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多伦多垃圾工人罢工结束了~~~ 看看Toronto Star读者的发言, 顺便当学英语哦.

本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛We asked how you are coping with the strike by City of Toronto outside workers. Here are more of your responses:

The mayor said that the city workers shouldn't have job security because no one else does. The mayor is missing the point. We all want job security and a decent wage no matter our education level or job title. We should support workers who at least try to attain a semblance of job security so that they can go on supporting their families and the economy.
- Mary Themistocles, Toronto, July 11

Do we really want our garbage services contracted out to the lowest bidder? And is it so wrong to pay someone a decent wage for doing our dirty work? If anything this strike should teach us two things. 1. How much waste we produce 2. How vital it is that people get paid a decent wage to do the hard and stinking job of cleaning it up
- Matthew Cooper, Toronto, July 11

Does anybody remember the plague, that horrible disease that wiped out most of Europe throughout history? That was caused by rotting garbage in the streets and unsafe health conditions. Am I the only one who sees the similarities? I am just waiting for some outbreaks of smallpox, scarlet fever - something.
- Jaysin McKenzie, Toronto July 11

This strike should make us realize how much we rely on and take for granted the work that city workers do. Most people don't care if the work is contracted out, but we should - our job could be next. I'm sure someone could do it for less. Job security is something our parents had and took for granted - city workers want it back.
- Angela Connors, Toronto, July 11

As an environmentalist, I have hopes that the garbage strike continues for several more weeks, burying our city in the process. More than anything, that garbage is now 'in our face' demonstrates in the most forceful way the staggering idiocy of the way our society lives.
- Gabriel Draven, Toronto, July 11

My biggest concern next to (potential) health issues is that governments can afford to not negotiate with their workers. The government knows full well that all they have to do is wait until public outcry for legislation outweighs the outcry to bargain in good faith. Then, make up a new law, and POOF! Who needs a contract when you have the power to change the terms at will?
- Keith Linton, Oshawa, July 11

I wonder why the NDP is going to try and slowdown back to work legislation when they have acknowledged they are trying to win votes in the Toronto area prior to the next provincial election.
-Stephen MacKenzie, Toronto, July 10

Fire the city workers who are not able to accept that if the city has no money to pay them,then they will be laid off or sub-contracted. If they want they can request grants or loans to go back to school and move to other professions later in their life.
-Bobby Crier, Toronto, July 10

What exactly is the skill set required for garbage collectors to justify their demands for this wage increase and job security? Or is it a lack of skills that that drives their need for job security?
-Dan Perdue, Toronto, July 10

I'm taking my first vacation in years and chose Toronto for its reputation as a city of beauty. Now I'm worried. Maybe municipal workers would rather people spend their vacation money in Niagara Falls or Thunder Bay?
-Bobby Schneider, Knoxville, Tennessee, July 10

The union should feel pretty stupid. Due to their strike, the point of which is to prevent private contractors from getting their jobs, people have realized how much better the private contractors are.
-Jeff Fisher, Toronto, July 10

Waste disposal workers in this city do a great job, and they are a very essential public service. They keep the streets clean, our sidewalks clear and work darn hard when they're on the clock. They need to realize though, that they are replaceable. That is the nature of unskilled work.
-J. Cooper, Toronto, July 10

My town of Stouffville was smart enough to allow bidding every few years by private firms for the opportunity to collect our garbage and make a profit on it. We never had a strike, always had good, courteous, efficient service, by decently paid employees.
-J.P. Archibald, Stouffville, July 10

"It does not take any skill to collect garbage and make an obscene wage! For the wage I earn after a decent education I am to feel bad for fat foul-mouthed guys shouting on the news? Give me a break!''
-Ian Macdonald, Toronto, July 9

"The rich are already getting richer. Do we need to further pad their wallets by allowing private contractors to take over jobs currently performed by city staff? Those jobs are currently decent ones with decent pay - the privatized versions would be low/no-skilled jobs with poverty-level wages with the difference winding up in some large corporation's profits.''
-Brett Lamb, Toronto, July 9

"This strike is absolutely ridiculous. These workers, some of them, are already making more money than some teachers! Does this make sense to anyone?''
-Heather Alford, Toronto, July 9

"Why wait until there is a strike to deal with the overflowing garbage? I hope people realize now how much unnecessary garbage they produce. Just because it gets picked up and disappears somewhere in a dump out of sight, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.''
-Paulina Pel, Toronto, July 9

"I'm a little worried about the trip I'm planning to take to Toronto in August. I hope the strike will be over by then. What's more disgusting than the garbage is the fact that the entire city is suffering because a few workers aren't happy.''
-Angela Abrams, Belleville, July 9

"Fire the lot and hire people who are willing to work. The union says the city had back-to-work legislation on their mind from the beginning, but I think the union had the papal visit on their mind when they went on strike.''
-Krystal Germiquet, Scarborough, July 9

Actually, I'd like to thank CUPE. The strike has meant that New York is now no longer the stinkiest city in North America.
- Tony Emond, Hoboken, New Jersey, July 9

I am just home after a disgusting and very disappointing vacation to Toronto. I travel extensively, and I have visited Toronto many times before. However I for one will not be back to Toronto. I honestly think that many visitors will feel the same way.
- Anne Martin, Edinburgh, Scotland, July 9

The real garbage cleanup is needed at City Hall. The use of the term 'jobs for life' by the mayor and the deputy mayor is misleading and despicable, and that they refuse to bargain is odious. I can't wait for the next election.
- Michael Bolton, Toronto, July 9

If these people get job security, a strike is what we have to look forward to at the end of every contract.
- Vic Milligan, Barrie, July 9

The strike comes down to two things: Mel Lastman's inability to lead and the Union's greed. Both parties are guilty and should be removed from the equation.
- Karl Nieva, Orlando, July 9

I have limited my garbage to approx. half of what I would normally put out. I have only accumulated 1.5 garbage bags to date. If anyone can tell where to call for illegal dumpers, I would appreciate it. I've been taking down license numbers where I've seen it in my neighbourhood.
- Lois Scott, Toronto, July 9

We are planning to be in Toronto for a vacation, July 13-16. We've been reading all about Toronto. We have also been reading the Star with concern. We feel bad about what the Toronto public is going through, but we also want the strike to be over by the time we our vacation arrives.
- Mary Williams, Caldwell, Ohio, July 5

What a drama! I came from China and I know for a fact that even there job security is long gone. And now in a capitalist country, people are demanding job security for life by holding the whole city hostage!
- Yan Liu, North York, July 5

The unions are seeking job security because the city wants to contract out many of their jobs. If you knew you were going to be left jobless wouldn't you fight for a way to keep it? Of course you would.
- Mark Prince, Toronto, July 5

I work in the private sector, and I have job security. Do you know why? Because I do my job so well that my employer does not see the need to replace me.
- Jamie Bras, Toronto, July 5

I don't resent workers wanting to be treated fairly. But their continued insistence that they are not is simply nonsense. Any reasonable person would agree that a salary and benefits package totalling over $50,000 is hardly a starvation wage.
- Darrell Goodman, Toronto, July 5

I am be deeply concerned with the idea of privatizing public service. The recent computer contract problem gives us a sneak peek at the future, so I think we should all be very concerned.
- Jason Prini, Toronto, July 5

If the city was smart they should ensure that the next contract expires during the winter. Wonder how anxious the union would be to strike then?
- A. McComb, Toronto, July 5

I have no hesitation in granting wage increases (out of my share of taxes) for essential and qualified city workers in the police, fire and ambulance services. But my family and neighbours all agree that we can and will wait out this strike.
- Gail M. Armstrong, Toronto, July 5

"I am 12 years old on Friday. My mom was planning to have a birthday party for me at Pleasantview Pool. Because of the strike we can't do it now. The strike is not fair to kids like my younger brother and sister, and me, who are really hot and want to go cool down at a swimming pool. Where are we supposed to swim? The polluted lake?''
- Rebekkah Rogers, North York, July 4

"I find the union's insistence on job security completely unreasonable, short-sighted and selfish. There is a real and large cost to job security and that is inefficiency. This inefficiency increases the cost of delivering services which, in turn, leads to increases in property taxes. These property tax increases will hurt the growth and vitality of Toronto."
- Antonio Rodrigues, Toronto, July 4

"We are quite disappointed by the strike. We are heading to your city for the Molson Indy, and our children are really looking forward to it. We had also hoped to visit your museums and some other local events that are now cancelled. What a pity. We have worked hard for this vacation and to have it spoiled by the strike is a big letdown. We feel for all the children and parents relying on daycare. Too bad the children have to suffer."
- Jacky Maracle, Shannonville, July 4

"Why do we not let city workers raise the bar for all of us by fighting for the job security all of us deserve? This would be more sensible than the childish argument 'they can't have what I don't have.'''
- Patrick Casey, Toronto, July 4

"With the papal visit looming and the summer tourist season in full swing, millions of visitors will be left with one lingering malodorous thought, one that has become increasingly self-evident these past few years: Toronto is in a rapid and uncontrolled state of urban decay."
- Carter Lacroix, Ottawa, July 4

"I know garbage collectors do a tough job. But they're paid pretty handsomely. I'm not. Neither are many others who struggle to pay their bills. It's hot out. It smells. And I'd love to escape my daily drudgery with a ferry ride to the islands. I say get back to work and argue your point in another manner."
- Derek S., Toronto, July 4

"In the real world people don't have the privilege of job security. Therefore, it's about time we start fighting for it. I applaud our city unions for taking a very bold stand on behalf of all of us."
- Nicholas Ayling, Toronto, July 4

"In today's trend of downsizing and layoffs, low to unskilled labourers like garbage collectors should feel lucky to have their jobs. There's a better way to fight for a better life … it's called education and a different career."
- Rob Ross, Toronto, July 4

"If the services currently being withheld from Toronto taxpayers can be sourced privately, performed as effectively and managed with fiscal efficiency then this strike should act as the catalyst for that change."
- Chris Chivers, Toronto, July 4

"Garbage collectors are making approximately $56,000 per year plus benefits? I am a college graduate and right now I am lucky if I can find a job that pays half of that without any benefits whatsoever. Fire the lot of them and hire people who want to work."
- Cori Sayer, Toronto, July 4

"No one in the private sector has job security. If union members think that they deserve this luxury they should also agree that workers with job security may never to go on strike."
- Michael Wearing, Toronto, July 4

"If the garbage workers have it so good, why isn't everyone lining up to become garbage workers after they finish school? It's an essential service, which means they should be treated fairly and with respect."
- Joe Gray, Waterloo, July 4

"This strike has specifically targeted the tourism industry. It is no mistake that the unions have chosen the month of July as their focus. It is also the biggest month for any business that relies on the summer holidays. For hundreds of small operators, the issue is not losing jobs but losing business and homes."
- Kevin Currie, Toronto, July 4

"Public service should not be another form of welfare by keeping people employed just because they have several years of service. If it is less expensive to contract out, then by all means do it."
- Jarod Couch, Toronto, July 4

As a volunteer in the tourist sector, I am truly embarrassed when I must tell visitors that they can't even visit Toronto Islands to escape the heat of the city.
- Alan Rhodes, Toronto, July 3

Why do government workers think they should have job security? If you lose your job, you go out and get another one like the rest of us chumps.
- Kim Todd, Toronto, July 3

It's nice to see Toronto getting a little bit of what it tried to give Kirkland Lake, Ont. Enjoy.
- Ron Welch, Toronto, July 3

So that both sides can share in the result of the strike, I think all the striking workers, their negotiators, the mayor, and the city council should be forced to gather in front of City Hall (along with their screaming children), where we shall dump all of our garbage to cure in the wonderful heat gracing our city. A picket line will constrict them in such a way that until the strike is settled, they must leave one at a time to get a breath of fresh air. Maybe, then, both sides will be more reasonable in seeking agreement.
- Andrew Frankos-Rey, Toronto, July 3

I have no sympathy for the strikers at all. They went on strike to get their point across, but hassling people who take their trash to the drop off centres only hurts their public image. I live in a condo downtown with private pickup, so I am not suffering from their actions. I say fire the whole lot of them, and hire people who will work for wages comparable to the private sector. I know that I could use the tax savings, couldn't you?
- Ward Wayne, Toronto, July 3

This past week has been such an eye-opener. Does anyone else find it sad and shocking that we produce so much waste on a daily basis that we are unable to cope for a single week without garbage pickup? I think that speaks to a much bigger issue.
- Jennifer Holstein, Toronto, July 3

The citizens of Toronto should start a class-action suit against the members of CUPE because when we're dealing with garbage there are great health risks to people. The smog is bad enough. Now we are going to have to deal with rats, smell, and high pollution levels.
- Christine Froude, Toronto, July 3

My kids are registered in the City of Toronto day camps - this is my summer daycare and I am quite frustrated that I can't depend on the City for arrangements that I made months ago! I am having difficulty finding and arranging alternate daycare - all of my options are extremely expensive and what a headache to co-ordinate!
- N. Campbell, Toronto, July 3

I think city workers, including garbage collectors, should be paid fairly and have good benefits, since they provide an indispensable service. However, nobody is guaranteed job security, and to hold the city hostage while making this ridiculous demand is just plain wrong.
- Cristina Simonetto, Toronto, July 3更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
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  • 枫下茶话 / 社会 / 多伦多垃圾工人罢工结束了~~~ 看看Toronto Star读者的发言, 顺便当学英语哦.
    本文发表在 rolia.net 枫下论坛We asked how you are coping with the strike by City of Toronto outside workers. Here are more of your responses:

    The mayor said that the city workers shouldn't have job security because no one else does. The mayor is missing the point. We all want job security and a decent wage no matter our education level or job title. We should support workers who at least try to attain a semblance of job security so that they can go on supporting their families and the economy.
    - Mary Themistocles, Toronto, July 11

    Do we really want our garbage services contracted out to the lowest bidder? And is it so wrong to pay someone a decent wage for doing our dirty work? If anything this strike should teach us two things. 1. How much waste we produce 2. How vital it is that people get paid a decent wage to do the hard and stinking job of cleaning it up
    - Matthew Cooper, Toronto, July 11

    Does anybody remember the plague, that horrible disease that wiped out most of Europe throughout history? That was caused by rotting garbage in the streets and unsafe health conditions. Am I the only one who sees the similarities? I am just waiting for some outbreaks of smallpox, scarlet fever - something.
    - Jaysin McKenzie, Toronto July 11

    This strike should make us realize how much we rely on and take for granted the work that city workers do. Most people don't care if the work is contracted out, but we should - our job could be next. I'm sure someone could do it for less. Job security is something our parents had and took for granted - city workers want it back.
    - Angela Connors, Toronto, July 11

    As an environmentalist, I have hopes that the garbage strike continues for several more weeks, burying our city in the process. More than anything, that garbage is now 'in our face' demonstrates in the most forceful way the staggering idiocy of the way our society lives.
    - Gabriel Draven, Toronto, July 11

    My biggest concern next to (potential) health issues is that governments can afford to not negotiate with their workers. The government knows full well that all they have to do is wait until public outcry for legislation outweighs the outcry to bargain in good faith. Then, make up a new law, and POOF! Who needs a contract when you have the power to change the terms at will?
    - Keith Linton, Oshawa, July 11

    I wonder why the NDP is going to try and slowdown back to work legislation when they have acknowledged they are trying to win votes in the Toronto area prior to the next provincial election.
    -Stephen MacKenzie, Toronto, July 10

    Fire the city workers who are not able to accept that if the city has no money to pay them,then they will be laid off or sub-contracted. If they want they can request grants or loans to go back to school and move to other professions later in their life.
    -Bobby Crier, Toronto, July 10

    What exactly is the skill set required for garbage collectors to justify their demands for this wage increase and job security? Or is it a lack of skills that that drives their need for job security?
    -Dan Perdue, Toronto, July 10

    I'm taking my first vacation in years and chose Toronto for its reputation as a city of beauty. Now I'm worried. Maybe municipal workers would rather people spend their vacation money in Niagara Falls or Thunder Bay?
    -Bobby Schneider, Knoxville, Tennessee, July 10

    The union should feel pretty stupid. Due to their strike, the point of which is to prevent private contractors from getting their jobs, people have realized how much better the private contractors are.
    -Jeff Fisher, Toronto, July 10

    Waste disposal workers in this city do a great job, and they are a very essential public service. They keep the streets clean, our sidewalks clear and work darn hard when they're on the clock. They need to realize though, that they are replaceable. That is the nature of unskilled work.
    -J. Cooper, Toronto, July 10

    My town of Stouffville was smart enough to allow bidding every few years by private firms for the opportunity to collect our garbage and make a profit on it. We never had a strike, always had good, courteous, efficient service, by decently paid employees.
    -J.P. Archibald, Stouffville, July 10

    "It does not take any skill to collect garbage and make an obscene wage! For the wage I earn after a decent education I am to feel bad for fat foul-mouthed guys shouting on the news? Give me a break!''
    -Ian Macdonald, Toronto, July 9

    "The rich are already getting richer. Do we need to further pad their wallets by allowing private contractors to take over jobs currently performed by city staff? Those jobs are currently decent ones with decent pay - the privatized versions would be low/no-skilled jobs with poverty-level wages with the difference winding up in some large corporation's profits.''
    -Brett Lamb, Toronto, July 9

    "This strike is absolutely ridiculous. These workers, some of them, are already making more money than some teachers! Does this make sense to anyone?''
    -Heather Alford, Toronto, July 9

    "Why wait until there is a strike to deal with the overflowing garbage? I hope people realize now how much unnecessary garbage they produce. Just because it gets picked up and disappears somewhere in a dump out of sight, it doesn't mean it doesn't exist.''
    -Paulina Pel, Toronto, July 9

    "I'm a little worried about the trip I'm planning to take to Toronto in August. I hope the strike will be over by then. What's more disgusting than the garbage is the fact that the entire city is suffering because a few workers aren't happy.''
    -Angela Abrams, Belleville, July 9

    "Fire the lot and hire people who are willing to work. The union says the city had back-to-work legislation on their mind from the beginning, but I think the union had the papal visit on their mind when they went on strike.''
    -Krystal Germiquet, Scarborough, July 9

    Actually, I'd like to thank CUPE. The strike has meant that New York is now no longer the stinkiest city in North America.
    - Tony Emond, Hoboken, New Jersey, July 9

    I am just home after a disgusting and very disappointing vacation to Toronto. I travel extensively, and I have visited Toronto many times before. However I for one will not be back to Toronto. I honestly think that many visitors will feel the same way.
    - Anne Martin, Edinburgh, Scotland, July 9

    The real garbage cleanup is needed at City Hall. The use of the term 'jobs for life' by the mayor and the deputy mayor is misleading and despicable, and that they refuse to bargain is odious. I can't wait for the next election.
    - Michael Bolton, Toronto, July 9

    If these people get job security, a strike is what we have to look forward to at the end of every contract.
    - Vic Milligan, Barrie, July 9

    The strike comes down to two things: Mel Lastman's inability to lead and the Union's greed. Both parties are guilty and should be removed from the equation.
    - Karl Nieva, Orlando, July 9

    I have limited my garbage to approx. half of what I would normally put out. I have only accumulated 1.5 garbage bags to date. If anyone can tell where to call for illegal dumpers, I would appreciate it. I've been taking down license numbers where I've seen it in my neighbourhood.
    - Lois Scott, Toronto, July 9

    We are planning to be in Toronto for a vacation, July 13-16. We've been reading all about Toronto. We have also been reading the Star with concern. We feel bad about what the Toronto public is going through, but we also want the strike to be over by the time we our vacation arrives.
    - Mary Williams, Caldwell, Ohio, July 5

    What a drama! I came from China and I know for a fact that even there job security is long gone. And now in a capitalist country, people are demanding job security for life by holding the whole city hostage!
    - Yan Liu, North York, July 5

    The unions are seeking job security because the city wants to contract out many of their jobs. If you knew you were going to be left jobless wouldn't you fight for a way to keep it? Of course you would.
    - Mark Prince, Toronto, July 5

    I work in the private sector, and I have job security. Do you know why? Because I do my job so well that my employer does not see the need to replace me.
    - Jamie Bras, Toronto, July 5

    I don't resent workers wanting to be treated fairly. But their continued insistence that they are not is simply nonsense. Any reasonable person would agree that a salary and benefits package totalling over $50,000 is hardly a starvation wage.
    - Darrell Goodman, Toronto, July 5

    I am be deeply concerned with the idea of privatizing public service. The recent computer contract problem gives us a sneak peek at the future, so I think we should all be very concerned.
    - Jason Prini, Toronto, July 5

    If the city was smart they should ensure that the next contract expires during the winter. Wonder how anxious the union would be to strike then?
    - A. McComb, Toronto, July 5

    I have no hesitation in granting wage increases (out of my share of taxes) for essential and qualified city workers in the police, fire and ambulance services. But my family and neighbours all agree that we can and will wait out this strike.
    - Gail M. Armstrong, Toronto, July 5

    "I am 12 years old on Friday. My mom was planning to have a birthday party for me at Pleasantview Pool. Because of the strike we can't do it now. The strike is not fair to kids like my younger brother and sister, and me, who are really hot and want to go cool down at a swimming pool. Where are we supposed to swim? The polluted lake?''
    - Rebekkah Rogers, North York, July 4

    "I find the union's insistence on job security completely unreasonable, short-sighted and selfish. There is a real and large cost to job security and that is inefficiency. This inefficiency increases the cost of delivering services which, in turn, leads to increases in property taxes. These property tax increases will hurt the growth and vitality of Toronto."
    - Antonio Rodrigues, Toronto, July 4

    "We are quite disappointed by the strike. We are heading to your city for the Molson Indy, and our children are really looking forward to it. We had also hoped to visit your museums and some other local events that are now cancelled. What a pity. We have worked hard for this vacation and to have it spoiled by the strike is a big letdown. We feel for all the children and parents relying on daycare. Too bad the children have to suffer."
    - Jacky Maracle, Shannonville, July 4

    "Why do we not let city workers raise the bar for all of us by fighting for the job security all of us deserve? This would be more sensible than the childish argument 'they can't have what I don't have.'''
    - Patrick Casey, Toronto, July 4

    "With the papal visit looming and the summer tourist season in full swing, millions of visitors will be left with one lingering malodorous thought, one that has become increasingly self-evident these past few years: Toronto is in a rapid and uncontrolled state of urban decay."
    - Carter Lacroix, Ottawa, July 4

    "I know garbage collectors do a tough job. But they're paid pretty handsomely. I'm not. Neither are many others who struggle to pay their bills. It's hot out. It smells. And I'd love to escape my daily drudgery with a ferry ride to the islands. I say get back to work and argue your point in another manner."
    - Derek S., Toronto, July 4

    "In the real world people don't have the privilege of job security. Therefore, it's about time we start fighting for it. I applaud our city unions for taking a very bold stand on behalf of all of us."
    - Nicholas Ayling, Toronto, July 4

    "In today's trend of downsizing and layoffs, low to unskilled labourers like garbage collectors should feel lucky to have their jobs. There's a better way to fight for a better life … it's called education and a different career."
    - Rob Ross, Toronto, July 4

    "If the services currently being withheld from Toronto taxpayers can be sourced privately, performed as effectively and managed with fiscal efficiency then this strike should act as the catalyst for that change."
    - Chris Chivers, Toronto, July 4

    "Garbage collectors are making approximately $56,000 per year plus benefits? I am a college graduate and right now I am lucky if I can find a job that pays half of that without any benefits whatsoever. Fire the lot of them and hire people who want to work."
    - Cori Sayer, Toronto, July 4

    "No one in the private sector has job security. If union members think that they deserve this luxury they should also agree that workers with job security may never to go on strike."
    - Michael Wearing, Toronto, July 4

    "If the garbage workers have it so good, why isn't everyone lining up to become garbage workers after they finish school? It's an essential service, which means they should be treated fairly and with respect."
    - Joe Gray, Waterloo, July 4

    "This strike has specifically targeted the tourism industry. It is no mistake that the unions have chosen the month of July as their focus. It is also the biggest month for any business that relies on the summer holidays. For hundreds of small operators, the issue is not losing jobs but losing business and homes."
    - Kevin Currie, Toronto, July 4

    "Public service should not be another form of welfare by keeping people employed just because they have several years of service. If it is less expensive to contract out, then by all means do it."
    - Jarod Couch, Toronto, July 4

    As a volunteer in the tourist sector, I am truly embarrassed when I must tell visitors that they can't even visit Toronto Islands to escape the heat of the city.
    - Alan Rhodes, Toronto, July 3

    Why do government workers think they should have job security? If you lose your job, you go out and get another one like the rest of us chumps.
    - Kim Todd, Toronto, July 3

    It's nice to see Toronto getting a little bit of what it tried to give Kirkland Lake, Ont. Enjoy.
    - Ron Welch, Toronto, July 3

    So that both sides can share in the result of the strike, I think all the striking workers, their negotiators, the mayor, and the city council should be forced to gather in front of City Hall (along with their screaming children), where we shall dump all of our garbage to cure in the wonderful heat gracing our city. A picket line will constrict them in such a way that until the strike is settled, they must leave one at a time to get a breath of fresh air. Maybe, then, both sides will be more reasonable in seeking agreement.
    - Andrew Frankos-Rey, Toronto, July 3

    I have no sympathy for the strikers at all. They went on strike to get their point across, but hassling people who take their trash to the drop off centres only hurts their public image. I live in a condo downtown with private pickup, so I am not suffering from their actions. I say fire the whole lot of them, and hire people who will work for wages comparable to the private sector. I know that I could use the tax savings, couldn't you?
    - Ward Wayne, Toronto, July 3

    This past week has been such an eye-opener. Does anyone else find it sad and shocking that we produce so much waste on a daily basis that we are unable to cope for a single week without garbage pickup? I think that speaks to a much bigger issue.
    - Jennifer Holstein, Toronto, July 3

    The citizens of Toronto should start a class-action suit against the members of CUPE because when we're dealing with garbage there are great health risks to people. The smog is bad enough. Now we are going to have to deal with rats, smell, and high pollution levels.
    - Christine Froude, Toronto, July 3

    My kids are registered in the City of Toronto day camps - this is my summer daycare and I am quite frustrated that I can't depend on the City for arrangements that I made months ago! I am having difficulty finding and arranging alternate daycare - all of my options are extremely expensive and what a headache to co-ordinate!
    - N. Campbell, Toronto, July 3

    I think city workers, including garbage collectors, should be paid fairly and have good benefits, since they provide an indispensable service. However, nobody is guaranteed job security, and to hold the city hostage while making this ridiculous demand is just plain wrong.
    - Cristina Simonetto, Toronto, July 3更多精彩文章及讨论,请光临枫下论坛 rolia.net
    • approximately $56,000 per year plus benefits? Man!!!
    • What exactly is the skill set required for garbage collectors to justify their demands for this wage increase and job security? Or is it a lack of skills that that drives their need for job security? 锯同意
    • I did not read through. But how many Chinese wrote to express their ideas?
      • 耐心点看完嘛。中国移民的发言见内。// 我不知道您想说什么,如果您觉得中国移民应该积极表达自己的看法,那就不要光质疑,拿出行动来,花点时间写信给报社咯。
        What a drama! I came from China and I know for a fact that even there job security is long gone. And now in a capitalist country, people are demanding job security for life by holding the whole city hostage!
        - Yan Liu, North York, July 5
        • I will if I was in Toronto. Did you?
    • 洋人是怎么造出那么好的句子的?即简练又明白。
    • 呵呵。很有意思。编辑大人们挑选发言的时候很注重多样性嘛,什么观点都有。注意到了其中有一位来自中国的移民哦,还有一位12岁的小朋友代表自己和更小的弟弟妹妹表达找不到地方游泳的郁闷。:P
      • :)