Local 113 member stands up for the 99.9%

Wednesday, May 13

I am not the streetcar driver who’s been charged with careless driving nor am I the operator who has been accused of sexual misconduct — and I don’t finish off crossword puzzles behind the steering wheel of a bus.

I’m a ATU Local 113 member who works for the TTC as a collector. After 30 years I continue to serve Toronto with pride and respect. I am a Local 113 member who has won numerous safe driving awards, continue to be recognized for my commitment to excellent customer service and go home at the end of my shift with my head held high.

I am the transit worker who, no matter how beaten down in the media my chosen profession gets, continues to rise at 3 in the morning to help get my TTC customers to work on time. Who am I truly? I am the 99.9 per cent of TTC frontline workers the Toronto public see every morning when they enter our buses, streetcars and subway stations.

So when you see us in the morning, noon or dead of night, we’re there for you, the majority of TTC professionals who still give a crap about this city and carry on with pride and dedication no matter what the headlines may throw at us.

Daniel Kowbell, Mississauga