Alberta Public-sector wages are “statistically indistinguishable” from private sector
U of T study busts myth that public-sector wages out-of-line with the private sector
Edmonton - Alberta’s public-sector workers are paid, on average, the same as their private-sector counterparts, according to data compiled by the University of Toronto (U of T) and released today by the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL).
“This study should silence the critics who continuously repeat the falsehood that Alberta’s public sector workers are overpaid,” AFL president Gil McGowan said.
The University of Toronto’s Institute for Competitiveness & Prosperity found that Alberta public-sector wages are on-par with private sector wages across the spectrum of comparable occupations.
“For years, public-sector workers have had to endure snipes that they’re overpaid and greedy, but this is simply not true,” McGowan said. “Public sector employees work hard for their money and provide services that are key to the health and prosperity of our province. It’s time to put all of these politically-motivated, negative stereotypes to bed.”
Using data from Statistics Canada, researchers found that people working in occupations at the lower-end of the wage scale, such as clerical and childcare workers, enjoy higher wages in the public sector than they would if they worked in the private sector. However, the reverse is true for higher-wage jobs, such as those in management, engineering, science and the skilled trades.
When these differences are averaged out across the public sector the U of T study concluded that the average wages paid in Alberta’s public and private sectors are “statistically indistinguishable.”
AFL Backgrounder: Public-sector Wages
-30-MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]
Action Alert: Rally at the Leg for Pension Fairness
Rally at the Leg to defend pensions
The Redford Government has proposed costly and irresponsible changes to your pension plan. Make your voice heard on the first day of the new Legislative sessions.
For more information on the proposed government changes visit www.truthaboutalbertapensions.ca.
ACTION: RALLY at the Opening of the Legislative session today (bring your bannners and signs). Let's send a message to the Redford government.
WHEN: Monday, March 3, 2014
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Steps of the Alberta Legislature Building
For more information, please contact the Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.483.3021
Redford’s vision-free Throne Speech pledges more broken promises
More public service cuts coming, says Alberta Federation of Labour
Edmonton – AFL President Gil McGowan said the Speech from the Throne is a blueprint for a rehash of Redford’s failed record: more cuts to front-line services, lack of revenue reform and a continuation of selling raw non-renewable resources at below-market prices.
“Premier Redford was elected on promises to safeguard our public services. Instead, she’s cut them and her agenda will continue this broken promise,” McGowan said, in attendance for the Speech from the Throne at the Alberta Legislature this afternoon.
McGowan said Albertans should be concerned about the government’s promise to hold spending to below population and inflation growth, while turning a blind eye to any semblance of revenue reform.
“Alberta’s booming, but program spending won’t reflect that. How many more jobs will be cut in healthcare and education?” asked McGowan noting that hundreds of jobs have already been cut for Alberta’s civil service.
“Add this to the failed rip-it-and-ship-it policy of raw-resource exports, rather than upgrading to higher value products, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster for the public services Albertans rely on.”
-30-MEDIA CONTACT:
Gil McGowan, President, Alberta Federation of Labour, on site at the Legislature Rotunda,
780.218.9888 (cell) or via twitter @gilmcgowan
Labour Coalition: Alison Redford awarded ‘Political Oscar’ for promise-breaking performance
EDMONTON – Alberta Premier Alison Redford was named the winner of a “Political Academy Award” this afternoon for her remarkable promise-breaking performance persuading so many Albertans she would fight to protect their right to a secure retirement.
“When Ms. Redford said she wanted Alberta seniors to be able to live their lives with dignity and respect, who could have imagined she would attack the modest pensions of her own government’s employees,” asked Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan, speaking on behalf of the Labour Coalition on Pensions.
The mock “Oscar” award ceremony in Churchill Square during which Premier Redford was also nominated for convincing Albertans she would protect their public health care system and for convincing them she would protect their public education system may have been light-hearted, but it had a serious point.
“The point was that the Progressive Conservative government is breaking promises to many groups of Albertans and attacking public services that Albertans value,” McGowan said. “What incredible acting skill it took for them to get elected!”
The judges picked the premier’s broken pension promise because her government is consistently doing the opposite of what it claims to be trying to achieve.
- It says its policy on public sector pensions is designed to make the plans sustainable, while the report of the Auditor General of Alberta says it in fact puts the survival of the plans at risk
- It says it wants to encourage inter-generational fairness while it in fact it intends to treat younger workers much worse in future
- It says it wants to encourage recruitment and retention of the best public employees in government and health care, while it is in fact likely to prompt a serious skill shortage in those fields as workers rush to depart
Premier Redford did not attend the ceremony. Her award was accepted on her behalf of the thousands of Albertans who voted for her party thinking she would deal fairly with public employees, all Albertans and our public services.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
Labour Coalition Advisory:Three promise-breaking Redford performances nominated for political “Oscar”
What: "Oscar" ceremony for political performances at public employees' rally
When: 2 p.m., Sunday, March 2, 2014
Where: Churchill Square, downtown Edmonton
Why: To award the "Political Academy Award" for best acting in a political leadership role
Who: Hundreds of public-sector employees
Three promise-breaking Redford performances nominated for political "Oscar"
EDMONTON – Three promise-breaking performances by Alberta Premier Alison Redford are eligible to win the "Oscar" for "Best Actor in a Political Leadership Role" at a special public ceremony in Edmonton Sunday.
Participants in the March 2 outdoor public "Political Academy Awards" ceremony in Churchill Square will learn which of the premier's starring performances in Alberta political theatre won the award shortly after 2 p.m.
Ms. Redford's performances have been nominated for:
• Convincing Albertans she would protect their public health care system
• Convincing Albertans she would protect their public education system
• Convincing Albertans she would protect their retirement plans
Despite extremely cold temperatures, hundreds of Albertans are expected to attend the event, sponsored by the Labour Coalition on Pensions.
"Yes, it will be cold, but no colder than the hearts of Progressive Conservative politicians who would put valued public services and promises to hard-working employees at risk," said Alberta Federation of Labour President Gil McGowan on behalf of coalition members.
Media are encouraged to dress warmly and attend the ceremony.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell) or via e-mail [email protected]
Action Alert: Rally for Retirement Fairness on March 2
RALLY FOR RETIREMENT FAIRNESS
2:00 PM, SUNDAY, MARCH 2
FIGHT FOR THE PENSION YOU PAID FOR!
The Redford government is trying to dictate pension plan changes without negotiation. If this goes ahead, it will break the pension promise made with thousands of Albertans. On March 2, at 2:00 p.m. join us in Churchill Square in Edmonton to make your voice heard.
Action Requested:
Turn out to the RALLY on Sunday, March 2nd at 2:00 p.m.
Stand up and make your voice heard. Hundreds of concerned Albertans will be gathering in Sir Winston Churchill Square for lively and family-friendly rally.
Come for live music, coffee, hot chocolate and popcorn.
Most importantly, come to send a clear message to the Redford Government that pension promises cannot be broken!
When: Sunday, March 2, 2014 from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Where: Sir Winston Churchill Square
Questions: For more information on the proposed government changes, visit www.truthaboutalbertapensions.ca
For more information on the RALLY on SUNDAY, contact the Alberta Federation of Labour at 780-483-3021.
Release: Redford leaves workers and pensioners out in the cold
Government meets behind closed doors while making decisions about worker-funded pensions without negotiation
Edmonton – The elected leaders of some of Alberta’s largest unions staged a mock negotiating session in -25°C weather today to illustrate their point that the Redford government has refused to negotiate changes to provincial pension plans with people who actually contribute to those plans.
The mock negotiating session was held outside Government House where provincial Finance Minister Doug Horner was conducting a behind-closed-doors session with provincially-appointed pension board trustees to tell them about the government’s latest plans for pension changes.
“We’ve been asking for face-to-face negotiations for months now,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “But the Redford government seems determined to dictate, not negotiate.”
“They’re taking the same bullying, ‘my-way-or-the-highway’ approach to pensions that they took with Bill 46 and wage settlements for public-sector workers. It’s an approach that poisons relationships and leads to bad outcomes. It’s also an approach that breaks the law. These guys clearly have learned nothing from the court injunction imposed on Bill 46.”
“The frigid temperatures are appropriate because the Minister and the government have really left public sector workers and retirees out in the cold,” United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith said.
Health Sciences Association of Alberta president Elisabeth Ballermann pointed out that the Labour Coalition on Pensions, a coalition of unions with about 150,000 members in the Local Authorities Pension Plan, has sent letters to the Minister asking for formal negotiations, all to no avail.
“To date, we’ve had no reply to our requests,” she said. “The minister won’t even meet with us, let alone negotiate. How can he justify changing something as important as a pension plan without negotiating with the representatives of the people who pay the freight and who will have to live with the consequences?”
Marle Roberts, president of the Canadians Union of Public Employees (Alberta Division), pointed out that the unions made it clear in December that they were willing to negotiate changes to address the government’s stated goal of improving pension sustainability.
“We put together a list of costed proposals that we think would go a long way to improving the long-term sustainability of the plan. But instead of looking at our proposals and negotiating, the government has chosen to impose a settlement. In September, we were disappointed; in January we were frustrated; now we’re outraged by the government’s refusal to talk.”
At the mock negotiating session, the labour leaders distributed copies of the letters they had sent to Horner asking for negotiations and copies of the negotiating document they had sent to the government outlining the labour movement’s proposals for reform – proposals that could have been discussed in negotiations, if any had taken place.
Supporting Documents:
2014 Labour Coalition on Pensions_Ltr to Horner_2014Feb21
2014 Labour Coalition on Pensions_Ltr to Horner_2014Feb3
2013 Costing of Plan Changes LAPP and PSPP_Final
-30-MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]
Documents show school promises may never be fulfilled
Scathing internal report shows government scrambling to find way to build schools
Edmonton – “The Redford Government’s P3 schools experiment has been all but abandoned by the construction industry,” Alberta Federation of Labour president Gil McGowan said. “The Redford government needs to be honest with Albertans about how and when new schools will be built. Families in new neighborhoods can’t send their children to a school made of government press releases held up by hot air.”
An internal government report shows the government public-private partnership (P3) method for building schools “has been halted” and the government is considering other options.The document, obtained by the Alberta Federation of Labour through Alberta’s Freedom of Information system, summarizes a debrief session of companies in the business of designing, building, financing and managing P3 facilities, including schools. The government commissioned Deloitte to get feedback from these companies after only one bidder stepped forward for the last round of P3 schools.
According to the document, dated October 21, 2013, the P3 process for new schools has been halted. It continues by saying the government is “now considering a range of different procurement options” for these and other schools.
“Now we know why government announcements heralding new schools have been noticeably absent on the costs, expected completion dates, and method of procurement,” McGowan said. “Redford’s new-schools announcements are a figment of a spin doctor’s imagination. They aren’t a real commitment to building the province.”
“P3s are high-flying ideological experiments, and this document proves they haven’t worked for Albertans. It’s time for Premier Redford to get her feet on the ground and put forward a conventional plan to build new schools,” McGowan said. “I’m calling on the province to publicly do as industry has already done – abandon this failed P3 experiment and get busy with a real plan to build Alberta schools.”
Internal government debrief document on P3 schools
-30-MEDIA CONTACT:
Olav Rokne, Communications Director, Alberta Federation of Labour at 780.289.6528 (cell)
or via e-mail [email protected]