Why Can't We All Just Get Along.

News Item...

... The City of Hamilton and CUPE Local 5167 are at odds and there may be a municipal strike over the issue of the use of casual labour.

The City wants to use more casual labour to augment its overall workforce. This enables them more flexibility in staffing, helps keep labour costs down, and gives the taxpayer more value. It also solves the question, "What do we do with Snowplow Operators in July?" It's not that much different than a factory using a temp agency.

The Union wants several things on this issue: wage parity; vacation entitlement; fewer 'casual' positions (= more permanent positions); and more.

First off, wage parity.

Both sides are guilty here. Equal work should be equal pay. We can all agree on that.

Here's your however; if you don't like the wage offer, don't take the job. If enough people turn down the job, the wage will have to be reviewed.

Vacation entitlement. What the Union would have you believe is that these casual workers are slaves, chained to their jobs with no days off and no compensation for their drudgery.

Not true.

These people receive a percent addition to their pay in lieu of benefits and vacation. They do not get un-paid vacation, they get vacation pay every pay. It's up to them to set it aside. They can save it for when they are off.

Use of casuals. The City wants more. The Union wants more casual positions turned into permanent jobs. Ok, the onus here is about 25% City and 75% Union.

The City gets a slap here for not balancing the work, but not too hard because it wants to provide value. Remember, these are tax dollars, and more tax dollars spent on wages, is less for other services, programs and needs.

The Union? Well, they are willing to hijack an entire population, cause inconvenience for all, by demanding more full time jobs. I digress, if you don’t like the terms of the job offer, don’t take the job. These casual workers are not tricked or lied to, they know it’s a temporary or seasonal position, and may not lead to full time, permanent work.

So it boils down to this; The City needs to be fair to its workers and needs to be responsible with what it has, public money.

The Union needs to be realistic, demanding full time jobs is unfair to the people who pay them, the public.

The Casual Workers? If you don’t agree to the terms of the offer, don’t take the job.

DJW