Toronto stinks...

[OzzofAsura]

Well outside of violence and slavery.

Go on...

Finally, I've been waiting for a thread about this to pop up. I live in Windsor (four hours south of Toronto for those that don't know) where this strike started almost three months ago. Our cabs and city workers have also been on strike for just as long and it's starting to get pretty crazy.

The grass on most city owned property is 1-2 feet tall, including parks, playgrounds, soccer fields, etc. People that live near places like this try to help and give the kids somewhere to play, especially now that school is done for the summer, by cutting it themselves. But city workers get in their faces and try to stop them and eventually start fights so bad that police have to be called and people often get arrested. Garbage cans everywhere are overflowing into the sidewalks and streets and stink horribly. There's huge six foot high piles of garbage bags just sitting on street corners and next to bus stops. People that try and help by picking up garbage also get harassed by city workers. There was a video on the news not too long ago of an elderly couple picking up garbage with their grandchild, when a city worker comes up to them and says "So you want to do our job eh? Well here's some more" and dumps a garbage bag full of crap on the ground in front of them. City councilors are getting their tires slashed right in their driveways at home, the mayors home phone number was put in everyone's mail box with a message basically saying to call and bug him.

I could go on all day talking about how bad this is getting and all the stuff going on. On top of all that, the google street view car actually just went around here last week for the first time, great time to take pictures of the city lol.

That's messed up. They should go out with lawnmowers and shotguns. Not like they're getting paid for it, and it doesn't stop being public property. If they want to clean it up for free, that's not really any of the worker's business. Anyone doing any harassing over this should be promptly arrested and charged to the full extent of the law. Not like everyone else is rolling in dough right now.

[archibaldcrane]

If they want to clean it up for free, that's not really any of the worker's business. Anyone doing any harassing over this should be promptly arrested and charged to the full extent of the law.

I'm not anti-union by any means, but ^this.

I hate these long standoffs. Either the city needs to man up, start hiring scabs and non-union people to pick up trash and move on, or they need to reach a settlement with the union. Nothing is gained by letting this drag out.

[sephir]

I'm not anti-union by any means, but ^this.

I hate these long standoffs. Either the city needs to man up, start hiring scabs and non-union people to pick up trash and move on, or they need to reach a settlement with the union. Nothing is gained by letting this drag out.

honestly with this economy im sure you could get people to replace the unions in almost no time flat. the problem is you need to train these people to do the jobs, and that takes time (and possibly someone who is part of the union to train newcomers)

[Cougarclaw]

Either the city needs to man up, start hiring scabs and non-union people to pick up trash and move on

Well something like that kind of happened last month when we hosted those Red Bull airplane races. Red Bull basically rented out the whole riverfront and sent their own men in to clean it up since it looked like shit. They did a great job too, it looked amazing for the races and for a few weeks afterwards. But when I was at the river two weeks ago for the Canada/Independence day fireworks, you could see the strike was starting to get to it again.

or they need to reach a settlement with the union.

This hasn't been going well, obviously from the fact that we're just shy of three months into the strike. It's because the union is so stubborn and has such ridiculous demands.

Also, found a few pictures from very early on in the strike. These were all taken within the first month or so:

[Skjie]

I hate these long standoffs. Either the city needs to man up, start hiring scabs and non-union people to pick up trash and move on, or they need to reach a settlement with the union. Nothing is gained by letting this drag out.

Something a lot of people outside Canada don't understand is just how strong unions are here. Especially provinces with recent NDP Premiers, it's hard to bust balls. Even the people who want to work are verbally and physically assaulted to make sure the work doesn't get done. The unions don't give a shit about anybody except lining their pockets.

[Dimmauk]

Why hasn't the Obama administration stepped up and done something about this tragedy in Canada?

Today I looked at my trashcan and it was full, now I know how Toronto feels.

[*Shinzon*]

Dude fuck that, the ONLY group of civil servants that should ever be allowed to strike because of their pay is police, and fire departments. Who the fuck gives a shit about sanitation workers really. They get paid more than cops on an average and its absolutely sickening at least here in NYC. They drive around and pick up trash I mean really, there's no skill and very little training aside from equipment use. If the city was smart they'd hire scabs to do the work and fuck the union, I'd love to see the Unions up there win after theres a mass outbreak of some fucked up disease. They'd all lose their jobs and look like morons.

[Nyima]

People just need to find out where the workers live and start dumping the trash on their lawns. They wanted to strike they should have to live with it.

[*Shinzon*]

People just need to find out where the workers live and start dumping the trash on their lawns. They wanted to strike they should have to live with it.

Dude all they need to do is hire scabs. Have whatever the equivalent to the Department of Health for Toronto would be, have them declare it approaching or reached unacceptable living conditions and force the workers to go back. Since they wont, the city can just hire scabs and tell them to fuck off. What are they gonna say? Sorry we poisoned the city's water, grass, wild, and human life but, we really wanted more money.

[Skjie]

There are people trying to go back to work/scabs. They are being forced out.