Sid, don't be so CUPE!

Sid Ryan, leader of CUPE, wants to take his members on strike, well, not ALL of them.

What does this mean to you? No garbage pick up. If you have kids, they will probably stay at home because the schools will close for want of janitors (who will be on strike). Snowstorm? The streets will be a mess because most of the plows will stay in the yard.

Why did I say not all CUPE members will go on strike? Because the police and firefighters are the non-vocal minority. Let me explain. All these people have one thing in common, OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System). When they retire, they will draw a pension from this fund. A fund they all contribute towards. One of Ontario Premier's McGuinty's election promises, a promise he seems intent on keeping (don't get me started about the Ontario "Fiberals"), is that police and firefighters will receive higher pensions upon their retirement to reward them for the more dangerous jobs that they do. You have a problem with this Sid?

How you can you not accept that police officers and firefighters work in more inherently dangerous jobs than say...garbage workers. Yes, they all have vital roles to play in the operation of our society, but how often does a garbage worker go into a burning building to save a family pet? Or get shot at? I'm not trying to say that garbage workers are inconsequential, but I would say that a cop on a beat faces more dangers that can happen at the turn of a corner, on a daily basis. What about a firefighter? When he/she retires, how long do you think he/she will survive to collect his/her pension, when he/she dies early from the emphysema he/she developed from all that smoke inhalation? And how does this affect the families they leave behind?

Mr. Ryan. I'm about fariness. And I think it's fair to recognize that the police and firefighters that risk their lives on a daily basis to protect our families and property deserve a few extra dollars in their twilight years. It's not as if OMERS is broke. In fact, if it's not the biggest pension fund in Canada, it's certainly one of the top ones. As members of the fund who pay dollar for dollar more into it than those that are going on strike (because of their higher salaries in comparison), I believe police officers and firefighters deserve to reap the additonal benefit from their investments.

Sid, what is this really about? Enough grumblings from your membership that you felt you needed to take a stand? In fear of your cushy job during the next union election? Now that you put yourself into this mess, you're going to have to get out of it yourself. I have no other suggestion than to back down, because this is an untenable position to take. Sit down with the government. Come up with something that will allow you to save some face with your membership, but let the bill to increase police officer and firefighter pensions pass! It may not be the popular thing to do...but it's the right thing.

Wings Over The World