Keys To Candy Shoppe Given To City Unions

City Hall's secret hose job Firefighters set the pace for coming union contract negotiations with quiet 9.66% hike

By SUE-ANN LEVY

If one ever had any doubts that the unions rule the roost at Socialist City Hall, the secrecy surrounding a generous new contract for Toronto's firefighters should put that to rest.

It seems the contract -- which gives the city's 3,200 firefighters a total of 9.66% in wage hikes over three years starting this year -- quietly slipped under the City Hall radar for four months after it was approved in the evening of the June 20 council meeting.

Most conveniently for Mayor David Miller and his inner circle -- desperate to get their controversial land transfer and vehicle ownership taxes through council -- it was never publicized, debated or factored into fiscal projections on the size of next year's deficit hole.

It should have been a key part of the taxes debate, especially since CFO Joe Pennachetti has repeatedly pointed out in each operating budget dog-and-pony show that inflationary pressures -- specifically wage hikes -- account for more than $200 million of the city's yearly $500-million deficit.

But it was City Hall's best kept secret.

It was in the best interest of the mayor and his cabal to keep it quiet. But aside from Coun. Cliff Jenkins, council's right wing also dropped the ball entirely. Jenkins said he voted against the contract in the June 11 meeting of the mayor's handpicked employee and labour relations committee because he was concerned it was "well above inflation" during a time of fiscal crisis.

Yet he remained silent, as did all other members of the right, who were in the council chamber the night of June 20.

The contract was approved in one-minute flat at 8:02 p.m. after a 45-minute in-camera session. A recorded vote -- normal practice on key issues like this -- was not taken.

A press release on the deal was never issued. City spokesperson Brad Ross said the firefighters should have issued something and it's "not necessarily" something the city would put out a press release on.

Even Toronto Fire Fighters Assn. president Scott Marks bristled when I contacted him at a conference in Chicago, saying -- somewhat sarcastically -- the contract was "only negotiated six months ago."

HIGHEST PAID

Marks claimed his members -- who will be the highest paid in the province in 2009 -- did negotiate with the city's "tough financial issues" in mind.

That's too funny. Besides above-inflationary wage hikes each year, firefighters will be required to work just seven 24-hour shifts a month with provisions in each shift for sleep and meal breaks. They'll also continue to receive recognition pay -- a top-up at eight, 17 and 23 years of service.

"It was a very realistic and reasonable contract negotiation process," he said.

If the contract was so darn "reasonable" why the heck did Miller and Co. keep it so secret?

It's obvious to me they wanted to see their tax package glide through council with nary a mention such a contract is well above inflation (2% in Toronto), is far too rich for a city in a cash crunch and that concessions should have been demanded rather than giving away the candy store.

It's also clear to me now why nearly a dozen red-shirted firefighters cheered on the mayor and his council at this past Monday's tax debate. It was quid pro quo time.

BENCHMARK SET

But the far greater issue -- in addition to the tremendous secrecy around its approval -- is the die has been cast. This contract will now form the benchmark for every other union contract, starting with the police negotiations, kicking off today.

In the absence of any realistic cost-cutting plan, I can only guess where the mayor and his sycophants will find the money to cover all of these generous contracts. No wonder they're already talking tax on alcohol sales.

Judith Andrew, v-p Ontario of the Canadian Federation Independent Business (CFIB) has no doubt the city's union contracts will "leap frog" each other.

"To find out that kind of largesse came from a city in a huge financial pickle is just so disturbing," she told me last night.

Kevin Gaudet of the Canadian Taxpayers Federation can't understand why any member of council didn't bring this up,

"It makes it look like the only reason they're raising our taxes is so they can hand it over to their union buddies," he said. "This (exercise) is endemic of so much that is wrong with City Hall."