Page 7 - Biz X Magazine - July/August, 2014 Issue

editorial viewpoint Heed Unhappy Workforce Conte Warns City Council By Alan Halberstadt “Tere are others, however, who say he is one of the best Mayors Windsor has ever had.” Te lingering resentment towards Francis t a special Windsor City Council hires. Tey still believe union employees and City Councillors stems from public A meeting on April 28, long-time CBC can deliver services more cheaply and statements during the strike and post- municipal afairs reporter Gino Conte was efciently.” strike period when the privatization and given the keys to the city as a memento to Conte, who had many rank and fle downsizing agenda unfolded. Te messaging take into retirement, and an opportunity to confde in him during the 101-day strike was that the Mayor and council were simply address Council. as CBC’s labour reporter, says most of the following orders from taxpayers. Conte thanked everybody profusely complainants are unionized, although a On the trust issue between city and and praised senior city administrators, but sprinkling of the dissatisfaction comes from county politicians, Conte believes a lot of then delivered a succinct bombshell: “Pay the non-union ranks. it emanates from repeated entreaties to city closer attention to employees. Tey do a Despite all of this, the disgruntled ones administration from Ward 3 Councillor good service. I listen to them. Not a happy insist they don’t take their bruised feelings Fulvio Valentinis to pursue more funding group. Administration should take that into out on citizens. from the county for delivering shared consideration.” “Tey see themselves as ambassadors,” services. Conte, who covered Windsor City Council says the messenger. “Te frontline workers Te inference that the county is not pulling and Essex County Council meetings for still work hard each day.” its weight does not go over well with county half of his 41-year career with CBC, then It bothers them that a segment of the councillors, notably Tecumseh Mayor Gary addressed the shaky relationship between public believes they are overpaid and that McNamara and Leamington Mayor James those two bodies. nepotism and cronyism exists within the Paterson. Francis and Valentinis have led “City and 2,100 employee corporation. Tere is also the attack on the funding splits of the Health County Council, the sentiment among union leaders that the Unit, spearheaded for years by McNamara always a mistrust workforce is top heavy. and other county politicians. . . . there is no Te county, on the other hand, has not trust,” he said. Conte notes that 1,100 of appreciated the city pulling its funding for “You have to initiatives such as physician recruitment. develop that if you the current workforce will be Conte hastens to add that Francis has a want to progress retiring over the next decade. good working relationship with County this region . . . I “Many of them are looking Warden Tom Bain, noting their habit of cover both, and forward to that,” he muses. meeting weekly. Te relationship between I can tell you Gino Conte, elaborating the Mayor and Bain’s predecessor, Kingsville there are certain at Tim’s. Photo by Alan Mayor Nelson Santos, “just faded away,” individuals on Halberstadt. A lingering sore point is the demoralizing according to Conte. County Council that have no trust for the bumping and attrition routine at City Hall, Gino believes it is imperative that City and certain individuals on City Council whereby employees with more seniority are future Mayors, Wardens and Councillors have no trust. Get rid of that. If you need allowed to knock junior workers out of jobs forge a much more trusting, cooperative help, I’ll help you.” to accommodate the multi-year downsizing. relationship. Intrigued by his words, I vowed Tis creates uncertainty and resentment as “If the city and county don’t start working to interview Conte and give him an many employees have been bumped down together, the region is going to miss out on opportunity to elaborate. We met at Tim the ladder, and retrained for new positions, (senior government) funding,” he says. Hortons on the west end, where Gino lives, several times. Conte’s vision would eventually include and I asked him about his observations of an “It afects the quality of work as employees the formation of a regional government in unhappy workforce. in new positions get up to speed,” says Conte. Windsor and Essex County. Conte used a very simple approach in Conte notes that 1,100 of the current In fact, Conte, who turns 61 in December, his eforts to extract information from city workforce will be retiring over the next might be part of that solution. He still hall employees. “How are things going?” is decade. has plenty of political energy lef, and he his favourite ice breaker. A sardonic “Living “Many of them are looking forward to keeps in shape by running an hour a day at the dream,” or “Don’t ask,” have become that,” he muses. While it is an opportunity to Malden Park. At this writing he told me he common responses in the last fve years. harvest new blood and energy, it can also be is considering running for Deputy Mayor “Morale at City Hall is not what it used to a recipe for loss of institutional knowledge of Amherstburg, or as a City Councillor in be,” he began. “Everything started afer the and instability. Ward 2 or 3. 2009 strike. Bitterness still exists within the Te conversation inevitably gets to around Please note that while Alan Halberstadt walls. Tey don’t feel they’re respected. Tey to Mayor Eddie Francis. is a Ward 4 Windsor City Councillor, the were very upset with the privatization of “Most employees are happy to see him contents of this column do not necessarily garbage collectors and day care worker cuts, leave,” says Conte, alluding to the Mayor’s refect the views of City Council or and losing post-retirement benefts for new declared intention not to seek re-election. Biz X magazine. BIZ X MAGAZINE • JULY/AUG 2014 7 BizX2014JulyAug52.indd 7 2014-07-01 7:53 PM