A Normal Day At Silly Hall

THE MAYOR

HIS FLUNKIES

A strange way to cut costs

Predictably, at Mayor Miller's City Hall, it's non-union staff who are taking the hit

After watching King David and his merry band of minions muddle their way through the mayor's priority item at council yesterday, I'm convinced more than ever that they're singularly incapable of organizing a piss-up at a brewery.

The issue at hand -- whether to impose a wage freeze on 4,000 non-union staff working for the city -- finally passed 24-17 around 5 p.m., after four hours of petty procedural wrangling.

According to the plan, some 59% of those staffers won't get any sort of raise this year while 41% will continue to get their 3% merit pay -- a move that is estimated to save $20-million over two years.

Yet by the time councillors voted, I was convinced that if some of Mayor David Miller's cronies had had their way, one lone bald guy working deep in the city's archives would be the single city manager subject to a pay freeze this year (no offence intended to bald guys).

The thing is, Miller's decision to target just management and non-union employees working for the city -- while refusing to state publicly that his 30,000 CUPE pals, all councillors and all non-union employees working at the city's agencies, boards and commissions (ABCs) should be subject to the same wage restrictions -- is not simply unfair.

It is also indefensible, no matter how much the King tried to sugar coat it with his patronizing musings about how the "public service works literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week" and he must thank them for their "tremendous efforts."

Some of his loyal supporters, I suspect, knowing the plan would be considered inequitable, tried to make it appear more palatable to the employees impacted.

First, over-the-hill councillor Howard Moscoe proposed giving non-union employees eligible to retire within five years a 2.4% cost-of-living increase, plus their lump sum bonuses this year so their pensions won't be affected.

"I think this will save us a lot of money," he proclaimed. "Someone at the top end (of the salary range) will retire, paving the way for some one at the bottom end."

I think Moscoe's idea is a good one. He should be the first to call it quits. I suspect he might have been eligible somewhere around 2003. Seriously, however, when asked how much this would cost, or save, Moscoe had no idea. "I don't know the numbers, ... it has not been entirely costed out," he said.

MOTION AMENDED

His North York pal, John Filion, jumped into the fray, amending Moscoe's motion by taking out the lump sum bonus. Again, no numbers were provided on costs.

Then newbie councillor Adam Vaughan wanted confidential clerical and administrative clerical staff to be excluded from the pay freeze to make sure the "lowest paid still have economic justice."

We never did find out if they were indeed the lowest paid -- although I have all the respect in the world for the city's conscientious clerk's staff -- because Sandra Bussin ruled all three attempts out of order.

That, however, was only after considerable prodding from Coun. Mike Del Grande.

Such a circus and as is typical the ringmaster -- King David -- was nowhere to be seen throughout much of the debate.

To be fair, I'm the last person to criticize honest attempts at Socialist Silly Hall to save money. Such efforts are so few and far between.

But King David's token efforts at being "fiscally responsible" at the expense of one (relatively small) group of employees who he believes won't cause a fuss is hardly impressive.

If he truly wanted to be "fair and responsible" to the people he represents (Toronto taxpayers) and really wanted to save money, he'd lead the charge to ensure all employees throughout the corporation take a wage freeze this year, or unpaid days off (say Miller Days). A real leader is consistent with everyone.

'UNWORTHY' OF COUNCIL

Yet when several members of council tried to tie the non-union freeze to the current negotiations with CUPE locals 416 and 79, King David became quite hostile, calling their efforts "unworthy" of council.

"I find it quite disingenuous to suggest there is some inequity here," he declared. Okay then.

If the mayor believes this won't come back to haunt him and won't impact on employee morale, he's got another think coming.

If he thinks he's fooling taxpayers, he's only deluding himself.

After all, to quote his strongest critic, Rob Ford, "this is a no-brainer."

Even a Harvard-trained economist should comprehend that.

SUE-ANN.LEVY@SUNMEDIA.