Family Day blahs
Cheers for the Police Services Board for standing up to the union's whining
By ROB GRANATSTEIN
Well thank goodness that's done. Family Day, I mean.
Finally the ads, public relations campaign and outright whining by the Toronto Police Association is over.
Memo to TPA President Dave Wilson: No one stole anything from you. Not your lunch. Not your kitten. Not your day off. In fact, maybe you just got a very minor taste of the real world.
First, a quick recap: All of Toronto's municipal employees get more days off than is required under Ontario legislation. That didn't stop Toronto city councillors from adding a Family Day holiday for all city workers -- except for the fine men and women of the Toronto Police Service.
Toronto Police have two floating days in their complement of 12 days off, three more than mandated by the province. One of those could easily have been changed into the Family Day holiday.
That's what happened here at the Sun. That day you wanted to use for a four-day weekend in July just became a February day off. Suck it up and move on.
Police Chief Bill Blair actually sent a memo asking for all accommodations to be made to allow people who needed Family Day off to get it, using one of their floating days -- even if they had to borrow against future holidays.
We should also remember the union and the Toronto Police Services Board have entered into contract negotiations. Does this sound like a negotiating ploy to you?
And a cheer for Chairman Alok Mukherjee and the entire Toronto Police Services Board for standing up to the union. Let's hope they keep that backbone if the two sides ever get back to the negotiating table.
A FEW DOZEN CALLS
For the record, the union's public relations campaign calling for Torontonians to rise up and complain to the mayor about this gross unfairness earned a few dozen calls and e-mails.
The board had one employee ask what that officer should tell her daughter.
Still, it's too bad city politicians couldn't muster the same intestinal fortitude as the police board. And that's where the real problem lies. City Hall gives all its employees a day off, but draws the line at the police?
Wilson's right, that's not fair.
Still, ask most Torontonians and they'd take the 12 days off -- versus the nine many get -- in a heartbeat. Saying it happened because the mayor hates the cops, as some have alleged, is ridiculous. The union's ad states straight out: "It's just another example of how Mayor Miller and the Police Services Board are tough on cops instead of tough on crime."
Wilson has been a good leader for the police association. He's pulled them out of the goon phase. But on this issue, he was wrong.
There are some things here at the Sun we will always back: Toronto Police officers should be the highest paid in the country -- and no doubt they will be again after this contract is signed.
But we also believe it's time for city employees to get off the ever-rising escalator. You know the one: If that union gets that perk or benefit, we should, too. The firefighters got 9.66% over three years, so why not everyone else?
There has to be a point where we say "enough".
The problem is one of the unions has to go first. One of them has to do what the six prominent Torontonians on the city's fiscal review panel called for last week.
As they put it: "Involved unions must accept, one way or another, the fiscal constraints that face the city as they develop their own bargaining strategies."
City councillors got a 1.9% raise. That is enough for everyone.
---
In 1999 Mayor Mel Lastman called in the army to snowblow the city out from under a massive blanket.
In 2008, Mayor David Miller called in the army, too.
Mel's call made Toronto a laughingstock because it was the actual army. But if you look back, those 420 soldiers brought a few Bison vehicles and three full crews, but mainly moved snow with shovels.
The true comparison is that in 1999 there were 93 crews removing snow. This year there are 83 crews.
And if you were in the snow removal zone, you know it felt like an army invasion. Everywhere you turned there were more dump trucks.
Fortunately the city doesn't have to pay those contractors overtime for Family Day. Contracting out by your city. Go figure.
