tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post4547109321401974203..comments2023-10-25T07:29:40.789-02:30Comments on UNCLE GNARLEY: NAPE DEAL IGNORES THE POINT OF NO RETURNDes Sullivanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02566013585647491614noreply@blogger.comBlogger54125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-22583116896041930322018-01-20T12:52:40.798-03:302018-01-20T12:52:40.798-03:30The latest platitudes Osborne offers up regarding ...The latest platitudes Osborne offers up regarding the unprecedented and outrageous "no layoff" clause nicely illustrates how these inept fools running the provincial government will justify building a false economy on what essentially comprises a house of cards, by excessively funding the public service until it has become a hideously bloated beast propped up with horrendous amounts of cash gouged from NLers as the highest taxes in Canada and the vile "deficit levy". Yet this colossal money-eating Frankenstein created by government still contributes exactly zero dollars to the overall provincial GDP.<br /><br />Osborne tells us that government spending is unsustainable, but avoids telling us why. This is why. <br /><br />Meanwhile, it appears that it will be left up to the bond markets to decisively resolve the issue of NL's excessively bloated public service, once and for all.<br /><br />http://www.thetelegram.com/news/local/no-layoff-clause-does-not-extend-to-next-contract-osborne-179006/Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-62318901494577687332018-01-18T12:48:52.002-03:302018-01-18T12:48:52.002-03:30Keith:
I am not sure I agree with your statement ...Keith:<br /><br />I am not sure I agree with your statement that wages and benefits went up in that time period significantly(but would have to check the CAs to be sure)---memory tells me that was the time when there were wage freezes and cuts to paid leave. I think DWs comment of 'until the cows come home' was in that period and there were a couple legislated agreements. The agreement in 2013 to 2016 gave 0%/0%/2%/3% raises with the 2016 agreement due to give no raises..<br /><br />In any event, I agree that our workforce is too dependent on the public service and reductions on cost are required; but the 2011 data doesn't show that our public service is distorted wage wise or by the total of PS employees when compared nationally or in Atlantic Canada.<br /><br />I am just not sure where to get the savings from.<br /><br />PENG2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-35240437367046296252018-01-18T12:00:08.937-03:302018-01-18T12:00:08.937-03:30Muskrat falls wayne... or should I say Richard?
T...Muskrat falls wayne... or should I say Richard?<br /><br />The layoffs can and will happen if areas are made redundant. That's the loophole. Besides cut all the fancy boys, they do nothing anyways...but watch, the front lines will be taken out, not the fancy pants with the high salary's and severance. As always. The media et all is out on a smear campaign of the public service, while they ignore muskrat. The smart people see through it, but alas 40+% want danny back, so they know they jump on bandwagons, and love to hate on the public service. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-62458785882420978862018-01-18T11:03:56.833-03:302018-01-18T11:03:56.833-03:30PENG2....I have paid for the Stats Canada reports ...PENG2....I have paid for the Stats Canada reports (Tables 183-0002) for the period 2003 through 2011 which was the last time the report was issued. The provincial public sector grew by almost 10,000 from 2006 to 2011. For example in March 2006 PS employment was 60,296. In March 2010 PS employment was 70,725. The combined federal employment and municipal employment numbered around 11,000 and did not change for the period I noted. That meant we had approx. 10,000 more provincial workers. Combined with salary increases and improved benefits raises the total compensation was in excess of $1 billion more in 2010 vs 2006. It is now very difficult to get the current numbers, as you have noted.<br /><br />The bottom line is that when close to 1 in 3 people employed in the province work for some level of government combined with up to 33% of the entire NL population receives some form of compensation from government this place is in serious trouble.<br /><br />Keith Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-73546379297212892542018-01-17T20:48:42.905-03:302018-01-17T20:48:42.905-03:30Tor would say we needs a plan for the future of ou...Tor would say we needs a plan for the future of our grandchildren. Set a 50yr horizon. Get at it. In my 80yr lifespan, NL was never short of smart and diligent workers, intelligent, highly qualified entrepreneurs, scholars, Arts and Science professionals. Forget about political leadership, this is not about to happen and who needs it based on past performance?Robert G Holmeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05356463540446993862noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-41469369385318738362018-01-17T20:30:24.396-03:302018-01-17T20:30:24.396-03:30Make you sick, wouldn't it? The crowd running ...Make you sick, wouldn't it? The crowd running this godforsaken rock? <br /><br />That vile Ball/Bennett "deficit levy" that's gouged out of NL taxpayers being used to prop up the most bloated public sector in all Canada. Just so those gutless wonders won't have to make the tough decisions until they've secured their goddamed pensions. And then? Well, who cares? Those effin bastards will be golfing in Florida.<br /><br />http://vocm.com/news/labour-expert-backs-board-of-trade-concerns-on-tentative-nape-deal/<br /><br />http://vocm.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/Letter-to-Nancy-Healey-dated-January-16-2018.pdf<br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-40928422414987760422018-01-17T16:58:11.744-03:302018-01-17T16:58:11.744-03:30For anyone who is interested, the following is Art...For anyone who is interested, the following is Article 38.01 of the GS 2013 agreement, it partially defines severance and eligibility:<br /><br />An employee who has nine (9) or more years of continuous service in the employ of the Employer, is entitled to be paid on resignation, retirement, termination by reason of disability, expiry of recall rights, or in the event of death to the employee's estate, severance pay equal to the amount obtained by multiplying the number of completed years of continuous employment by his/her weekly salary to a maximum of twenty (20) weeks pay.<br /><br /><br /><br />More or less, every employee with greater that 9yers upto leaving was entitled to 1wk per year of service. From what I have seen in the media(I have not seen the new draft agreement), now all employees will get paid out 1wk/yr to a max of 20wks to remove this article from the new agreement.<br /><br />I am inclined to think this is worth a 2yr freeze on layoffs that are outside the normal operational layoffs.<br /><br />PENG2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-7041832948182702262018-01-17T16:52:02.738-03:302018-01-17T16:52:02.738-03:30Yes peng2 "there is enough blame to levy at e...Yes peng2 "there is enough blame to levy at every government", but as Johnny E would say, we never had nothin to do nothin a tal with, so we scraped by. But beginning in 2003 the oil royalties began coming in, oil prices rose, we became a have province, what ever that means, but we as a province had our own money, the first since confederation, to spend as we pleased. We could have our day in the sun, billions rolled in, and at the same time we had lots of construction jobs, long harbour, bull arm and the muskrat starting up. We went from rags to riches and now back to rags in a decade or so. We were given a window of opportunity to do things differently, to get our feet on the ground, to prosper, and we did for a little while, but we also blue it. Such opportunities don't come along like that every day, maybe once in a lifetime if you are lucky, and we did not have the right leadership to do the right things. So now we are back to square one again, and maybe worst as the population got a taste of plenty, especially the younger, and their expectations wil not be met, so the best and brightest will just leave. And we could go on with population decline, aging population, health care, and many other challenges. We have to accept and understand where we are, before we can get our feet on the ground and chart a new course and plan for the future. Are we up to the challenge as a people and do we have the leadership. That is the question. Amen.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-24323982173564109442018-01-17T14:31:06.613-03:302018-01-17T14:31:06.613-03:30http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l...http://www.statcan.gc.ca/tables-tableaux/sum-som/l01/cst01/govt62a-eng.htm<br /><br />Checking the tables at the above link refute most of what is being said here about public service salaries and the size of our public service(granted the info is 2011, a bit dated)--NLs public service is averaged sized with low wages when baselined nationally. NLs average public service salary is a hair above $50k and we employ about 1 out of every 8.1 persons in the public service.<br /><br />Granted, I didn't filter out the Municipal and Federal workforce to get at the Provincial portion, but this is a bit surprising to me, I figured we would have been heavy in the population : public service worker ratio; I did know we lagged nationally when comparing wages.<br /><br />On point with the article, I am inclined to think a 2yr freeze in layoffs is a good trade for reducing future severance liabilities. Granted we will be on the hook this year for approximately $250M, but that is better than a future liability continuing to compound. As said above, MF gets most of the publicity for outing the fiscal status, but our problems stemmed from long before---even going back to the unfunded pension liability, the pay equity hearings and the economic crash of the 80s etc; Dear DW did us no favours but there is more than enough blame to levy at every government since confederation.<br /><br />PENG2Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-24982737167238828102018-01-17T13:51:06.540-03:302018-01-17T13:51:06.540-03:30UG is not "pissin" on the "common w...UG is not "pissin" on the "common working class". He's stating a fact that the Unions are not helping. A NO Layoff Clause has fundamently tied Government's hands is reducing the size of the SEVERELY BLOATED Public Service. I guess you'll say now that the Public Service is not overstaffed when a full 10% of the NL population as a whole (not 10% of the working class) is employed by Government leaving everyone having to pay for it by overtaxing and high pricing of everything else to pay for the excess. Chr--t Almighty, can you not see that borrowing in excess of $2million/DAY to pay for a bloated Civil Service is unsustainable. Either the Civil Service is reduced substantially (not just by attrition) or wages and benefits rolled back substantially OR a combination of both with lesser cutbacks. The combination of layoffs and rollbacks MUST happen!!! We cannot afford not to.<br />NOBODY is "picking on" youWaynenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-50869012707870190302018-01-17T11:17:11.752-03:302018-01-17T11:17:11.752-03:30The Messiah complex is what got us all into the me...The Messiah complex is what got us all into the mess. No more Messiahs, please. Ever.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-44532054827372291712018-01-17T11:16:24.102-03:302018-01-17T11:16:24.102-03:30Muskrat Falls is only the icing on the cake. The r...Muskrat Falls is only the icing on the cake. The real spending problem started in 2005 after Danny caved into the public sector unions, and not only gave them fat raises and job security after promising to reduce the size of government, he went on to increase the size of government.<br /><br />That's a $1.5- to $2-billion cost added in five years, compounded year over year over year until the province either goes broke, or someone comes in with the fortitude to fix the problem. Since the latter is NEVER going to happen, GOING BROKE, IT IS!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-57160374762970066872018-01-17T11:14:04.290-03:302018-01-17T11:14:04.290-03:30I guess you have never heard of Danny Williams, my...I guess you have never heard of Danny Williams, my little PC caucus office friend.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-6172855316828264982018-01-17T11:13:17.183-03:302018-01-17T11:13:17.183-03:30"The use of Canadian 'average' provin..."The use of Canadian 'average' provincial expenditures is like comparing women's bikinis. Some women have large assets and require more material - one size does not fit all. Similarly, different provinces have different divisions between Provincial and Municipal responsibilities for expenditures meaning one size again does not fit all. Keep in mind the downloading of Provincial financial responsibility to municipal governments by the Harris Government in Ontario."<br /><br />Even after adjusting for that factor, the provincial public sector in NL is still grossly outsized compared to any other province.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-58437227616189121242018-01-17T11:11:35.003-03:302018-01-17T11:11:35.003-03:30What public money does Richard Alexander spend?
I...What public money does Richard Alexander spend?<br /><br />It's fine, and good - very good - to go after those business orgs for their small-mindedness, hypocrisy, and so on... but they are not spending the public money (even if they are glad to benefit from the spending.)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-9059242367309580522018-01-17T11:03:27.807-03:302018-01-17T11:03:27.807-03:30Only answer I have, is that they must have gotten ...Only answer I have, is that they must have gotten to Uncle, or he was very good at hiding the fact he was/is now an elitist looking down his nose at the common working middle class...I had been thankful for uncle and his viewpoint, until this article...muskrat and nalcor alone will bankrupt this province...not any union agreement. Fearmongering is all. now uncle is subscribing to it. Again I will express how disappointed I am with u uncle. You most certainly will not be invited to our next family gathering as you will be with your own kind at the trough. To think that I actually thought someone was fighting for us? I guess old habits are hard to break? you did serve in government. will there ever be anyone with the best interest of newfoundland and her peoples? Say it aint so, uncle. :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-6104442529172767602018-01-17T09:37:14.111-03:302018-01-17T09:37:14.111-03:30Lol, an 3:31, you got that wrong, UG has been sayi...Lol, an 3:31, you got that wrong, UG has been saying this for years, guess you have not being followingling UG, you must be a "johnny come lately", as there will be all kinds coming out if the wood work now that it has smacked them in the gob personally. UG has cursed the muskrats for years, and their folly, but to no avail, so more and more has been heaped on the nl camel, and now his back has been just about broken by the latest burden. The leading labour lawyer in Canada Howard Levitt has just added his opinion about the governments recklessness with the public purse, and our ability to survive on borrowed money, wether it be health care, public services, muskrat or collective agreements. But I don't think the powers that be are even interested in his comments, their heads are in the sand or hands in the till to get the last few remaining pennies before the bust. Get what you can while the gettin is good attitude, she's gone anyway, so we all go down together, some with their pockets full and others with narry a penny. Don't blame UG, no more than you can blame George Murphy when the gas goes up at the pumps.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-4633741806073573392018-01-17T09:25:50.729-03:302018-01-17T09:25:50.729-03:30Oh, the brave anonymous ones on this blog......Dav...Oh, the brave anonymous ones on this blog......Dave Vardy asked why so many are afraid to speak up. A day or so ago I heard a quote, once stated by Martin Luther King ` That it comes a time that the silence of people to speak up becomes a betrayal`<br /> Few have spoken up as much as Vardy and Des Sullivan. <br /> Yes, a few thousand in Iceland marched in the streets and changed the direction of their country. <br /> Here we have the silence of many, that is willing to betray our province, with a high risk of slipping into insolvency. We are a `hard crowd` indeed. Perhaps a hard cowardly crowd!<br />Winston AdamsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-29911467722855000132018-01-17T06:44:15.184-03:302018-01-17T06:44:15.184-03:30We are already bankrupt because of Muskrat Falls. ...We are already bankrupt because of Muskrat Falls. VOCM somehow thinks that Danny Williams is coming back and going to save us-thats if there is anyone left here in this province to vote for him.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-33739916733211329202018-01-17T03:31:46.448-03:302018-01-17T03:31:46.448-03:30UG seems to think that these problems started when...UG seems to think that these problems started when the Nape agreement was signed the other week. Well guess what? These problems started back when politicians and governments realized they could build a false economy by borrowing money from wealthy investors who didn't care at all about the state of an areas economy or the ability of a populace to pay it back. The project called Muskrat Falls should have been stopped in its tracks by sensible investors but because these same investors knew they could depend on elected officials to pass the needed revenue gathering lawas to pay for all of this spending. The PUB it seems is just such a lapdog. We must follow Iceland's example in 2008 and hit the streets. We will never be able to recoverer our losses from Muskrat Falls but we can provide a sober reminder to elected officials and those seeking office alike that we will not be their legacy project revenue base again.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-20066981182565504702018-01-17T01:30:37.514-03:302018-01-17T01:30:37.514-03:30One key difference that the Site C comparison fail...One key difference that the Site C comparison fails on: BC has the population - 9X that of NL - the economy, and the revenue base, to swallow a Muskrat-sized mistake at Site C.<br /><br />NL, with the population about the same size as Surrey, does not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-26090921867483900962018-01-16T19:32:25.441-03:302018-01-16T19:32:25.441-03:30All this talk is great, for wordsmiths.
But what r...All this talk is great, for wordsmiths.<br />But what really needs to be done,in my humble opinion, is a scorched earth approach for getting this ship moving again.<br />Cut, slash and burn!<br />Nobody around here has the jam to wrestle control from the enlightened grand poohbaas who "lead" us.<br />My heart burns to see my unique, beautiful, strong and forgiving home willfully destroyed as the bastards smile at us.<br />Is this what it comes down to after 500 plus years?<br />We are, collectively, a hard crowd.<br />I want to run for government. My soul is commanding me <br />to go for it and take it. Alas, an old criminal record doesn't allow me to run for anything, other than dog catcher.( not sure about that) lol.<br /><br />So, for now, I will fume in silence.<br />And await the Messiah. Or someother revolutionary to get behind.<br /><br />" What people say about you , tells me a little.<br />What you do tells me everything".Terence Heddersonnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-76742290666119714582018-01-16T19:02:52.123-03:302018-01-16T19:02:52.123-03:30Anyone see this? Comments?
http://vocm.com/news/n...Anyone see this? Comments?<br /><br />http://vocm.com/news/nape-deal-will-bankrupt-province-says-labour-specialist/<br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-72925728695362073782018-01-16T16:56:37.068-03:302018-01-16T16:56:37.068-03:30So you are a big fan of Black and his actions are ...So you are a big fan of Black and his actions are you? If we had a functioning legal system Black would still be in jail. Remember it took the US to prosecute him. <br /><br />It is pretty rich getting criticism from someone afraid to identify themselves. I make my positions public and don't fear using my name. It figures you should defend the indefensible hypocrisy and criminality of Black. <br /><br />Black has deserved criticism. Your anon support speaks to your integrity does it not? Why does he now refuse to leave the country he spurned? Are you a fan of the corporate crimes he committed? <br /><br />What do you have to say from the cheap seats anon? Stand up and let us have a look at you.<br /><br /> Bruno Marcocchiohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08076165212559914463noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5235138415013046381.post-75586635760570984882018-01-16T15:32:31.348-03:302018-01-16T15:32:31.348-03:30Bruno...that's rich coming from you. Shoot th...Bruno...that's rich coming from you. Shoot the messenger. I seem to remember your post from the previous UG page on Conrad Black's article....only criticism of the man nt content. I think you are quite renowned for "ad hominem" attacks.<br /><br />Sorry UG...it needed to be said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com