What Eddie Did Not Tell Bing

It's a shame that the Windsor Star and other media outlets are not covering certain aftermath strike events. It would have been so helpful for Detroit's Mayor Bing to ask Eddie about them when he met with him if he had known about them in advance:

• "Dave Bing and his border buddy, Windsor Mayor Eddie Francis, swapped hellos for the first time Monday. Topic A: How to handle a strike, Francis told told the Windsor Star.
  
  "I shared with him about our (15-week) strike and similar issues we are facing," Francis told the Star. "It was a whole discussion around resources and what both cities are facing."
  
  Bing's interest isn't academic. AFSCME Local 207 workers are rallying Wednesday to stoke the fires for a work stoppage over Bing's 10 percent pay cut plans and concession demands."

Let's take a look at certain issues that must have been covered in Eddie's comprehensive strike manual but which may have fallen through the cracks:

WELFARE

A continuation of the problem I told you about before with cheques not being prepared

• From: [Name of person]
  Sent: Wed 9/2/2009 10:41 AM
  Subject: Info
  
  Since printing the main run, data room staff have printed more than 6000 cheques and DBD's. However, there are still many files on hold. Numerous calls continue to come into the department. At one point yesterday Chloe had 45 callers sitting in the que waiting to have their phone calls answered. Intro staff serviced 633 people yesterday. I would ask that everyone continue to make their best effort to answer all incoming calls as this will reduce our office traffic and the number of people calling more than one time.
  
  Also I would ask that any staff dropping off a CDF for any type of cheque direction, just leave the form in the slot in the data room door. Data room staff are extremely busy today and we need to remove all interuptions.
  
  Thanks
  
  
• From: [Name of Person
  Sent: Tue 9/1/2009 9:08 AM
  To: [Name of People]
  
  Subject: FW: lobby traffic/coverage
  
  Please be advised that you may be called upon to provide coverage on the first floor today if traffic in the lobby becomes excessive/unmanageable as it did yesterday. thank you.
  
  
• From: [Name of Person]
  Sent: Wed 9/2/2009 9:18 AM
  To: [Name of People]
  
  Subject: RE: lobby traffic/coverage
  
  Again today, please be advised that you may be called upon to provide coverage on the first floor today if traffic in the lobby becomes excessive/unmanageable as it did yesterday. thank you.

I wonder if Mayor Bing would want to know that on Tuesday afternoon there were so many calls coming in that all you could get was a busy signal for 3 hours. Women with their children waiting around for hours for attention.

GARBAGE BACKUP

I did not hear Dev Tyagi mention this fact as a reason why the garbage pickups might be behind schedule: almost 20 per cent of the workers had received suspensions!

I am told that 4 were suspended for one week each and 1 for 2 weeks. I have no idea what the reasons were but the penalties seem rather severe unless something significant happened. In any event, grievances have been filed.

If I acted for the workers, I would certainly demand to see the entire City file on this matter to see who on management's side was involved and what the file said.

[Note see below for more info]

LOVE AND MARRIAGE

I cannot do it all. I am merely a single, lonely Blogger. I'll let the traditional media do some work.

Go ask around about what happened at the marriage licence office. I heard there may have been some problems there.

PS MORE ON GARBAGE

Here is part of a note I received.

• "There were actually 5 suspensions handed out three for one week, one for one and a half weeks, and one for 2 weeks. The reason for the suspensions is because direct orders were not followed. The suspensions have not been served yet, they are being grieved. The meeting between the union and the city is in about two weeks regarding this matter.
  
  The suspension were given because the employees were told to go back to their previous days route, and they refused, and proceeded to their current days route. There were spares at the time picking up the back log.
  
  The first day the workers returned to work there was a meeting for return to work procedures and in that there was no mention returning the following day to complete the route."