Angry Old Men

No longer an unobstructed view of the lake: from the 35th floor of 250 Yonge Street

The Ford government announced in April that it would be consulting with broader public sector employers and unions. The idea is to "protect what matters most" from the debt amassed by the previous government and the tax cuts promised by the current government.

Presumably informed by the Premier's opinion of unions (they're thugs), the exercise allows agencies, schools and hospitals and their staffs' bargaining agents to choose between:

a) arbitrary limits to collective bargaining set by the province or 

b) arbitrary limits set by the province without any recourse to collective bargaining. 

This is about reducing the deficit. So the unions for the non-tax-base-funded energy sector that met with the government's hired gun this past week were a bit miffed about being invited to the party.

Once at the party, mind you, they took the opportunity to express their deep contempt for the proposal.  There were hints the scheme was unconstitutional - which I'm guessing won't even slow the province down - and veiled promises of future litigation. The unions went for a show of force, bringing along one - the Steel Workers union - that had not only not been invited but does not have any members in the energy sector.

I bore mute witness to the discussion. I'd also sat on the sidelines of the conversation with the energy sector employers a couple of weeks ago. 

That talk wasn't as interesting as this one.

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen