I get the same expression on my face whenever I see Hillary:
Photo courtesy of Miss Fipi Lele.
Categories
Category: The Current Situation
(If the “Judean People’s Front / People’s Front of Judea” reference is new to you, see this scene from Life of Brian.)
![[Suitcase 1] This one’s free…[Suitcase 2] this’ll cost ya](https://www.joeydevilla.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/this_ones_free_thisll_cost_ya.jpg)
Five of the six major airlines in the United States plan to start charging coach passengers as much as $25 next month to check a second bag, the latest move in their quest to offset high fuel prices.
In case you were wondering, here are the airlines who’ll be charging a $25 fee for a second checked-in bag:
- Continental
- Delta
- Northwest
- United
- US Airways
AirTran will also be charging extra for a second checked-in bag, but they’ll only be asking for $10.
I can live with this fee; what really bugs me is airlines charging for seats with reasonable legroom, as United does with their so-called “Economy Plus” seating. At 5′ 11″, I’m average height for a North American, yet I have to fork over $65 for a seat where my legs won’t be pressed against the seat in front of me.
Photo from Bridge and Tunnel Club. Click the photo to see it on its original page.
Even though a transit strike might not happen on Monday, if you live and work in Accordion City, you really should be making contingency plans. The Toronto Star published a Strike Survival Guide today featuring information on carpooling, where to park, where not to park, cycling, using GO Transit, getting a cab, going to the airport, highway driving, getting an ambulance, and service for the disabled.
Last night, someone frustrated with the impending public transit strike here in Accordion City (slated to start at 4 a.m. Monday if this weekend’s negotiations fail) decided to do a little creative editing of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 leader Bob Kinnear’s entry in Wikipedia. Knowing the edit would be corrected in short order and wanting to preserve this for posterity, I took a screenshot of the page, which appears below:
Click the screenshot above to see it at full size.
For those of you who are extremely curious and have a little time to kill, here’s the history of edits to Bob Kinnear’s Wikipedia page.
Here’s the word from the folks at CP24:
TTC Union boss Bob Kinnear has laid out the terms of avoiding a TTC strike: land a deal by 4pm Sunday or his members will walk off the job at 4am Monday. A disruption would shut down all buses, streetcars and subway cars for 1.5 million riders.
He’s pleading with Mayor David Miller to get involved to avoid a crippling walkout, and admits “most of the public won’t be on our side.”
Damn right most of the public won’t be on your side, Kinnear. With steadily worsening service and lame union propaganda, even your most ardent supporters are fed up.
If There’s to be a Strike, We’ll Hear About It Very Soon
The Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113, the union of workers for the Toronto Transit Commission, is expected to make some kind of announcement today, and the current news reports say that it’s likely they will strike. The union promised 48 hours’ notice for a strike, which means that if a strike is announced, the real traffic chaos will happen on Monday.
Some news reports for your perusal:
- Toronto Star: TTC Union Set to Announce Monday Strike
- The Globe and Mail: TTC Union Eyes Monday a.m. Strike
- Toronto Life: Enough from Bob Kinnear. It’s time for the TTC to speak up
- Toronto Sun: TTC strike watch continues
- National Post: Time to cut a deal, guys: A TTC strike would be a disaster
A Very Telling Statement About the Union
The most telling statement about the union appears in the first paragraph of this article in yesterday’s National Post:
Amalgamated Transit Union 113, which represents about 9,000 employees at the Toronto Transit Commission – 3,500 maintenance workers, about 4,500 bus, subway and streetcar drivers, plus ticket collectors and others – has invited the press to the Sheraton Hotel in Richmond Hill tomorrow for an “update” on its contract talks with TTC management. When I asked why the union negotiates, and meets the press, at a hotel not served by the TTC, a source replied, “There is lots of free parking.” What that logic tells you about both sides’ belief in public transit is a matter I will leave up to the reader.