Letter to the Editor from Kelly Moist, CUPE Manitoba President, Winnipeg Sun, Re: Growing Problem at City Hall
December 16, 2013 at 5:33 PM
Winnipeggers know that the real problem growing at City Hall is the contempt for transparency and accountability. Councillor Wyatt would have us believe that imposing a mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave on city workers, against the advice of City managers, is fiscally prudent. It is not.
They would also have us believe that we’re running broke because we try to pay our employees a decent wage, and we try to provide services that Winnipeggers can rely on. Yet at the same time, they throw millions of dollars at cost overruns and poorly managed projects, and then balk at criticism. Mr. Brodbeck, the growing problem at City Hall is not found in the services we provide, or those workers who provide it. The growing problem at City Hall can be found in the council chambers of City Hall itself.
Local 500’s membership has not grown in 10 years and wages have barely kept pace with inflation. Brodbeck's consistent approach is to pin the city's financial woes on the civic workforce.
This is insupportable by the facts. Perhaps he should start looking at the plethora of land deals and cost overruns on facilities such as the new Police Headquarters as the principle source of the city's financial situation.
Kelly Moist
President, CUPE Manitoba
