I need to borrow a blog post from the Punk Rock HR Blog which perfectly fits here… http://punkrockhr.com/2009/01/21/january-2009-layoffs/

“We have a war on drugs, a war on cancer, a war on poverty, a war on obesity, and a war on terrorism. Where’s the war on … failed leadership, … mediocrity, greed, and short-term thinking?

My question to OC Transpo AND the City: What side of the war are you on?”

Matt - I’m not sure that replacing all workers is the best solution… Media is always distorted and I’m sure we’re not getting the full story. This being said, as someone who does rely on OC Transpo to get around the city, and from my (maybe distorted) perspective, if Reagan could fire and replace 13,000 air traffic controller, there is no reason why this couldn’t happen to bus drivers. http://eightiesclub.tripod.com/id296.htm But maybe that’s a selfish way to look at it.

In a more rational, and perhaps naive way, I’m wondering why the city is not trying to fix loopholes in the scheduling dilemma instead of trying to take over its control entirely. There has got to be a way to make a compromise… although from what I have seen on both sides, maybe a compromise would require a bit more maturity.

I’d LOVE to see the union squalk if the drivers were getting paied comparative wages to private sector.
OCTC could actually risk turning a PROFIT

They’re kids, who need adult supervision and learn the world’s not I, me and myself.

I know this is politically incorrect but the city should replace them with migrant workers form poor countries.

Driving a bus is not a skill, people should not be paid 100,000 a year for this.

Beside being a senior bus driver just means your less physically able to do the job, experience is not a major factor, But why are seniors being paid more for doing the same job with better hours than others?

Besides the city should get to schedule the drivers.

what boss will tell you come to work whenever you like and get paid by the hour?

But if its for the quality of their driving that entitles them to more pay then why haven’t i seen any bus drivers smile, say hello, or be nice?

On a side note the city even provides the drivers with their own police force, driving a cab’s way more dangerous than a bus full of people but yet their asking for taxpayers money to fund a private police. If they had social skills this wouldn’t of happened.

The big question remaining is, will the strike achieve anything without public support.
http://ottawa.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20090109/OTT_transit_vote_090109/20090109?hub=Ottawa

We’ll find out soon enough what happens… but if the drivers vote against the city’s offer on Thursday, let’s hope they get forced back to work. There is no reason why Ottawa residents need to suffer this strike any longer.

So your contention is that union members, even the very junior ones (who routinely get shafted by the Union, BTW), are paying Cormellier and others out of their own pockets so that they can be denied the right to vote on a revised offer, nearly 30 days after an initial offer, for which a vote was also effectively denied through both action and inaction of the Union senior members?

What are they paying for again? Clever negotiation tactics that ensure the union continues to stonewall long after peak leverage has passed (right about Jan 1st)? Being withheld the right to vote?

There’s are words for these kind of behaviors. Extortion and racketeering come to mind.

“It is the members themselves who will decide…not the mayor….not city council… and not the Ottawa Public”

My public dollars pay ‘e - my public dollars can replace ‘em

Full rant was here;

http://elliotross.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/no-public-in-public-service/

A Strike should only be allowed in dire circumstances. This type of behavior does nothing but add to the disdain for all unions. Holding a community hostage and making its residents suffer over a shift bid process is absurd.

Not that I’m not extremely angry about this whole strike, but you have to blame both sides for this - none of us are experts in the ins and outs of public transit mamngement and making a vicseral criticism of the union’s won’t get you very far.