GIGO

Reality bites at City Hall

Getting bashed over trash is just part of embattled Mayor David Miller's massive strike problem

By SUE-ANN LEVY, TORONTO SUN

It's Day 18 of the strike and your humble scribe is reporting to you from the bowels of the highly secure Socialist Silly Hall bunker where it now looks like the interests of city residents this summer have been relegated to the proverbial trash heap.

After city officials denied Tuesday the city was indeed at an impasse in its negotiations with CUPE locals 416 and 79, the rumour is indeed true.

There is no end in sight to the Toronto strike of 2009. In other words, you better look for ways to not just freeze your green bin contents but to recycle your recyclables (my brontosaurus bin is filled to overflowing).

"We're miles apart" said CUPE Local 79 president Ann Dembinski outside City Hall yesterday. "We're prepared to stay out as long as it takes."

Now I hate to trash our dear mayor -- seeing as his memory seems to be rather short these days -- but wasn't this the same David Miller who boasted to anyone who'd listen during the 16-day strike in 2002 that he'd have settled it by Day 9 but really, there would never be a strike if he were mayor. (Insert laugh track here.)

It's become clear that city residents are caught between two unions who think the recession should have no impact on their nervy wage and sick leave demands -- and a socialist regime that has suddenly woken up to the fact the city is truly in financial trouble.

Never mind that as recently as three months ago the mayor and his minions acted as if the money was flowing like tap water, giving away generous wage deals all over the place to employees of other city agencies.

As they made clear yesterday, the CUPE workers are plenty miffed with the mayor for letting them down. After all they were the ones who worked to put him in office in the first place. Will they be able to kiss and make up before the 2010 election?

Still, the unions are not winning in the court of public opinion, not that they seem to care one bit. They figure they'll be legislated back to work by the province, which I suspect is unlikely for some time given that the city of Windsor has been on strike for more than three months now with no provincial intervention.

The bottom line is the city can ill afford to pay out the $250 million in sick leave gratuities (lump sum payments for unused sick days) on the books at the moment, should those CUPE unionists eligible to retire do so tomorrow.

And CUPE's demands for wage hikes above 3% this year are ludicrous to say the least.

But that doesn't seem to faze them one bit.

"This mayor and this council should stop asking for concessions and then we'll have a deal," whined Dembinski, insisting the mayor is using the economy as an "excuse."

Back in highly secure City Hall, where the city's Employee and Labour Relations committee met for the first time since before the strike, Miller emerged to say the city's negotiators have been given a "little more flexibility" but insisted they haven't backed down on the key issues.

'WORLD HAS CHANGED'

"The city and the unions have a difference about the fact that the world has changed from last year to this," Hizzoner said.

OK then. See reference above to city spending just three months ago.

I was at least pleased to see a few faces I barely recognized.

After 17 days as no-shows at City Hall -- their offices completely dark and devoid of any signs of intelligent life -- several members of the mayor's inner circle made cameo appearances. I'm talking about Adam Vaughan, Anthony Perruzza, Pam McConnell, Shelley Carroll, Joe Mihevc and Janet Davis.

Nevertheless at least two councillors -- union sisters Davis and McConnell -- were not at all thrilled when I approached them to ask what they'd be doing for 17 days.

"Excuse me, you cannot come up here where we're sitting," insisted an angry Davis, endeavouring to push me away as McConnell attempted to beckon security.

When I persisted, Davis insisted she had not been on strike for the past 17 days. "I've been working everyday responding to the concerns of residents," she said.

Sigh. It's sure going to be a long summer.

Never mind my pile of garbage at home. I'm feeling more fed up with all the rubbish coming from City Hall.