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Esquimalt considers "living wage"


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#1 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 08:06 AM

ESQUIMALT CONSIDERS 'LIVING WAGE' FOR ALL MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES

Aug 16, 2010

A MOTION IS BEING PRESENTED IN ESQUIMALT COUNCIL MONDAY NIGHT, AIMED AT SECURING A 'LIVING WAGE' FOR ALL MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES


[...]

http://www.cfax1070....hp?newsId=14817

Easy for them to just go ahead and do it, they just get their money from taxes.

But here is why it's a stupid concept:

While trying to solve a non-problem — supporting families that don't exist, in most cases — the living wage crusade creates a very real problem of low-skilled workers having trouble finding a job at all.

As imposed wage rates rise, so do job qualifications, so that less skilled or less experienced workers become "unemployable." Think about it. Every one of us would be "unemployable" if our pay rates were raised high enough.


http://www.jewishwor...owell110503.asp
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#2 Hotel Mike

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 08:21 AM

And why is a city council wasting time dealing with issues that it really has no business in? Take care of the streets, waste, facilities and pay your contracted policing costs instead.

#3 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 08:25 AM

And why is a city council wasting time dealing with issues that it really has no business in? Take care of the streets, waste, facilities and pay your contracted policing costs instead.


So now the kids that sells me popcorn or rents me skates at the Archie Browning is going to make $17/hr?

Why?
<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#4 Bernard

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 09:16 AM

It is not sustainable to pay well above the market rates for wages. It also makes getting a job more like winning the lottery than a reflect of the value of the work, that is not a healthy situation.

Since government jobs are stable and very, very rarely have layoffs, that stability should be considered a 50% or more wage bonus. On that basis, the lowest paid workers for Esquimalt are paid quite well.

If the public sector pays more the private sector has to pay even more to attract the workers and this causes numerous problems for businesses.

There is also a legal problem with this for Esquimalt. They have a fiduciary obligation to manage the taxpayers money in the best interest of the taxpayers. Paying high wages is not a benefit for the taxpayer and therefore a breach of this duty.

#5 VicHockeyFan

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 07:36 PM

Oh, the irony... :)

Meanwhile, three municipalities over:

METCHOSIN MAYOR DELIGHTED WITH FEDERAL INMATES' WORK

Aug 17, 2010

AN EXPERIMENT IN USING INMATE LABOUR FOR A PUBLIC WORKS PROJECT IN METCHOSIN HAS BEEN DEEMED A SUCCESS.

THE MUNICIPALITY PAID FOUR INMATES MINIMUM WAGE FOR THEIR LABOUR, REPAINTING THE MUNICIPAL OFFICES. MAYOR JOHN RANNS SAYS THAT WAS A MONEY SAVER FOR LOCAL TAXPAYERS...BUT THAT WASN'T THE POINT OF THE EXCERCISE...


<p><span style="font-size:12px;"><em><span style="color:rgb(40,40,40);font-family:helvetica, arial, sans-serif;">"I don’t need a middle person in my pizza slice transaction" <strong>- zoomer, April 17, 2018</strong></span></em></span>

#6 davek

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 07:51 PM

Since government jobs are stable and very, very rarely have layoffs, that stability should be considered a 50% or more wage bonus.


My father-in-law, retired from a career as a government bureaucrat thirty years ago, tells us public sector salaries used to be lower than the private sector. This was to account for the stability of which you wrote. Furthermore, overtime was HALF pay. Of course, public sector unionism put an end to that, and now we find public sector salaries and benefits exceed those of the private sector by a very healthy margin.

#7 spanky123

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Posted 17 August 2010 - 07:53 PM

And why is a city council wasting time dealing with issues that it really has no business in? Take care of the streets, waste, facilities and pay your contracted policing costs instead.


Council wants to make sure that they can get jobs for at least $17 / hr when the taxpayer boots them out next election.

#8 Ms. B. Havin

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 07:27 PM

My father-in-law, retired from a career as a government bureaucrat thirty years ago, tells us public sector salaries used to be lower than the private sector. This was to account for the stability of which you wrote. Furthermore, overtime was HALF pay. Of course, public sector unionism put an end to that, and now we find public sector salaries and benefits exceed those of the private sector by a very healthy margin.


You know, I could relate to your assessment if it weren't for the fact that unionized employees are making 2% (municipal) and 0% (provincial) pay increases, while their managers (non-union) award themselves 10-20% pay increases.

That's what really steams me. Just check out City of Victoria municipal salary stats. Absolutely disgusting.

The world your father-in-law lived in has been swept aside by careerist bureaucrats whose interests gravitate toward their benefits package (pension! pension!) and ability to get on the consultancies gravy train in their so-called retirement.

The term double-dipping comes to mind, although I can't blame 'em. Who could (would?) resist?
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#9 Rob Randall

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Posted 18 August 2010 - 08:35 PM

Sonya Chandler tried to get the rest of Victoria City Council to consider a "living wage" initiative but she was dressed down by an angry Geoff Young who said it was a waste of Council's time even talking about something that is the jurisdiction of the Province.

 



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