Eye In The Sky
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He's the CFCWO, I'd say he has pretty good info and wouldn't be stating thing at units and townhalls he wasn't confident was accurate.
MCG said:The RCMP back pay was announced this week. I assume that (at least until they form a union) their pay increases wait for the overcoming of the same barriers as are holding up decisions on CAF pay.
So ... any day now?
RCMP yellow stripe protest over pay discrepancies spreads among officers
Criminologist calls push-back by rank and file unusual, but expects more
By Chad Pawson, CBC News Posted: Apr 08, 2017 5:00 AM PT Last Updated: Apr 08, 2017 5:00 AM PT
Sgt. Chris Backus knows that speaking out about receiving fair compensation as a Mountie could cost him his job, but he's willing to take that risk.
"I have been verbally reprimanded by the RCMP, I've been told not to speak out any further," he said a day after telling the CBC about how he and members at Sunshine Coast RCMP are covering up the yellow stripe on their uniforms.
They're calling it a symbolic protest of pay discrepancies between RCMP and municipal forces across Canada.
"I will not be silenced on this issue," said Backus. "I will continue to speak out and I accept whatever fate that gives me on a disciplinary measure."
It appears that Backus is not alone, as pictures of Mounties either taping over their yellow strip or wearing different pants are popping up on social media across the country.
"I get the sense that there will be more of this," said SFU criminology professor Rob Gordon. "You've got a disgruntled labour force there."
Protest of any kind is rare inside the RCMP, which has strict regulations about publicly expressing any kind of comments about the force that could be considered negative.
Last July, many Mounties refused to volunteer for so-called, "red serge duty," where they march in parades and other events.
Officers who participate in the yellow-stripe protest could face disciplinary action relating to its code of conduct, which could result in a verbal reprimand or even dismissal.
On Wednesday, Public Safety Canada announced retroactive salary increases for the RCMP, which include a 1.25 per cent raise effective Jan. 1, 2015, another 1.25 per cent raise effective Jan.1, 2016, and a 2.3 per cent market adjustment effective April 1, 2016.
"This package does very little in moving the RCMP into a competitive salary range to attract and to retain qualified candidates," said The National Police Federation, one of three groups in Canada trying to professionally represent the country's 17,000 members.
The force is in the process of forming a union, but no group is yet in place to represent RCMP officers in bargaining.
Some Mounties have been transitioning to municipal forces for better pay, equipment and working environments.
For example, the entry level salary for an officer with the RCMP is $50,674, while a constable with the Vancouver Police Department on probation earns $68,443.
Gordon says the long-simmering issue may be brought to a head with the yellow stripe protest.
"I think they're getting ticked off royally," he said of rank-and-file members. "And this is one way in which they can demonstrate their discontent and as I say I think there's more to come."
The head of the RCMP in B.C., Brenda Butterworth-Carr, sent a message to members asking them not to cover up the stripes.
"While I understand your disappointment on this matter, I trust you will understand why I cannot endorse such action," she wrote. "I believe an incomplete uniform undermines the distinctive role we play in keeping our citizens safe and secure."
Backus disagrees and calls the protest, "respectful and professional."
He's calling on commissioned officers, including RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson, to take part.
'We should be united'
"This does not need to be a divisive issue between the senior members of the RCMP and the regular members," he said.
"We should be united on this front. So instead of ordering members to be quiet, instead of trying to strategize how to deal with this, you have a choice. You have a defining moment in your career and even a defining moment in your life. Why don't you take off your stripe?"
Gordon doubts commissioned officers will join in, despite saying that he's sure many of them quietly sympathize. In the end, those officers are responsible for enforcing code of conduct.
If the protest grows, which he expects it to, he says it may be up to Paulson, who will retire in June, to do something to bring members back into line.
Paulson to 'ice' protest?
"The commissioner may well issue a directive," he said. "The commissioner may well come with a bucket of ice water and try and fix this in some way."
Brian Sauvé, who is co-chair of the National Police Federation, is supportive of the protest and says it will try and help any members facing discipline over speaking out.
"We've put up and we've allowed our members to be disadvantaged for too long, whether it be resource levels, which have been abysmal or whether it be compensation tables," he said.
Meanwhile he also wants members to sign onto either his organization — which has 4,500 members — the Mounted Police Professional Association of Canada, or a similar group in Quebec to push forward a union for RCMP members.
He says, until officers get professional representation, there is no way they can move forward on negotiating better wages and benefits.
with files from Alison Crawford.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/rcmp-yellow-stripe-campaign-grows-despite-threat-of-backlash-1.4061686
Occam said:Our union did its part to bump up the average...we've been offered 1.25% for each of the four years of the agreement, with a 2% "wage restructure" applied to the top step of all levels in the third year (1 Sep 2016). I'm not sure how that last part will be quantified into the average they need to calculate for the CF raise purposes.
Lumber said:Any idea how long from this point until these go into effect? Typically?
dapaterson said:Generally implementation timelines are part of the negotiations; for PSAC's PA group, for example, it will be 150 days after ratification.
Occam said:Our ratification vote isn't until next month, and even then they've told us with Phoenix, not to expect to see the increases and back pay processed until the end of the year. We're only a small union; I'm not sure how things are going on a broader scale across the Public Service, or if there is enough of a baseline for them to start working on what the CF raise will be.
George Wallace said:However..... [
With the mention of the "P" word, that may mean that ALL PS employees won't see any money in their banks after the new increases are inputted. >
CF are lucky that they do not fall into the Phoenix Pay fiasco yet. [
kratz said:IRRPS / RPSR afflicted the PRes with similar issues. So the entire CAF did not escape Phoenix style pay issues.
Lumber said:Any idea how long from this point until these go into effect? Typically?
Dolphin_Hunter said:Would it be hard to attach pay raises to cost of living increases? Every year our pay would get adjusted accordingly, without having to wait for unions to sort themselves out.
We waste so much time and money on shit like this.
Dolphin_Hunter said:Would it be hard to attach pay raises to cost of living increases? Every year our pay would get adjusted accordingly, without having to wait for unions to sort themselves out.
We waste so much time and money on crap like this.
PuckChaser said:Or allow us to have our own collective bargaining agent,
PuckChaser said:Or allow us to have our own collective bargaining agent, so we don't have to wait for PSAC to think they can milk a better deal out of a new government. Don't give me the "PSAC is getting a better deal for the CAF as well", because they have 0 thoughts about securing anything for the CAF when they're working on negotiations.
I'd be happy with increases tied to the national cost of living increase (no less than 1% per year), since pressing issues like PLD reform, or tax-free benefits on deployments are furthest from anyone's minds.