Arrogant and impotent on LRT
THE SPECTATOR’S VIEW
This week Hamilton city council has managed to appear arrogant and impotent at the same time. It’s not flattering combination.
The subject is — what else? — LRT. Specifically, council’s collective wish that the HSR and Amalgamated Transit Union operate the light rail system.
That sentiment, on its own, is not surprising. Unions are supporters, financially and otherwise, of many if not all members of council. Being political entities, they dutifully donate at election time. It’s in the interests of most councillors to stay on the good side of labour in general, at least in this community.
But here’s the thing. It isn’t city council’s call who ends up running LRT. It never was. The rules set by the province — which is the owner of the system — stipulate a private operator will be selected. Front line operations are the responsibility of that organization, not City Hall.
That’s the arrogant part. And it hasn’t dissipated yet, in spite of council’s belated climb down on its initial “demand.” Even after that embarrassing retreat, council is maintaining the illusion that it has some authority in the matter.
About the only kernel of common sense in this mess is that council wants LRT drivers to be paid a fair wage. On the fair wage point no reasonable person would want otherwise.
But council’s impotent interference has done nearly nothing, other than delay the process by four months. It could have expressed that preference at any point, but instead waited until the 11th hour, guaranteeing a delay that benefits no one.
In Ontario, transit jobs are typically unionized. Union or non-union has never really been at issue. But the ATU, with council support, wants those jobs. It’s quite possible it will get them, too, but it won’t be because of council’s posturing. There’s a process here, and it will be respected whether the ATU and council like it or not.
The operating agency will be chosen through a tried and true process. Once that agency has been chosen — by the province’s transit agency Metrolinx, not City Hall — unions including the ATU can make a play for the jobs. If there are competing interests, labour law outlines an arbitration process through which applicants go before a final determination is made.
The ATU might win that argument based on successor rights; given HSR staff are members of that union. But another union might make a better case for jurisdiction over those jobs. If so, it will no doubt win the contest, as it should.
All of this will play out over time and within an established and monitored process, from choosing the operator to which union ends up getting the jobs. All that has changed is that costly four-month delay, which we can thank council for.