Fans of openness in government could put their hands together last week for Mayor David Miller, who on Friday posted on its website the city’s offer to unions in the ongoing strike.[rssbreak]
Now fans of crowdsourcedness – the practice of inviting unpaid Internet users to find solutions – should push Miller to place all negotiations online and let the public solve the strike.
Taking the negotiations public may have violated a code of bargaining ethics, since most anyone in labour will attest that these are delicate proceedings. But it’s a way to move city dealings into the light.
And now Miller can take it further.
Crowdsourcing an end to the strike would take input from every kind of stakeholder – striking workers, private citizens, anyone with access to the Internet – and would produce a cost-effective and timely solution.
On Toronto.ca, the city site, an interactive strike-ending tool could determine deal-breakers like bankable sick days and wage increases. For instance, users could choose a number of bankable sick days, and the site would display the resulting cost to the city.
The most agreed-upon numbers, after a set number of users (say 75,000), would represent the public will.
For a similar example, look at the city budget calculator currently housed on the Washington Post’s site. It lets users slide an arrow along a scale of tax rates placing the arrow to the left means less taxes and to the right more. As the arrow moves, the deficit goes up or down, with the goal of a balanced budget for the District.
At the end of the exercise, the most popular recommendations are revealed.
U.S. President Barack Obama has a similar taste for crowdsourced solutions. He posts United States bills on the White House site five days before they’re signed to give the public a chance to suggest changes.
Cynics view soliciting such input from the masses as a public relations ploy, but it can be a public power ploy.
In Toronto’s case, not only is the offer on the table for the public’s perusal, but it’s also in the open for the 24,000 striking city employees. It’s been viewed more than 30,000 times, according to the city.
Openness and crowdsourcing are hallmarks of Internet problem-solving. Maybe they can be strike-solving too.
joshuae@nowtoronto.com
