Recently contract negotiations were conducted between the province of Ontario and some teachers unions. The teachers were adamant that this had nothing to do with wages, it was all about the students welfare.
In most public sector jobs, wages have been frozen for a while, private sector jobs have been this way for some time, recessions sort of dictate prudent spending. Yes I know the government often ignores prudence. ok runs away from it like it was a plague…
So when the strike was settled, contrary to promising there was no more money to grant raises, it seems this did take place, though it was not about wages it was all about the students welfare. uhmmm.
Now something is hitting the fan and it is not air.
It has been released that the government, in negations with the unions. Gave the unions some money, not much, just 2.5 million.
What for?
Well that is a good question, but we won’t find that out, it was done in secret, now that the secret is out, they maintain this was done to cover the unions negotiating expenses. HUH?
How was this done? Well we won’t know that either as there were no invoices, no receipts, no accountability in any manor was taken by the government, here is the money. thanks.
Well Education Minister Liz Sandals said (from the Globe and Mail) “
that there are no itemized accounts of exactly what taxpayers’ money paid for. “You’re asking me if I have receipts and invoices. No, I don’t,” Ms. Sandals said when asked if there was any accounting for the expenses, adding she’d “make no apologies” for the payouts.
The minister said she was satisfied $2.5-million was reasonable based on her own knowledge of bargaining expenses. The unions had to spend money for officials to travel to meetings in Toronto, stay in hotels and order pizza during negotiating sessions, she said.
“We know what hotel rooms cost, we know what meeting rooms cost, we know what the food costs, we know what 100 pizzas cost,” she said. “You don’t need to see every bill when you’re doing an estimate of costs. I don’t ask.”
So I am not a business major, but I can push buttons on my calculator, I know I am multi talented. lets see… 100 pizza’s $800 to $1400 ? likely they had some sort of gourmet pizza flown in from France though…
Hotel rooms… a comfortable room at $200 a night? is that fair? I mean this is or should not be some sort of entitled luxury item right?
so at $200 a night… that is something like 12 THOUSAND nights of hotel rooms… eeeps. I didnt think that many people were involved in the negotiations.
Hey wait, isn’t this the unions job? To do negotiations?
So the questions were asked… in past negotiations, were there payouts then as well?
Her answer? “I’m not sure that it is useful to go back and rake through the history,” she said.
Uhm? It is not? Isn’t that how criminals are caught? uhm..
also from the Globe
Premier Kathleen Wynne dodged questions on the subject in the daily Question Period.
She is pretty dodgy.
It is interesting that the unions that received this money spent so much getting this government elected. Millions and millions. I wonder why?
Future investments?
ugh.
“And Education Minister Liz Sandals has admitted that the government has repeatedly given such payouts to teachers’ unions over the past decade to compensate them for the cost of collective bargaining with the province. The payments raise tough questions about the government’s claims it is not spending new money to reach labour settlements.”
They are using old money?
I am very annoyed. When is the next election?
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Edit… The amount of payouts to unions now has climbed to almost 5 million.
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sensuousamberville 