Budget chief wants wage freeze for city’s top earners
Posted April 27, 2012 10:19 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Toronto’s budget chief wants to freeze the wages of the city’s top income earners.
Mike Del Grande moved a recommendation for a two-year wage freeze for any city worker who earns 200,000 or more a year.
He said that he is seeking the wage freeze for the city’s top earners not because they are not worth the money, but because everyone else is being asked to take a cut.
“Councillors have already done the freeze of their own salaries twice in the eight years that I’ve been here. It can’t always be on the backs of councillors either, it needs the guys who are the big shooters here,” Del Grande explained.
He added that the move would be in line with what the province has been doing and what many other city workers have already faced.
“There is continual criticism that when you’re on the public purse, there should be some sort of temperament, if you will, with respect to wages,” Del Grande said.
Del Grande said there are about 30 people who earn the big money.
“I think a lot of the people in question — they’re not $200,000, they’re $300,000-plus […] I think there needs to be a demonstration that we are looking at wage costs and they seem to go automatically up for people at the high end.”
The recommendation was presented at a budget committee meeting, Friday, and is now going to the executive committee.
