Author: Stephanie Gomez

Dec 08, 2015

The TTC may have expanded its free Wi-Fi offering this month to another four stations. But the number of riders who can access it has been temporarily confined to those with Twitter accounts.

The social media company has a sponsorship agreement with BAI Canada, the TTC’s internet provider, for the month of December making internet access on the subway conditional on logging on to Twitter.

Riders who don’t have an account and want to text on the TTC would have to open one before heading underground. Those who already have one will automatically connect to the TConnect service on the TTC and remain connected for 12 hours on Wi-Fi accessible stations.

The transit sponsorship agreement is a first for Twitter, said spokesman Cameron Gordon.

“Anything in terms of privacy from our side is no different than if you were signing up for a Twitter account above ground,” said Gordon, adding that it takes about 45 seconds to create a Twitter account.

Twitter’s terms and conditions apply while you’re using it.

Once you’re on the system BAI, which has a 20-year, $25 million contract to provide internet on the TTC, has no access to your Twitter information, said BAI Canada chief operating officer Ken Ranger.

The TTC doesn’t pay for internet on the system. It is a sponsored service for which BAI is paying $25 million over 20 years for the rights, said transit spokesman Brad Ross.
He compared the Twitter agreement to accessing the internet at a coffee shop.

“Basically all it’s doing is opening up the pipeline for you to go on the internet when you’re in the stations. We don’t know who you are once you’ve logged in. It says, ‘Ok you have a Twitter account,’ and it opens up the pipeline,” he said.

The TTC launched Wi-Fi at Bloor Station about two years ago. Since then it has rolled out south of Bloor on the Yonge-University-Spadina line and from Christie to Castle Frank on the Bloor-Danforth subway.

The entire system will be Wi-Fi accessible by 2017.

Most riders can text but cellphone service is limited to users on WIND Mobile.

There are more than 12 million Canadian Twitter accounts and the Toronto area tends to have a higher per capita use of the site than other cities, said Gordon.

Named after a Local 113 President/Business Agent in the 1940’s, this scholarship is available to ATU 113 members’ children who are graduating from Grade 12 and who are advancing to a university degree program OR who are already enrolled in a university degree program and have not previously received a scholarship from Local 113. Congratulations to our recipients!

Fri, 2008-10-10

The strike by 170 Viva bus drivers in York Region that began on September 25 will end today following a vote to accept the employer’s offer that had been earlier rejected. Full service on Viva routes will resume early Saturday morning.

Veolia Transportation had threatened through the company’s lawyer that if their final offer was not accepted by close of business today, wage retroactivity would be withdrawn and wage decreases a possibility.

“Many members had requested a vote even before the company’s unusual threat,” said Bob Kinnear, President of Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113. “As well, the Ministry of Labour representative had advised us that in view of the company’s action, a re-vote was warranted.”

“These members are all public service workers at heart, which is why they went into this line of work to begin with. They have a strong sense of community and responsibility to their passengers. But they felt they had to stand up to the company’s disrespect for them personally and for the value of their work.

“They have made their point and will now return to work. Unfortunately, the company’s bully tactics are not going to help repair labour relations, which have been deteriorating for the last couple of years.”

Kinnear pointed out that Veolia Transportation is a Paris, France-based global corporation driven by profits, not public service.

“This scenario is typical of what happens when you let the private sector take over public services. They do everything possible to make the workers’ jobs miserable and create animosity. This drives out experienced workers so that they can hire new, cheaper workers, increasing their profits.

“We have a settlement but we will not have peace unless the company starts showing respect and common human decency towards our members.”

Mon, 2009-02-23

Amalgamated Transit Union Local 113 came out strongly today in support of Ontario MPP Mike Colle’s private member’s bill that would impose a fine of up to $50,000 for anyone carrying a weapon onto a public transit vehicle and prescribe a two-year sentence for anyone who commits an act of violence against a transit employee or passenger. The union and Colle also want the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to provide for longer jail time for transit system assaults.

“We completely support Mike Colle’s initiative and our union will do whatever we can to advance it,” said Bob Kinnear, President of Amalgamated Transit Workers Local 113.

“In recent years there have been several shootings of passengers on the TTC subway and buses, including an 11-year-old girl. It wasn’t that long ago that an Operator, one of our members, was shot in the face and lost his eye and his occupation. In addition, quite a number of our members have seen people on TTC vehicles showing off guns. There should be serious penalties for this.”

Kinnear also said it was “about time” someone proposed stricter sentences for assaulting passengers and TTC employees.

“There are hundreds of assaults against TTC front line employees every year and many of them cause serious and permanent injuries. Assaults against passengers are also on the rise so riders and workers share a common concern.”

More severe penalties, however, are only a first step, Kinnear said.

“Preventing assaults in the first place requires more resources from senior levels of government for greater police presence on the system and the installation of optional plastic shields for operators to deploy when needed.

“So while we hope Mr. Colle’s bill passes and the federal government follows suit, we don’t want governments to think that they have solved this growing problem simply by imposing greater penalties.”

Kinnear added that crime prevention also means more resources for anti-violence and social integration programs. He pointed out that ATU 113 has been one of the largest contributors to the Toronto Argos Foundation’s Stop the Violence program since its inception. The program is aimed at at-risk youth in Toronto, with the participation of several Argos players.

“Our members see the effects of poverty, unemployment and youth alienation up close every day and we want to do our part to help address these social problems.

“We have to have serious penalties for assaulting people and carrying guns in public places but prevention is always preferable to after-the-tragedy punishment.”