Councillor Calls Potential More Money For 14 Out Of Scope Employees "Gobbledegook"

A review of the classification system for the City’s 45 out of scope (management) personnel which could potentially see 14 of those out of scope employees share in an additional $91,000 drew the ire of Councillor Brian Swanson.

Councillor Swanson felt the review of the classification system as nothing more than “public sector bureacratic gobbledegook that leads to unnecessary higher salaries.”

“We shouldn’t have started this process in the first place. It was a bad idea. It was unnecessary. Totally unnecessary and it will be expensive.”

Referring to a public report, which was not part of the Council package provided to the media and general public, he opinioned the 14 were free to come or go for the salary they were hired for.

“All of the out of scope employees freely entered into their employment with the City of Moose Jaw. There was no one forcing them to accept a job here. And they freely entered into employment with the City of Moose Jaw with the salary structure that was in place,” Councillor Swanson said.

Low turnover in out of scope positions was a key indicator for Councillor Swanson that no additional salary was required for the 14 out of scope employees who on average would receive an additional $6,500 per year under the classification system review.

“The remuneration consultant did a review and came up with a system that 14 of our employees were not being paid enough. I called that last week public sector bureaucratic gobbledegook that leads to unrealistic higher salaries,” he said.

The potential salary increase for the 14 out of scope personnel will be in addition to the 1.25 percent increase effective January 1, 2019 and the 1.5 percent increase effective January 1st, 2020 approved in mid-June. CUPE (in scope employees) received a similar pay increase.

“This is an average of $6,500 a year increase (for the 14 out of scope employees) is in additon to that (mid-June, 2020 retroactive salary increase),” he said. “Same employees, same jobs, higher pay.”

Councillor Swanson went on to dismiss claims the jobs for the 14 out of scope have changed dramatically over the years because it is something that has happened to most employees everywhere.

“If they feel they are underpaid for what they are doing it is a free country and they are allowed to go and seek employment elsewhere at higher wages if they so chose.”

Councillor Swanson went on to criticize what has happened already in Council this year as not just the year of the COVID - 19 pandemic.

“2020 in Moose Jaw may be remembered as the year of the pandemic but it will also be remembered as the year the elected officials afforded themselves 20 percent plus raises if they were re-elected. And now out of scope employees are going to receive significant salary increases in the $6,000 to $7,000 range.”

He further went to point out that the proposed $91,000 increase to the 14 out of scope employees was in addition to other expenditures approved by Council on Tuesday evening.

Those expenditures include a $300,000 concept plan for the Westheath 5 and 6 subdivisions no longer necessary as the Province will be replacing it one of their own if the new joint use school is built in the subdivisions. And $200,000 for gift cards as a “moral” duty for gift cards to replace funds lost by patrons of Mosaic Place to Ticket Rocket.

“I add that up to $591,000 and there isn’t a citizen in Moose Jaw who will recognize a benefit from that,” Councillor Swanson stated.

“We should be watching our pennies very closely. We are in tremendous stressed times econmically and to be awarding salary increases of significant amounts to elected officials, to out of scope officials sets a very bad example for the organization.”

Three motions were proposed by Councillor Swanson.

The first was the report should be received and filed which was defeated in a 5 - 2 vote with Councillors Dawn Luhning and Swanson in favour. Mayor Fraser Tolmie, Councillors Chris Warren, Crystal Froese, Scott McMann and Heather Eby were in favour.

The second motion was Council should adopt the recommendations of the job evealuation framework was defeated 5 - 2 with Councillors Swanson and Luhning in favour. Mayor Tolmie, Councillors Warren, Froese, McMann and Eby were in favour.

The third motion to refer the recommendations to 2021 Operating Budget deliberations was approved 6 - 1 with Councillor Swanson the lone opponent.

Prior to the Personnel Committee report being adopted Councillor Swanson rose and claimed if he had not asked for reconsideration at Council the report would have remained hidden to the public. A claim disputed by Councillor Warren and Mayor Tolmie.

“I just wanted to point out that if I had not risen to point that out no one in the city would have known this is happening,” Councillor Swanson claimed.

For the second regular Council meeting in a row Councillor Warren rose up to oppose Councillor Swanson’s claim typifying it as pre-election “rhetoric.”

“I don’t believe that to be true. It is to be forwarded to the 2021 budget deliberations. And at that time like we do every year Administration will bring forward a budget to this Council and this Council will debate and decide if that is a priority or not,” he said. “In a lot of cases these projects are put on hold depending on the finances of the City at that time.”

Councillor Warren took exception to Councillor Swanson’s claims Council was trying to sneak through the potential raises.

“This is not something we are trying to sneak through. It is unfortunate this type of rhetoric is increasing as we get closer to the election,” Councillor Warren said.

It should be noted once again despite the consultant’s report being called a public document it was not part of the information package provided to the media and general public.

In a 6 - 1 vote with Councillor Swanson opposed the Personnel Committee report was adopted.

Any potential raises for the 14 out of scope employees due to the review of the job classification system will now be decided in 2021 Operating Budget deliberations.

moose jawSeptember 10, 2020