in Thornhill? Who aren't salary and don't have "sick days" or other paid absences that could fill the void when these self-centred bullies decide to say "Ok. And, we're done". And proceed to shut down the entire city.

It's 7:15. I am going to go call my boss now, and then walk to the grocery store for coffee. And walk back. And keep checking the news to see if there is a chance this mess will be resolved by tomorrow, or if I need to pull some miraculous idea out of the air in order to get to my exam 9am Monday morning.