posted on March 14, 2009

Difficult times? Not for city staff

By: Peter Kuitenbrouwer
Published: March 11, 2009
Source: National Post

In these troubled times, consider the compensation (and stability) given employ ees of the City of Toronto: A legal assistant with maximum seniority makes $32.68 an hour; a day care worker makes $29.37 an hour; and a museum store attendant pulls down $27 .82 an hour. Plus the workers get 18 sick day s a y ear. They can carry these over, up to a maximum of six months, which the city pay s them in a lump sum when they retire, based on their wage at retirement.

And, with impeccably bad timing, they are asking for more.

Contracts for 22,000 employ ees -- close to half the city 's workforce of 50,7 00 --expired at the end of last year.

Since January, a city bargaining team has been holed up at the East York Civic Centre with representatives of Local 416, which groups together more than 8,000 outside workers (including gardeners, paramedics and dog catchers) and leaders from Local 7 9, representing more than 15,000 inside workers (including mail clerks, day care workers and social housing staff ). They are negotiating a new collective agreement.

http://www.nationalpost.com/