Rob Ford sticks to his anti-labour strategy, quoting, well, himself (twice)

Union president Mark Ferguson is tossing the political hot potato back to Mayor Rob Ford, promising he won’t call for a strike in the New Year. The Globe and Mail spells out the significance of the move, explaining that Ferguson’s promise “virtually [assures] that a widely anticipated civic labour disruption this winter would be initiated by the city.” Meanwhile, for his part, Ford is sticking to his talking points, telling CP24’s Stephen LeDrew that “We’re bargaining in good faith.” Of course, we’ve heard this before. Likewise, in the pages of the Toronto Sun Ford says, “I’ve never used the word lockout. The unions are always saying ‘lockout.’” We’ve heard that one before, too. But for now, his PR strategy should hold up: regardless of any scheming or stubbornness, it can’t hurt the mayor’s image that his opponents are the ones invoking the spectre of a work stoppage. Read the entire story [Globe and Mail] »