I should start by saying I am a fan of David Miller as I believe we finally have a mayor who is truly passionate about making Toronto a better city.

I am also a fan of unions as I believe individuals deserve a salary and benefits that can help people raise a family.

However, the recent TTC strike severely damaged the credibility of both the mayor and the TTC union. Miller has passionately defended his increase to the property transfer tax and vehicle levy earlier this year as financial tools the city needed to balance its budget and invest in the city.

A major test on this claim for increased taxes was how the City of Toronto would negotiate with its public sector unions while balancing the city's supposed "dire" financial situation.

So instead of pushing for a wage increase in line with inflation of about two per cent for three years with the TTC, the mayor supported a three per cent wage increase over three years with improved benefits.

This actually equates to an almost 10 per cent raise over three years resulting in additional millions of dollars of taxpayer money.

This is not proving the mayor is serious about managing the city's finances responsibly. It is an outrage considering most individuals feel fortunate to get a raise and that raise is never guaranteed for three years.

As well, in most organizations raises are based on excellent work, strong skills and a positive attitude, not because you are entitled to a raise. However, how does the TTC union respond? With appreciation for the overly generous agreement? No, they reject the agreement and go on strike with no notice. Whether this strike was about union politics or just plain greed it just shows 65 per cent of the members of the TTC union really have no idea how fortunate they are. They also made their union-friendly mayor look like a fool thinking he could negotiate with a mature group of adults.

Instead, the TTC union looks like it needs more outsourcing so its members can compare their wages, benefits and salary increases to the private sector employees and understand just how fortunate they are.

However, for now the union has just proven they do not get it and the mayor has lost a significant amount of credibility when he spends taxpayer money like it is limitless when it comes to labour agreements.

M. Davidson