Toronto Zoo Toronto Zoo Developments 2017

I think we will be looking at a two to three week long strike. Just a gut feeling. Pity this is a gorgeous long weekend so far and they would probably have been packing them in today. And with the long weekend over it will be peak end of year school trip season in the coming weeks which will be a huge blow to the zoo if it's not open and not just short term. I'm sure many teachers who are now left scrambling for alternative plans will think twice about returning to the zoo next year especially if their students have fun at the back up place. Could have a pretty big long term impact on the easiest way to get big numbers through the gate this time of year.

Why can't one of us suddenly get filthy rich and buy the zoo out from the city?
 
No not surprising at all. They lost the long weekend there really is no pressure to get things done at this point.
 
How much you wanna bet you'll hear about the zoo board complaining down the line about the backlash they'll receive from this in terms of revenue.
 
Saw some TV coverage regarding the strike. The reporter mentioned after talking with zoo officials that the zoo had some new arrivals and births that the zoo would be announcing soon.
Seems odd to be announcing these while the zoo is still closed.
 
m30t said:
Saw some TV coverage regarding the strike. The reporter mentioned after talking with zoo officials that the zoo had some new arrivals and births that the zoo would be announcing soon.
Seems odd to be announcing these while the zoo is still closed.
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That does seem odd. And very pointless if this news is advertised during the strike.

Kifaru Bwana said:
The last line by the union official that she is concerned about the zoos' conservation programmes suffering seems bizarre. I really do wonder if a strike when you are 95% there is really the answer for a public educational facility.
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From other interviews I've heard with this specific union official, who is also a Keeper that's part of the Vancouver Island Marmot conservation program, she's afraid jobs like hers, which deal with conservation that happens behind the scene that the public isn't overly privy to, will be the ones that will be cut first without the minimum job number of 150 full-time employees.
 
I have no clue why they would announce the cheetah and any other births while the zoo is closed unless they have truly smartened up and realized creating buzz around babies prior to their debut is a good way to draw guests. The cheetah cubs should be on display starting early July. Unfortunately last years batch of babies were born months before they could go on display but the cheetah cubs only have two months to build excitement before they go on display. If the zoo were open right now I think they would have announced the birth by now and started showing photos or videos of them by now. I don't think they really will announce any births prior to reaching an agreement with staff. It would be best to rebuild a positive image post strike with new births instead of wasting good news like this during the strike and making people upset that newborn animals are not getting top notch care from their experienced keepers from the start.

In other strike related news from the zoos facebook page...

"Dear Zoo Members:

Our apologies for the delay in responding to your questions relative to your Zoo Membership and the current closure of the Toronto Zoo, due to the CUPE Union 1600 Strike. As we go through these difficult times, our focus continues to be on the care and welfare of our animal population. Accordingly, we have not been as responsive to your questions as we would like to be, and during this time our responses will continue to be limited.
We fully recognize that the current situation impedes on your continued enjoyment of the Toronto Zoo – and we have every intention of making it right. However, at this time, as much as we are very committed and hopeful that a fair and reasonable contract within our fiscal realities will be reached soon, we are not in a position to offer any restitution until we know the extent of the labour disruption. Rest assured, as soon as a mutually beneficial agreement is reached, we will reach out directly to all of our Members.
Your membership is very important to us and we are grateful for your ongoing support that ensures we continue all the great work we do in the areas of scientific research, education and animal preservation. Our sincerest apologies for any inconvenience and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

Sincerely,
Toronto Zoo Management"

I don't really get members being upset about the strike from a financial stand point. They can visit as much as they want. A couple weeks of striking is annoying but they can easily visit other times to make sure they get the value out of the membership. It only takes 2-5 visits to cover the various memberships and the zoo is open 364 days a year. It's silly so many members have complained that the zoo felt they had to issue a statement instead of focusing on more important issues. Yet it doesn't surprise me in the least.
 
Kifaru Bwana said:
Why would it infer job cuts?

Is this then another Council led / driven ... stupidity?!?
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The thought process is that if the 150 minimum staff provision is removed from the contract, down the line, the zoo will begin cutting jobs to the point that conservation jobs will no longer exist, since they don't contributed to increasing visitors.

It actually makes sense when you look at it from strictly a management and numbers point. Cut jobs that don't contribute to direct revenue. So, this provision protects against that.

TZFan said:
I don't really get members being upset about the strike from a financial stand point. They can visit as much as they want. A couple weeks of striking is annoying but they can easily visit other times to make sure they get the value out of the membership. It only takes 2-5 visits to cover the various memberships and the zoo is open 364 days a year. It's silly so many members have complained that the zoo felt they had to issue a statement instead of focusing on more important issues. Yet it doesn't surprise me in the least.
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As for members getting upset, I can see one reason for being upset. If your membership renew date is coming up, this strike could impede on members receiving discounts for renewing early. If you renew within 30 days of you member expiry date you receive a 10% discount. If you renew more than 30 days of you membership expiry date you receive a 15% discount.

I'm actually going through this right now. If this strike doesn't end by early June, I'll miss out on getting a 15% discount.
 
Oh never thought about those renewing. Yes those members should most definitely be given consideration.
 
Being given that consideration would go a long way for those members including myself. I planned on renewing mine and my family's memberships last week, to take advantage of the discount. Goes a long way when renewing 5 memberships.
 
Here's another article about the strike, although this article is written by Christine McKenzie who is president of CUPE local 1600, which represents unionized workers at the Toronto Zoo.

Despite the fact that it's clearly a one-sided article from the viewpoint of the workers on strike, it gives a little bit of insight in the current situation. Also, nothing she says, as far as I can tell, is incorrect. Most of what she says has already been brought up in previous articles.

Why Toronto Zoo workers went on strike | Toronto Star
 
It was disappointing to read that of the board members three citizen members chose to be absent for the last vote. That's one third of the board that decided they had better things to do than resolve the strike that is closing the zoo they volunteered to be on the board of. No one forced them. This is probably one of the most important issues the board has faced and all members should have put aside their other stuff to do the job they volunteered to do. Naturally that does not mean the strike would be over now if they attended. Might have been a 9 to 3 vote in favour of rejecting the unions offer but at least they would have shown up and did their job. So frustrating when people volunteer for things and don't follow through. I get vacations, real jobs and family emergencies but for a third of the board to be missing in action for the negotiations is not promising. Heck couldn't they have called in, participated in the discussion and voted?
 
Typical case of he said, she said.

Just work on a resolution and open the zoo back up.
 
I would be real interested in seeing how much money the zoo is losing in his strike, that they seem to be reasonable for.
 
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