The mediator failed prompting a call for fact-finding by a panel of three judges. The panel findings and recommendations are not binding on either party. In the meantime, frustration with the lack of agreement mounts. Bulletins and updates on the status of negotiations escalate in rhetoric, accusations, and intensity. And after earlier denials by the GTA leadership, talk of a possible strike has surfaced again.
Blame is deflected from one side to the other.
Honorable reputations are put into question and the attacks escalate. It is not a pretty picture. When two sides are passionate and serious about their positions, solutions are neither easy nor quick to achieve. It is time for both sides to turn the volume down and get back to the serious business at hand. Both sides must realize that they cannot win everything they want.