Should the cops, firemen, city workers, bus drivers get their pensions cut?

[Sir Richard Branson]

Here is my opinion. In the past they always negotiated with a gun to the balls of the city / government The city / government always gave in and kicked it down the road to take care of another day because the tax payers would always be there to foot the bill. In the near future there will not be enough tax payers to pay the pensions because there will be more baby boomers to collect the fat pensions than there will be millennial tax payers.
The government has to cut pensions, they best they can do is give a delayed plan.

 

[RelaxedRabbit]

I think we should cut the salary and pensions for the police force, these guys are living the luxury life off the backs of tax payers and the job of an ''everyday'' cop who just patrols the streets, hangs out at schools giving lectures to kids, or gives out traffic tickets isn't that demanding to warrant close to 100k year salary + fat pensions

And have u ever noticed that when there is an accident or something how like 20 cop cars show up and 90% of them are just standing there chilling doing nothing for 2hrs because they know that they are getting paid well so they are like why should I go work when I can stand around pretending to be busy

quoted from global news montreal

''A Montreal police officer leaves the force at an average age of 53, and collects $59,000 per year in pensions, while a city firefighter retires at an average age of 52 with $53,000 per year in pensions.

In the City of Montreal, the average non-government worker makes $38,900.

It’s not sustainable or fair that taxpayers must pay for retirees to receive more money than they make themselves while working.

A police officer, retiring at age 53 will collect his pension, on average until age 85. That’s another $1.8 million''

 

[TheDon]

Yes, cut their pensions or else we will end up paying for them.

 

[wasisname]

Cops get much more than soldiers, even officers unless the latter hit the highest ranks. Yet the Army seems to have no problems recuiting and keeping grunts.
If you toss in foriegn deployment to third world shitholes and until recently a pretty good chance of getting injured, killed or mentally fubared...

Cops are horribly overpaid, but when you can employ extortion to back up your monopoly what else can you expect.

 

[delerious010]

It's a tough question really ... It's one thing to say that future employees will get less and an altogether different thing to say you're cutting existing employee's pay / pension.

The salaries and pensions are something the government agreed to provide to it's employees and that the employees accepted in exchange for the services they provide. These people may have had other options, but chose to go with their current jobs due to their pays. They also may have planned around the expectation of receiving those salaries and pensions in the future.

It's a total clusterfuck.
If the government really screwed themselves over and won't be able to afford those pensions, which seems likely, then they really should be doing a better job of showing the numbers, proving their points, and calling for a collective effort which ought to include reducing their own salaries.

 

[kirkjonas]

Like it or not a deal was brokered and that should be honored.

The issue of whether its fair or not or sustainable should have had bearing at the time the deal was agreed to, it can't be used now to change the terms. If anyone should have their pension cut its the bloated goverment themselves that caused these and so many problems in the first place, by negotiating such a bad deal. I haven't heard one iota of government pensions being cut or the bevy of perks they get that we pay being reduced. How about for starters vacation days carrying over from year to year being scrapped immediately since no other industry enjoys that and we are footing the bill.

 

[james t kirk]

With the guys that are there now, the deal was made so the city needs to live up to their end of the bargain. (No one likes when they get fucked over.). Though I would not have a problem if the retirement age was raised to 65.

But going forward with new employees, the deal needs to be changed and the pension plan should be scrapped in favour of a RRSP set up like most major companies are now doing.

 

[Sol Tee Nutz]

Personally I hate unions but a deal should be a deal, just because all the money got pissed away by poor government is no reason to put it on the employees. If I was supreme ruler of any land there would be no unions and all services would be farmed out with high quality control and huge penalties for poor or late work. Quality controllers would get max jail time for any cheating.
Again, just my opinion.

 

[CLOUD 500]

I believe they deserve the pensions. I think all workers should be unionized and be provided with livable pensions. Think about it the pension amounts are fixed till death yet these greedy corporations keep on increasing prices. In the last ten years the cost of living has increased considerably and disposable incomes are dwindling. Personally I think all CEO salaries should be capped, all shareholders payouts capped. If you ask me they are the living the luxury lifestyle at the expense of middle class and poor people. They get paid to exploit workers. Every company especially private businesses there should be a mandatory union protecting workers from being exploited by greedy CEOs and shareholders. Employees should be provided with a LIVEABLE wage indexed to inflation. Furthermore unions could protect employees from being asked to produce more and more at the same pay. If businesses want their employees to produce more then should pay them more. I believe in mediocrity.

 

[Mr. Atoz]

It is an unsutainable situation. Just as the post office has to pay new employees less than the previously paid because Canada Post is a shrinking operation. Tax payers are taxed to the limit in the highest tax jurisdiction in North America. In the future there will even be less earners ( taxpayers ) to fund these pensions. The government is asking the unions to guarantee that the pensions are fully funded so that there will money to pay the pensioners. The government can not back down on this one, they may make consessions to phase it in but it will happen. I will not be surprised if this move is done in other provinces and states as they are in the same predicament as Quebec.

 

[Pete Cochran]

THey should all be made to stand in a line in rags with a wooden bowl and spoon and beg for food, Oliver Twist style.