Seems to me that the City, Unions, BC Hydro, ICBC, WCB, BC Government, etc; etc; etc; have no clue as to how their increases effect the average citizen.

Are they all basically stupid, and unable to understand the ramifications of all these increases, or do they just not care.

When the cow is dry you do not keep milking. You give it a rest, so that it can bounce back. Taxpayers in BC have not had a rest from increasing taxes for a long time.

It matters little whether it is the Union, Fireman, Police, Administration, etc; who get the raises, the taxpayer picks up the bill.

As an example the **phoney** Storm Water Utility will increase our taxes, however any increase to business’s will be passed on to consumers, so it will be a hell of a lot more than a tax on our houses.

Another example is the business license for rentals. This increase will be passed on by the landlords to the renters.

So when are our elected representatives, and those other people who work on the public payroll going to realize that taxpayers can no longer afford their high demands.

Can they voluntarily do the right thing, or will they have to be forced to back off through some sort of taxpayer revolt??

What gets me on the issue of business licenses is that during the all day core review council meeting they said that the fees being charged were not enough to cover the city’s costs to administer the program.

So the question I would have will requiring landlords to have a license for each rental property make up for this shortfall or will we be going further in the hole because of the added work to keep track of all the new licenses?

Famous quote from a labor negotiation I was recently a part of…

“We don’t give a s**t about the taxpayer, that’s your problem.” said the Union rep.

I have to assume a similar thought has been expressed in PG.

LOL @ reality check. Thats probably the most honest thing Ive heard come out of a Union rep

Can you please give a reference for this famous quote ? I am Management and would like to use it, but need an actual quote

So palopu just what do so suggest, no raises ever?

Seamut, while many of us in the private sector suffered job and/or income loss through the past 5 years as a result of the recession and the stock market crash, our City employees enjoyed a 5 year, 3.0% per annum wage increase! It’s bloody well time that public sector wage and benefit packages were reined in. Enough is Enough!

Sadly, I continue to be amazed by the number of posters who just don’t get it!!!

seamut. Perhaps no raises until the private sector catches up with Government workers.

As a taxpayer its not my responsibility to continually pay these people high wages. If they can’t go without an increase for five years, then I suggest that both Management and Unions find other places to work.

There needs to be a solution to this problem. Continually raising taxes on lower income workers, is not the answer.

Get a govt or union job an quit your frikken crying! You’re worse than a bunch of children!

“Perhaps no raises until the private sector catches up with Government workers”.

So why don’t you go on strike for higher wages? Oh, I forgot, most of you gave up your unions or were too cowed by your employers to fight for organization. Meanwhile, the corporations make tremendous profits on your backs while you scream and cry that unionized workers have it too good. Those in the top 400 of income earners in the States saw their incomes increase five-fold during the same time that middle-class earners saw their actual wages (adjusted for inflation) stagnate or even shrink.
The problem is not orgainzed labour, regardless of whether they work for government or the private sector, it’s the line of BS the corporate sector spins that leads many to believe they can pull themselves up by their own shoe straps and becomes wealthy, too. This is a dangerous delusion.

i get tired of the old argument that employees in the public sector are paid more than their counterparts in the private sector. what is the private sector equivalent of a social worker? a park ranger? a prison guard? a police officer? do you people think that a police officer’s pay should be more in line with a security guard? or a correctional officer’s pay more in line with a mall cop? many public sector jobs exist because they provide necessary services that do not exist in the private sector.

i hear one thing when the anti-union, anti-public sector posters on this site start their tirades. jealousy. don’t act like you’re so selfless that you’re angry because of a preoccupation with the ‘greater good’ of society, taxpayers, etc… you hate unions and union members because they make more than you and have managed to get better wages, better retirement pensions, and better benefits than many in the private sector. it’s their belief in capitalism at any cost, even if their private employer is bending them over a barrel.

Maybe you can load up that big blue truck of yours with some firewood bater to keep those walking the picket line warm:D

Hear hear mikmak!

Isn’t that what you do for a living dodo, keep strange men warm?

Dragonmaster, if you had a frikkin’ clue, you’d be scary!!

For your information, speaking as someone who is self-employed in the private sector, I can honestly tell you that the cheapest customers that I have are those employed in the unionized and especially the unionized public sector.

My prices are set to cover my costs of doing business and to provide me with a reasonable income, keeping in mind that I and many in the private sector have no benefits, no pension, no sick days etc. Union members are the first to bitch about my rates. They complain that my prices are too high! They want a deal! They try to nickel and dime me to death. They want special treatment! They are seldom happy!

Talk to people operating private businesses! Those that deal with the general public will undoubtedly agree with me! My customers in the private sector seldom complain about my rates! They pay the bill without the whining and bitching usually heard from union members. For the life of me, I can’t understand why that is. Unionized workers generally have a greater ability to pay than most of my customers, yet they complain the most!!

These unionized workers complain about my rates at the same time that they think my taxes should go up to give them yet another raise!

Guess that gives me the right to frikkin cry!!

Mikmak, if you come into my business, perhaps I’ll raise my rates for you. After all, you have better wages, pensions and benefits. Surely you wouldn’t mind paying a bit more!!

Does it really matter whether you’re union/ non union, public/private sector? The bottom line is how long can we afford the rising taxes. As a retired person on a fixed income I’m sure you can see where I’m coming from….there comes a time when paying out your pension money so someone whose income is much more than mine can enjoy a nice raise is a real piss off!

I despise unions, not because they bargain collectively, and not because they constantly demand higher wages and benefits. I despise them, because they protect, coddle and cajole lazy and ineffectual workers that think scoring a union job is like winning the jackpot. These organizations breed ineptitude and impotence. If unions would stop allowing these parasites to suckle at the teat, I think unions might still have a place in our society, but the status quo has to go. Eventually, unions will disappear from western society, they have to. That’s why manufacturing moved offshore, to break the unions because they got too powerful. What’s left now are just the remnants and they’ll be leaving soon enough.

Moving manufacturing offshore was step one. Step two is flooding the country with cheap, skilled labour. So, beware all you people who’ve been getting a free ride for a long time, the gravy train is about to come to an abrupt stop. You have to continually upgrade and improve your skills, if you want to stay viable in this labour market.

This goes double for all you whiners who point your fingers at public sector workers and blame them for your lot in life. I suspect, that if you are taking home crappy wages that aren’t keeping up with the cost of living, there is probably a good reason for that. And I suspect that your criticism of union labour has more to do with jealousy and bitterness, than a reasoned argument against them, because there probably isn’t one among you who would turn a union job down if one was offered to you.

The lack of education on this blog is clear. The people who whine about taxes and costs continually rising, obviously didn’t even get a basic education. That is the nature of the economy you live in. If you haven’t figured that out yet, I don’t know what you’ve been doing. Costs always rise, that is the nature of living in an inflationary economy. If your wages are not keeping pace with inflation, then probably 99% of you need look no further than the mirror, because it sounds like poor planning, poor skills, poor education and whole lot of poor me and not enough hard work. There is no reason in this town that anyone who is able bodied and minded can’t continually build their skills and do well for themselves. The competition here isn’t that great, but that’s starting to change. Better pull up your socks.

Now all that notwithstanding, I still hope City Council locks these unions out. I think the City will run quite well without them and once they realize they have no leverage, their tunes will change. They’re arrogant, ineffectual and stupid.

Sine Nomine… don’t paint all City Workers with the same brush. Not all of them want more, some are more than willing to accept the offer from management and do consider it to be fair. Some appreciate all that they have and do work hard to show their appreciation. Believe it or not, they are all humans working to support their families and actually pay taxes.. go figure!

Hart Guy quit your crying!

Our govt is screwing us over at every turn and you whiners can’t do anything better than attack your fellow citizens in the media.

Having been on both sides of the fence, and watched Unions in action on the waterfront, and on trucking companies, and railways, having been a Union member for years, and a strike leader, plus having worked for Management I can tell you a few things from experience.

1. Unions workers are well paid, and certainly not over worked in BC. In some instances they are extremely overpaid. Production relative to hours worked leave a lot to be desired. This applies to both Government workers Unions, and others.

2. Management in Government jobs in BC are extremely overpaid, and their pay, benefits, and working conditions are the best. They are not in my opinion overworked.

Both the Unions and Management, are paid for by taxpayers. Taxpayers can no longer afford to support this type of infrastructure. Unions and Management have a responsibility to hold the line

I agree with 4seasons that its time to consider the ability of the taxpayers to pay all the taxes that have been dumped on them. Municipalities are part of the Taxpayers Problem, they are certainly not part of the solution.

The solution has to come from without not within.

Palopu, I agree! I have also worked on both sides of the fence and am able to speak from experience.

I will never ever work in a Union shop again! The union environment does absolutely nothing to encourage initiative or hard work. I agree with much of what Sine Nomine says with regards to the coddling and protection for workers that should be canned!!

4seasons brings up a very valid point about the hardships that retired people and others on fixed incomes face when trying to deal with never ending tax increases to provide wage increases for our already very well paid City employees, both unionized and excluded employees!

Dragonmaster, well he’s still whining! Must be a Union Rep!!

Nuff said!

I just knew there was a simple solution, ban unions. Yup that will fix it. Dang that was simple. Then we can all be like Hart Guy, left with nothing.

Seamut, contrary to your learned opinion, I’m not left with nothing! In fact, I’m doing just fine! I have a nice house, nice vehicles, a nice RRSP account and all in all, a pretty decent life. I’ve worked very hard for it, many long hours and I feel justified in what I have accomplished.

You and Dragonmaster seem to think that the world owes you a living, or at least it owes Union members a living. I don’t have a problem with you or anyone else jumping all over me for my views. You can do whatever you want, I can take it! After all, the best that you can dish out really is kind of pathetic!

However, 4seasons made a very valid point about the struggles that fixed income people have dealing with rising taxes increases. He/she states “As a retired person on a fixed income I’m sure you can see where I’m coming from….there comes a time when paying out your pension money so someone whose income is much more than mine can enjoy a nice raise is a real piss off!”

I’d be really interested in how you and Dragonmaster would respond to that comment, but as usual, you are conspicuously silent when faced with a rational arguement. Perhaps you have contacted your Union Rep for advice on how to respond to that comment?

The bottom line rests with the fact that our City employees, both unionized and exempt staff are all very well compensated for the work that they do. 16% over the past 5 years was extremely generous! Let me repeat that, 16% over the past 5 years was extremely generous!! Exempt salaries have also increased at a ridiculous rate!

It’s time to rein in the constant demand for wage and benefit increases! The well is running dry at a rapid and unsustainable rate. PERIOD! For crying out loud, even you two should be able to figure that out! If you can’t, then you really do need to get off of your high horses and spend some time talking to people like 4seasons, people who struggle to live in the real world!

Gimme your best shot!