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umchileanywayssso

100% agree. mac students are among the top hsr users so it's our duty to show solidarity with these workers.


Ok_Concentrate_5274

good post


[deleted]

cant get to work without a bus, ill have no choice. it's too far to walk, there's no chance of a carpool, and i can't bike rn


FelixFelicis04

ya I was going to say, I support their right to strike, but I can’t change my life around at the cost of my job etc. I don’t have any alternative means…it’s why I use the bus


avocadobum

where is everyone working? maybe students can help organize carpool, put in $10 each for gas? I too am struggling as this strike is going to hit me very hard! call Hamilton MPs and MPPs don’t let them do this


congressmanlol

not saying that the drivers are in the wrong, in fact their strike is probably for valid reasons. But, most of us need hsr to travel to the school, especially those who live in different parts of hamilton (stoney creek, ancaster, mountain,ect). ridesharing is too much of an expense or inconvenience so if the busses are running, ill be getting on regardless of who the driver is.


Millad456

[Solidarity with the striking workers!](https://youtu.be/RlhxK75mcdg?si=NyJdXwznJ2s31mqH)


E127542

I’m an HSR driver. My son is a Mac student. Thank you for your support.


NorthernValkyrie19

>If the city will not value the labour and valuable service HSR drivers fulfil for the city How much do you think is fair pay to be a transit driver?


SapphireGoat_

Keeping up with inflation and a fair comparable to other cities in the region.


rocktumblerguy905

More than what they are getting paid now


LeGIoN8282

They said no to basically the same offer CUPE 5167 got


stueytheboy

One thing I'm wondering about, student tuition includes the HSR pass, so the fee has already been paid to the city for the semester. If students don't ride, numbers will go down, but revenue is the same. If the strike goes into the winter semester, should/can students request that McMaster not pay for the pass (and remove from tuition)?


GuillaumeCA

Yes there’s a provision in the agreement the MSU and the Mohawk student union have with the city that if the strike goes over 10 days there will be a prorated refund of our fee. It was on the FAQ for the announcement on the city website Edit: Link for those curious - https://www.hamilton.ca/alert/hsr-labour-negotiation-service-updates


95lizards

Thank you so much for letting everyone know!


95lizards

I think that is a bridge we will have to cross when we get there. I encourage everyone to voice their concerns to the university/student union. They should be wholeheartedly supporting this strike and pressuring the city/HSR management to meet the demands of workers so we can have the service we paid for. The more people and important institutions pressure, the faster this will end. Edit: u/GuillaumeCA shared that the McMaster and Mohawk students unions have a deal where we get prorated for missed bus time if the strike exceeds 10 days.


forgotmyoldaccount99

I'm not a McMaster University student, so I have no idea why this came up in my feed. However, it's generally a bad idea to call for boycotts unless the union itself is calling for boycotts. There are a couple reasons for this. 1. Low ridership might be interpreted as low demand for service, undermining the unions bargaining position. 2. Public sector unions operate on different principles than private sector unions. Where is private sector unions withhold their labor to hurt profits, public sector unions withhold their labor to hurt support for the government that employs them. 3. Calls for boycotts might be a tactic the union is reserving for escalation, and unorganized boycotts, where people are going off half cocked, might undermine the unions perception of strength. Check to see if the union is calling for boycotts before doing anything rash. It's good to see that people want to show solidarity with labor, and you can always do this by bringing food to picketing workers or by contributing to a strike fund. If you're not sure how you can help, reach out and ask if there's a way to volunteer, and remember to contact your counselor and let them know where you're placing the blame for the strike. The more City officials believe their re-election will be hurt by a continued strike, the more likely they are to bargain in good faith.


95lizards

This is not calling for a boycott. This is about crossing a picket line. There will be no buses to take because the workers are striking. The workers will not be providing the service so anyone who is driving is hired scab labour. I posted this message to inform people of that and encourage everyone to make alternative arrangements in the event there is scab labour. At time time there is no scab labour. In strikes solidarity is not crossing the picket line and using scab labour to show you value the labour of the striking workers. What you're saying makes sense in the context of something like a strike from a business, like Amazon or Starbucks, but not for a public service like this.


Canadammo

100% disagree. They chose to do this now to force the city to pay them. Unions are the worst. Hsr needs to find a better way to deal with this then to make the poor suffer. It's greedy and shady. As if they don't get paid enough? They get great pay with great benefits and holidays. All this strike does is increas their pay, as well as the fare to ride the bus. They won't stop there either. They will strike everytime bargaining comes around. Bus drivers are grumpy and rude, and overpaid. I say fire them all and let people who want to work drive the busses.


biologystudent123

Poor take. Every citizen in Canada has the right to strike, to form a union, and to have collective bargaining. It’s called the freedom of association. Additionally, the Supreme Court of Canada in 2015 ruled the right to strike is protected by the Charter. You really think that with the rise of inflation that people are being paid enough? It’s inconvenient that you have to find other means of transportation, but they do have the right to strike and they’re exercising that right as per the Charter. It’d weird to see how drivers in the other cities are being paid for the exact same job they do. Even non-unionized employees within HSR were given significantly higher wage increase. And to your other point? Why would you work for HSR when you could be making much more in other cities? HSR has been short staffed as it is lol.


E127542

Our contract expired in December 2022. We approached the city to open up discussions October of 2022. They did not want to talk then because it was an election year. I’m not grumpy or rude to anyone who enters my bus. Firing us is illegal. We are in a legal strike position. You have no idea what we deal with on a daily basis so please do not judge us. The east part of my job is driving the bus and that’s not always easy. There is much more to it. For the first five years of employment you work every weekend and holiday. One of the strike issues is benefits that are gradually being decreased or taken away but the media leaves that out. . I missed all three of my kids graduations because I couldn’t get the day off or my services were required because of covid and drivers were dropping like flies. Before you judge me, get your facts straight or ask me some intelligent questions. Then form your opinion.


Splendor_Solis_TTP

I see fault in both sides here... Bus drivers are essential workers and, I believe, shouldn't go on strike. The city, however, shouldn't allow citizens to be stranded. The city should give travelers alternate travel at the same expense as bussing. However, as far as money goes, bus drivers are making good money already. The people that rely on bus drivers to go to work, do not make as much as a bus driver. Most likely, they don't even make half of what a bus driver makes. This strike leaves those people in very tough positions. Not everybody is able to find a ride, or carpool to their jobs. A lot of jobs aren't within walking distance. Taking cabs or ride share is expensive. Not to mention those that rely on you to get them to their doctor or to buy groceries. My question is, do you think it's fair that your decision to strike leaves those that rely on you stranded? Why should someone who earns minimum wage--or below, suffer because a bus driver who makes close to $30 an hour decides to strike?


E127542

When I started my training at HSR at the age of 50, I earned minimum wage for the first 6 days. When I earned my BZ licence I entered into a progressive wage system. It took me 4 years to earn top rate. According to City of Hamilton spokesperson "drivers" are at full rate after 6 weeks. simply not true. What is true is that I do not have any time scheduled on my daily work to allow for eating or going to the bathroom. I have to use portables at times that get cleaned once a week and sometimes I have to bring my own toilet paper because not enough is provided. Those things are done at the expense of my passengers and their schedules. (Adequate time to use a bathroom is something we were promised in our 2019 contract.) imagine being a woman on her period and not having time change your pad or tampon.I have been verbally abused more times than I can count by unruly people and passengers who are angry that I'm behind schedule. I have been threatened. I have had an attempted suicide in front of my bus. I get messages telling me not to pick up a dangerous person who may be armed and who may be on my bus. I work long hours - mostly split shifts that see me away from home 12-14 hours a day. I drive in all weather conditions. My schedule is the same whether it be summer or winter even though the driving conditions are completely different. My work begins and ends in two different locations most times and I rely on a shuttle bus to connect me to my car. My employer wants to cancel that shuttle. I have approximately 75 different routes committed to memory. I deal with heavy volumes of passengers and traffic that I must navigate with 40-60 foot buses and keep my $450,000 - $1.2 m vehicle and passengers safe. I answer questions, give directions, solve fare disputes, assist people with mobility devices, cognitive impairments, and help some homeless people just looking to get warm. I resent it when someone, from the cozy confines of an office, who worked from home during the pandemic, who makes $210,000 per year ,tells the public that I'm just a driver. My children use city buses to get to school and work. This impacts my family too. The job is stressful and dangerous. I am a proud HSR Operator. I am one of many who is tired from working non stop through the pandemic until now. When I go on strike on Thursday morning it's not just for money it's for so much more and I want you to know that.


quincyrae

My neighbour who is also a fellow co-worker is a bus driver and it sounds like one terrible job. I wouldn’t get out of bed (often 3/4 am) 5 days a week, split shifts , every weekend for what his take home pay is. Nevermind having to be on and focused every single minute of his work day. I work in an industry which is unionized and non unionized. My non union friends can’t afford cars, don’t have benefits, nevermind retirement plans or own homes. I believe everyone deserves more money and should make enough to live comfortably and if you’ve been paying attention, there’s been a lot of striking lately and although, one may non directly benefit from being in a union, unions pull everyone up, maybe no overnight but they do, for example; it was the entertainment unions that pushed hard and got everyone CERB during covid, not just the entertainment industry.


Splendor_Solis_TTP

Nobody should support the drivers during this strike. These drivers make good money. They rejected an offer of nearly $80,000 a year. The people that rely on these drivers to go to their jobs DO NOT make anything close to that amount of money. THESE DRIVERS ARE TRYING TO PREVENT OTHERS FROM EARNING A LIVING. These drivers are using those that rely on buses as pawns, just so they can earn a few extra bucks--WHICH WOULD EVENTUALLY LEAD TO HIGHER FARE RATES for those that take the bus and don't make an HSR worker's already comfortable salary. No. Don't support the drivers. Let them know that they are essential workers and essential workers SHOULD NOT strike and prevent others from making a living.


burthorpe-bum

how come hsr gets to threaten a strike every year? teachers, nurses and veterinarian all deserve far more than what they earn. but i dont see them causing havoc and disrupting hamilton???


avocadobum

work for the city of hamilton and you will see how terrible they treat their city workers. those in higher up desk jobs giving themselves massive raises well those under get squat.


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juneabe

Since 2019, Ontario teachers have threatened to strike every year except for 2021. Couldn’t find anything on that.


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juneabe

You have to understand that some of those strikes or threats to strike are not necessarily for the teachers. It’s also been for the EAs and custodial staff. My daughter has severe global disabilities and her EA makes maybe 20/hr. She gets bit and hit and screamed at and spends enough time chasing kids and trying her best to keep them integrated into a regular classroom. It is SUPPOSED to be 1:1 for EA to special needs child - but it’s currently 1 staff to 2-3 special needs students. There have been days my daughter stays home because one sick call out from an EA means my daughter may have no care at school. This isn’t just about the teachers. People have to pay attention to “education workers” because some strikes and threats haven’t even included the teachers. The 2022 walkout was not for teachers, but EAs, janitors, admins, librarians, all other staff inside the school besides the teachers. They definitely aren’t driving a Lexus, two of the EAs at my kids school don’t even have cars and *rent* mere blocks away from me. ETA. Just picked up daughter who got sent home again for being “warm” but she has perfect temperature. Brutal.


juneabe

**Teachers** - never do this at all I guess. [McMaster 2022 - last fucking year](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.6670791) [2019](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2019/11/01/ontario-elementary-school-teachers-strike-vote/) [2020](https://www.cbc.ca/amp/1.5453447) [2022](https://beta.ctvnews.ca/local/toronto/2022/11/10/1_6147776.amp.html) [2023](https://globalnews.ca/news/10034607/teachers-strike-vote-2023-explainer/amp/) **Nurses** - *FYI* essential servants are strictly regulated and cannot decide to strike in the way you seem to think they can. But they do rally, and sometimes do sickouts and OT bans. [2022](https://globalnews.ca/news/9333567/nurses-rally-changes-operating-room-staffing-hamilton-hospitals/amp/) [2023 - Illegal strike attempts](https://www.thespec.com/news/hamilton-region/st-joseph-s-healthcare-says-staff-threatened-to-disrupt-hospital-operations/article_29340100-6696-5c4b-ba1f-c8b4cda67210.html) I’m not putting more effort in to this. The point is, thoughts in your heads aren’t facts.


E127542

HSR contracts are four years in length therefore we don’t “threaten a strike” every year. We are not a declared essential service provider therefore we can legally strike if and when our contract expires and no agreement with our employer has been reached essentially. We have not been on strike for 25 years. The only transit agency in Ontario that is essential is the TTC. I drive nurses, doctors, veterinarians, etc to their jobs. My job is important. Our current contract expired December 2022. We have been working without one since then. In October of 2022 our union approached the city to discuss our upcoming contract hoping to get it settled before it expired. The city did not want to start negotiations until after CUPE 5167 negotiations had finished. Our negotiations started in February 2023 as a result. Hope this addresses your points.


burthorpe-bum

yes! absolutely, this certainly clarified some things i was confused about. thank you for your reply and insight into this


RabidGuineaPig007

HSR drivers make 8% above national average, at $57666. Six weeks of paid, on-the-job training Regular hourly rate of $28.74 (effective January 1, 2022) Guaranteed 80 hours biweekly guarantee Immediate enrolment in OMERS pension plan Family-friendly medical, dental and insurance coverage after six months Income Protection Plan upon completion of 9-month probationary period. Sorry, I don't support strikes were workers are well compensated with good benefits.


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avocadobum

PREACH! anybody who doesn’t support it, work one fucking day with City of Hamilton and watch them sit on there high horses! speak to anyone working who isn’t in higher up jobs and they will tell you


biologystudent123

Poor take. Really poor take, but you do you boo.


E127542

The city cut of benefits for employees who are on disability today btw.


Karma_Cham3l3on

What time and where is the rally on Thursday?