Pearls Of Wisdom From The G-Man

History has shown us that the black and white of extreme ideology – whether on the left or the right – is a nasty thing. I fear the City of Windsor is experiencing whiffs of these elements at the moment.

We have Mayor Eddie (Ronnie Reaguns) Francis and the Windsor Star on the right, and the doctrinaire descendents of Sid Ryan on the left. For Windsor to survive and be strong we need to find the middle ground.

With all the rhetoric raging on the outsourcing debate, it is sometimes difficult to find kernels of truth. Thanks to a simple but profound letter from a guy who calls himself a g-man, I discovered such a kernel last week.

Here is the email Mike Aubin sent City Councillors in the wake of the garbage collection outsourcing decision:

  Hello Councilors, my name is Mike Aubin and I am currently working as a Refuse collector/Driver for the city of Windsor. I have been a refuse collector for almost 20 yrs, 11 with the city of Windsor and 9 for a private company. I just wanted to share with you how it felt when you decided to outsource my job. It literally felt like I was punched in the stomach, or sick to my stomach, I was sad, angry, and for the most part unappreciated. The morale has been very low at work, with all the uncertainty of where we will end up and who will be laid off. I understand that there is a possible savings by privatizing and you want to hold the line on taxes. But I feel my Department has worked very hard to save money for the city including this year’s reduction of 2 garbage trucks and 3 employees. This meant a heavier workload to myself and co workers. I am also confident we will continue to work with administration to keep costs down. It is a very physically demanding job and I feel we are paid well for this.

I have two family members that continue to work for the private refuse company, my father who is 65 and my uncle who is 60. They make nearly $9 less an hour then me, and workers who only pitch garbage make even less. They must work many hours and long days to receive a decent pay just to stay ahead. My job is not only physically demanding, but you work in all weather conditions such as hot, humid, cold, rainy and windy days, we encounter feces, unknown liquids, dead animals, rotten food, maggots, spiders, ants and the occasional rodent. We also encounter the general public, face to face with residents, joggers, bikers, children and fellow drivers on a daily basis. Last week I have encountered so many residents on my routes who are also angry and upset that we are going to be outsourced for a low bidding company from Toronto. I even received messages written on the trash disapproving of Council”s decision. I believe it is only a small majority who are happy with your decision, and possibly still upset over the strike. I admit our union made some mistakes and some members acted inappropriately and I apologize for there behaviour. We are human, and I believe from the amount of encouragement I received lately from the residents of Windsor, they believe us garbage men earn a fair wage and are willing to sacrifice to keep Windsor Public. I was always proud to say I was a garbage man for the city of Windsor, I love my job and I take pride in it. I applied almost 12 years ago to be a Refuse Collector and I intend to retire as one. I have no desire to go to Parks and Rec, being a garbage man for the city of Windsor gives me job satisfaction and is the pinnacle for me, this is what I have wanted to be since I was a young. Working for the City has changed my life. I can afford a mortgage, a vehicle, to travel and simply enjoy life knowing I am doing something I love. I will continue to be the best garbage man I can be until my job is gone. Please do not eliminate these jobs, this could be the pinnacle for someone else in the community who aspires to be a refuse collector, a recycler, a mechanic, a supervisor or a clerical staff for a great employer. By doing this you are even cutting out Windsor Mobile Wash who do a fantastic job power washing our trucks to make them look great in the public. Again I hope you reconsider your decision for the better of the City of Windsor.

Mike Aubin

The G-man reminds us that there are real people behind the numbers and the dollar signs. It is one message from the labour community that rings true, and it is one reason why I preferred to keep 50-percent of refuse collection in-house. The city is losing a lot of pride, heart and soul when it loses employees like Mike Aubin.

I will never forget why I was a supporter back in the early 1980s when the journalists at the Windsor Star formed a union. Management of this once paternal company dealt a bitter downsizing card. The layoffs and downgrading paid little regard to the seniority or the human factors and my wife at the time was caught in the fulcrum.

Now the Star’s opinion leaders find themselves in a cheerleading role as Windsor City Hall polarizes, and taking the right-wing’s hard-liner side.

As vice-chair of Council’s Small Business Advisory Panel, which will address Council Monday night, I am acutely aware that taxes need to be harnessed so the private sector can survive and thrive in the new economy, save and create jobs.

There are no easy solutions, but everyone needs to recognize that Windsor’s private and public sectors are all in this fight together.