Probably No Action Will Be Taken........

.....along with waterfront condo owners the island squatters are Comrade Miller supporters .

Union mulls bid to block ferry service for islanders

By BRYN WEESE

The picket-free ferry ride for the Toronto Islands' 600-plus residents may come to a screeching halt, according to a CUPE official.

Since 30,000 inside and outside workers for the city -- including ferry operators -- walked off the job June 22, the city has been chartering two boats for an unknown hourly rate to ferry island residents to and from the mainland.

It travels from Queens Quay to Wards Island every hour, but makes runs every 30 minutes during rush hour.

To date, CUPE hasn't picketed the Queens Quay dock where the charter boat boards.

But according to CUPE Local 416 vice-president and strike committee officer Dave Hewitt, that could change now that the union has learned the charter boats are also ferrying tourists over for $6.50, the same fee charged by the city's ferry service.

The private charter boats ferrying tourists as well as island residents, Hewitt said, takes the service to a new level of strikebreaking.

"We have close to 600 work locations, so right now we're just re-evaluating it and re-assessing it to see if we can get people there," he said.