Other then showing Baxter has a limited and juvenile sense of humour, the real story here is how a person in a senior management position views the workers who make the city run. Meggs has broad shoulders, but the very idea a City Clerk would talk "conspiracy theories" demonstrates a questionable sense of labour relations. He dramatically insults the intelligence of hundreds of workers who have been carefully watching developments and making gut-wrenching decisions over their future.

If this is "treat(ing) people...respectful(ly)" then it is apparent where the fault lies in he event of any job action.

Give me a break Munroe. We all know that those “hundreds” of city workers are not allowed to have any independent thought on this process. They take their marching orders from big brother in CUPE and when big brother in CUPE says strike; they strike.

The real insult is apparently to this Mr.Meggs fellow who feels he has been offended and is demanding of an apology. Where did they find this dweeb? Is there some place I can send him a band-aid to help him recover ?

Larsen, you display the rather typical haughty attitude of someone who knows little about unions. Ever voted in a strike vote or been on strike? Do you have any idea the stress that's involved in putting your pay cheque on the line? I have decades of experience in the labour movement and there's one thing I know, workers aren't sheep and even the most apathetic sits up and takes notice if a strike looms.

Where is the simple apology to Meggs? I know Meggs and YOUR comments are really offensive.

What’s to know Munroe ? Big brother tells you to go on strike and you go on strike. End of story. What do you lemmings call it solidarity or some such thing?

As for your buddy Meggs; is he not a BC Fed spin doctor? If so; he should have thicker skin, otherwise he should get a job at the local bakery where he is less likely to get offended.

The BC Fed is up in arms because they have been accused of playing politics. That's hilarious. They are the unelected political wing of the labour movement. They have no other responsibility than spin doctoring in the media.

Monroe drops the cheesiest posts ever on public eye. Gut wrenching etc. Give me a break. If a strike is so hard on you, don't strike and take your very reasonable settlement. The offers out there are more than fair.

The union heads are just trying to show that they're actually doing something. They have to justify their salaries somehow.

Giver, mimicking the "party" line of business, is the same type of avoidance of the issue practiced by Larsen. Baxter is apparently isn't going to provide a simple apology to those he insulted. Sullivan is not attuned enough with the real world to understand the necessity.

As for your comment on "reasonable settlement" and "fair offer", that's in the eyes of the beholder. Evidently 1000s of workers across the lower mainland disagree.

"As for your comment on "reasonable settlement" and "fair offer", that's in the eyes of the beholder. Evidently 1000s of workers across the lower mainland disagree."

That gets back to the point that the workers really have no idea what's going on.

How long will it take the workers to get a net benefit from the strike?

Kevin Larson has , in a democratic country, the right to think and say what he wants. As long as its no too far off the wall. But he sure is getting close to the wall.

I was a member of two national unions and a local officer in both of them. The first union was merged with the other. The members wished it and that was that.

The members decide, not the directors and could blow us out of a elected position when and if they wanted a change.

No working person likes to be on strike by removing her or his services. But sometimes it has to happen. One of our family members has been a inside worker in Vancouver for over 23 years. Even he was surprised by the numbers of members ready to set aside their paycheques.He as well as the rest of the members know the issues. When the event is resolved, the city must remember the same workers will be back. Waving a heavy list of threats against the workers simply isn't the smart or decent way to get a deal. Oh by the way, the Fed is the Reps.of Organized Labour. All democratically elected by the workers. So get a grip you folks who hate unions. Workers organized before the word union was known to them. the Labour Codes are there to give balance to the problems. Let's stop frothing at the mouth and let both sides get their issues sorted out. One wonders how some posters get so oppossed to the idea of democratic representatives?

This issue is not about the labour dispute, about your hatred of unions, experience in strikes, or about Geoff Meggs’ feelings being hurt, it is about Syd Baxter. As unelected city clerk he is supposed to be working for the people of Vancouver in an unbiased, non-partisan and respectful manner. Not sending offensive emails like this one. There is nothing wrong with a public servant having private opinions, as he thought he was expressing to a friend, but when they go public things get iffy, especially in this case where he is talking about work.

That said, it was a fair (though extremely embarrassing) mistake, nothing major. So therefore, why can’t he apologize!? What’s the big deal with making a simple apology? Meggs is almost doing him a favour by asking him for one… Baxter very easily could say a few words of apology, or he could not apologize and continue to look like an unapologetically accusatory creep – the last kind of person the public has confidence in to serve as city clerk. There is no reason he should have to stand by these comments so why is he?

My advice to munroe is don't waste time trying to reason with Kevin Larsen about labour relations or labour unions. I must confess it's a case of do as I say not as I do advice. I am speaking from experience, an ongoing experience unfortunately, since bad habits are the hardest to break.

Kevin's anti-labour rants do serve a purpose, however. His posts reveal the existence in the BC Liberal party of a very active anti-labour faction that seeks not only to manipulate voters likes and dislikes for purely electoral purposes, but also attempts to influence government policy. Such as Bill 29.

What kind of pressure do people think the Larsen wing of the Liberal party will be placing on Premier Campbell and the Cabinet in terms of responding to the Supreme Court's overturning of that legislation? Will they be saying, "OKay, we lost, spend several hundred million in severance settlements." Or will the be urging a more militant, obdurate stance, with one eye fixed on the Constitution's Notwithstanding clause?

Thanks, Budd. Maybe its naivete, but I hope there is some value in standing up to the ill-informed ideologues in a public forum. I sure wouldn't want anyone thinking theirs was a correct or prevailing viewpoint.

Although your question is a bit off point here, my sense is if you want to follow the Liberals thinking and trial balloons on Bill 29, watch for further commentary by Phil Hochstein. I'm actually surprised he hasn't waded into the civic labour relations issues yet. Baxter's comments could have been pulled directly from the ICBA.

Very entertaining...

1) Geoff Meggs was singled out not as much for his role at the Fed, as much for his role as an executive of Vision Vancouver. Don't forget that Baxter sent this to a pal, and the way it's written..unmistakable..a Vision executive who is big in labour shilling for the strike..I'm not saying I agree, but that's what the base of Baxter's reference was about.

2) There was an opportunity for both Silent Sam and the Union to put aside banal, transparent political grandstanding and avoid the strike. The City's offer was nonsense with respect to increases, for example, but the union's almost immediate response, full of the usual frothy proletariat garbage (excuse the pun) was too contrived. It's almost as if they were hoping the City would play them, so they in turn could have their fifteen minutes of squeal.

3) What many missed is that Baxter isn't just referring to COPE or Vision "hot air". Vision and COPE might think this guy is tainted goods, but he calls a spade a spade...

I liked Geoff Meggs as Chief of Staff, he was heads and shoulders above many (certainly the current occupant of that post), but the one thing which struck me about his objections to what Syd Baxter wrote, was that not once in the entire air-time, both in print and news, did he deny having anything to do with encouraging a strike.....betcha if Larry was still Mayor and Geoff was still driving the bus, if he couldn't talk any reason with his union brethren, he'd still talk and get a qualified, experienced circle around the issue...

...Sam sent out Elizabeth Ball and Kim Capri..BC Lee must have been busy.