公共交通大罷工 ∕ Transit Workers Strike

30 cm Snow + Economic Downturn + Political Uncertainty + Strike = Perfect Storm for Ottawa

Today is the second day of work stoppage by the city’s transit workers and the strike is taking a toll on all those who rely on public transportation. While many people decided to stay home yesterday because of the 30 cm of snow that clogged up the roads, most are returning to work today. As there are no buses, many are taking their cars and as a result the downtown core and all the feed roads are completely grid-locked during rush hours. According to news reports, many drivers were stuck in traffic in front of the Parliament Building for almost an hour. All north-south and east-west major routes are jammed early in the morning and late into the evening. Many people are walking to and from work, making trips of up to three hours each way. Some are taking their bicycles, risking their lives through the narrow gaps betwn cars and the snow banks.

While it is a legal strike, some people resent the fact that they are the one that get caught in the cross-fire btwn the union and the city. Small merchants, who depend up to 50% of their annual sale in December and January, are concerned that the strike will keep customers from making shopping trips outside of their neighborhood. University students are afraid they might miss their mid-term exams and fail the term. Many parents, whose kids usually take public transportation, now have to drive juniors to schools. Fixed income elders find themselves stuck in their houses or apartments as they cannot afford to take taxis as an alternate means of transportation. Social workers are concerned seniors who are sick might give up seeking medical help.

So, it is back to the old issue. Is strike the best and only way of leveraging the workers’ bargaining power in a salary and benefits dispute? Should the people who are collateral damage of a legal strike situation be compensated? And, if yes, by whom and by how much? Finally, is the collective good more, or less, important than individual rights?