We were the FIRST IN REGINA to bring you this BREAKING NEWS!!
Regina Transit workers voted 94% in favor of STRIKE ACTION! Full Details to be posted later, but sources confirm the City has proposed ZERO PERCENT increases to transit workers, along with severe cuts to benefits. Will Mayor Fougere see the same kind of job action experienced in 2006 by former Mayor "Major Fiasco" Pat Fiacco?
Only time will tell!!
UPDATE OCTOBER 30, 2013: Now that I have a computer again (no computer or internet during our move), I can update you all on the story that we broke right here on this very blog.
While the mainstream media are telling the public one side of this story, there is only one outlet that is willing to bring you the full, unbiased truth on the Transit Strike situation. And that is right here, courtesy of the Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group. The City of Regina would lead the public to believe, through it's parrot-style mainstream media reports (no investigative journalism whatsoever, simply rehashing what the City tells them verbatim), that the Amaglamated Transit Union are the bad guys in this situation, and the City of Regina Senior Administration are Gods among men, and they can do no wrong. This could not be further from the truth.
Sources confirm that the City of Regina has offered ATU Employees an ultimatum. Either they accept a 0% wage increase over three years, or they give up benefits including Sick Time and Severance Pay and then the City will negotiate an actual wage increase. In other words, the EMPLOYEES WOULD PAY FOR THEIR OWN POTENTIAL RAISES, by giving up benefits that they have rightfully earned in their employment with the City of Regina.
The City of Regina would lead you to believe that it is the workers and the Union that are choosing to selectively strike during the Grey Cup festivities, but in reality, it is the City of Regina forcing the Union to take this extreme measure to demonstrate that they mean business. Unfortunately, in 2005, the ATU chose not to strike during the Summer Games, out of good faith. The City screwed them on that, in that after the Games were over, the City could care less if the ATU went on strike, as they got their good PR by keeping Transit moving. The same thing is happening now, but what's worse is that we have seen a dramatic decrease in the maintenance of the Regina Transit Fleet, and rather than maintaining a reasonable budget for Transit to properly maintain their fleet, safety measures are being skipped, resulting in transit buses hitting the street in disrepair, tragically resulting in traffic accidents, and (allegedly) leading to at least one fatality this year alone. To me, no amount of positive PR is worth a human life. The City of Regina Senior Administration seem to be more focussed on maintaining a good image for our "transit-friendly" mayor (by forcing buses on the road that clearly should not be - to keep transit users satisfied), than the health and safety of its own workers and residents.
In the end, keep in mind, there are always two sides to every story, and if you want the City's side, you have the mainstream media to read the parrot media releases. If you want the full, unbiased truth, come here for all the juicy details.
Sincerely,
Chad A. Novak, CMA
Saskatchewan Taxpayers Advocacy Group
YOUR CITY - YOUR VOICE - YOUR SOLUTION
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