City workers are back to work. Read the details here.
Good morning campers. Had time yet to distill the details of that agreement with city workers that right wing pundits in the media say you’ve all got your shorts in a knot about?
Well it’s not just media types who say all you law-abiding taxpayers out there are up in arms about the deal struck with city unions to end a month-long strike.
Right wing members of council, those paragons of virtue, say they’ve been “swamped” with emails from city residents begging them to vote down the deal at a special council meeting called for this morning. Perhaps some evidence can be provided.
But we’ll see how many among the right-wing rump have the courage of their convictions when they actually step into the chamber to vote on the deal. My fearless prediction: they’ll fall in line because they’re full of hot air.
Their slamming of the deal reached with city unions has been purely for political show, all motivated by personal resentment for the mayor.
These leftovers from the Mel Lastman era of corruption don’t do the vision thing.
To them local politics is a dirty little game meant to appeal to the lowest common denominator ie: the grunts and goons who take to the blogosphere with invective-laced diatribes, some of them no doubt in the pay of aforementioned councillors (it’s an old trick), as if that somehow passes for reasoned debate. If you think I’m BSing you, check out the voter turnout in municipal elections.
That’s not to say that the mayor has handled the post-strike PR with the greatest of aplomb. He’s let the barbarians at the gates get to him.
The vigour with which he’s now trumpeting the deal with city unions is making him look defensive. And won’t make mending fences with his friends in the labour movement who helped him get elected easy. Cracks are showing themselves among former allies on council, too, some of them obviously bitter from losing their place at the decision-making table.
The mayor has nothing to apologize for. City negotiators did what they had to do to et a deal and that is meet the unions half way.
The much criticized arrangement over sick pay is not as lucrative its critics would have you believe. Check the numbers.
Of 30,000 unionized workers, some 10,000 part-timers in child care, public health, hostel and recreation are not entitled to the benefit at all. Nor are employees with less than 10 years’ seniority.
The other detail that’s been overlooked in all the hysteria over this one is the fact that workers can only cash in unused sick days. Presumably, most employees are using the 18 sick days they’re entitled to annually and not banking them for a cash out later, judging by the rising absenteeism numbers among city employees.
You’d have to work 25 years, 15 of those without taking a day off sick for 15 of those years, to cash out the maximum six months pay upon retirement. By the way, it’s the only severance city employees get. Those are the facts. Now to that council meeting.
