“Let fury have the hour, anger can be power D’you know that you can use it?”

Clampdown – Joe Strummer

In it’s 2008 budget the Ontario Government announced that:

• Under the Reaching Higher Plan, the Ontario government is investing more than $6.2 billion in postsecondary education by 2009-10, improving quality, access and accountability
• Grants for university and college operating costs increased by over 40 per cent between 2003-04 and 2007-08, supporting the hiring of new faculty, increasing student-faculty interaction, and improving student services and libraries

http://ontariobudget.ca/english/bk2.html

That sounds like welcome news for college support staff workers since we are in negotiations with the colleges as I type. You’d think that with the budget announcement the colleges could step up and do right by us by offering their support staff workers a fair and just wage increase. However, as those of you who have been keeping informed will know, the colleges have offed us only 3% a year for 2 years. Fair and just? You can be sure the colleges will put forth a compelling argument drafted by lawyer types with references to other recent labour agreements, the Consumer Price Index and contradictory statements about the government’s financial situation.

I did a little research and came up with some interesting results…

Loyalist College administrators were given wage increases between two and 22 per cent last year.

http://pioneerplus.ejournalism.ca/?q=node/2568

Of 241 persons employed at Ontario colleges with salaries reported to be over $100,000, from 2005 through 2007, 212 had increases in excess of 4%.  175 had increases of more than 10%. 97 had increases of more than 15%. 58 had increases of more than 20%. 32 had increases of more than 25%. There was even 1 who had an increase of more than 50%!

Compiled from Government of Ontario PUBLIC SECTOR SALARY DISCLOSURE http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/english/publications/salarydisclosure/

You can download the list I created using data obtained from the Ontario Government’s public web site. (If you notice any math errors let me know and I will gladly correct them.)

Personally I have no issue with the college executives earning six figure salaries. They deserve a fair and just compensation for their work. However, they manage to get double digit increases and expect me to say a humble thank you for a miserable 3%! Don’t we all work for the same colleges, in the same communities, under the same constraints? The president of the college where I work earns about five times what I do and that’s OK. They earn it. However last year they received a combined increase of about 16%. Hey times are tough and we’re all hurting. But if they are hurting enough to warrant a 16% increase imagine how I feel!

So take some time… Think about it… Are you angry yet?

Turn your anger into power! Reject the offer and give your CAAT bargaining team a strong strike vote!

F. Oliver VP Communications OPSEU Local 245