A Lesson For Comrade Miller & Clown Council

No odour hangs in Windsor

By DON PEAT

Mayor David Miller, take note.

While Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis says he isn't going to wade into the Toronto civic workers' strike -- he sure has set an example with his city's 101-day strike.

Members of CUPE Local 543 and 82 ratified a four-year deal Friday that gave them a 6.3% wage increase over four years and dealt with the costly issue of post-retirement benefits.

Windsor's army of CUPE workers will be back on the job tomorrow, with Francis' promise to taxpayers that they won't be earning overtime cleaning up the leftover mess.

"I wish all the best to the residents of Toronto and only hope that it doesn't go as long as ours did," he told the Sun.

Residents in Windsor also can breathe easy because Francis used private haulers to cart away garbage the same day residents dropped it off during the strike.

Although Toronto is stinking with temporary dumps, Francis said the decision to use private haulers was one of the best ones made during Windsor's strike. He credits his townsfolk with giving him the power to stare down CUPE, saying they showed "remarkable patience and co-operation" that allowed city council to get a better deal.

They should get the benefits of that deal in a rebate calculated once the final savings of the strike, minus the final costs, are calculated, he said.

Toronto taxpayers, take note.