A group of Toronto councillors calling itself the Responsible Government Group has proposed an across-the-board wage freeze for city staff to lessen the hit on taxpayers.
Instead of a four per cent homeowner tax hike, it could limit the increase to two per cent, the 13-member, mostly right-wing group said yesterday.
“We have to freeze our own salaries,” said Coun. Peter Milczyn. “It’s not a lot of money but it’s important to show that we’re prepared to make sacrifices, just as we’re asking everyone else to make sacrifices.”
The group says its proposed wage and spending restraints would save $86 million, assuming unionized workers went along.
But union leaders have called proposed wage restraints “the wrong remedy for economic ills caused by the current recession.”
Scrapping the raise would cost each councillor $2,348, reducing their pay to $96,805.
