City Employees Get Four Day Long Weekend

 Just Another Public Sector Perk

Good Friday and Easter Monday Are Paid Holidays

Don't get me wrong I think that the occasional long weekend where we all get paid for producing nothing is a good idea. We all can benefit with a break from the sometimes tedious, mind numbing jobs we do in order to keep body and soul together.

We all know that city hall workers are among the best paid in the city, and enjoy a most generous benefit package that few of us mere mortals can only imagine. And with the threat of job action always just a breath away, and no appetite on the part of their employers to ruffle any feathers they seem to be able to pretty much write their own contract.

The bargaining process where CUPE or IAFF are bargaining with an employer not subject to the constraints that exist in the private sector has become pretty lob sided and greatly favours labour as there are really no pressures for the employer to engage in serious bargaining. After all, the city taxpayer purse is limitless and whatever increases they agree to are simply passed on next year in the form of more taxes.

An example of this is our local firefighters who managed a whopping 14% raise in 2007 - 2009 and are currently refusing to accept an offer of another 5.5%, forcing the city to binding arbitration. I sometimes wonder if this is really reflective of what the rank and file workers think is needed, or just an example of a union executive having to justify their own wages?