Christmas/Holiday spirit (and a transit strike)

[Sheryll Townsend]

>> 
> Carol, wishing everyone joy and wondering what happened to
> the spirit
> of the Christmas/holiday season
> 

Sheryll:

I'll join you in wishing everyone joy and all the best of the festive season.

Much of our Christmas season has had a damper put on it by a public transit strike. We're heading into day 10 of the strike with our second snowstorm in 2 weeks about to hit us on Sunday. Not fun. As someone who doesn't work a 9-5 kind of day, I'm particulary hard hit. Carpooling and ridesharing isn't an option when you finish work between 11 and midnight. Even when I do work a day shift I head in the opposite direction from the average commuter because I go from the downtown core to the west end of the city.

So far I've had to give up about half my hours each week because I've been unable to find transportation to/from work. The week before the strike I had 40 hours on my paycheque (I work a part-time retail job, as lots of you know). Last week I worked just under 24 hours. Next week I have the same scheduled (23 hours). Still not sure how I'm getting to work and back on Christmas Day. *sigh*

I'm generally in support of striking workers but not this time. It's not over money but the fact that they don't want the city, their employer, to have complete control over scheduling. I've seen picketing workers delaying college students trying to park to get to exams. The additional traffic on the roads (up 20%) has caused delays for emergency vehicles (not to mention extremely lengthy commutes). A pedestrian was struck at an intersection yesterday. He died en route to hospital. No word in the news yet if he would have survived had the ambulance been able to get there sooner, though we definitely know it was delayed. We've also got the World Junior Hocky Championships staring here on Boxing Day (Dec. 26), so lots of out-of-town visitors.

Still, I refuse to let it all ruin my holiday. I cabbed to a Christmas gathering among friends last Sunday, the only chance for us to get together before my daughter heads back to university after the holidays. My shopping is done, my tree is up, my baking nearly complete. As opening manager on Christmas day it's my pleasure to take in enough cookies to keep us all on a sugar for the duration of our shift. <vbg> 

Sheryll, who can't cab to work and back because that would cost upwards of $40/shift


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