The Next CUPE Strike And Other Stories

Here are some more items of interest.

BORDER LEGAL AND CONSULTANT FEES

Here they are until the end of March. Up another quarter of a million. Such perfect timing for the disclosure too.

Good thing that the City can use up $6M of the $34M we got from the Feds for Brighton Beach to pay for the BUY FOREIGN consultants who live and work more than 4-500 KMs from here.

THE CUPE STRIKE IS OVER, LONG LIVE THE NEXT CUPE STRIKE

Should CUPE start planning now? You had better believe it and so should other City Unions. They need to look back and learn their lessons as they plan for the future.

After the Protocol fiasco,

• "Said Jim Wood, who represents outside workers: "Our people want respect, and they didn't get it today."

They did not get it on payday either. Talk about lack of respect!

Preparations have already been started at City Hall for the next strike. I know this not because of the stupidly insensitive remarks of the Councillor formerly known as Councillor Budget nor because of the right-wing claptrap from Gord and mini-Gord.

Remember the Star Editorial saying:

• "But with their return come the questions: Where do we go from here? Will it be business as usual after a long and protracted work stoppage that virtually polarized the city? Can it ever be the same?
  
  Maybe not -- at least, not in the foreseeable future. As Mayor Eddie Francis said, there are wounds to be healed."

I think City Hall is healing them by rubbing the wounds with salt. The psychological warfare has just begun.

Here is a copy of a pay stub sent to me by a CUPE worker. Obviously I have deleted most of the key inforamtion so that the person cannot be identified because that person might be disciplined for daring to speak to the BLOGMEISTER.

You will notice that the worker was not "on strike" but rather on "unpaid leave." However, the key point is that the person will see on every paystub for the remainder of the year that he/she has lost about $15,000 in pay as if the person did not know that already (The actual amount is close to that amount but not exact for reasons expressed above). Oh and the signing bonus is a mere adjustment

Guess how the person feels about this new "healing" technique:

• "I don't think I'll forget Eddie saying on the news (A channel I believe) 'Respect ... we respect our employees ... now they want to negotiate respect ... how do you put a price on respect?'
  
  Well one way to put a price on respect is not to rub my face in how much I lost over the strike, [expletive deleted] (and will now see this amount every two weeks until my last pay in December 2009)!!! or how about giving us the $2000, $1000 or $500 adjustment cheque by the first Friday we were back instead of making us wait the full 10 days! How about giving overtime if needed or as required to get back to normal city business as fast as possible. How about not sending in Ron Jones and Ken Lewenza Jr into the lunch room at 400 CHSE (city hall square east) a week ago to welcome us back.
  
  The list is endless and Eddie the [expletive deleted] just doesn't get it. He is just so wrapped up in himself. See how easy it is to get me to rant!!!"

Gosh, do you think possible mayoral candidate to be Dave Cooke will condemn this in public? After all:

• "As Cooke said, it's time for us to move on; time to embrace a spirit of goodwill and co-operation"

TWELVE YEAR OLD GETS IT

From another reader:

• "First, let me thank you for your honest and fair observations of the recent CUPE 82 and 543 strike. It was refreshing to read comments from a third party that admitted he wasn't always on our side. (one of your first blogs I read - 29 May 2009)
  
  Since I first read your blog, my wife, 12 year old daughter and I have been reading it regularly. When I came home last night my daughter wanted to show me a video she made about the strike. I cannot understand why ten adults and their so called leader could not understand our fight but a 12 year old girl could.
  
  She has asked me to share this video with as many people as possible. I thought you might enjoy it. Please feel free to share it if you wish.
  
  Again, thanks for the honest and fair support."

WILL NELSON SANTOS ANSWER MY QUESTIONS

I received a couple of emails from him repecting some recent BLOGs:

1) "Good to see you are keeping up a hectic schedule and catching up to so many issues and stories. I will have an invitation sent to you shortly re: nomination meeting--putting final touches on it this morning!

Thanks for the mention and definitely want to help answer all those questions you pose."

2) After asking him about the disclosure of WEDC income and expenditures, he wrote:

"Many answers will come as the new corporation and board members have joined.

As for compensation--the new bylaws as presented to both councils include a provision that the positions for directors are volunteer without any remuneration or stipend--the only compensation allowed will be for out of pocket expenses (Parking etc.)

Hope the weekend has been good."

This new pay-scale for Board members makes it even more urgent and important that WEDC open its books fully.

I do hope that the Warden and Mayor as our "political representatives" have the sense to do so immediately although based on past comments I am not very optimistic:

• "I believe now is the time to look at all the books; do a forensic audit and get a look at the 2006, 2007 cheque registry," said Tecumseh Mayor Gary McNamara.
  
  An independent probe into the spending records of the commission was also demanded by The Windsor Association of Concerned Taxpayers -- a self-described taxpayers' watchdog.
  
  It is absolutely astonishing to learn that after millions of dollars were given to the development commission, their priorities have been so minimal," said Chris Schnurr, WeACT president...
  
  Mayor Eddie Francis and County Warden Nelson Santos as well as acting commission CEO Remo Mancini accused the agency's critics of spreading innuendo through the news media...
  
  Francis challenged McNamara to come forward with information that would warrant a forensic audit.
  
  "If he has information that is credible and leads him to believe a forensic audit is needed, I would urge him to come forward with that information. Otherwise this political attack on the development commission and creating or insinuating there are issues hurts our efforts to attract investors and jobs to our region."

I would suggest that the first thing the Warden should do at the next Board meeting is introduce a Motion to release this information to the public so as to set a new tone of openness and transparency.

If not, he has just given Jeff Watson his first issue to use to try and beat him in the next Federal election!

WILL THE AMBASSADOR BRIDGE BE ON THE THREE LEADERS' AGENDA

Here is a hint that it probably will not be:

• "Prime Minister Stephen Harper today announced that he will meet with Mexican President Felipe Calderón and American President Barack Obama at the upcoming North American Leaders' Summit in Guadalajara, Mexico, on August 9 and 10, 2009. The Prime Minister will be joined at the summit by Minister of Public Safety Peter Van Loan and Minister of State of Foreign Affairs (Americas) Peter Kent."

Although Minister Van Loan has CBSA responsibility, one would have expected Transport Canada Minister Baird to be in attendance since this is technically his file although PM Harper is really running it!

WAS THERE A BUDGET OR WAS THERE NOT A BUDGET

City Hall so confuses me. One thing is said one time which is pretty clear then I read something subsequently that does not seem to me to square with what was said first.

Perhaps in Eddie's new Office of Communications, one person could be detailed to explain away the seeming contradictions. It would be so much easier for me that way!

Story #1

Dig it? Yes we can; City plans $300M in projects
Windsor Star 04-29-2009

Council meets May 6 to begin consideration of the recommended 2009 budget, beginning with public delegations....

The preliminary 2009 capital budget being submitted to council is $92.5 million, but administration notes there are a number of factors that could have an impact on that figure.

The preliminary budget, for example, doesn't take into account $20.6 million the city received last fall under the Provincial Investing in Ontario Act that remains untouched. And Windsor has yet to hear what its share will be from the $4-billion federal- provincial stimulus funding package announced in this year's Conservative budget.

Council had delayed debating the city's 2009 capital budget pending word on what might be coming from the senior governments, but Francis said it can't wait any longer.

"Without a doubt, that stimulus money is a necessary catalyst for projects we'd otherwise not do," he said, adding whatever the final figure is, it will "just further enhance" what Windsor is now planning on its own.

Treasurer Colucci said Windsor has been asked to submit a detailed shortlist of infrastructure projects that can be started quickly and completed by March 31, 2011. He said the city hopes to do that by May 1 and that it has been told "Ottawa will expedite it."

Colucci and Francis said exactly what makes the lists for federal money or the city's own plan is still being worked out. Pushed to give examples, however, Francis points to the $6.3-million upgrade of "beat-up" Tecumseh Road East between Jefferson and Lauzon, completion of the Wyandotte Street East corridor, the start of the Riverside Drive Vista enhancement project, replacing the College Avenue bridge and improvements to Walker and Provincial roads.

By next week, council will also be digesting a report being prepared by the mayor on pushing ahead with a proposed downtown canal project."

Story #2

Focus Ontario Interview August 1, 2009. Transcript from http://lineosight.blogspot.com/

Eddie: Absolutely. Going into this strike, into these negotiations, the city of Windsor knew exactly what our financial position was, our budget had already been struck; we had already delivered a zero percent tax increase to the residents....

Eddie: What I can tell you in Windsor is that, as I indicated, we’ve been working hard to get our financial house in order. We completed our budget, we delivered a zero percent tax increase on the average assessed home in the city of Windsor and at the beginning of the strike there are many charges against us by CUPE, by Sid Ryan, by CUPE National, suggesting that we were entering into a strike to save money for the city."

How could the Budget have been completed when it was not finalized by May 6 and the strike started on April 15.

FINANCIAL HOUSE IN ORDER

A reader sent me this photo of the City's Tax Statement of Account. "Taxes levied" seem to have gone up every year, except for 2004, and increased in 2009. The biggest increase was in 2009, the year we had a "zero percent tax increase." I guess this home was not "average."