Megacity Malaise by Carlo Fanelli

Author:Carlo Fanelli [Fanelli, Carlo]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fernwood Publishing
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Labour Strife: Union Negotiations in 2012

Under the leadership of authoritarian populist Mayor Rob Ford (Kipfer and Saberi 2014), it was clear from the beginning that the City’s negotiating team would be taking a hard-line position during negotiations. Having made significant inroads to concessions during the 2009 round of bargaining, the City used the unpopularity of the previous strike as an opportunity to further extend their mandate of austerity and attacks against workers. The Employee and Labour Relations Committee (elrc), a subcommittee of mostly conservative councillors handpicked by the mayor, was responsible for negotiating with the unions’ various bargaining committees. The elrc did not need the approval of Council to lock out workers or unilaterally alter the terms of the contract. Locals 79 and 416’s collective agreements were set to expire on January 1, 2012. But by October 2011 the City had already served notice to Local 416 to begin bargaining. This formed part of the City’s broader orchestration to thoroughly defeat what remained of trade union militancy in Locals 79 and 416.

While talks had started months earlier, by mid-December 2011 both the City and Local 416 were accusing each other of bargaining in the media. However, by this point the City had already requested a conciliator as mandated by law. Just three days into the new year, the City of Toronto informed the Ministry of Labour that bargaining had reached an impasse. Two issues were crucial at this juncture. First, upon receipt of the City’s request, the Ministry of Labour could issue a “no board” report, which meant that after a period of seventeen days the City could lock out workers, unilaterally impose conditions or the union could strike. Second, the City used the time in between the issuance of a “no board” and a deadline as an opportunity to bargain publicly, intimidating workers into accepting the terms of a new agreement. Rather than threatening a lockout, the elrc argued that unless the terms of a new agreement were accepted, they would simply be imposed. In order to meet the challenges of a “cash-strapped city,” argued councillors and media pundits, workers would need to concede wages and benefits and, most of all, job security.

While negotiations faltered, on January 13, 2012, Local 416 held a press conference to try to sway public support. The union’s announcement was straightforward. In return for rolling over the existing contract, the union would forego wage increases for the duration of the contract. A moratorium on wage increases would translate into approximately $10 million in yearly savings. Local 416 also made the case that public sector workers should not be made to pay for an economic crisis not of their making. But the City immediately rejected what representatives of the elrc deemed a public relations ploy, stressing that what was central in this round of bargaining was employer “flexibility” not wage concerns. In this regard, the recasting of working people and job security as outmoded entitlements has been one of the great successes of neoliberalism.

Despite Local

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