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Newsstand: February 8, 2010

By Carly Maga

roxanne_newsstand_barren.jpg
Illustration by Roxanne Ignatius/Torontoist.


Welcome to another week, Toronto.
This could determine if you actually get out of bed today. Disgruntled TTC employees are prepared to work to rule in retaliation against the recent criticism they’ve received from their bosses and passengers. A message on the Facebook group “Toronto Transit Operators against public harassment” hints that the Amalgamated Transit Union is calling TTC employees to work to rule starting Monday, meaning they will do no more than their minimum duties. This comes after yet another conductor vs. passenger confrontation (this time featuring outspoken Toronto writer Joe Clark and two duelling camera phones) and a strongly worded statement issued to all twelve thousand employees by TTC Chief General Manager Gary Webster. Didn’t you ever learn, TTC workers, that two wrongs don’t get people off your back and stop pointing out your faults?
Meanwhile, a blind man couldn’t leave his home if he tried. The City installed cement blocks in front of his driveway, cutting off crucial access to David Kadosh’s Willowdale home, needed by his caregivers. Councillor John Filion (Ward 23, Willowdale) says Kadosh was warned multiple times that his driveway was too large and would be blocked off. But the notifications were somehow sent to Kadosh’s former home in Thornhill, even though he hasn’t lived there in over ten years and all other documents have been sent to his Willowdale address. City workers said the problem would go away if the driveway was narrowed, which they graciously offered to do—on Kadosh’s dime of course.
As most of the city had their eyes glued to a sporting event of some kind, George Smitherman quietly launched his mayoral campaign Sunday afternoon. The front-runner to be Toronto’s next mayor is taking the slow and steady course, posed to lose more votes than he could gain with any risky moves. Smitherman seems to be tip-toeing down the road to City Hall, quietly behind the proverbial marching bands of Adam Giambrone and Rocco Rossi.
Jack Layton announced on Friday he is battling prostate cancer, but said that wouldn’t stop him from fulfilling his role as NDP leader and member of parliament. However, on Saturday, his health issues forced him to cancel his first public appearance since the announcement. He was scheduled to appear in Brampton to celebrate a local publication, but instead addressed the crowd by phone.
The condition of Casa Loma isn’t looking so pretty, and it won’t for some time. Plans to refurbish one of Toronto’s top tourist attractions have missed virtually every deadline. The gothic castle should be Toronto’s crowning jewel after a twenty-year contract with the Kiwanis Club is completed, with new floors, galleries, a theatre, and a five-star restaurant. But low attendance, wedding rentals, and a new board have slowed down progress, about a year behind for some projects. A twenty-million-dollar exterior restoration is underway, but won’t be completed until 2013.
And somebody must have said a prayer, because the New Orleans Saints won the forty-fourth annual Super Bowl in Miami Sunday night. In their first ever Super Bowl appearance, the Saints beat out the favoured Indianapolis Colts thirty-one to seventeen. They started the game behind by ten, but with a smooth interception and touchdown from Tracy Porter and loads of emotional support from fans, winning seemed a Brees for the southern squadron.

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  • http://undefined josher

    I find it comical that they have to work to rule and do their minminum duties. if they were already doing their minimum duties, then there’s no problem, its the fact they stop or slack.
    In terms of being polite and courteous, i think it should be a normal occurance, even when you’re not working! shhesh I tend to have bad days but I smile and thank when I encounter people (ie. ordering food, interacting with sales people) even towards telemarketers I am polite and explain my non-interest.
    with the millions of user of the TTC each day, a couple of bad customers are to be expected. With the thousands of TTC employees, I tend to see a lack of human tendency, its quite the sight when I see a few TTC employees smile and greet me, its almost as though the majority hate their jobs.

  • http://www.torontoist.com David Topping

    It is very hard for me to think of a worse idea for the TTC union right now than a work-to-rule. Well, okay, a worse idea would be a strike. But still.

  • Darren

    They in fact have always been in a WtR. The GM acknowledged as much when he said that they were operating in “a culture of complacency and malaise”. (I’m sure the average ATU113 member had to look up the definition of ‘malaise’) Shift changes for subway operators as Coxwell were always WtR. Would it hurt the Op to be there on time? They would stand at the staff room at the other end of the platform chatting it up, and leave towards the front of the train once the train has actually entered in the station. Yeah its only a 2-3 minute walk, but those minutes are holding up an entire subway line, as the delay is magnified further and further down the line with the signalling system. A 3 minute hold at eastbound Coxwell could translate to a 5 minute hold eastbound Yonge. The same with streetcar Operator shift changes.
    Notice how these little things have improved since the “sleeping collector” issue first came up. I’ve yet to be on a train that was held up at Coxwell for more then a handful of seconds. And, I haven’t seen any ATU113 gear being worn recently, which used to be the norm. That itself is a WtR.

  • http://undefined Peter K

    Wow, it never ceases to amaze me how some people just don’t get it. If you are a good TTC employee and are sick of getting painted with the same brush as the slackers you should be confronting your bad apple coworkers and not attacking the people who pay your salary.
    The saddest part is that try as I might I don’t think I can come up with a plausible link to blame Adam Giabrone for this one.

  • http://piorkowski.ca/ qviri

    This article doesn’t do a very good job of describing work to rule.

  • http://undefined Darren

    Peter, I can easily. The GM did his job be demanding a better service from the workforce. He singled it out in 2 words “Customer Service”. He did this so the union would avoid throwing back the usual line “but management gets away with it…”. Management is primarly in the human resources field, and then also in the customer relations (not service) field.
    Giambrone was asked about the letter and he distanced himself from it by saying the usual union friendly line; “The great majority of TTC workers are hard working and want to do a good job. I believe they want to see the TTC succeed as I do. As the Chair, I expect the TTC to work with its employees to improve customer service.”
    So he passed the buck back to the GM instead of standing behind what the GM said.

  • http://undefined friend68

    I think that if you want to find a link between this and Mr. Giambrone, you can question his continued support for large unions as an integral part of his vision for Toronto’s civil service.
    You have a large staff that doesn’t feel in any way that they have anything to fear as a consequence of poor job performance, but instead feels sorry for themselves and maintains a sense of entitlement — what else do you expect?

  • http://undefined Darren

    And this whole mess will only get worse in a few weeks when the “Sunshine List” for 2009 is released. Then we’ll see the impact of Giambrone’s decision to increase labour costs by running around the clock and weekend service on empty bus routes.

  • http://undefined rek

    Basically “we don’t want to do our jobs” then? OK, fire the lot of them and hire people who DO want to do their jobs.

  • http://paul.kishimoto.name Paul Kishimoto

    If only…

    The average delay on the Tokaido Shinkansen in fiscal 2006 was only 0.3 minutes. When trains are delayed for as little as five minutes, the conductor makes an announcement apologizing for the delay and the railway company may provide a “delay certificate” (遅延証明書). Japanese passengers rely heavily on rail transit and take it for granted that trains operate on time. When trains are delayed for an hour or more, it may even appear in the newspaper.

    …distances between stations on the Tōkaidō line are as much as 68 km.

  • Darren

    Hey…so no metion yet of Adam Giambrone’s confession to an affair??
    His texts to the 19 year old student were;
    “It is important for the campaign…I had to have someone political”
    Apparantly as per other media, she claims they used his office in city hall for their ‘business’
    Na-na-na-na
    Na-na-na-na
    Hey-hey-hey
    Say goodbye!!