SA国际影视传媒淢y taxes pay your salary!SA国际影视传媒� ItSA国际影视传媒檚 a common theme you hear in conversations about public sector workers. Of course, how taxation is linked to wages is not always that simple, but the public does have a right to know how public funds SA国际影视传媒� no matter what sources they come from SA国际影视传媒� are spent.

When it comes to salary information, you often hear excuses about privacy concerns, but there are ways to provide this information without singling out employees.

The GNWT, for example, lists the pay range for each public service position, rather than publishing a list of individual employees and their salaries. If you want to know how much money a specific position can make SA国际影视传媒� from admin assistants to deputy ministers SA国际影视传媒� you can look up the position and see the salary range.

If there is only one of those positions in an organization, you would still only see the salary range, not the specific salary that an individual earns.

The GNWTSA国际影视传媒檚 system is not perfect; you canSA国际影视传媒檛, for example, look up appointed positions such as statutory officers. But they at least give the public a sense of where the money goes, from the lowest pay scales to the very top of the public service.

This information is important when it comes to collective bargaining. Union members know what union membersSA国际影视传媒� salary ranges and benefits are, from their collective agreement. But knowing how much their bosses are getting paid is another part of determining if what they are asking for is reasonable, fair, and affordable.

When it comes to determining budgets, Employers should be SA国际影视传媒� and usually are SA国际影视传媒� providing themselves with some wiggle room for negotiations. If they donSA国际影视传媒檛, it shows they donSA国际影视传媒檛 plan on actually bargaining.

Bargaining in good faith is a requirement in the Canada Labour Code. Generally speaking, it means coming to the table with the expectation of some back and forth until you can reach an agreement somewhere in the middle. It is not a SA国际影视传媒渢ake it or leave itSA国际影视传媒� approach where one side makes an offer and then refuses to move.

In the case of the City of Yellowknife, we are missing a big piece of the wages puzzle. We know how much the city budgeted for wages and salary increases for 2022-23. We also know how much-unionized workers at the city currently make (this information is public).

Budgets are public, and how those budgets are divvied up should be too. Is the city refusing to budge on wages for unionized employees because they blew their budget on increases, benefits, and bonuses for excluded workers? Did senior management pay themselves first, and now have nothing but crumbs left for their workers?

City of Yellowknife residents have seen hefty tax increases in the last two budgets. How is that money being spent? WeSA国际影视传媒檝e tried our best to find out, but the City of Yellowknife keeps dodging the question.

They claim they are not yet subject to the ATIPP Act, which is true, but only because the GNWT has been slow to add them to the regulations. Based on the citySA国际影视传媒檚 recent response to Yellowknife Firefighters, they have the means and personnel to respond to requests, so we need to ask our MLAs SA国际影视传媒� whatSA国际影视传媒檚 the hold-up?

The city also likes hiding behind numerous policies and bylaws and getting creative with terminology to avoid public accountability. The mayor said she and council canSA国际影视传媒檛 talk to the union about the strike/lockout SA国际影视传媒渂ehind closed doors,SA国际影视传媒� but the mayor and city manager wonSA国际影视传媒檛 let union reps (or even members of the public) speak openly in front of council either.

Right now, nobody knows who is making the decisions over at city hall. What information are councillors seeing? Where are they getting their information? Why wonSA国际影视传媒檛 the mayor and city management let them do their jobs in public when that is what they are elected to do?

On behalf of our members, the union will continue to ask these questions. Yellowknife residents and taxpayers, who city council is ultimately accountable to, should be asking questions too.