On Friday, December 9th, 2011, Ann Dembinski appeared as a guest columnist in The Toronto Sun. Her column is posted below.
__________
When City Budget Chief Mike Del Grande tells Toronto Sun columnist, Sue-Ann Levy, “he brought in representatives of all unionized workers …and no one had any reasonable suggestions on how to tackle their contributions to the fiscal problems,” (“Reality finally sinks in, City Hall has to deal with harsh economic realitices, Dec. 1) he got one part right.
Del Grande indeed met with representatives of the city’s unionized workforce.
Beyond this, my recollection is quite different.
During CUPE Local 79’s meeting with Del Grande, we raised several constructive suggestions for dealing with the city’s financial challenges.
One of them wasn’t too far from the one your columnist quotes from Del Grande’s council colleague, Frances Nunziata.
During that meeting, I pointed out the complete folly of our post-amalgamation management structure.
Following amalgamation, staff have undergone major re-organizations, some more than once.
During that time, management has not been “de-layered” to reflect these changes.
In fact, additional management layers have been added in some cases.
In many instances, a single employee is directed by as many as three managers.
If Del Grande is serious about looking for millions in savings, why isn’t he listening to Nunziata and asking his managers for answers to the same tough questions he is asking of CUPE members?
Prior to amalgamation, the old City of Toronto “de-layered”, flattening its management structure so workers reported to a single director and a single manager.
The result of this reorganization was dramatic.
Millions of taxpayer dollars were saved. Payrolls were significantly reduced through buyout packages and by working with unions whose memberships were affected.
During the same meeting with Del Grande, I also proposed bringing several arms-length agencies back under direct municipal control, eliminating the need for duplicate management structures.
The potential savings are significant when you calculate the number of chief operating officers, labour relations departments, human resources and auditing departments.
The question remains—why is this less “reasonable” than attacking front-line workers who actually deliver services our city depends on?
Since amalgamation, staffing levels for virtually all departments have remained nearly the same or in some cases fallen.
The notable exceptions have been the Toronto Police Service, fire, EMS and the Toronto Transit Commission, which have accounted for nearly all the increased budgetary pressure, post-amalgamation.
At the same time, the city’s population has grown nearly 10%. When you take police, fire, EMS and TTC out of the picture, nearly every other department is doing more with the same staffing complement, or in some cases fewer staff.
Even now, of the more than 2,000 jobs targeted for elimination in this budget, only 48 are management positions.
What does the budget chief hope to accomplish by swinging an ax through the ranks of front-line employees who deliver the services Torontonians need, while leaving the management tier virtually untouched?
Make no mistake—this budget disproportionately targets the people who can least afford it—the poor, the sick, the elderly and children.
Del Grande is correct about one other thing — this is not, in his words, “playtime.”
That’s why he should stop playing games with the important services his constituents and indeed all Torontonians depend on.
— Ann Dembinski is President of CUPE Local 79, which represents City of Toronto inside workers.
