What is essential? As in day to day services provided both publically and privately? Well, as the current day job dictates, document storage and shredding is, though residential garbage collection isn’t. Yup, just in case you haven’t guessed from that intro, we have a city strike in Vancouver. Follow the previous link and you can link to a load of other articles around it. Simply put, the city wants the agreement to last past the Olympics, the workers want another CBA just before. And my comment to the City employees… Good on ya! We don’t know what the economy will be like post 2010, and don’t ever give that up.
But alas, this really is about the whole essential services argument. You see, my current slave driving organization employer, which is NOT the garbage collection part of the initial example, is within some definition somewhere, an ESSENTIAL SERVICE, also confirmed by my union local. For my employment purposes, this means I can cross a picket line to do my job, but management has another thing coming if they think I’m going to brave a rowdy picket line.
But garbage collection is not. And let’s amend that. Residential garbage collection is not. Commercial is still executed, though in a not quite full capacity. What a great bargaining point the union has. Use a city’s residents against the city when the odour becomes too much. But on the theory, business documents over peoples refuse definitely sends a message out to how much hard working people are appreciated these days.
Sadly, this is not the most glaring example of faulty prioritization. Id est, some other examples of services more of a priority than residential garbage service…
1. Parks, playing fields, tennis courts, trails, playgrounds, sport courts, beaches, skateboarding, restaurants (including the Shaughnessy Restaurant at VanDusen) concessions, gift shops and pay parking.
2. Horse drawn tours [at Stanley Park].
3. Park garbage collection.
4. Playhouse Theatre.
5. Cemetery burials for pre-sold graves only [better not die until after the strike].
6. Taxi and Liqueur licensing [as many city workers MUST be drinking excessively and needing a safe ride home].
7. Many different fine and civic tax collecting agencies.
Yes, feel priviledged that though your trash is rotting in the alley (or on the curb in some neighbourhoods), but you can experience the same smell, live from a horse drawn tour at Stanley Park. And if you’re headed that way… and the smell is that bad… take your trash. It’ll get picked up from there.
That is all.
