Weyburn's city council and the Board of Police Commissioners have a hard job ahead of them, as they need to help find a resolution to the labour dispute with the city's police officers, members of the Weyburn Police Association.
The city's finest are approaching a full year since their contract expired, with negotiating ongoing since June, except for the lengthy impasse that the two parties have been so far unable to overcome.
At issue, in part, are the level of salaries, which the WPA point out are about nine per cent behind their brethren in Estevan, with Estevan and Moose Jaw set at about 93 per cent of the pay given to Regina's police officers.
They are police in a busy and growing city, comparable in size with Estevan but with a higher volume of calls in Weyburn; they get the same amount of training and have to deal with the same number of things that officers in Estevan do, so why are they so far behind them?
The city is offering 11 per cent over three years, but the problem is, in three years' time Estevan will again be that ahead of them, and on and on it goes. The city also says they are "firm" in this offer.
Does this mean they will not negotiate any further? That's hardly going to resolve the impasse.
One of the concerns voiced by both the commission chair, Mayor Debra Button, and commission member Coun. Rob Stephanson, is that of the salaries of other city employees, and the impact of it all on the city budget.
Surely the police are worthy of their own consideration in this matter; after all, they are putting their lives on the line every time they go on duty. Other city employees are most assuredly not doing this; they work hard and well for the city, yes, but they aren't likely to see a gun or a knife drawn on them, or deal with a criminal element in the course of their work.
Granted, if the police were paid what they are asking for (parity with Estevan), there may well be a hit on the taxes - but the residents of a growing city should expect there will need to be increases on occasion, and the city just had two zero-increase years in a row. The police are worth whatever it takes to pay them properly; this should be done without fear for the budget. The police are an essential service for the city, just as the Fire Department and public works employees are, so they should be paid what they are worth.
