Anger mounts in Toronto garbage strike

TORONTO, June 24 (UPI) -- Anger and frustration among Toronto residents mounted Wednesday, three days into a city workers' strike that cut off garbage collection and other services.

An Angus Reid poll for the Toronto Star Tuesday showed 76 percent of 600 residents contacted were opposed to the strike and 81 percent favored provincial back-to-work legislation. The poll had a 4 percent margin of error, the Star said.

Some 30,000 full- and part-time members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees walked off the job early Monday with the key demand of keeping 18 sick days per year, bankable until retirement, the Toronto Sun reported.

City day care centers, ferry service, some libraries and pools were closed by the strike.

Striking workers picketed at several of the city's garbage drop-off centers, allowing only one person in every 15 minutes, the Star said.

At a news conference, Mayor David Miller refused to discuss negotiations, but lashed out at people illegally dumping trash bags in parks and outside the drop-off centers.

"This is not and should not be acceptable to any of us," Miller said. "I'm disappointed that some would be so thoughtless as to use our beautiful parks and green spaces in this way."