Sid Ryan on the Toronto City Workers Strike

By way of balance to the OpEd from the Post, here's something from the Star.

I'm not sure I agree with this analysis either -- but I do think the unionized workers are being given too harsh public treatment for exercising their rights, especially when, in Toronto, the City has given good deals to some and not to others:

In a crisis, bash the workers
TheStar.com
Sid Ryan
President of the Canadian Union of Public Employees-Ontario

In tough times, diehard free market disciples can be relied on to do two things: revert to divisive hard-right talk and scapegoat. The poor, unionized workers and those on the margins are common targets for attacks that pander to a base of support and baser emotions, rather than seeking solutions that are best for all people.

So it's hardly surprising that those who benefited most from the economic boom are now, in the throes of a recession, taking advantage of the nasty public mood and pointing an accusing finger at unionized working men and women.

What's unique in this recession is how many people, from municipal mayors to a newly minted Ontario political party leader to the usual business lobbyists, want in on the worker-bashing. The chorus is now gaining fever pitch.

It began in earnest following the beginning of the recent legal strike in Toronto by CUPE Locals 416 and 79, but this particular dispute is just the largest and highest-profile of several underway across the province involving public- and private-sector workers.

http://www.thestar.com/printArticle/659087