The Editor,
Re. TC Opinion (The Tri-City News, May 24).
Last Wednesday’s edition of The Tri-City News included a Facebook post from Peter Radonjic, who complained that the recent CUPE contract with the city of Coquitlam, at 9% over five years, didn’t even keep up with inflation, based on a StatsCan inflation rate of 2%.
In the same paper, reporter Janis Cleugh reported that the StatsCan inflation rate is actually 1.6%, so the 9% contract is actually 1% more than it should be to keep up with inflation.
I guess the commenter will support a ratcheting back of the contract to 8% over five years. Somehow I doubt that and, in any event, whoever said that keeping up with inflation is a must for municipal workers who have secure jobs and great benefits?
I’ve had .75% over six years and am about to retire with a fixed pension. It’s no wonder people are starting to wake up to the fact that constant increases in property taxes at double the rate of inflation are unsustainable.
Bob Elliott, Port Coquitlam
