Walter Reuther must be turning over in his grave.
Why you ask?
The striking union workers here in Toronto resemble picnic-ers vs picket-liners. What's wrong with that? A lot. First off, the union has a very staunch stance on workers rights. My very first indoctrination with political strife came from the unionized autoworkers in Detroit. Such strong impressions from that angry vocal crowd of unionized workers left an indelible mark upon my elementary school psyche.
Flash forward today: the garbage strewn park in my Toronto neighborhood (day number 26 of the garbage strike.) It's not awful by any stretch but it's evident that something is amiss. My bigger concern or question comes from the lack of anger, angst, in your-face-signs that spell out a list of what the city workers seek. Instead you find a picnic table of people gathered 'round maybe reading, having some coffee. You might think that it's a family gathering or just a few friends out enjoying the day but no, it's a picket line. Or a picket picnic table. I would have taken a picture but I was on rollerblades and at an age where I can't walk and chew gum let alone rollerblade...
So what are they asking for, these non-picketing picketers? Well in this day in age we go to the source: no, not the president of the union or the spokesperson for the union...or even the bottle-blond dork of a mayor. Go to the website. Sure enough, there it is... The mayor and the unions are equally responsible, as the little bit of budge from either side is negligible. What is impressive? The city has strike information available via pdf in fifteen languages.
Question is will we drown in a sea of garbage bags since the end of this strike looks unattainable.
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