Just Some Of The Facts Maam.......

Unions' sick days are making us ill

By PETER WORTHINGTON

An oddity of Toronto's month-long (and counting) garbage strike is that it's making people more aware of how privileged unionized public employees are.

Not only do those on the taxpayers' payroll get more benefits and perks than similar workers in the private sector, they're the only ones who dare go on strike for "more" in the midst of the worst recession in recent memory, where just staying afloat is an achievement.

The garbage strike will not last forever. When it's over, the strikers will still get more than others in the job market, even if all their demands aren't met. Mayor David Miller's offer of a 7.2% salary boost over four years is more than fair.

The sticking point with most who labour in the private sector is bankable sick leave -- 18 days per year, up to 130 days of which union members eventually get as cash when they retire, if they haven't been sick. That's a ludicrous perk that verges on the obscene.

Sick days are a benefit, but should not be a financial bonus. They are a form of insurance that protect against loss of income for sickness.

Fine. That's reasonable and humane. But getting a cash benefit from unused sick days is akin to taking out insurance and then, when your house doesn't burn down, expecting to get the insurance premiums back as an entitlement.

So far, the city has not asked the province to intervene and Premier Dalton McGuinty has been sensible to stay out of the fray. No fool he. The trouble with an arbitrator being appointed to negotiate a binding settlement, is that the bankable sick days would likely be retained, which should be unacceptable.

Whatever agreement is eventually thrashed out, these bankable sick days have to go. But they won't. That's the problem. They may be adjusted, diluted or fiddled with, but Miller seems too unionized to do what is right and scrap them.

What the mayor should do, of course, is catch up with Etobicoke's common sense decision in 1995 and contract out garbage collection to the private sector. Led by then-mayor Doug Holyday, Etobicoke anticipated problems if there was a garbage strike, and by contracting disposal to the private sector, saved something like $1 million a year.

Holyday's and Etobicoke council's wisdom is envied by Toronto today, but Miller lacks the resolve to advocate a similar decision.

Some think Miller is acting tough at the moment. Phooey. He's a puff ball. He may be annoyed at the grief his ungrateful pals at CUPE locals 79 and 416 are causing him, but he'd never risk permanently affronting them.

A mayor who would remove one traffic lane out of Jarvis St. for bicycles, thus ensuring future traffic bottlenecks during morning and evening rush hours, cannot be trusted to be sensible. He's steadily wrecking this city through causes he supports -- from prejudice against the convenient Island airport to excessive pay raises to councillors.

When it comes to pensions, holidays, job security, non-contributory benefits, shorter working hours, guaranteed pay raises -- politicians and public service unions are more equal than other citizens.

It is one of the reasons why Torontonians see little difference between a grasping union and a grasping mayor, who hasn't stood up for the city and its people the way he should, and how many had hoped he would.

Maybe all this will be remembered during the next municipal election in 2010.