Sick Days Come Into Question

Public servants’ number of sick days are ‘unsustainable’: Clement

BILL CURRY AND JOHN IBBITSON

OTTAWA — The Globe and Mail

Published Monday, Jun. 10 2013, 12:38 PM EDT

Last updated Monday, Jun. 10 2013, 12:54 PM EDT

The Conservative government is taking aim at sick leave in the public service, where it says the absenteeism rate of 18.2 days a year is more than two-and-a-half times the the private sector average.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement outlined the new policies Monday in the foyer of the House of Commons, releasing the first details on plans that were hinted at in the March 2013 budget.

VIDEO

Video: Tories welcome scrutiny on expenses for MPs and senators

VIDEO

Video: Why First Nations buy-in is 'critical' for northern mining: Clement

VIDEO

Video: Chris vs Chris: What you need to know about budgets and out-of-control graphics

Mr. Clement wants to replace the existing rules, which haven’t been changed since 1970, with two new programs. A short-term disability system will be put in place for workers with temporary illnesses.

The long-term disability program will be reformed with an aim to improve reintegration into the workplace.

Mr. Clement points out that the current system of banked sick days leads to an absenteeism rate that is well above the average of 6.7 days in the private sector.

“That is simply unsustainable for any employer that intends to run a modern, high-performing and effective work force,” said Mr. Clement.

The minister argues that not only is the current system a problem for taxpayers, it is not fair to employees.

Relying on banked sick days is an “inefficient and haphazard” way of managing human resources, according to the minister, because it does not involve case management and rehabilitation support.

“It’s also unfair to employees. If you are stricken with a sudden illness and you need an operation that will force you to be off work for three or four months, but you don’t have enough sick days, you are simply out of luck,” he said.

According to the minister, 11 per cent of public servants do not have any banked sick days and nearly 60 per cent don’t have enough sick days to cover them until the 13-week mark, when long-term disability insurance kicks in. This is seen by the government as discriminatory toward newer and younger employees.

It is not clear exactly what the change in policy will mean for sick days and whether there will be an annual amount set aside.

This latest government proposal will become part of the bargaining mix when negotiations get seriously under way in 2014. Changing the rules surrounding sick leave and disability will require changes to collective agreements, many of which expire in 2015.

Monday’s announcement is the latest tranche in a serious of reforms and proposed reforms aimed at saving money and improving productivity.

Previous changes included requiring workers to foot half the cost of pension programs, eliminating voluntary severance for workers who quit their jobs and implementing mandatory performance management reviews.

The changes – combined with consecutive years of budget cuts in federal departments – have led to a sometimes hostile relationship between the government and public sector unions. The largest federal union – the Public Service Alliance of Canada – has run several versions of a campaign called “Harper Hates Me” that criticizes Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Mr. Clement notes that at annual cost of $43-billion, spending on public sector pay and benefits is the most significant federal expenditure.

Common Sense Solution To Our Union Problems

I have taken time to think about how I would approach this topic. I know being a non believer in unions does not sit too well with the mainstream media but I believe our society is ready for a new approach to labour relations and thus now is the time to roll out my idea.

I have sent a letter to Premier Brad Wall, who then sent it on to Minister of Labour Don Morgan, I received a reply from Mr. Wall before Christmas and now I just received Don Morgan's response. In his response to me, Mr Morgan stated that he is sending it off to the Ministry Of Labour Relations and Workplace Safety for further analysis. Where this will end up is anyone's guess, it may get tied up in the house of bureaucracy, or who knows, something may come of it.

At any length this is my proposal in a nutshell;

I have suggested that the government bring in Right To Work Legislation. This would not be quite what they have in some States, it goes further to protect the worker than their legislations do. As part of this Right To Work Legislation each worker hired within a union environment will have the right to join union or not. The worker, if so wishing not to join the union, would then become part of a fund or pool that holds a labour relations firm on retainer for when their collective bargaining agreement is about to expire.

In the legislation, when the collective agreement is one year from expiring it would mandate that both sides get to the table. Your lawyers would sit down with the employer for up to 6 months to try to bring about an agreement fair to both sides. If no agreement is in place at the end of six months then a mediator would come in and try for 3 months to get a deal in place. After three months and still no agreement then a move to binding arbitration with an arbitrator brought in from outside the province and who is acceptable to both sides. A deal would be in place by the end of the contract and the he said/she said political games would be taken out of the equation. There would be no strike actions taken as contracts would be done before any labour agreement ends, which further brings down the whole ability to play political game by both labour and employer.

Now you may say how is that fair to workers? Well they get the same protection that they currently have under unions but without the huge expense and games unions play. Many union members are charged well over $1000/year in union dues with no choice on how the unions leadership spend the money. Under this particular Right To Work legislation you could cut those union dues from over $1000 to maybe less than $100/year. Imagine what this change would do for the families? Having an extra $1000 in your pocket each year is nothing to sniff at, you can use it for what ever you see fit.

With this approach, you would not have the hard feelings between employer and employees as you know the process will be the same each and every time your contract comes due. The lawyers and employer will work together to make sure any agreement is fair and will ensure the growth of the company or if government make government more streamlined and sustainable.

Unions of course would fight this tooth and nail saying that labour cannot be represented nearly as well by a firm and to this I would answer that lawyers are trained to negotiate, this is what they do when it comes to labour relations. They are more likely to come to an agreement without all the background noise that union leadership puts out before and during negotiations. If the union leadership is really looking out for their members then they should have no problem with them choosing this path and keeping $1000 in their pocket on a yearly basis? The worker can then choose how they spend their money, not like how it is today under the unions where there is no vote for advertising, political contributions or the like.

We have to look at the role unions play in today's society, are they really needed any longer? We have labour relations boards, workers compensation boards and more. These boards do what the unions claim they do for the average person in the workplace, so why have the redundancy? The unions have served their purpose in the past, but in order to build an economic powerhouse where labour and employer have the same goals, we must leave the unions in the past. It is a whole new world out there and we must be able to compete on a global scale and I feel this is a step in the right direction.

There is no doubt that unions hold back our ability to compete, they protect the weak workers, those with no work ethic and hold back the ones who are hard working and would ultimately rise to the top in any other system. With this Right To Work Legislation our economic output would see a tremendous increase because the best people will rise to the top thereby creating an environment where people know that they need to work in order to succeed and therefor production would increase dramatically.

Far too long union has held us back, it is 2012 and it's time for change, let's change our labour legislation to better protect the worker and create a society more in tune with the ever changing global economic landscape. But first things first, we must be willing to talk to friends and family about this, without that grassroots movement things don't change. If you agree with my thoughts do not be afraid to write your MLA, your MP, the Premier and even the Prime Minister, this is how change starts.

This plan of course would need a lot of legal polish but it is a framework that could take us through to the next century in my opinion. Why is it that labour and business must butt heads are we not more civilized than that?

Just What is Going On In The World?

We have riots in the streets of London, Al Shabaab fighting to keep western aid from reaching millions of starving people in Africa, stock markets around the world on a roller coaster ride from hell, mass killing going on in Syria and an American president who has failed his people on the economy, just to name a few.

It is a world in turmoil, the likes we probably have not seen since the second world war and it doesn't look like it will get better any time soon.  Which begs the question, what can we do to fix things?  My common sense solutions below.

Our world for the most part has been living life like socialists for far too long. Even the right side of the political spectrum has been giving free hand outs far too often.  We need to get back to our roots, where people were not afraid to put in an honest days work, raise a family, and expect nothing from government unless it is an unforeseen circumstance such as drought, hurricanes, earthquakes and the like.  Far too often we look to government to step in when times are tough, instead of rolling up our sleeves and getting to work like our forefathers did.  If we truly want change we have to look inside ourselves and decide that change has to start from within.  We are the ones who need to change, we need to stop with the handouts, dig deep and get things done!

Solution for anarchy in London and everywhere else.  Make the people pay for their actions!  Too long have we allowed this kind of stuff to go on without serious consequences.  Sure, have your peaceful demonstrations but if you get out of line you are going to jail, it is that simple.  How many of these people would be out doing what they do if they knew that they would get much, much more than a slap on the wrist?  If the justice system actually enforced the law these people would be looking at years in jail.  It is time to make the justice system work the way it is supposed too and stop pandering to the far left.  This will bring people back down to earth and make them accountable for their actions.  The use of rubber bullets, tear gas, and other methods should be allowed as soon as the police see actions like this ongoing.  These anarchists will soon fall in line, or at least learn how to have a peaceful demonstration.

Starvation in Africa.  This can be called a man made disaster, yes the drought is out of our hands but the price of food has also played a very large roll in this.  The price of food is being driven by the countries such as China and India as well as others.  But also adding to this is the use of food products being used to produce fuels.  This action, especially in the U.S. and Canada has made grains much more expensive which in turn boosts costs of feeding livestock and other meats.  What needs to be done, especially in the States is a move to a more efficient product such as switchgrass.  This stuff can be grown anywhere and does not consume as much energy to produce biofuels.  The energy needs of the U.S. can also be alleviated by drilling for fuels at home.  There has been too much of this "not in my backyard" B.S. and for generations the U.S. has not allowed energy companies to drill some very large economical areas that would dramatically decrease the country's dependence on Middle Eastern oil.  This would mean jobs, taxes and much much more for the U.S. economy, something they dearly need.  But first the left need to get the hell out of the way and let the people who actually want to help the country do their job!  There is enough natural gas in the U.S. to last generations, which will buy them enough time to develop other means of energy that are currently under development.  It is a band aid on the problem but one that could tie them over until these new energy strategies come to fruition.

The U.S. economy and it's affect on the world as a whole.  The powers that be in Washington need to start working for the people and not for their own political agendas.  There needs to be serious cuts to spending, not this piece of junk that they tabled last week which does nothing to cut their debt.  It in fact allows the debt to grow to 20 trillion dollars by the year 2020.  20 Trillion Bucks!!!  You think things are bad now, just think what their debt rating will be like by 2020!  Everything needs to be cut, the people just need to wake up and realize that they will have to do with less.  Less government handouts, less entitlement spending, less government employment opportunities and yes, less unions and their constant drag on a nations ability to compete on the international stage.  But this goes back to the change we need to find within ourselves, it starts at home and then you can hold your politicians accountable.  The Nancy Pelosi's of the world need to be run out of politics and vote in someone who will make the tough decisions, not the easy ones that will garner a lot of votes.  It is this way of thinking that has gotten us into this mess and it needs to change or the mess will just keep piling up.  The people in the U.S. need to also get over the "I don't pay tax" way of thinking.  In order to get this debt paid down a national tax on consumption is a must.  Everyone pays it on goods and services, not just the rich, and middle class.  The nice thing about a consumption tax is that it is a fair system that will tax the rich way more because they obviously would consume much more than the lower classes.  The national consumption tax would bring in un-foretold amounts of income to the federal government and help them get their great country back on track.  Tea Party, GOP, DEMS, it doesn't matter who you are, get your act together and do what is right for the country!

The Middle East uprising has been a missed opportunity for the west to show that we are behind our fellow brothers and sisters.  Our politicians are too slow to react and typically the reaction is not strong enough to prove solidarity.  We need actions, not just words.  Add in the U.N. which is being run like a kangaroo court and needs to make wholesale changes in order for it to be legit once again.  The security council laws need to change to make it majority rule instead of giving the permanent members the ability to quash anything that they disagree with.  It is either that or do away with the security council and let the vote happen between all member nations of the U.N. where 50% plus one means action.  This ability by Russia and China to hand tie the security council from recommending action is ridiculous and has made the U.N. the laughing stock of the world.  It no longer is legitimate and unless changes happen it will remain this way.  For far too long the U.S. and it's allies have had to police the world at it's expense.  If any action is needed in the world it should be international law that all expenses are shared by those who are part of the U.N. and then all money recouped by the country that has needed the help.  Then the trillions of dollars the U.S. spends in taking action would come back the the U.S. people, sounds fair doesn't it?  It has cost the U.S. a trillion dollars or more going into Iraq and Iran to liberate them, should this money not be paid back over time?

These are just some common sense solutions to a few of the world's problems, there are many more problems of course but these are the major ones right now and if these changes are made the world's economy would have a chance at stabilizing and the markets would return to normal.  Again, it is time to hold our politicians accountable and right the ship before it gets consumed by the wave of socialism.

WestJet Vs Air Canada, How much do the unions have to lose?

Looking over the results from WestJet and Air Canada you will see two companies with very different ways of doing business. WestJet, the friendly carrier with everyone within the company an owner and Air Canada, the union laden unfriendly national carrier. WestJet just keeps showing decent profits for it's shareholders(which includes everyone in the company) vs continued losses for Air Canada.

So what does this all mean? To an outsider i think it is obvious that The business model of WestJet needs to be studied and put in place with so many companies. It is a prime example of how private business can conquer the market while it's direct competitor has continued to get saddled with huge union contracts and which in turn leads to higher prices which of course makes them that much less competitive in the marketplace. Add to this the unfriendly and unhelpful union staff of Air Canada and you will see why they are failing to get ahead in the market. The unions have made for a miserable business model that is a complete failure and that sentiment and entitlement from it's union members make this a horrendous company to travel with much less invest in.


Air Canada, it is time to change your way of conducting business, including reeling in the unions and their fat contracts. Either this or you will be heading to the government again with your hands held out, this time they may not be very receptive!

WestJet earnings rise 275%

Air Canada narrows loss

CBC News 

Posted: Aug 4, 2011 12:32 PM ET 

Last Updated: Aug 4, 2011 12:32 PM ET 

Read 0comments0

WestJet expects revenue growth to moderate over the rest of the year. (CBC)

• Sharewith Add This
• Printthis story
• E-mailthis story

Canada's two biggest airlines report very different results Thursday, with WestJet's profits up 275 per cent and Air Canada narrowing its loss.

WestJet reported second-quarter profits soared to $25.6 million as higher fares and cost controls helped offset increased fuel prices.

The Calgary-based carrier said profits amounted to 18 cents per share, up 274.7 per cent or five cents a share from net earnings of $6.8 million, in the same 2010 quarter. Revenues rose 21.4 per cent to $742.3 million from $611 million in the 2010 period.

Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters were on average expecting WestJet to report earnings of nine cents per share and revenue of $734 million. Revenue per available seat mile, or RASM, was 14.17 cents, up from 12.24 cents.

"WestJet anticipates continued year-over-year RASM growth for the third quarter of 2011 based on advanced bookings," the airline said.

"However, this year-over-year growth is expected to come at a moderated pace versus that seen during the first half of 2011, since the pricing environment was more robust during the second half of 2010 as compared to the first half of 2010."

Air Canada, the country's biggest airline, narrowed its losses to $46 million in the second quarter.

The loss amounted to 17 cents per share compared with a net loss of $318 million, or 20 cents per share, in the same period last year.

Air Canada will try to raise fares

On an adjusted basis, the loss was 20 cents per share, falling in line with average expectations from analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.

Operating income was up 55 per cent to $73 million compared with $47 million in the second quarter of 2010.

Passenger revenues increased $272 million or 11.7 per cent, to $2.9 billion, on a 6.1 per cent growth in traffic and a 5.2 per cent improvement in yield.

Premium business class revenues grew $54 million, or almost 11 per cent, from the same quarter in 2010 because of traffic growth of 13 per cent.

Air Canada said it will continue to try to raise fares and seek fuel surcharges where possible in the coming months as it tries to absorb elevated costs that threaten future profitability.

"High fuel costs and volatility clearly remain the single largest challenge facing our industry," CEO Calin Rovinescu said during a conference call.

Fuel costs surged by 40 per cent from a year ago and are expected to add about $800 million to the airline's operating expenses this year.

"To mitigate the impact of this fuel cost increase, we're looking at adding additional cost reduction opportunities beyond those identified through our cost transformation program and, where competitively feasible, we have increased fares and introduced fuel surcharges," Rovinescu told analysts.

My Fix For Big Labour!

O.K., I may have said this before but for anyone new to reading this blog I just want to explain my theory on how to fix the problem with big labour.

First thing is we need to figure out that there is a problem to begin with, if our politicians can't figure this out then they need to be ousted.  Once we have decided we need to do something about the contracts signed with big labour then we need to make the changes to fix the problem.

$200 billion dollars, that is how much the federal government has in Unfunded Pension Liabilities going forward. That means there is no money set aside to pay for the pensions that are on the horizon.  This needs to be addressed now and not later.

First thing that needs to be looked at is something called "right to work legislation"  This simply implies that if you have a job in any sector be it private or public that you have the right to join the union or not.  This is being done in a lot of States right now and is proving out to be very successful, in fact it has made it possible for many states to show budget surpluses this year all the while the federal government is drowning in debt and on the verge of defaulting.

When you get a job, is it not a basic human right to decide whether you want to be represented by a labour group or not?  I mean this is a democratic country is it not?  If I were to go and get a job tomorrow as a welder at a local steel plant, why should I be forced to join a union?  Can I not keep my union dues and just go and do my job, that is all I want.  I do not feel my money should go to pay for a bunch of bureaucrats in the union so that they can get paid 24/7/365, even though the contract only expires every 3-4 years.  I want to be able to spend my $1000/year how I see fit, be it on my family, a vacation, whatever but I will have the right to do what I want with my own money.  I should not be forced to pay for something I do not believe in, that in my mind, is not democratic.

Now some will say without unions the labour pool will be taken advantage of by corporations, and to that I say we already have labour standard board that for on intents and purpose do the same thing that the unions do.  And if the worker feels something is wrong, the labour board is there to step in and represent the worker.

But what about negotiations?  You can't expect every person to negotiate their own contract?  No, I don't, but what I do think is very possible, is for the worker to vote for hiring a law firm to represent the group as a whole.  This is democratic and the law firm would only get paid during negotiations(other than a small yearly retainer).  The cost to the worker would be far less than what they pay in dues on a yearly basis meaning more take home pay.

The next step would to be to change pensions.  The worker needs to fund more of their own pensions, it is done this way by the private sector and is proven to be sustainable. Especially when it comes to the public sector, the taxpayers should not be on the hook for large pensions that you would not get in the private sector.  The public and private sector need to be more aligned on the pension and benefit front, what you get should not vary that much between the two.  With employees paying more into their pension it would alleviate the future liability that the country has and make sure that the pension is there for you when you do go to retire.

As you can see the worker is still represented, and more than likely represented better by a law firm than say some Joe who rose up through the ranks and does not know law at all.  This is a common sense approach to one of the problems facing our country.  I know that a final version of this would need some polish but I feel it is a great starting point and is a large step in the right direction.  If you agree, talk to your MP, MLA, council members, we need to make these changes for the whole of our country.

Mayor Ford In Toronto, a Sign of The Times?

With the election of Mayor Rob Ford, the city took a hard right turn politically speaking.  Now what does this mean to the rest of Ontario, organized labour and the rest of Canada.

For too long the most populous cities in this country have been run by steadfast socialists and for far too long they have bled the coffers dry and made the rest of Canada pay for their "love of humanity"  Now comes along a Mayor who is set to take on the big unions in his city, he has put them on notice that there are going to be changes coming and that their sitting at the trough is about to end.  Toronto is run by big labour, the provincal and local governments made their bed with these guys and now it is about to do a full 180.  Ford is standing up to labour and has publicly stated that the people of Toronto will stand for long strikes, if that is what is needed to reign in the expenses brought on by union contracts.  He knows what it is going to take to curb expense and lets face it labour is the problem, it is the super lucrative contracts that previous administrations signed that have come to bite the people of Toronto in the butt.  Something has to give and it is time that labour really looks at itself and figure out that they are the problem.(more on that in my next post)

Now, what does this mean for the rest of the province and Canada?  Rob Ford has listened to the people of his city and it taking appropriate actions.  He will be smeared publicly by big labour, he will be hated by many on the far left but he will stand tall knowing he is doing the right thing by the taxpayers.  The tax base has had enough and they signaled that by voting Ford in as mayor, they want change and change now!  Now with Ontario staring at large debt loads and having to take equalization payments from Ottawa, the taxpayers seem to be ready to do the same on the provincial level.  It looks like the Conservatives will become government and maybe by a large majority.  This means that the changes being taken at the city level can now carry on to the provincial level.  The people are speaking up and it is time for the politicians to hear their voices.

Federally is a different situation, we have had a conservative government for some time but finally have a majority to work with.  They have already set sail on a bunch of changes coming.  They are freezing most hiring, getting rid of the boondoggle gun registry as well as getting tougher on crime.  Now they are starting to look at themselves and try to figure out where cuts can come from to bring down the debt.  Canada is in a great position when compared to the rest of the world but that doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels, we need to keep at it and reduce the debt load that our children will have to pay for.  This means pensions must be looked at as well as the benefits.  This is a large portion of the annual budget and needs to be addressed as they are unfunded in the years to come and myself as a taxpayer do not think I should have to pay for someone's retirement when I have to save my whole life in order to retire.  Typically government employees are paid much better, have better benefits and pension plans than that of an equal working in the private sector.

All in all, this movement that seems to be sweeping the country is not only good for us but also for our children and their children.  We live within our means and should demand that our governments do the same.

Sask Teachers and Government Tentative Agreement, Yet Another Rant!

Now, is it just me or could this deal have been reached without the strike action, the withdrawal of services and hard feelings?  A little common sense would go a very long way in my opinion! This is yet another example of the union misleading it's members.  This all could have been done in a matter of hours with a law firm representing the members meeting with the government.  Instead these teachers have to pay their union dues each and every month for three years in a row just to have a deal that easily could have been reached without the union brass involvement!

Teachers, I hope you are listening here, get rid of your union heads, put a law firm on retainer and negotiate that way.  You will pay maybe 1/100 of what you do right now to have a law firm on retainer.  Then take that money you are saving and spend it on your family.  Why not have that money in your pockets rather than employing people year round, year after year who are just puppets for the NDP and big labour?

Stop being pawns in a much larger game, you have been used by your union and big labour to try to get more votes for the labour friendly NDP.  Vote out your union and get yourself a law firm who will represent you properly when it comes to negotiations.

Sask. teachers closer to new contract

BY ANGELA HALL, LEADER-POST STAFF JULY 6, 2011

STORY

• PHOTOS ( 1 )

Teachers walk along Lakeshore Drive in Wascana Centre enroute to Victoria Park after a rally in front of the Saskatchewan Legislative building in Regina on May 26, 2011. Teachers from the public and catholic systems are on their second day of a two-day job action.

Photograph by: Don Healy, Leader-Post files

REGINA — Saskatchewan teachers are closer to a new contract with the release Wednesday of a special mediator’s report that recommends salaries be brought in line with the western Canadian average.

The report recommends the general wage hike that was initially proposed — 5.5 per cent over three years — be accepted, noting it’s a formula the government has used to settle other public sector agreements. But mediator Richard Hornung recommended further wage hikes through “market adjustments” based on the average of teacher salaries in Manitoba, British Columbia and Alberta.

For teachers at the bottom end of the pay scale, the recommended market adjustment is an additional five per cent. For teachers at the top end of the pay grid, it’s 3.34 per cent.

The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the government-trustee bargaining committee issued a statement saying the report’s recommendations will form the basis of a tentative agreement.

Education Minister Donna Harpauer said she is optimistic that the two sides will reach a deal, with meetings expected to take place later this summer.

“The government accepts the report and the recommendations made by the mediator,” Harpauer said in an interview.

“I have said in the past that although our offer was 5.5 (per cent), we were definitely willing to put resources on the table to look at market adjustments.”

Read more:http://www.leaderpost.com/business/Sask+teachers+closer+contract/5061068/story.html#ixzz1RQskG6uK