Great news. Happy to see a resolution to this contract. Congratulations.

Sounds innocuous enough if you say it fast however at the end of 2013 they will be earning an additional $2000.00 per year per person, assuming that the average wage is $50,000.00 per year. Orrrrrrrr.

1st increase $500.00 times 26000 equals $13,000,000.00 times 4 increases roughly $52,000,000.00 by Dec 2013.

Pretty pricey if you ask me. Are we to beleive that the Government had this money laying around, and were able to find it hidden in a shoe box to pay for these increases. If they could find savings in the budget maybe they should have returned the money to taxpayers.

Sounds like alot of money for some of the service clerks…. once the liquor stores are privatized it will be a harsh reality for some. 40 – 50k per year plus benefits and pension is rediculous for the ones I know who stand and scan bottles of beer…

I don’t know what the gov’t liquor store employees make, but I would be surprised if it was as little as $40-$50K. I would guess more than that.

Just get rid of gov’t liquor stores and ICBC. We’d save a ton of money just on those two items alone.

Both ICBC and the Government Liquor stores make a profit, how will we save a ton of money by getting rid of them?

As far as costing us anymore money, the increases in pay were taken out of the existing budget, net zero!

This is the fiscal responsibilty of the Conservative ideology. The product is irrelevant, it matters nothing to fiscal Conservative ideology if at the end of the day the service or product suffers. All that matters is they can tell the taxpayers that there was no increase in cost.

That is the reason there was a battle with the teachers earlier this year, the teachers refused to rob money that was earmarked for kids for their own wages. Teachers felt the product or service would suffer if funding was robbed to pay themselves. However the BC Liberals could care less if the service or product is diminished as long as the illusion of fiscal responsibilty can be maintained.

“If they could find savings in the budget maybe they should have returned the money to taxpayers.”

They are returning the money to taxpayers, all 26,000 of them.

“Just get rid of gov’t liquor stores and ICBC. We’d save a ton of money just on those two items alone.”

Then everyone would whine about the price of booze and car insurance.

Dragonmaster. Those 26000 people have to get money from us **real taxpayers** in order for them to pay any taxes.

On average, public sector workers earn(?) 130 to 140% of what comparable private sector workers earn. Years ago, public sector workers earn less than private sector workers, but they had far better benefit packages and pension plans. This put them on par with private sector workers. Over the past 30 years or so, successive governments in an attempt to have labour peace, have granted wage increases to public sector workers, while allowing them to maintain or improve both their benefit packages and their pensions plans. The result is the situation that we now have where public sector workers have better benefit and pension packages AND higher wages than the private sector. This has resulted in our absolutely absurb situation where public sector workers are compensated to the tune of 130-140% of what the private sector worker gets!

This cannot continue! I’m sure that the clerks in our liquor stores are very nice people, but $20.00 per hour or more to start, for a cashier??? Let’s get real people!

I think that it’s just about time for a tax revolt. Bettery yet, it’s time for our public sector unions to publish their current wage scales during any new contract negotiations. It’s also time for public sector workers to realize just how well off they are compared to the private sector worker. Maybe then, they might stop complaining so much.

I’m tired of being a slave to the idiots that run our public sector unions. Jim Sinclair, Irene Lanzinger, Darryl Walker and other labour leaders should start being honest with their members by telling them how well off they are, instead of whining and complaining for more wages, more benefits, more, more, more! Remember, higher wages for union members usually results in more money for the unions!

Enough is enough is ENOUGH!!

Palopu: “Dragonmaster. Those 26000 people have to get money from us **real taxpayers** in order for them to pay any taxes.”

Exactly. I’m not sure why some people don’t get that.

Dragon: “Then everyone would whine about the price of booze and car insurance.”

Government sets the price of liquor, no matter who sells it. And for what we get, ICBC is a rip-off and a monopoly to boot, I’m not sure where you’re coming from there. Monopolies don’t have to be competitive.

Yeah great Hart Guy?

Thats what we need, we need to drag anyone who we think has greener grass over to our mudpit. I would rather my wage was waterbedded up, corporations have never been more profitable, and as long as we continue to drag those with what we think have greener grass to our mudpit, the private sector will continue to reap record amounts of cash, thanks to our ignorant jealousy.

Why is it criminal for a government worker to fight for a raise, but it is good business to take a government subsidy to make a profit?

According to a recent article in the Vancouver Sun, the starting wage for government liquor store employees is $14.95 per hour and tops out at $20 per hour. Most of the lower paid jobs are part time.

That doesn’t seem like ridiculously high wages to me.

Exactly monopolies set the price, so our monopolies are making profits so why would any government get rid of that?

Dragonmaster, I just returned from Alberta. While there, I purchased several bottle of wine for $8.29 each. I had purchased the same wine in BC only 2 days earlier for $11.49. The BC bottle cost me 38.60% more!

Last month, I renewed my truck insurance. I purchased my “own damage” coverage from a private carrier and saved approximately 10%!

In both cases, I received much friendlier and helpful service than I received from our overpaid government workers.

Tell me again about whining about the price of booze and car insurance!

Dragonmaster, I just returned from Alberta. While there, I purchased several bottle of wine for $8.29 each. I had purchased the same wine in BC only 2 days earlier for $11.49. The BC bottle cost me 38.60% more!

Last month, I renewed my truck insurance. I purchased my “own damage” coverage from a private carrier and saved approximately 10%!

In both cases, I received much friendlier and helpful service than I received from our overpaid government workers.

Tell me again about whining about the price of booze and car insurance!

Taxed Out, I’m perfectly happy having a profitable private sector corporate environment. Profitable corporations purchase more equipment and other assets and they hire more workers! Government does very little to create real wealth building jobs. It’s the private sector that does that! You sound like the typical whiny public sector worker who spends half of his workday complaining about how hard done by he is and the other half listening to his union rep telling him how hard done by he is!

Taxed Out, I’m perfectly happy having a profitable private sector corporate environment. Profitable corporations purchase more equipment and other assets and they hire more workers! Government does very little to create real wealth building jobs. It’s the private sector that does that! You sound like the typical whiny public sector worker who spends half of his workday complaining about how hard done by he is and the other half listening to his union rep telling him how hard done by he is!

….folks…you’re all pretty quick to judge the front line workers of the provincial government. How much do you really know and how much is just crap you hear or think? Who do you think pays your wages? Boil it all down and we the consumer either pay for a product or a service…. so we’re all in the same boat. We pay taxes for a service and we pay also for products purchased. If you think private is the way to go then just wait until the gov’t steps aside and allows private industry to screw us over…it’s all about balance!

I’ll bet that most of the posters who would begrudge someone earning $14.95 per hour, part time actually earn a heck of a lot more than that themselves. Sickening.

Hart Guy….where would you be without gov’t services that are provided for such a realistic price and in such a timely manner. If working in the Public sector is such a walk in the park you should get a job with them… I’ll bet you could work your way to the top in no time…LOL…after all, everyone knows that the real money is working for the Gov’t………

I am not a public sector worker, but I don’t think money comes from corporations, I believe money comes from customers. Trickledown economics has been a failure. There is no corporation even if it is making a profit that will hire more workers or buy more equipment unless the corporation requires it to service more customers than the equipment or employees can handle.

Henry Ford paid his workers $5/day which was twice the going rate back in the day because he believed his customers needed to make a little more money in order to buy his cars. He paid his employees more which waterbedded wages up throughout the USA, giving Ford a larger customer base. The fight in the USA tommorrow is all about two different economic models. Romney believes in trickledown, Obama believes as Henry Ford did that customers drive the economy and therefore that is where the economy needs to be bolstered.

I am not a public sector worker, but I don’t think money comes from corporations, I believe money comes from customers. Trickledown economics has been a failure. There is no corporation even if it is making a profit that will hire more workers or buy more equipment unless the corporation requires it to service more customers than the equipment or employees can handle.

Henry Ford paid his workers $5/day which was twice the going rate back in the day because he believed his customers needed to make a little more money in order to buy his cars. He paid his employees more which waterbedded wages up throughout the USA, giving Ford a larger customer base. The fight in the USA tommorrow is all about two different economic models. Romney believes in trickledown, Obama believes as Henry Ford did that customers drive the economy and therefore that is where the economy needs to be bolstered.

Retyred Guy, for your information, I worked in the Public Sector for 8 years. I finally left because I got sick of all of the whining and complaining and more than that, I got sick and tired of receiving the same wage increase as some of the lazy people that I worked with. I can honestly say if I was the boss, half of the staff that I used to work with would have been canned a very long time ago! Unfortunately, due to their union, we the taxpayers are stuck with them on the payroll,usually until they retire with their generous and all to often unearned pension! Unfortunately public sector workplaces are all too often a place of entitlement, where one only has to put in time until retirement with very little fear of being terminated if unproductive!

Sounds like a supervisor problem!

Whenever the excuse is the union protects workers who are not doing their job, there is a lazy supervisor with an excuse. If a supervisor is worth his/her salt, there is a contract and if the conract is not being met, termination or discipline can and is in many unionized shops done.

Just like whining about the greener grass my neighbor has, and wanting his green grass to be like my mudpit, the answer is not the lazy worker it is always the lazy superisor. Ask any successful businessman.

Exactly taxed out! Many supervisors cruise into retirement not wanting to rock anyone’s boat. It’s just easier that way. I work for the govt as a certified tradesman and earn $5-$10 an hour less than any private sector worker in the same trade. Some posters above don’t know what they’re talking about. Others very obviously lack the skills required to be employed in union jobs, (public or private sector). That’s why they cry on websites like this because they’re simply jealous that others are making a better living than they are. Their whining is really old!

I hear that Dragonmaster. I’m a tradesman as well and I would be making FAR less in the public sector when compared to my private sector job.

It seems ironic how quickly people want to pull down other ‘regular’ folks when its the politicians and other public representatives making HUGE money off the backs of us working stiffs. Its those folks who need to be fired, rather than us lowly peons.

Geez people….get you priorities straight for once….

Just to add to Taxed Out’s comment, it is that lazy supervisor / manager who collects the bonuses and other perks while lacking the backbone or just the basic instinct / desire to actually do their jobs and manage their staff. I work in a a unionized environment, and let me tell you, if there is a problem staff member who is not performing their duties, the union cannot protect them if they have a decent manager willing to tackle the problem. A lazy unproductive worker can only be that way if they are permitted to be that way. It might take some time, some brains and some innovation, but they can be dealt with and isn’t that what the bonus and perk collecting managers should be doing?

You guys are worse than a bitch n stitch sewing circle.. If any one of you actually asked a BC Public Service worker what is going on this is what the answer would be.. The money the govt saved from the strike is enough to cover the wage increase. Wages arent comparable to industry in fact an industry job that pays $100,000 per year would be aprox $60,000 gross salary for a govt worker with equal skills. Overtime is rare and extra hours worked above a regular schedule have to be taken as time off and any extra overtime has to be pre-apporoved. There has been a hiring freeze for the last couple years with only essential job positions being filled. The only real bonus to working for government is the benifits and flexiblity in training and they have a stable pension plan. Alot of govt workers arent motivated by their wages they are motivated because of the flexible work environment in jobs which normally would require you to spend extended periods of time away from family.

26000 BCGEU Workers at 60,000 gross, cost us approx $1 1/2 Billion per year. This does not include benefits which would double the amount.

This is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the cost of various Governments, ie; Federal, Regional, Municipal. These different levels of Government are a huge drag on taxpayers.

We need to find a better way of getting the job done. We are drowning in **red tape**, which of course the Government justifies.

If we dont get a handle on things, it wont be long and we will be in the same situation as the European Countries.

It doesnt matter, whether the Government worker is a politician, a supervisor, or a union member, they are all paid for by tax dollars, they all have thier good and bad points, and they all are driving us toward some serious financial problems.

We have now made gambling legal, increased all sorts of fines, put in tolls on roads and bridges, increased Ferry fee’s and initiated Airport Improvement Fee’s in order to generate money to pay for the cost of Government and Government programs.

We are now looking at legalizing Marijauna so we can generate more revenue. In addition they are looking at a road tax, and are thinking about taxing you for using the road, based on the number of miles you drive a year.

We can all justify our jobs, and do so on a regular basis, however deep down inside we also know that we are not being 100% truthful.

Exactly Palopu, and thru all these increases in fees, fines, and tolls our Governments have lowered Corporate tax to the lowest in the G-8, and reduced royalties?

Trickledown economics is a failure, as long as we have customers broke from carrying the tax load thru these various disguises of taxes, the economy will remain in perpetual recession.

Canada is a resource based economy with the bulk of our revenue generated thru the export of those commodities, problem is Stephen, Allison, Christy, and the like continue to reduce revenue in the guise of trickledown. In Canaa this has resulted in trickleOUT and the customers (Canadian tax, fee, toll, fine payers) are left with the bills.

“26000 BCGEU Workers at 60,000 gross, cost us approx $1 1/2 Billion per year. This does not include benefits which would double the amount.”

What a ludicrous statement. Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good rant though.