I am not surprised in the least that, true to form, TPA President Dave Wilson has resorted to the “blame game.” I had hoped that we would move on to arbitration as the means to solve our differences as respectfully and as quickly as possible. Arbitration isn’t about blame.
I find it ironic in the extreme that Dave Wilson should be talking about respect and fairness when he shows absolutely no respect towards a very important party, the public.
The Toronto Police Services Board respects and supports our members and the important role that they play in keeping our city one of the safest in Canada. There are many concrete ways in which we have demonstrated how we value our members. I challenge Dave Wilson to show it is otherwise. We have always said that we want a negotiated collective agreement that is fair. We do not blame our members for seeking improvements in their collective agreement.
As part of our desire to deal with our members fairly, we offered a 3% raise over each of the next 3 years. We offered this in February 2008.
Dave Wilson and his team ignored it and never mentioned it again.
I understand that the TPA is limited to serving its members and, as Chair, I respect that role. However, the Board has a number of interests to serve and to balance besides those of the members. These include: the City, the residents and the taxpayers. And finally the Board has a duty to support Chief’s role in the delivery of effective and efficient police services.
