Canada's Least Wanted: The Big Greedy Banks

1% Wage Increase to Create Labour Chaos

That’s it! We’ve gone mad. A 1% wage increase (in return for extracting a 1.25 % in concessions) to be given next year to public sector workers is about to create “chaos” in the labour market” (Toronto Star, Globe & Mail, Windsor Star, etc.). A 1% wage increase for individuals who provide us with important services.

David Musyj, “a vocal critic of public salary hikes” (Windsor Star) said this 1% increase is “disappointing and disheartening” and will do NOTHING to reign in public spending. Well!

David Musyj (shown left) is CEO of the Windsor Regional Hospital, makes $254,847.33 a year plus benefits and is truly concerned about this!

That is so wonderful, David, so this is what you do, okay? Go after the banks! During the financial meltdown the Harper government put in place a $200 billion dollar safety net for the banks while doing nothing for displaced workers. All public money. And every year these bank CEOs pay themselves around $10 Billion in bonuses. But here’s the thing: those workers getting that 1% are giving us a service while the bank CEOs paying themselves billions are, as you know, just fleecing us at the ATM machines and gouging us with their high interest rates. One is the giver the other the taker.

Then just recently a study released by the Deloitte Center for Financial Services predicted the number of Canada's millionaires will surge to more than 2.5 million by 2020, and that the assets of those millionaires will reach $6.77 TRILLION, up from $3.35 TRILLION today.

You get my point. If all these billions went back into the public purse then this 1% increase wouldn’t be such a big deal, would it. So lay off the 1% and just go for the banks, David. That’s where the big money is.

Finally, since Canada's Five Big Banks last year had profits of $15.9 Billion, let's suggest to them that they start paying their tellers a living wage, for heaven's sake.