Cornwall Ontario – Call it a Million Dollar Solution! Even CUPE knows that Cornwall is in a budget crisis, but sometimes you need dramatic solutions to dramatic problems.
You can’t blame city workers and their union for trying to improve their lot. It’s part of what they do.
The entire blame for this lies in a labour rigged council and a management team, that since Geoff Clarke replaced Robert Menagh, that has fallen into sad disrepute. In fact looking at Clarke’s salary rises surely only aggravated a situation while he led a wage freeze. Who would be happy about a wage freeze while their boss was seeing double digit raises? In fact Clarke has failed so badly that his chika Maureen Adams brought back a position eliminated by Menagh for nearly as much as Clarke was making instead of simply replacing Clarke. Heck, she could’ve brought back Menagh who was not terminated for cause as his record here in Cornwall was of wage control and overall success which included reducing a few management positions.
So this writer’s million dollar solution is a 25% pay cut across the board for the 30 or so City Managers working for the City of Cornwall which would help the budget by about $1M per year. While those managers would have to agree, we taxpayers could certainly see, before an election, where people’s loyalties lie.
It would be a major sacrifice by those managers, but many have seen their salaries rise about that much over the last two terms. And could CUPE and city workers really go on strike if the management team acted in good faith in that manner? After all, CUPE members would not be asked to take a pay cut or see jobs cut.
Clearly Cornwall needs to create more revenue so that CUPE and its members can earn more. Nobody begrudges them a penny, but at a certain point you either have to find a wage solution or jobs get cut. Our city workers need to be a part of those solutions.
Look at CCH. No more home made meals and really crappy ones shipped in from Ottawa. One Vegan I was talking to lost over ten pounds during their stay at CCH and was at one point fed white rice for their supper and had to supplant with foods brought in by their family. In the end the well paid kitchen jobs at the hospital disappeared.
That’s not a solution and nobody wins at any level.
What do you think dear CFN viewers? Do you think CUPE would back down on its strike threat if city managers took a pay cut? You can post your comments below.
Good idea, I like it. But do you think it would ever happen? I don’t see it happening with the current group of monkeys around the horseshoe and the 30 senior managers involved. The monkeys don’t have the balls or initiative / desire to do it.
Hugger I would tend to agree with you, but my point is that councilors should be bringing something to the table and other than Mr. MacDonald I’m not seeing a lot. It’s great that some are voting to refuse, but we need solutions. CUPE and our great city workers are not the enemy and sadly by employing what appear to be weak managers like Geoff Clarke we are now in a confrontational process.
Would we even have this strike vote if Maureen Adams was not handing out big management pay days? How do you tell staff you have a wage freeze and then give their direct boss double digit increases? People see through bs, even here in Cornwall.
I agree 100%. But the monkeys around the horseshoe have no desire or are unable to grasp the concept of what needs to be done.
Difficult decisions should be made soon, some CUPE locals wages haven’t been look at or haven’t been increased for almost 2 decades , whilst managers make salaries equivalent to salaries paid in the GTA with a lot let less responsibilities, less staff and smaller populous, something has got to give.
Jamie,
You are right there is no easy solutions the the tax issue. It will take time and thinking outside the box.
Take Care,
Diane
Thirty city managers for such a small town are you kidding?????????????????? No wonder Cornwall is in trouble. Yes the hospital meals are horrible here in Ottawa and hubby left everything and didn’t eat at the hospital. This morning the nurse came and went and hubby refused to go on tests to be held at the Riverside Hospital. He is very afraid – scared as can be.
Big mistake not doing the tests.
Failure is rewarded. Can’t do the job? no problem as long as you part of a click You are taken care of graciously. Anyone else is treated like trash, they have no problem talking amongst themselves on how to eliminate that certain someone. This falls to our Mayor, remember that voters but also this falls on our CAO. Hope you sleep well at night. Failures.
So the unions have a strike date, any upper manager being fired for the epic failure or is a blind eye once again being turned and it’s all the unions fault? Ms. CAO and her pet will have you believe it’s the unions fault. Clarke has to go.