Police officers in Vancouver have ratified a new, three-year contract with wage hikes of just under 9 per cent over the life of the deal. Vancouver city council, which oversees the city's police board, has also approved the terms. The 33-month deal for 1,470 officers, jail guards and special constables is retroactive to April 1, 2010 and expires on Dec. 31, next year. It contains wage hikes of 2.95 per cent in the first two years and an increase of 2.55 per cent in the final year. A release issued by the police board says the contract is similar to settlements achieved by other major Canadian police departments such as the York Regional Police Service in Ontario. Mayor Gregor Robertson, who is chairman of the police board, says he's pleased the two sides reached an agreement that respects taxpayers as well as the hard work performed daily by members of the police department.
----------------------- Mike Klassen in City Focus Apr. 9 City Hall quietly announces 9% VPD salary increase on a Friday
How long until the cupboard for municipal salaries is completely bare? It was another "take out the trash Friday" news bulletin that caused barely a ripple in local media. The only news we've been able to locate on this are a lone Canadian Press clipping that has been recirculated by a few media outlets. It's no larger than a letter to the editor on the Vancouver Sun website. For Vancouver taxpayers it could be an ominous sign that Canada's least affordable city is going to stay that way for some time.
Currently Vancouver police members earn at or slightly higher than the average for Canadian cities. The decision to give the nearly 9% wage increase, which was approved by Vancouver city council, was that other City workers over the past 2 years have received increases. Of course, what they're referring to is the 5-year deal signed in 2007 that resulted in a nearly 18% increase in pay for thousands of staff.
For those who are not familiar with the expression "whipsawing" as it is used in the context of modern labour negotiations, it means that one union uses another union's settlement as a starting point from which another deal can be reached. The City was essentially convinced by the police union that since their 3-year deal expired before other workers' five-year agreement, they deserved the extra two years plus another. (more)
No comments:
Post a Comment