Union concessions avoid Toronto municipal strike

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The details aren't out yet, and won't be until the union ratifies the deal. It's unlikely the deal will be rejected because the city's administration was looking for the union to hand them a "go ahead, make my day" moment.

Marcus Gee of the Globe and Mail wrote up an excellent summary:


.. the city set a deadline of a minute after midnight on Feb. 5. Many had assumed the city would lock out its workers at that time if a deal had not been reached. The union's propaganda for the last couple of weeks seemed intended to portray it as the injured party if workers were indeed locked out. Mr. Ferguson was suddenly all moderation and optimism, saying first that the union would agree to settle for no pay increase and that it had no plans to strike. If it came to a lockout, he could say: We were talking and making concessions, so why the need to lock us out of our jobs?

But on Friday, in an unusual and aggressive move, the city said that it would not lock out the union at midnight. Instead it would impose new working conditions set out in its most recent contract proposal. The city was demanding more flexibility in how it deploys and, if necessary, lays off its employees.

The tactic put the union in a fix. Going to work on Monday morning as usual under new city-imposed conditions might have seemed like a tacit acceptance of them, a fait accompli. Suddenly calling a strike in protest at the city's move would have been equally tough for the union, given they had said they had no strike plans. Mr. Ferguson called the city a “bully” for making the threat but stayed at the bargaining table. Some time in the dark hours of Sunday morning, a deal was done.

British Labour leader Ed Miliband needs more time to recover from lobotomy

The leader of Britain's Labour party gave the strangest responses I've ever seen in an interview. He keeps repeating the same monotonous, pre-programmed answer to each different question he receives about civic strikes in England.

I thought this was some sort of a joke video that someone had assembled to make him look silly, but it's dead real.




h/t Small Dead Animals