BusTalk

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Wednesday March 26, 2008
CityNews.ca Staff
It's the central theme in the march to a settlement before a threatened TTC strike next Tuesday: the plight of the system's injured workers.

The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 is incensed that employees injured on the job while performing their duties are being docked up to 25 per cent of their pay for every day they miss work. The union calls it a 'moral issue' and has called off talks until the TTC addresses the issue.

That may happen when the two sides meet with a conciliator on Thursday.

But for all the arguments on both sides, there's one voice that hasn't been heard in this dispute - the injured workers themselves. Some are hurt during accidents in tunnels or doing maintenance. But even more seem to suffer their wounds from a source that's becoming an increasingly troublesome problem: unruly or angry passengers.

A driver named Pat is one of those who experienced the violence firsthand. "It was 2005, I was assaulted by six females on a streetcar," she recalls. "I had handprint bruises on my body." It was one of two attacks she suffered in as many years.

Her injuries have left her off work and while many of her bruises have healed, her bank account hasn't. Her absence from work has cost her dearly. It's an issue Pat feels is worthy of a walkout if it comes to that. And she hopes riders who will be hurt by any sudden stoppage will understand why.

"I apologize to the public if there is an inconvenience to them. We have to stand firm. Like if I'm attacked at work, I should not be penalized, and I'm sorry if that interferes with their day but you know what? It's interfered with my life."

The union has made it the line in the sand, noting if the TTC isn't willing to address it soon, the system will stop. It leads to some troubling questions for management: will they give in to what some insist is union blackmail? Can they get back to the bargaining table? And how does the city justify cutting the salaries of those hurt on the job?

Chair Adam Giambrone isn't prepared to answer any of those queries just yet, insisting he doesn't negotiate through the media and is waiting to meet with the other side face to face. "We've got to be at the table in order to discuss the issues," he maintains. "We have to get to the bargaining table. We'll be able to get to the bargaining table where we can discuss the various issues."

That response does little to impress Pat. "Why won't he address the issues in public? I could only venture a guess there -- I don't know for sure -- but I would say that he probably isn't really aware what's happening."

The issue of safety was also at the root of the one day walkout which paralyzed the system in May 2006. The union claimed the wildcat strike occurred because of worker fears for their safety. But management was equally insistent that it was more about a dispute over some janitors being forced to work a night shift.

About the only thing both sides agreed on was that the strike was costly - about $4 million worth for the single day - and that it shouldn't happen again.

But unless things change by Tuesday, there's an excellent chance that it will.

Video: http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_21045.aspx