VIA Rail on strike...no, they`re not.

The stirke by engineers at VIA Rail is over as both parties have agreed to binding aribitration. Does anyone else have a problem when a handful of employees can shut down an entire operation and have such a dramatic impact on the economy and lives of others

Unions are good.

Who else will look after those workers? You know they can't go work somewhere else for more money or increased benefits. And don't forget they've been without a contract for a very long time now. How do you expect them to live without a contract?

I belong to that same union.....WOOOO Teamsters Canada Rail Conference!!!

Bartron wrote:I belong to that same union.....WOOOO Teamsters Canada Rail Conference!!!

Teamsters,,,so you know where Jimmy Hoffa is buried

Of course.

As someone who has many family and friends who work at Via, and some having been there for almost 40 years, I can tell you that this strike was needed. The working conditions for the staff have deteriorated significantly over the last 20 years, and federal cutbacks to Via, including workers benefits, have been unacceptable. I"m just glad everything worked out in the end.

How can any strike be "needed"? 340 workers force the lay off of thousands, up to 12,000 daily passengers inconvenienced, considering the current state of the economy. how is that "needed"? This is a highly unionized environment, how can the conditions deteriorate so badly?

When you cut back staff to a point where they are doing 5 different jobs at once, running around the train to try and keep pace while dealing with general passenger needs at the same time, barely getting 5 hours of sleep at night, and layovers consisting of 5 hours in a hotel in Vancouver (where again, this time includes getting off the train, eating a meal, sleeping, getting back to the train and starting work), things are sh1t for the workers. They've cut back and cut back so much over the years that the moral of the workers is horrible; so many of them hate their job and have no motivation to care about quality service, and after seeing what they put up with, I don't blame them.

This is why a strike was "needed"; to bring to attention the sh1t working conditions. I just hope most of the demands were met, and that more federal funding is needed or privatize the system to make it more economically efficient.

The conditions sound horrid. Wonder why they keep working there?

Well, if things re that bad, quit. If employees are that disgruntled, obviously customer service deteriorates and ridership is lost, resulting in decreased revenue resulting in more job cuts. So the solution, cry for more subsidies, or better yet, piss off more riders by interupting service during busy summer months. Can't say that would be my strategy, but I don't have the benefit of paying big $$$ for a union to do my thinking for me.

grumpy old man wrote:The conditions sound horrid. Wonder why they keep working there?

Not sure about the ones who are closer to my age; they can easily go back to college or university, but I think many are nervous about this and would rather just stick it out at VIA. The older ones (or most of them, including my father and uncle who both just retired in the last few months taking a huge hit on their retirement package for leaving early just to get away from VIA) don't have a highschool education and likely feel they can't do anything else.

Freeman wrote:Well, if things re that bad, quit. If employees are that disgruntled, obviously customer service deteriorates and ridership is lost, resulting in decreased revenue resulting in more job cuts. So the solution, cry for more subsidies, or better yet, piss off more riders by interupting service during busy summer months. Can't say that would be my strategy, but I don't have the benefit of paying big $$$ for a union to do my thinking for me.

Well, if you feel they are in the wrong for wanting not to be treated like dogs (and that is exactly how they are treated there) what do you suggest should be done?

VIA Rail is indeed HEAVILY subsidized. I wonder if I should continue to subsidize VIA Rail if they treat their employees so shabbily?

Ummmm, no, I say no.

Let's let VIA stand on its own. Then, after it dies a very very quick death, we'll see how those poor downtrodden employees like unemployment better.

Holy-fricking-sh1t, this fricking operation is almost as bad as the CBC when it comes to the annual consumption of tax dollars and yet employees want more?

EdWin wrote:

grumpy old man wrote:The conditions sound horrid. Wonder why they keep working there?

Not sure about the ones who are closer to my age; they can easily go back to college or university, but I think many are nervous about this and would rather just stick it out at VIA. The older ones (or most of them, including my father and uncle who both just retired in the last few months taking a huge hit on their retirement package for leaving early just to get away from VIA) don't have a highschool education and likely feel they can't do anything else.

Stick it out, for what?

EdWin wrote:Well, if you feel they are in the wrong for wanting not to be treated like dogs (and that is exactly how they are treated there) what do you suggest should be done?

Quit. Find another job. Why is that so hard to understand?

Freeman wrote:

EdWin wrote:

grumpy old man wrote:The conditions sound horrid. Wonder why they keep working there?

Not sure about the ones who are closer to my age; they can easily go back to college or university, but I think many are nervous about this and would rather just stick it out at VIA. The older ones (or most of them, including my father and uncle who both just retired in the last few months taking a huge hit on their retirement package for leaving early just to get away from VIA) don't have a highschool education and likely feel they can't do anything else.

Stick it out, for what?

Reread the post and figure it out.

grumpy old man wrote:

EdWin wrote:Well, if you feel they are in the wrong for wanting not to be treated like dogs (and that is exactly how they are treated there) what do you suggest should be done?

Quit. Find another job. Why is that so hard to understand?

Because some people feel trapped, especially those without a highschool education. You guys need to understand that many of these people never finished highschool, and that they might not be able to get a job outside of where they work. Via can be all about who you know for getting a job. I could have easily dropped out of highschool at 16 to work on the train because of who I know and had 0 problems doing so. But that lifestyle isn't my bag of tea. But for some people it likely is pure lazyness, and that is their own problem.

I did, same question. What are they waiting for, a strike, more subsidies, change in government, the union to actually do something for them, what?

EdWin wrote:

grumpy old man wrote:

EdWin wrote:Well, if you feel they are in the wrong for wanting not to be treated like dogs (and that is exactly how they are treated there) what do you suggest should be done?

Quit. Find another job. Why is that so hard to understand?

Because some people feel trapped, especially those without a highschool education. You guys need to understand that many of these people never finished highschool, and that they won't be able to get a job outside of where they work. Via can be all about who you know for getting a job. I could have easily dropped out of highschool at 16 to work on the train because of who I know and had 0 problems doing so. But that lifestyle isn't my bag of tea. But for some people it likely is pure lazyness, and that is their own problem.

You can use the same analogy for anyone who hasn't got the ambition to get off their ass and better their lot in life. Why should someone else carry them? And I'm referring to the ridership and the government.

If they don't have a high school education they should be hugely grateful they have such a good job that I subsidize.

But I'll play along. If there are 1000 VIA employees how many do you reckon do not have a high school education?

The number will be very very very very small. Still, there are other jobs they could do. Labourers are desperately required all over Canada. Perhaps that is not their "bag" of tea either?

Well, you could say that about any job right GOM? There will always be people who hate their job, but stick it out for whatever reason, fear/lazyness/whatever. Like I stated before, I"m for privatizing the service to have a better quality of service. The Churchill line has been privatized, as are other smaller lines in service.

Yes, absolutely EdWin. Absolutely. If you don't like your job find another. That is my point precisely. It must be hell waking up every morning when all you have to look forward to is a job you despise.

Ummm, the Churchill LINE is privatised. It still carries VIA Rail trains, which were lost to the good people of Churchill for a few days.

wait a minute they are called Engineers and they dont even have a high school education??


On another note.. they have been working for TWO YEARS without a contract. They have indeed shown pretty damn good faith towards the employer. TWO YEARS is a long way to go without a contract.

On other strike news.. one of the striking unions in Ontario went back to work after 15 weeks off the job a $2000 signing bonus was included in the contract offer.

God thats stupid, reward them for going on strike eh?

Windsor eh? Bribe more accurately describes it me thinks.

But the Toronto outside workers are about to shut off negotiations completely. This will split the two involved unions. That will prove interesting. However, the Ontario government will likely legislate them back to work soon anyway. It is all showboating and puffery.

Deank wrote:wait a minute they are called Engineers and they dont even have a high school education?

I sincerely doubt that. EdWin is merely confused over who was striking.