ARA B. MAMOURIAN

What did the Unions get, what’s in the deal?

Length of the Agreement.  The City position was another 4 year agreement. The last collective agreement was for 4 years, Jan. 2005 to Dec. 2008.    The new agreement is 3 years Jan. 2009 to Dec. 2011. 

Wage increase.  The City’s offer of July 10^th (the only offer made public by the Mayor) was for a 7% wage increase over 4 years - 1%, 1%, 2% and 3% in each of 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 respectively.  The new agreement is a 6% wage increase over 3 years -1.75%, 2%, 2.25% in each of 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Family Day.  The new agreement adds Family Day so there are now 12 designated and statutory holidays, and two float days for unionized staff.

Sick Bank.  The City wanted to replace the sick leave bank with a new short-term Illness and Injury Plan.  In the new agreement the employees have 3 options:

1)      Remain on the existing sick bank plan and continue to accumulate sick days.  Receive a payout of up to 6 months upon leaving City employment.

2)      Enter in the new plan and freeze their accumulated sick bank.  The frozen sick bank can be used as a top-up to the new plan.  They will still be entitled to a payout of the balance of their plan when they terminate employment with the City up to a maximum of 6 months.  The value of the sick days will be at the rate of pay they are earning when they cash-out.

3)      Switch to the new plan and receive a payout of their existing accumulated sick days up to a maximum of 6 months, based upon a formula related to years of service. The minimum payout shall be $700.00 even if this exceeds the current value of their accumulated sick bank.

Sick day payouts continue to be at an amount equal to 50% of the cumulative sick days.

New employees hired will be covered by the new Illness and Injury Plan.

The new plan provides employees with income protection when they are unable to work due to illness or injury, for up to 130 days, at either 75% or 100% of their salary, based on years of service.  The new plan is not accumulative and has no cash payout value.

Return to Work Protocol.  The negotiated protocol permitted striking employees to continue to accrue sick leave credits and vacation credits during the strike. 

Contracting-in.  The City agreed to a “contracting-in” protocol to seek opportunities to bring work back in-house.

The City gave no indication that it was really reducing spending. The Mayor refused to allow City Council to vote on freezing councillors’ salaries, an issue the union leaders continually stated.  I have contributed my increase to charitable organizations.  While the Mayor cried poor he brought forward a 2009 budget with a huge increase in staff and spending, even stating during the budget debate that we have to spend our way out of the recession. 

The City’s contingency plan failed to put in place measures to remove the waste from the temporary dump sites daily during the strike (as was the case in Windsor) and the Mayor  refused to consider the use of outside contractors to help in cleaning up the City.

Who won, who lost?  Ultimately taxpayers pay, so taxpayers lost.  Could we have lost less, I believe so.  Could we have lost more, you tell me.  I have attached web links to several previously confidential documents from the Council meeting.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with your comments or concerns.

Sincerely,

Councillor David Shiner

Several previously confidential documents from Friday's Council meeting have been publicly released (.pdf files):

Results of Negotiations with CUPE Local 79 and TCEU (Public Report)

Summary of the Memoranda of Agreement with CUPE Local 79

Summary of the Memorandum of Settlement with TCEU Local 416

Memoranda of Agreement with CUPE Local 79

Memorandum of Settlement with TCEU Local 416

Return to Work Protocol between the City of Toronto and CUPE Local 79

Return to Work Protocol between the City of Toronto and TCEU Local 416

The Recorded Vote at Toronto City Council (21-17):

YES to DEAL

Maria Augimeri (York Centre)
Sandra Bussin (Beaches-East York)
Shelley Carroll (Don Valley East)
Raymond Cho (Scarborough-Rouge River)
Janet Davis (Beaches-East York)
Glenn de Baeremaeker (Scarborough Centre)
Frank Di Giorgio (York South-Weston)
Paula Fletcher (Toronto-Danforth)
Adam Giambrone (Davenport)
Mark Grimes (Etobicoke Lakeshore)
Suzan Hall (Etobicoke North)
Adrian Heaps (Scarborough Southwest)
Doug Holyday (Etobicoke Centre)
Pam McConnell (Toronto Centre-Rosedale)  
Joe Mihevc (St. Paul's)  
David Miller (Mayor)
Joe Pantalone (Trinity-Spadina) 
Gord Perks (Parkdale-High Park) 
Anthony Perruzza (York West) 
Bill Saundercook (Parkdale-High Park) 
Adam Vaughan (Trinity-Spadina)  

NO to DEAL

Paul Ainslie (Scarborough East)
Brian Ashton (Scarborough Southwest)  
Mike Del Grande (Scarborough-Agincourt)  
Mike Feldman (York Centre)
Rob Ford (Etobicoke North) 
Cliff Jenkins (Don Valley West)  
Norm Kelly (Scarborough-Agincourt)  
Chin Lee (Scarborough-Rouge River)  
Peter Milczyn (Etobicoke-Lakeshore) (Local 416 Only, conflict on 79)
Denzil Minnan-Wong (Don Valley East)  
Ron Moeser (Scarborough East)
Frances Nunziata (York South-Weston)  
Case Ootes (Toronto-Danforth)  
John Parker (Don Valley West)  
David Shiner (Willowdale) (Local 79 Only, conflict on 416)
Karen Stintz (Eglinton-Lawrence)   
Michael Thompson (Scarborough Centre)  
Michael Walker (St. Paul's) 

ABSENT