Toronto Public Employees Deserve Family Day
Sometimes the City of Toronto acts with a collective stupidity that residents of our City just can’t understand. I think news that City Council is taking Family Day away from unionized employees just before entering a round of contract negoiations is one of those moments.
Family Day was created by the Provincial government last year, and given to City workers last year, but now the City hopes to play politics with it. These guys are great at brinksmanship, and for people who claim to be progressive they do love a fight with organized labour.
I strongly support all City workers, whether CUPE 416, 79, ATU 113, or part of the emergencies services getting Family Day without having to make any concession for it. It bothers me that Council in it’s collective wisdom will nickel and dime and wage PR battles against it’s own employees, while at the same time growing spending on utter crap at such an alarming rate.
It is the members of the Toronto Public Service that provide our services and make our City work to the degree it can with the management it has. They should be commended and at the very least, treated with respect during contract rounds.
Let’s hope the City recognizes the current game of hard ball they are embarking on is colossially stupid and backs down before any real damage is done at the table. The example they are setting as a public service employee risks Family Day for everyone else and they should be ashaimed. I know I would be if I was a member of that body right now.
Tags: City of Toronto Employees, City Unions, CUPE 416, CUPE 79, Family Day
November 16th, 2008 at 10:18 am
[...] Family Day was created by the Provincial government last year, and given to City workers last year, but now the City hopes to play politics with it. These guys are great at brinksmanship, and for people who claim to be progressive they … Original post [...]
November 17th, 2008 at 6:34 pm
Under the law, if the city is already providing time off equal to Family Day then the City is not required to grant another day. In fact City employees do get equal time off to Family Day and can choose at their discretion when to take time off. Why should city employees get another day at a cost to the taxpayer? The reality is they already benefit from time off.
November 22nd, 2008 at 1:21 am
The City is not providing any additional time off specifically due to the creation of Family Day. Your statement is misleading and using previously existing contractual obligations of the City to its workers to glaze over the fact that this day has been taken.
Have the courage to name yourself when you comment – I always stand behind my comments and views, you should as well.
June 16th, 2009 at 11:22 am
[...] ‘Sometimes the City of Toronto acts with a collective stupidity that residents of our City just can’t understand. I think news that City Council is taking Family Day away from unionized employees just before entering a round of contract negoiations is one of those moments.’ Toronto Public Employees Deserve Family Day [...]