Council votes to ratify union deal
City workers could be seeing wage increases every six months for the next four years after council endorsed moving forward with agreements with two of its unions covering about 200 employees at a special meeting Monday night.
City workers could be seeing wage increases every six months for the next four years after council endorsed moving forward with agreements with two of its unions covering about 200 employees at a special meeting Monday night.
The deals would see city bus drivers and other city workers (except for firefighters) represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) receive wage increases of one per cent effective last Sept. 1, followed by a 0.5 per cent boost which would take effect as of March 1.
Increases of one per cent would follow on Sept. 1 and March 1 of each year until 2017, when the final increase of 1.5 per cent would kick in.
The agreements also outline details on benefits, shifts, promotions and discipline.
Local Y023 represents most city employees and Local Y022 represents transit workers.
Both agreements include improved maternity benefits. The Y023 agreement has new provisions for flexible work schedules and shift differential that provide equity across the organization, the city said.
The Y022 agreement confirms the city's ability to schedule split shifts as needed.
As interim city manager Brian Crist told council, collective agreements between the city and PSAC expired last Aug. 31 with negotiations between the two beginning soon after.
"In an organization that offers the diversity of services that the municipal corporation to the citizens of Whitehorse does, it is essential that we have a competent, motivated, entrepreneurial group of employees, where every member understands their role and accepts responsibility to carry it out in the most efficient manner,” Crist said in a report to council.
"A foundation of our relationship with our employees is providing fair wages and benefits and setting out working conditions that allow us to take advantage of the expertise available to us in our workforce, while at the same time, maintaining the flexibility to serve our citizens.”
Council's vote to move ahead with the two deals will see the changes integrated into the agreements with the unions.
"When the revised agreements have been finalized, a bylaw will be brought forward to adopt the new collective agreements,” Crist stated.
"I am pleased that we have these agreements in place,” said Mayor Dan Curtis.
"It is important to have a negotiated settlement with the valued employees who carry out essential services for citizens,” Curtis said.
"The city appreciates the hard work of both bargaining teams in negotiating these agreements,” said Deputy Mayor Mike Gladish.
Comments (4)
Up 5 Down 1
Virgil on Apr 4, 2014 at 3:41 am
Cap'n obvious...
That's in an ideal situation. There are individuals who work for the COW that receive more than their experience/seniority should allow.
If you want big bucks you should provide meaningful work.
Schooling = ???
Most City jobs require a certificate. Schooling, trades excluded, offer no experience. Instead they offer experiments in theory.
Another important note:
Most workers don't ever use the benefits they are paying for; nor do they have the option to opt out. (Investigate what happens with unused benefits)
The union leaders, like union leaders of the past, are middlemen that maintain their own financial security by catering to both sides and quelling any "extreme questioning."
Workers for the City could take home more each pay cheque by disbanding their union and losing the benefits.
These ideas have already been theorized and proven. CAW in Ontario, Ayn Rand, and Orwell.
YG/COW suffer from the same problem. Nepotism, corruption, lack of transparency, and no oversight.
Your "YG example" is shot full of holes by the number of senior YG employees who admit that they are overstaffed and under qualified. Even YG workers have admitted that sometimes they do nothing. But why would you ruin a good thing?
The federal government is happy to see this area heavily legislated. It stops development by locals in the area and frees up the territory for outside investment.
Ask yourself; "How can we have billions in resources sitting in the Yukon and we're happy accepting a 1 billion transfer?"
Gold/tungsten/forestry/natural gas/minerals/gems. . . etc (and tourism). We're content to accept free money.
Obviously we've been distracted from the original discussion... yet the point is the same.
This area is heavily legislated and mismanaged because the federal government is content giving a billion dollars to sell off billions more.
Hence the idea of creating a larger and larger government in all sectors. Own the means of production, the materials of production, and the people who produce it. Then sell the people/resources off to the highest bidder.
Voila! Nationalization (territorialization)that mirrors Britain post WW2.
A model that has been proven unsustainable.
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past
Up 7 Down 0
cap'n obvious on Apr 3, 2014 at 6:06 am
Virgil: Seniority wage does happen within the position's wage bracket.
Govy positions are assigned a scale, and a person's qualifications (including experience) is what allows a person to get to those higher positions.
If you work 15 years doing a low-end job, and don't strive to move up the ladder, don't be pissed off when a kid with a degree and a handful of years experience walks in and makes a lot more than you.
If you look at YG, you'll see LOTS of people who have climbed the ladder (some higher than they should have) based on experience alone. But if you want big bucks you have to have the schooling AND experience.
Up 6 Down 8
Virgil on Apr 3, 2014 at 2:02 am
Would the City please negotiate to have wages increased based on a seniority/experience level?
There are experienced employees for the city that have worked for 2 years who are making less than employees who have just started (regardless of qualifications).
It's not what you know it's who you know.
Up 14 Down 7
June Jackson on Apr 2, 2014 at 11:16 am
Generally speaking..
I don't like Unions.. but in this case, I think the City crews deserve every penny that can be squeezed out of the budget for them.. They are out plowing day and night, up to their armpits in the sewers, hauling garbage, fixing potholes.. and when that is done..taking crap from the public.
I think the mayor and council are wayyyy overpaid for the work they do, which is basically listening to the city manager and then doing what they're told to do. But, that's what you get when you allow people to set their own wage...I don't have much use for bylaw or building inspections.. but.. those guys on the streets..glad you're going to get a little extra.