Lots of chatter this weekend about this article in the Abbotsford News detailing massive pay increases for top staffers at Abbotsford City Hall. Some 211 employyes made more than $75,000 last year, up from 178 in 2010.

The numbers are staggering:

In 2011, the largest income increase went to Mike Pastro, manager of the Abbotsford Airport. He went from year-end earnings of  $138,486  to $166,344 – an increase of 20 per cent. In 2010, he saw an increase of two per cent.

Other increases included Jay Teichroeb, general manager of economic development and planning, and Mark Taylor, general manager of parks, recreation and culture, who both received 15 per cent more. In 2010, Teichroeb’s and Taylor’s earnings went up seven per cent and two per cent, respectively. Teichroeb earned $192,148 in 2011 while Taylor received $185,279.

Jim Gordon, general manager of engineering and utilities, received 14 per cent more (to $200,129) compared to two per cent in 2010.

Pizzuto, the city’s highest paid employee, earned $249,005 in 2011 – approximately a 9.75 per cent increase in income from 2010. That year, he had an increase of 7.5 per cent. 

Naturally, senior staffers tried to spin it:

The other wage influence is compensation. “We had a compensation specialist come in, as most organizations do.”

The specialist compares the salaries across municipalities and “assigns each position a salary range.” Pizzuoto said the city aimed for a 50 percentile, meaning about half of municipalities pay higher and half lower.

Interesting that Abbotsford bureaucrats only compared themselves to their public employees—no mention of private sector wages, which generally are lower. And how will these executives, responsible for bargaining with Abbotsford’s rank-and-file staffers, convince CUPE to take less than they got? Where is their moral authority?

Abbotsford would do well to reread this piece I wrote on bringing net zero to municipalities:

The B.C. Government has been remarkably successful with net zero over the past two years, settling two-year, zero-increase deals with more than two-thirds of their unionized employees.

Back in 2007, when the last round of CUPE contracts was being negotiated, municipalities followed the provincial government’s lead and paid dearly to ensure labour peace through the Olympics. Back then, the Province was handing out big signing bonuses and nice raises; the pressure to ensure Olympic peace meant most municipalities ended up with a 17.5 per cent pay increase over five years. Vancouver workers got a $1,000 signing bonus on top of that raise.

The economy was still booming in 2007, so not much was made of the huge pay increases. But when the global economy tanked and B.C. was dragged into the muck with it, the Province learned its lesson and went to net zero.

Despite following the provincial government’s mandate in 2007, municipalities don’t seem interested in net zero.

Indeed, eleven CUPE bargaining units have already signed three-year deals with Victoria, Colwood and other Island municipalities. Workers there will get two per cent pay increases each of the three years. Coming on the heels of 17.5 per cent raises during a brutal recession, it’s too much.