End to Transit Strike

One man who commented on a message board re: the strike is over, summed it up perfectly:

"I feel sorry for the people who will still have to rely on OC Transpo. I feel sorry that they will have to put up with the ever so smug smiles from the drivers. I feel sorry for the people that will still have to put up with inadequate service, merely a continuation of what existed before the strike. I feel sorry for those in the suburbs who will be forced to wait weeks before they see any buses.

I don't feel sorry for the drivers who will be getting laid off for a few weeks. Don't try to tell me they didn't see it coming. This is exactly what they get fro trying to supoort union leadership that were in turn only catering to senior drivers under the guise of "you will inherit this someday". What a laugh. Most of the citizens of this city could see through Cornellier, why couldn't the junior drivers. Blind dedication to belief in the propoganda being spouted by ATU.

I swore during the last strike that I would never ever be held hostage again. I am happy to say it hasn't happened since.

OC Transpo should be legislated into a special category so that for the next strike, people can sumot reciepts for gas, taxi, claims for inconveneice such as per hour billing of extra time spend in rush hour. Should a person loose their job, they should be able to claim full wages until they find employment again. The union itself and the sriking members should be hideously fined to cover those costs. It should happen now, but sadly, it never will. One can only hope that the passengers who do have to ride the bus, tell the drivers (politely if possible) how the strike affected them. The drivers need to hear first hand about the tears, the turmoil, the lost wages, the lost jobs, and most of all, the pain that they caused. The effects of the strike needs to be embedded in the individual and collective memories of the ATU members.

Actions bear consequences. We all know what ATU's actions caused. Are they able to take full responsibility for those actions, for what their striked inflicted on innocent people. Tell me ATU, are you up to the challenge?

Sigh ... probably not"

source: CBC news
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/ottawa/story/2009/02/02/ot-090202-otrain.html