2007 Civic Strike(s)...

[Mr. Rempa]

I'm an educated, trained professional and I'll tell you what. if I ever see that elitist cnut Sam Sullivan at the top of a slope anywhere I'll kick his wheelchair down that hill so fcuking fast he'll get a photo radar ticket on his way down. Take it to the bank.

Cool down Dap...you won't do that...

...but if you do tell me when so I can get the camcorder ready, call the Media people, etc., etc.

 

[Bronco]

So who the fcuk exactly is going to be able to live and work in Vancouver....... I'm an educated, trained professional and I'll tell you what. if I ever see that elitist cnut Sam Sullivan at the top of a slope anywhere I'll kick his wheelchair down that hill so fcuking fast he'll get a photo radar ticket on his way down. Take it to the bank.

I'm sorry, I must have missed the day they announced that everyone was entitled to live and work in Vancouver. By that logic, I want to live in the British Properties and have a 6000 sq ft mansion overlooking Vanvouver...oh and I also want a 3000 sq ft condo in Whistler with all the fixins while we're at it. Some people enjoy this way of life, I must be entitled to it as well.

As for the second part of your rant.....no, you're not, and you've proven it in spades with your commentary. You can always tell the educated class by the lack of violent threats in their statements. Kinda like you can tell the two sides apart in any labour dispute by simply reading their statements to the media.....not hearing them, reading them. ie: union rhetoric goes something like, "we'll picket them into the ground....shut er down.....hell no we won't go..." whilst the management side usually exhibits some form of rational thought provoking sentiment such as, "the deal we have tabled is a fair one and makes economic sense and we urge the union membership to consider it carefully" get my point?

Probably not!!

 

[johnnybluenose]

Entitlement is the word of the day.

How did I get my job? I started off working life as a pissed off teenager that found that I was good with my hands. I serviced electric forklifts and other warehouse euipment, was decent at it, but never tops. I then parlayed that into a junior sales role selling the Service Technicians services. Then I took over the used and lease return division of the business. Then a headhunter found out I was good at sales, and was a hard worker, a company wanted me and poof here I am.

Not,

I started off life as a pissed off teenager, I needed a job and my buddy Jeff's dad worked for TCOV and he was getting a job there. So I applied too, and much to my surprise they hired me. Woohoo, I make good money and if I sluff off at work they can't fire me! They can file a grievance, but the union will go to bat for me. And now that I have 6 years of experience or ten years or fifteen years, I am entitled to my job. Who cares about working for it, or doing a good job...it is mine....and nobody can take it away from me, unless I sexually harrass someone, attack someone, or do soemthing completely stupid to get me fired to the point the union can't do anything about it. And I make the same amount of money with twice the paid time off that my hardworking neighbor with an education has, but he didn;t have a buddy named Jeff, with a dad, that had a sweetheart job, and I do.

 

[Bronco]

Brilliant!

 

[canuckboy]

Right it's only the blue collar guy that is ignorant on this forum. I seem to remember bronco wishing that the strike goes till the new year and the city contracts all the work out. ie I hope you guys lose your pension your benefits your homes, your life. Classy.

 

[Bronco]

Why do you equate losing a cushy civil servant job with becoming destitute? If you're arguing that you should be paid handsomely for the "work" that you do, surely you are employable and able to support yourself in some other way.

 

[johnnybluenose]

I'm not calling anyone ignorant, I'm simply stating that if suce impasses are the only thing the union heads and managers of taxpayers money can agree on, then perhaps there are alternate solutions. The thought that you are entitled to anything other than basic human needs as a Canadian citizen is beyond me.

People need to work for their possesions and quality of life(Assuming of course that an acceptable quality of life is acheivable through our welfare and labour laws and economy)

Clearly this is the case in Vancouver.

The striking city workers could ALL find jobs out there as there is probably a near zero, or neagtive number as far as true un-employment (not counting those who are "self Unemployed")

Just because HAndy Sam isn;t going to pull a Harcourt and hand ludricrous pay packets and benfit packages out so that his successor has to deal with a mess doesn't mean Dap or any other unionized employee will go broke/have a mortgage forclose, etc.

 

[walls]

contrary to(what seems to be) popular belief in this thread, a few more things go into a city than simply picking up garbage and cutting the grass. these may be the larger issues in the publics eye(garbage), and on this site(grass being cut), but those are by far the easiest(garbage, parks ) and kush (parks) positions in the city. my union employs over 5000 people. of them a very small portion work for the above mentioned factions of the city. some people chose to slack off at the job and for that they either get fired(and yes it does happen), or they stay at the bottom of the ranks as a ditch digger for 25-30 years. if you work hard and apply your knowledge and skills with the city, you will move up and make more money. its not like the union can protect you forever. if you are written up 3 times in most cases now a days, you are dismissed and the union can't do f*ck all about it. like any job you have easy days and hard days. how many of you would be willing to change lights atop the burrard street bridge on a cold, rainy & windy day in mid november for $21-$24 per hour? we get paid much less for our services(in most cases) than we could make per hour in the private sector and in exchange we recieve a pension, medical, dental decent holiday time and a secure way to make a living. we know full well that if we work hard we will have a job for life. its the dogf*cks out there that bring the rest of us down, and unlike in the "old days" , these people are finally being held accountable for their actions.
also, this strike was about much more than money. they wanted to limit our benefits, take away sick days and bring in a private investigater type company to monitor them, take away all gratuity days(bonus day off if you're not sick through the entire year), make us work weekends, and have us sign a contract that would expire one week after the 2010 olympics were over so they could make major lay-offs. what would you vote? yes money always comes into play but i don't believe it was the main factor in this strike....at least not for me. one thing i do believe has prolonged this strike is the fact that the private sector is so desperate at this point in time for workers that they are paying $5-$10 per hour more than what the city workers make for the same exact positions. so its not like the majority of the guys are starving out there. the strike doesn't mean all that much to me in terms of work right now as i am on medical leave after having surgery so i can't work or even picket for that matter, but as a soccer player........f*ck that if they think i'm gonna work weekends again!!!

 

[johnnybluenose]

Would you not agree then, that if the less brain intensive and unskilled jobs were de regulated then you guys that ply your trade in a much more necessary manner could be taken care of or taken care of better?

 

[Dapotayto]

Just because HAndy Sam isn;t going to pull a Harcourt and hand ludricrous pay packets and benfit packages out so that his successor has to deal with a mess doesn't mean Dap or any other unionized employee will go broke/have a mortgage forclose, etc.

Let's get something straight. I am not a city worker and I am not, nor ever have been, on strike. And unless fate takes some bizarre turn of events I likely never will. And I most certainly will never, ever have to foreclose a mortgage or forfeit a loan. You want to know why? Because I do not owe even one dollar on a credit card, car loan, mortgage or even a fcuking i.o.u. (except maybe the beer fund for the soccer team, don't worry I'll pay you next week Bellotti). I refuse to participate in this system of greed and elitism. And I do not, and will not own property financed through a lender. Even the idea of "owning" property at all disgusts me. Land ownership is an abomination. And yes, you're damn right about entitlement. I feel a massive sense of entitlement. The entitlement and the basic human rights that being a living, breathing and free person brings me. And that is the right to free access anywhere upon this planet upon which we live. I don't give a fcuk if someone has six million dollars and another has one dollar. They are equal and both have the basic right to live exactly where they want and to access the land provided on this planet regardless of their income, status, race or educational background. Are you listening Blaze, that is why "someone should be able to live and work in Vancouver".

As for you Bronco, well you sure got me there. Educated people never threaten anybody. I guess I must be lying, hyuk, hyuk, the jig is up. Oh, oops, you know, I had a funny dream once. I dreamt Tony Blair and your pal George W. threatened Sadaam Hussein with violence prior to invading Iraq. I know I was dreaming because they are educated and went to Yale and Oxford, respectively. And all educated people are classy and don't threaten anyone. Boy, am I an idiot.

 

[Bronco]

Boy, am I an idiot.

Not to mention a Marxist-Leninist. Long live the proletariat. You've pretty much lost all credibility with your last post. You must have really enjoyed the cold war. Way to go Vladimir!!!!

 

[Dapotayto]

Who have I lost credibility with? You? The rest of the money-obsessed capitalists? I'm fine with that, believe me.

 

[Bronco]

Would someone please invite Dap into the 21st Century. Last I checked the Wall is still down, tree huggers are still a nuisance, and anarchy (which I assume you are espousing) is still probably several hundred years away. Kumbaya buddy, take a flag and plant it in the middle of Stanley Park, damn anyone who says you can't claim it as your own!!

 

[Dapotayto]

Kumbaya buddy, take a flag and plant it in the middle of Stanley Park, damn anyone who says you can't claim it as your own!!

No, I have different methods. I went and fcuked my girlfriend on some rich guy's waterfront property in West Van. He was a little irate. Ah, well. Small victories.

 

[girth]

I live out here in Maple Ridge and tried to go to the dump the other day at noon and got turned around. A lady told me the dump now closes at 11am daily because some of the cities garbage is getting shipped out here.
The dump had a stench I've never smelled before? Man you guys stink in Vancouver.

 

[Backline16]

Entitlement is the word of the day.

How did I get my job? I started off working life as a pissed off teenager that found that I was good with my hands. I serviced electric forklifts and other warehouse euipment, was decent at it, but never tops. I then parlayed that into a junior sales role selling the Service Technicians services. Then I took over the used and lease return division of the business. Then a headhunter found out I was good at sales, and was a hard worker, a company wanted me and poof here I am.

And down the line, when you are a little older, and a little less profitable. Some hot shot will take your job, and your years of service and all the money you made for your company won't be worth the ink still drying on your pink slip. Then we'll see how you feel about having no protection under seniority.

 

[Bronco]

And down the line, when you are a little older, and a little less profitable. Some hot shot will take your job, and your years of service and all the money you made for your company won't be worth the ink still drying on your pink slip. Then we'll see how you feel about having no protection under seniority.

Two things. First, most people appreciate in value to their employer over time in the private sector in terms of experience, efficiency, and productivity.


Second, invert that for union workers!!!

 

[Dude]

Dap,

Oh, unless, perhaps you opened up immigration and exploit foreigners looking for a supposed "better way of life".

Many of the small business we deal with are wholly owned by new Canadians who came here looking to help themselves, or 2nd generations Canadians who's parents came. And they are doing damn well.

Some people get it, some don't.

Now I'll go read the rest of your hippy shite.

 

[dazza]

Right Unions are totally out of date. Look how fairly non-unionized employees are treated. A good example is the biggest company in the world Wal-Mart. They have been sued for discrimination, not paying worked overtime etc etc, the order of the day is minimum wage. If there were no Unions everyone would make near or around minimum wage. Don't agree with me? Just look at places unionization is close to 0, and thier societies are completely ****ed. Christ just look at states like Georgia and Arkansas. Labour is vitually non existant there and they are the poorest states in the US. California and New York are the most pro-labour and are the most wealthy.

Are Unions perfect? No. I'd rather have the pendulem too far to the left so more people benefit than to the right where only the elite benefit.

Am I a Union member, damn straight. And I can thank my Union for allowing me to own my house in Coquitlam, a couple of cars and able to contribute a few hundred dollars a month into a RESP for my daughters, so they will have even more opportunies than I did. Last time I checked this didn't hurt the company I work for as they are extremely profitable. If this sounds crazy to you I suggest you move to a nice anti-labour country like Columbia or Honduras. Enjoy your sweatshop.

There is no need for a minimum wage at the moment. We are essentially at full employment. Any moron can get a job if they want. Just ask anyone who owns a Tim Hortons, etc. They can't keep casual workers as they can just go and work across the street if they get fired, etc.

Give me one good reason why certain workers should be able to gang up on their employers in this country and others can't (and most don't want to btw). We have strong labour laws, full employment, jobs galore, a war on talent. Don't go on about third world countries, because that's not the situation here and it never was.

And while you're at it, give me another good reason why the public should be held hostage regarding services and certain Union workers should be trapped in the strike even though they want to work, putting them through financial misery.

 

[Dude]

Read enough.

I still love you Dap. No way you've lost credibility w/ me, even if you are a burnt out old hippy.