I Hate Transit Strikes!!! - Sitcoms Online Message Boards

Jenya · 11-18-2003, 12:04 PM

The métro blues: Subway, buses packed
MTC and its maintenance workers to return to negotiating table with conciliator today

Tuesday, November 18, 2003

BY ANDY RIGA
The Montréal Gazette

If you thought Monday was bad, commuters, brace yourselves.

On Day One of a maintenance workers' strike that forced a drastic cut in service provided by the Montreal Transit Corp., buses and métro trains were more packed than usual and many off-peak users were left stranded and grumbling.

But Mondays are normally less busy than other weekdays, with ridership typically growing to a peak at midweek. With neither side giving ground yesterday and the strike threatening to drag on, daily commutes could get uglier later this week.

On the plus side, the MTC, the 2,050 unionized workers and conciliator Suzanne Therrien are to return to the negotiating table today, after a one-day cooling-off period. Talks broke off and the strike was launched late Sunday.

During the walkout, buses and métros run only on weekdays, and only from 5:30 to 9 a.m., 3 to 6:30 p.m., and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Transit services for the handicapped and commuter trains are not affected.

"We had to ensure essential service was offered, and I'm told it is mission well-enough accomplished," MTC chairperson Claude Dauphin told reporters at a mid-afternoon briefing.

He said the MTC will consider refunding a portion of the cost of bus passes once the strike is over.

Most buses and métro trains ran smoothly, though there were problems on bus lines 535, 211 and 18, said Robert Olivier, the MTC's director of planning.

The snafus were caused by scheduling mistakes that are to be resolved today, he said.

For those who had to get around outside rush hours, service cuts caused big headaches.

Pointe Claire resident Samantha Rayner was on the 211 bus from Dorval on what is usually a direct express route downtown. Suddenly, at 9 a.m. on the dot and with no warning, the driver pulled over in Lachine and told the roughly 40 baffled passengers to get off the bus.

After first returning to Dorval by foot, only to find the next available commuter train would be a two-hour wait, the 17-year-old Dawson College student ended up paying $30 for a cab ride to school. She took no chances on the return trip home and opted for the train yesterday evening.

Jason Wee had to hitchhike from LaSalle to the Westmount restaurant where he works and is paid minimum wage. "I can't afford $20 for a taxi," he said. "Tomorrow, maybe I'll have to wake up one or two hours earlier."

Three people stranded outside the Atwater métro station banded together and hailed a cab to get them to Royal Victoria Hospital. One of them, Julie-Anne Kozubski, said the strike is tough on hospital workers like herself.

"When you work in a hospital, sometimes you have odd hours," she said.

Getting to work will be difficult for shifts that begin at 3 p.m., Kozubski added.

The striking workers include mechanics and cleaning staff. About 1,500 of the strikers are skilled workers, earning $23 an hour for an average annual salary of $48,000.

The union and the MTC say they are close to an agreement on wage issues, with both okaying an 8.7-per-cent wage hike over four years but disagreeing on exactly how the increases will be doled out.

That's the same wage increase given to the 4,200 MTC workers who have signed contracts recently, including bus and métro drivers, and office workers.

For the maintenance workers, pensions are the main sticking point - and they're asking for concessions not given to other workers, Dauphin said.

The union wants the pensions of retired workers to be indexed to the cost of living, to a maximum of two per cent per year, for 2003, 2004 and 2005. Pensions are now indexed annually, but increases are limited to half the increase in the cost of living.

Dauphin said agreeing to the union's demand will cost the pension fund between $4 million and $5 million over three years.

And if the MTC gives in to maintenance staff, other workers will demand the same benefit, he said. If such indexing is granted to all MTC workers, it would cost more than $40 million over three years, Dauphin said.

The union also wants a greater say in how its $600-million pension fund is run. Management now controls the fund. The union wants as much say as management has, union spokesperson Sylvain Noiseux said.

Dauphin said the union's pension demands, brought forward only last week, are deal-breakers because the MTC contributes more than workers do to the fund and has a duty to control how public funds are spent.

But Noiseux noted the two pension demands "won't directly cost the MTC anything. It can be paid for using the fund's surplus."

He also said "it's a shame" commuters feel they're being held hostage, but the MTC is to blame for the strike because it gave the union updated pension information only a month ago.

ariga@thegazette.canwest.com

Where to Call for Help

For more information and MTC schedule updates, see www.stm.info or call the customer-service line at (514) 786-4636; bus information is at (514) 288-6287.

Adapted-transit service is running as usual, with some delays because of heavier traffic. Call (514) 280-8211.

No disruption in commuter train and bus service.

For information on routes and schedules, see www.amt.qc.ca or call the Agence métropolitaine de transport at (514) 287-8726.

The Sun Youth Organization has extended its hours and is offering its usual emergency services between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 4251 St. Urbain St. (514) 842-6822.

Jenya · 11-18-2003, 12:08 PM

This is crazy!

I don't drive. I have to rely on The Métro for my transportation to go to work. It's a good thing I have this week off. But I hope this dumb strike is resolved. It seems that the city maintance workers don't care too much on commuters. At least the commuter trains are still running. They are not affected by this strike.

What a bummer!

PZelda · 11-18-2003, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jenya
This is crazy! I don't drive. I have to rely on The Métro for my transportation to go to work. It's a good thing I have this week off. But I hope this dumb strike is resolved. It seems that the city maintance workers don't care too much on commuters. At least the commuter trains are still running. They are not affected by this strike.

What a bummer!

Oh man, Jenya. I feel bad for you.

Like you, I also don't drive so I have to rely on my parents or a form of other transportation to get around. Fortunately, I'm in a city of 55K where it's not exactly a metro city but it's pretty big and you don't need a train or bus or whatever to commute to work...you pretty much carpool here.

Moonlight Lady · 11-18-2003, 01:55 PM

That sucks Jenya, I hope things get better. I remember what it was like to rely on buses, before i got my car.

EricIdlefan · 11-18-2003, 02:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Jenya
This is crazy! I don't drive. I have to rely on The Métro for my transportation to go to work. It's a good thing I have this week off. But I hope this dumb strike is resolved. It seems that the city maintance workers don't care too much on commuters. At least the commuter trains are still running. They are not affected by this strike.

What a bummer!

I don't like to drive at all and when I go to my downtown library, I like to take the bus because I hate the innerstate because there are so many maniacs that drive so lunatic. I am so, so, sorry and hopefull they will get this strike resolved very, very, soon!!

Jenya · 11-19-2003, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by EricIdlefan
I don't like to drive at all and when I go to my downtown library, I like to take the bus because I hate the innerstate because there are so many maniacs that drive so lunatic.

You should see how many nuts drive on Germany's speedways (the autobahn)! My friend in Stuttgart has a radar gun in his car. We were reading speeds as fast as 240 km/hr on the autobahn. And I thought Montréalers were crazy drivers.

I hope this strike will end soon too. It's not fair to the public, who have to depend on the buses and subways for transportation to work and school.

EricIdlefan · 11-19-2003, 07:51 PM

Hope it ends very, very, soon so that you can be on your way to work!!

11-18-2003, 12:04 PM	#1
Jenya Supervisor Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: Canmore, Alberta Posts: 3,359	I Hate Transit Strikes!!! The métro blues: Subway, buses packed MTC and its maintenance workers to return to negotiating table with conciliator today Tuesday, November 18, 2003 BY ANDY RIGA The Montréal Gazette If you thought Monday was bad, commuters, brace yourselves. On Day One of a maintenance workers' strike that forced a drastic cut in service provided by the Montreal Transit Corp., buses and métro trains were more packed than usual and many off-peak users were left stranded and grumbling. But Mondays are normally less busy than other weekdays, with ridership typically growing to a peak at midweek. With neither side giving ground yesterday and the strike threatening to drag on, daily commutes could get uglier later this week. On the plus side, the MTC, the 2,050 unionized workers and conciliator Suzanne Therrien are to return to the negotiating table today, after a one-day cooling-off period. Talks broke off and the strike was launched late Sunday. During the walkout, buses and métros run only on weekdays, and only from 5:30 to 9 a.m., 3 to 6:30 p.m., and 11 p.m. to 1 a.m. Transit services for the handicapped and commuter trains are not affected. "We had to ensure essential service was offered, and I'm told it is mission well-enough accomplished," MTC chairperson Claude Dauphin told reporters at a mid-afternoon briefing. He said the MTC will consider refunding a portion of the cost of bus passes once the strike is over. Most buses and métro trains ran smoothly, though there were problems on bus lines 535, 211 and 18, said Robert Olivier, the MTC's director of planning. The snafus were caused by scheduling mistakes that are to be resolved today, he said. For those who had to get around outside rush hours, service cuts caused big headaches. Pointe Claire resident Samantha Rayner was on the 211 bus from Dorval on what is usually a direct express route downtown. Suddenly, at 9 a.m. on the dot and with no warning, the driver pulled over in Lachine and told the roughly 40 baffled passengers to get off the bus. After first returning to Dorval by foot, only to find the next available commuter train would be a two-hour wait, the 17-year-old Dawson College student ended up paying $30 for a cab ride to school. She took no chances on the return trip home and opted for the train yesterday evening. Jason Wee had to hitchhike from LaSalle to the Westmount restaurant where he works and is paid minimum wage. "I can't afford $20 for a taxi," he said. "Tomorrow, maybe I'll have to wake up one or two hours earlier." Three people stranded outside the Atwater métro station banded together and hailed a cab to get them to Royal Victoria Hospital. One of them, Julie-Anne Kozubski, said the strike is tough on hospital workers like herself. "When you work in a hospital, sometimes you have odd hours," she said. Getting to work will be difficult for shifts that begin at 3 p.m., Kozubski added. The striking workers include mechanics and cleaning staff. About 1,500 of the strikers are skilled workers, earning $23 an hour for an average annual salary of $48,000. The union and the MTC say they are close to an agreement on wage issues, with both okaying an 8.7-per-cent wage hike over four years but disagreeing on exactly how the increases will be doled out. That's the same wage increase given to the 4,200 MTC workers who have signed contracts recently, including bus and métro drivers, and office workers. For the maintenance workers, pensions are the main sticking point - and they're asking for concessions not given to other workers, Dauphin said. The union wants the pensions of retired workers to be indexed to the cost of living, to a maximum of two per cent per year, for 2003, 2004 and 2005. Pensions are now indexed annually, but increases are limited to half the increase in the cost of living. Dauphin said agreeing to the union's demand will cost the pension fund between $4 million and $5 million over three years. And if the MTC gives in to maintenance staff, other workers will demand the same benefit, he said. If such indexing is granted to all MTC workers, it would cost more than $40 million over three years, Dauphin said. The union also wants a greater say in how its $600-million pension fund is run. Management now controls the fund. The union wants as much say as management has, union spokesperson Sylvain Noiseux said. Dauphin said the union's pension demands, brought forward only last week, are deal-breakers because the MTC contributes more than workers do to the fund and has a duty to control how public funds are spent. But Noiseux noted the two pension demands "won't directly cost the MTC anything. It can be paid for using the fund's surplus." He also said "it's a shame" commuters feel they're being held hostage, but the MTC is to blame for the strike because it gave the union updated pension information only a month ago. ariga@thegazette.canwest.com Where to Call for Help For more information and MTC schedule updates, see www.stm.info or call the customer-service line at (514) 786-4636; bus information is at (514) 288-6287. Adapted-transit service is running as usual, with some delays because of heavier traffic. Call (514) 280-8211. No disruption in commuter train and bus service. For information on routes and schedules, see www.amt.qc.ca or call the Agence métropolitaine de transport at (514) 287-8726. The Sun Youth Organization has extended its hours and is offering its usual emergency services between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. at 4251 St. Urbain St. (514) 842-6822.

11-18-2003, 01:55 PM	#4
Moonlight Lady Member Forum Star Join Date: Aug 18, 2002 Posts: 16,052	That sucks Jenya, I hope things get better. I remember what it was like to rely on buses, before i got my car.
	__________________ [

11-18-2003, 12:08 PM	#2
Jenya Supervisor Forum 3000 Club Member Join Date: Apr 20, 2003 Location: Canmore, Alberta Posts: 3,359	This is crazy! I don't drive. I have to rely on The Métro for my transportation to go to work. It's a good thing I have this week off. But I hope this dumb strike is resolved. It seems that the city maintance workers don't care too much on commuters. At least the commuter trains are still running. They are not affected by this strike. What a bummer!

11-19-2003, 07:51 PM	#7
EricIdlefan August Back To School Forum Addict Join Date: Oct 12, 2003 Location: East TN Posts: 68,236	Hope it ends very, very, soon so that you can be on your way to work!!