The TPA likes to complain about many things, and never has much to say that is positive about the terms and conditions of employment for its members.
Of late, the complaint has been that the Board refuses to ensure that police officers in Toronto are the highest paid in the province.
I will explain the Board’s position in a moment, but let’s start by looking at the history of the collective agreements that the Board and the TPA have reached over the years.
From 2000 to 2007, the annual salary for a TPS officer was almost exactly the same as the average of the other twelve largest police services. The numbers below show where the TPS salary is when compared to the average of the other twelve largest police services.
2000 +.2%
2001 +.1%
2002 +.3%
2003 +.1%
2004 +.2%
2005 +.2%
2006 +.1%
2007 +.0%
This information shows us that the annual salary for TPS officers has been very close to the average of the largest services. If you look at the data in more detail, you see the annual officer salaries among the largest services are always very close together.
For example, in 2006, the average salary of a First Class Constable ranged from $71,567 (the OPP) to $71,211 (London). Toronto was $71,511. Even this brief overview leads me to my first inescapable conclusion:
Raising the rate of pay of one of the large police services means raising the rates of pay for all of them.
Why?
The TPS does not bargain in isolation. The fact is that the terms and conditions of employment for police officers are set through pattern bargaining or pattern arbitration among the largest police services. For example, arbitrators considering what to award police services in Durham, Ottawa or Sudbury look to settlements or arbitration awards in places like Toronto, the OPP or Peel. The so called “Big 12” is the group within which this pattern bargaining occurs for Toronto.
So let us be very clear about the implication of TPA’s demand that its members be the best paid by a substantial margin. If conceded, TPA’s demand will contribute to the process of driving police officer rates of pay in the province higher and higher, with no limit.
The TPA knows that it can only ever be the best paid until the next settlement or arbitration award. Being number one never lasts, only the municipality is saddled with a forever spiralling wage bill for policing. The TPA does not care about that.
There is something else going on right now that makes this even more interesting.
The collective agreement between the Peel Regional Police Service and its Police Association for the period ending December 31, 2010 has a provision that commits Peel to provide the same salary as the highest paid police service. This means that providing a higher salary in 2010 only drives the Peel rate to the same number. Given the history of police bargaining in Ontario, it really means that the salary for all of the large services would be driven ever higher.
The Board’s position is that it must balance a number of competing factors:
- balancing the interests of a number of stakeholders, for example the Service and its members, the taxpayers and Toronto’s residents
- the fairness and affordability of the collective agreement
- ensuring the effective and efficient delivery of police service
- examining the comparator collective agreements to ensure that we are providing a fair and appropriate outcome
We are convinced that, rhetoric apart, our approach is the only way to ensure a fair result for everyone – not just for the TPA.
