Democracy of Hypocrisy

...and with good reason, the government is screwing them out of vacation and stat holiday pay. Why? Because they don't have to pay them according to the Employment Standards Act, even though it has been past practise to do so. Basically the government has broken it's own contract with these student workers. The students signed a contract before starting employment at the parks that they would receive vacation and holiday pay, as they have done so in the past, but the government recently "discovered" that they do not qualify for them as the Crown is exempt from provisions under the Act.

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Link: http://www.windsorstar.com/business/Ontario+press+automakers+executive+compensation/1846036/story.html

Ontario won't press automakers on executive compensation

WINDSOR — Ontario will not use its shareholder status to press taxpayer-funded General Motors and Chrysler Group LLC to release details on compensation paid to its board members and executives, Sandra Pupatello, the province's minister of economic development and trade, said Thursday.

"If I were in charge of their PR department I think I might have chosen to do this a little differently because the perception is often as impactful as the reality," she said. "So, they may choose to do this because just in the spirit of being thankful that we've all been helping. But they're not obligated to."

Pupatello was responding Thursday to growing calls on GM and Chrysler — recipients of more than $14 billion in federal and Ontario government loans — to disclose salaries of their top executives. Although GM has released details of compensation for its board members, Chrysler has refused to follow suit, calling the information "confidential."

Pupatello also defended the base payment of $200,000 to Carol Stephenson, board appointee of Canada and Ontario.

"I think it's probably what is very typical at that level for this size of a corporation," she said.

"And, right now, there's a lot riding on these board members doing a very good job and due diligence. And the governments are going to rely on these people and they've been selected because of the kind of expertise they bring. Carol has very good reputation and we're going to be exacting that reputation in this position."

But NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said taxpayers have the right to know full details of how the auto companies are spending their dollars.

"The bottom line is we now own parts of these companies — whether we own one per cent, two per cent or 30 per cent — is irrelevant," said Horwath.

"The bottom line is it's taxpayer dollars that are shoring up these companies and by virtue of our participation in those companies we have a right to know what the executive compensation packages are and what the perks are members of the board are receiving."

The federal and Ontario governments have provided U.S.-based parents of GM and Chrysler with loans to help keep the auto companies from going under. The governments own two per cent of Chrysler and almost 12 per cent of GM.

GM Canada has said it cut executive salaries by 10 per cent, reduced pay for salaried staff and trimmed benefits and pension plans as part of its restructuring.

It also said that "due diligence conducted by all governments in advance of their support and investment in GM, appropriately included a comprehensive review and careful scrutiny of compensation for hourly and regular salaried employees, and in particular compensation for GM's executives.

"In the case of GM Canada executives and board members, the compensation is not at a level which would require public disclosure based on the agreed terms and conditions between GM and all the governments," it added.

Excuse me? We the taxpayers are basically being told that it is none of our business and leading the way is Sandra "photo op" Pupatello. What in the blue hell is going on here? We funded this bail out, as in we the taxpayers and you'd think that we would have a right to know what exactly our money is being spent on. I guess we only get a sneak peak as it was revealed that Carole Stephenson, dean of the Ivey School of Business at the University of Western Ontario sits on the GM board and earns $200,000 and a company vehicle all the while retaining her post as Dean at the university. However, Chrysler has refused to reveal compensation for its board of directors. As well, both companies have refused news media requests to release details of salaries of their Canadian CEO's.

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The city of Windsor and CUPE locals 543 and 82 have settled an historic 101 day strike. Details of the settlement include a 6.3% (edit, it is now being reported as 5.7%) wage increase over four years of the contract, with 1.5, 1.8, and 2% annually, a $2,000 signing bonus, and all possible disciplinary actions against transgressions the strikers have done during the strike will be dropped. However, this settlement comes at a cost to Windsor taxpayers of $17.2 million over 4 years. Post retirement benefits for new hires, the sticking point of the strike have been dropped. It is unclear whether the unfair labour practises suit against the city will continue.

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CUPE locals 543 and 82 rejected the city's counter offer on Thursday, an offer that many were hoping would end this 14 week strike. In what has been a day filled with drama, CUPE flat out said "NO" to the mayor and to city council. It all started with the city asking CUPE leadership to take the offer to its members and let them vote on it.

The vote occurred Thursday morning, but not before city managers showed up to hand out back to work protocols to the workers, who in disgust, threw the papers in the air. Rumours abound that CUPE leadership was instilling fear into the membership by stating that the city was not going to include a back to work protocol and that members may lose their jobs or face disciplinary actions upon settling the strike for any actions the mayor deemed worthy of dismissal or discipline.

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Windsor is stuck in a trend that no one would ever want to be in and that trend is the unemployment rate, which now sits at 14.4%. This once booming town now holds the distinction of having the highest unemployment rate in Canada. There were more than 25,000 local residents out of Work in the Windsor area at the beginning of the summer, however with the Chrysler Windsor Assembly Plant reopening at the end of June, 3500 workers are now back on the job and with news that the midnight shift will remain at least until next summer, it may mean that the local economy may now begin to recover. Lets keep our fingers crossed.

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The strike by the municipal workers in Windsor that is. 12 weeks now without garbage collection, parking tickets, daycare etc. I've been able to go about my life without being affected by this to be honest. I don't have a habit of strolling through back alleyways to see the mountains of garbage that are piled up, but I see them in pictures nonetheless in the local news rag and on the many blogs I happen to come across. There doesn't seem to be any talks scheduled that I know of and so we continue to live in a garbage town.

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