THE ECONOMIC IMPACT OF BILL 148 Since 2013, public sector workers including teachers, nurses, school board and child care workers, civil servants, the arts community and many others – approximately 70,000 – have been subjected to unrelenting interference in the collective bargaining process by the Liberal government. These attacks on public sector workers are unfair and likely unconstitutional. They’ll also do serious damage to the economy. The wage restraint sections of Bill 148 are wage restraints, not imposed economic increases. For example, the economic increase in the third year cannot be more than 1%, meaning in theory something less could be negotiated, but nothing greater. The retirement allowance, a freely negotiated benefit, is being unfairly taken without being offset and in effect takes wages from members that have been deferred until retirement. These wage restraints will reduce purchasing power as the rising cost of living outpaces wage gains. Better wages are necessary to get the economy … Read more…