Mayor Miller

[james t kirk]

That will never happen under Miller and this city council. Remember that the former city of York used to have privatized pick-up as well as Etobicoke. Well until the former counsellor from York fought to break the contract and give it back to the union....guess who that counsellor was....David Miller.

Yes, and he was my Councillor.

We used to have Miller Haulage collecting our trash and then Miller was elected and switched us back to CUPE.

I never had a problem with Miller. They took EVERYTHING I threw out and I did some big renovations gutting a kitchen and washroom and I threw out tonnes of lath and plaster and they took it all.

Then along came CUPE and now, they just walk down the street leaving more than they take.

 

[moviefan]

Miller totally blew it.

He had no strategy for managing this strike and failed to explain to people what the strike was about. When he did finally explain it (sick days), he focused on an issue that he now says wasn't that important to the city's position.

One of the most bizarre moments, in my mind, was that he allowed the union to announce his revised position for him. Not surprisingly, the union didn't characterize it as a win for the city.

Miller completely misread the public mood and failed at his biggest test as mayor.

 

[someone]

for some reason everyone thinks if you privatetize it your taxes will go down No they'll just use that money somewhere else. the city of windsor says they saved abou30-35 dollors per household

If it is a choice of giving money to already overpaid city workers and spending the money on something useful like streetcars, I don’t think there is any contest. Of course It would be better if they “just use that money somewhere else”.

He had a just cause and popular support - a politico's wet dream! What does he do? He pisses everyone off. Way to go, Komrade!

That is the amazing thing. The public was solidly against the union, even without the city taking basic common sense actions like emptying the temporary dumps on a regular basis. There really was no excuse for Miller's surrender.

 

[hoser1970]

That is the amazing thing. The public was solidly against the union, even without the city taking basic common sense actions like emptying the temporary dumps on a regular basis. There really was no excuse for Miller's surrender.

I think this was the problem! As others have pointed out, I think Miller had a secret agenda all along to keep his union supporters happy. He figured the people of Toronto would get fed up with the strike and demand an end to it. Then he could settle and give CUPE what they wanted, and use any small concession he got to claim victory.

Unfortunately, the citizens of Toronto did not play along, and no one was calling for an end to the strike. He (Miller) realized that if he let the strike go on much longer, he could NEVER capitualate and so he got his buddies at CUPE to demand a settlement "or else".

 

[hoser1970]

I think he did a great job and did what he needeed to do. I hope he gets a few weeks off now and takes his family on vacation

Since you are not a resident of Toronto, who cares if you think he did a great job.

me too I live in rural ontario, we take garbage to the dump

https://terb.cc/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=246405​

If you like Miller so much, do us a favour and get him run for Mayor where you live!

 

[Mrbig1949]

Conspiracy theory

I think this was the problem! As others have pointed out, I think Miller had a secret agenda all along to keep his union supporters happy. He figured the people of Toronto would get fed up with the strike and demand an end to it. Then he could settle and give CUPE what they wanted, and use any small concession he got to claim victory.

Unfortunately, the citizens of Toronto did not play along, and no one was calling for an end to the strike. He (Miller) realized that if he let the strike go on much longer, he could NEVER capitualate and so he got his buddies at CUPE to demand a settlement "or else".

Who do you think shot JFK, how about those UFOs?

 

[Mrbig1949]

Miller will be easily reelected unless the right wing comes up with a very charismatic popular candidate. Still looking I guess.

 

[happywanderer]

Let's see...

Union keeps it's sick days and a raise (for the next 3 years)...

Council gets a raise...

Non-Union city employees are told... "sorry Charlie, the cupboard is bare for you folks" tells me that he has no credibility as a qualified leader. He took care of the sycophants that got him and keep him in power. If only we could find someone of quality on the middle to middle-right (politically) in this city that could challenge Mayor Useless.

 

[5hummer]

Cant wait to vote this f__cker out of office

Unfortunately, I can't see any alternative doing a better job.

 

[james t kirk]

Unfortunately, I can't see any alternative doing a better job.

I can.

Miller is an idiot of classic proportions and it would not be hard to do better than him. That said, allot will depend on the political orientation of the council. If you elected a guy like Doug Holyday (for instance) however, the council was filled with Jack Layton and Olivia Chow types (which it currently is), then how far do you think a guy on the centre right like Holyday could get with agenda?

Not very far I can assure you.

Miller may set a tone, but he is not an autocrat.

 

[Sammy the Bull]

Unfortunately, I can't see any alternative doing a better job.

Get a pygmy monkey from the Toronto zoo, I'm sure it can do a better job than Miller

 

[Mia.Colpa]

He (Miller) realized that if he let the strike go on much longer, he could NEVER capitualate and so he got his buddies at CUPE to demand a settlement "or else".

LMAO, quite an imagination.

 

[masterchief]

That said, allot will depend on the political orientation of the council.

Exactly right. The biggest fault was that when the province was tinkering with the City of Toronto Act and changes the elected terms from 3 years to 4, that they also didn't impose term limits on counsillors.

Guys like Moscoe and McConnell who've been at the municipal teet for too long and have amassed huge war chests that make it impossible to run against them.

 

[wantoplay]

You mean "soon to be Ex mayor miller", don't you?

Miller needs to fix the garbage thing once and for all. Take the end date of the current contract, and annouce that starting on that day, garbage collection will be put out to tender. The city will no longer as of that date be directly in the garbage business.

Let the chips fall where they may, but he has to stand up and say "the city isn't going to pay caviar prices for McDonalds service"

How short a memory you have, Torontonians bitched and whined about him, and voted him in again, and any will probably vote him i again.

Privatization solves nothing!! They are also unionized, well paid, and do strike. Think TEAMSTERS!!

 

[Mia.Colpa]

How short a memory you have, Torontonians bitched and whined about him, and voted him in again, and any will probably vote him i again.

Privatization solves nothing!! They are also unionized, well paid, and do strike. Think TEAMSTERS!!

Most of your points I agree with except the pay for non unionized workers, the Etobicoke garbage collectors are paid less per hour and have less benefits than the unionized city (privatized)workers.

 

[spitfire]

sure there was No need for a strike and the people wanted to get rid of teh sick days how can one do that with a long strike?

Since there was no valid contract, sure they had a right to strike. But why do you people have to make it so fking hard on other people and only allow 1 car every 15mins to dump their trash? What you guys do it to prove a point? The point you guys proved is that we should get rid of the unions, if you are not happy with your contract, get the hell out of the way, there are tons and tons of people who are looking for a job.

 

[james t kirk]

How short a memory you have, Torontonians bitched and whined about him, and voted him in again, and any will probably vote him i again.

Privatization solves nothing!! They are also unionized, well paid, and do strike. Think TEAMSTERS!!

Miller haulage is not unionized.

 

[wantoplay]

Miller haulage is not unionized.

Waste Management is, and also bigger than Miller. I am sure they would tender for it.

 

[masterchief]

Privatization solves nothing!! They are also unionized, well paid, and do strike. Think TEAMSTERS!!

Uhm...the Teamsters is a Union...not a private company.

 

[james t kirk]

Having a Contractor pick up the garbage would always be better than CUPE because even if the Contractor's labourers went on strike, the Company would have NO PROBLEM hiring replacement workers, and if that failed, the city would simply hire someone else as a stop gap (assuming they had any brains and worded the contract that that sort of thing was completely legal).

Face it, in this last strike, the one BIGGIE that everyone was truly put out by was the lack of proper garbage collection. The daycare, the swimming pools, the blah blah blah, frankly, I don't use it, don't even care if it exists. You could easily starve those guys out. But Garbage - that's part of the proper sanitation of the city - like water, sewers, etc. and relates to public health.

The temporary dumps turned into rotting festering stink heaps because Miller didn't want hire contractors to come in and take away the trash. That in of itself is fucking terrible.

Driving around town yesterday and today, the smell from the former dump sites is enough to make you toss your cookies.

BTW, it is city crews being paid double time and half today to clean up what they created. I believe I was poo pooed by a couple of other posters on this site when I said that the City Crews would be out doing clean up and racking up the overtime. Well guess what - I see those nice yellow and blue trucks all over the place.