Cop union boss Mike McCormack cuts through the police budget theatrics The first part of my conversation with Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack the other day went something like this.
(You’ll have to read between the lines.)
McCormack (sounding like James Cagney, only with a Scarborough accent): “Whatta u want?”
Me: “Have you seen the Twitter shot of Rob Ford stumbling around town with women at a bachelorette party?”
McCormack (laughing): “No, I have not.”
Me: “Would it surprise you?”
McCormack (laughing louder, but only half-joking): “I would be shocked.”
Me (switching gears, or given ’em): “Does he have a valid driver’s licence?”
McCormack (in full howl): “I don’t check the CPIC system any more. It cost me five days’ salary last time.”
Funny guy, that McCormack. Funny thing, too, the state of police politics (again) in Ford country. The theatrics are approaching farce.
Or was I the only one with a case of déjà vu after that little visit paid by Chief Bill Blair to the mayor last week to talk money?
On the one hand, the police department is the last thing the mayor says he wants to cut. It’s an oft-repeated statement. On the other, the mayor’s vice-chair on the Police Services Board, Michael Thompson, is suggesting widespread layoffs, which the chief says would compromise the safety of Torontonians.
Layoffs may not even be legal under the terms of the current collective agreement with the cops. What gives?
McCormack: “We’re not saying there’s going to be murder and mayhem in the streets, but we’re already down 200 bodies through attrition. That’s got us concerned enough.”
Translation: We’re going to use every legal avenue open to us to ensure layoffs don’t happen.
In that regard the police union has plenty of legal leverage thanks to, wait for it... Mayor Ford. It’s his signature on the four-year deal given coppers earlier this year. So chock full of benefits is that baby that it’s undermining incentive packages the city’s offered cops to leave the force. Talk about a cap in the ass. Why leave when the getting’s good, right?
The union isn’t even pissed the city is taking away paid-duty perks.
But back to that cop contract.
It includes adequacy standards, which means any reduction in the number of officers could be grieved by the union all the way to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, the body that oversees policing in the province.
One-cop patrols, another possible cost-cutting measure floated by Fordists, are also a non-starter, forbidden by the collective agreement, locked up until 2014.
The mayor has either unknowingly painted himself into a corner – and we know he’s too smart for that – or, the more likely scenario, all this tough talk about cop-cutting is posturing meant to give the impression that Ford & Co. are serious about taking the knife to the police when all they really want to do is scare the shit out of the other city unions.
Next stop, Camden, New Jersey?
McCormack doesn’t like to get into hypotheticals about what layoffs would mean, but will if prompted.
He says that when Camden experimented with replacing officers with closed-circuit cameras, “violent crime went through the roof.”
He doesn’t rule out the possibility of cops going on a work-to-rule campaign in the face of layoffs.
“I live in the city. I’ve utilized the police in the past and I want to be able to call and make sure we have people responding.”
One area where savings might be made is cop schedules, but the union head isn’t inclined to that option. A plan to go force-wide with a compressed work week pilot project is still stuck in negotiations, apparently relegated to the back burner.
How’d we go, then, from 100 more cops (promised by the mayor during the election) to (maybe) 650 fewer?
Me: “Is this all a set-up to oust the chief?”
McCormack (clearing his throat): “I don’t believe that’s the mayor’s intent. But there is that perception that other people are using this to suit their own political agenda.”
For the record, McCormack thinks that’s “totally inappropriate” and that Blair is doing a pretty decent job.
“The sooner this thing’s put to bed, the better,” says McCormack.
Seems, though, that we’ll be locked in this dance for some time.
(You’ll have to read between the lines.)
McCormack (sounding like James Cagney, only with a Scarborough accent): “Whatta u want?”
Me: “Have you seen the Twitter shot of Rob Ford stumbling around town with women at a bachelorette party?”
McCormack (laughing): “No, I have not.”
Me: “Would it surprise you?”
McCormack (laughing louder, but only half-joking): “I would be shocked.”
Me (switching gears, or given ’em): “Does he have a valid driver’s licence?”
McCormack (in full howl): “I don’t check the CPIC system any more. It cost me five days’ salary last time.”
Funny guy, that McCormack. Funny thing, too, the state of police politics (again) in Ford country. The theatrics are approaching farce.
Or was I the only one with a case of déjà vu after that little visit paid by Chief Bill Blair to the mayor last week to talk money?
On the one hand, the police department is the last thing the mayor says he wants to cut. It’s an oft-repeated statement. On the other, the mayor’s vice-chair on the Police Services Board, Michael Thompson, is suggesting widespread layoffs, which the chief says would compromise the safety of Torontonians.
Layoffs may not even be legal under the terms of the current collective agreement with the cops. What gives?
McCormack: “We’re not saying there’s going to be murder and mayhem in the streets, but we’re already down 200 bodies through attrition. That’s got us concerned enough.”
Translation: We’re going to use every legal avenue open to us to ensure layoffs don’t happen.
In that regard the police union has plenty of legal leverage thanks to, wait for it... Mayor Ford. It’s his signature on the four-year deal given coppers earlier this year. So chock full of benefits is that baby that it’s undermining incentive packages the city’s offered cops to leave the force. Talk about a cap in the ass. Why leave when the getting’s good, right?
The union isn’t even pissed the city is taking away paid-duty perks.
But back to that cop contract.
It includes adequacy standards, which means any reduction in the number of officers could be grieved by the union all the way to the Ontario Civilian Police Commission, the body that oversees policing in the province.
One-cop patrols, another possible cost-cutting measure floated by Fordists, are also a non-starter, forbidden by the collective agreement, locked up until 2014.
The mayor has either unknowingly painted himself into a corner – and we know he’s too smart for that – or, the more likely scenario, all this tough talk about cop-cutting is posturing meant to give the impression that Ford & Co. are serious about taking the knife to the police when all they really want to do is scare the shit out of the other city unions.
Next stop, Camden, New Jersey?
McCormack doesn’t like to get into hypotheticals about what layoffs would mean, but will if prompted.
He says that when Camden experimented with replacing officers with closed-circuit cameras, “violent crime went through the roof.”
He doesn’t rule out the possibility of cops going on a work-to-rule campaign in the face of layoffs.
“I live in the city. I’ve utilized the police in the past and I want to be able to call and make sure we have people responding.”
One area where savings might be made is cop schedules, but the union head isn’t inclined to that option. A plan to go force-wide with a compressed work week pilot project is still stuck in negotiations, apparently relegated to the back burner.
How’d we go, then, from 100 more cops (promised by the mayor during the election) to (maybe) 650 fewer?
Me: “Is this all a set-up to oust the chief?”
McCormack (clearing his throat): “I don’t believe that’s the mayor’s intent. But there is that perception that other people are using this to suit their own political agenda.”
For the record, McCormack thinks that’s “totally inappropriate” and that Blair is doing a pretty decent job.
“The sooner this thing’s put to bed, the better,” says McCormack.
Seems, though, that we’ll be locked in this dance for some time.
Origin
Source: NOW
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