Forrest not lowest-paid union head, despite claim
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 19/01/2018 (2812 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The claim by Alex Forrest, the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president, that he is likely the lowest-paid civic union leader in the city — despite collecting two paycheques for roughly 20 years — is inaccurate, the Free Press has learned.
On Tuesday, Forrest defended the fact he’s drawn two paycheques — one paid by city taxpayers, the other a top-up from his union representing the partial wage of a city firefighter — since being elected union president in 1997.
“That’s what a union president would normally get paid. That is the rate of a union leadership for a union of my size. With the combination of the two, I’m still probably the lowest-paid union president in the city. And I’m one of the lowest-paid union presidents of major fire departments in Canada,” Forrest told the Free Press.
Forrest’s salary in 2016 was $116,342.
The city’s 2016 compensation disclosure agreement contradicts Forrest’s claim. That year, Ryan Woiden, president of the local paramedics union (Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union Local 911), pulled in $102,710.
A spokeswoman for the paramedics local confirmed that Woiden’s salary — as is standard practice with the city’s civic unions, aside from the UFFW — is reimbursed to taxpayers each year. The spokeswoman also said the union doesn’t pay its president a second paycheque on top of his city salary.
Given the March 2014 renegotiation of Forrest’s salary deal — which saw the city go down to 60 per cent from paying 100 per cent — Winnipeg taxpayers would have been on the hook for about $70,000.
However, in addition to Forrest’s city salary, he also took home a UFFW paycheque for 34 per cent of the annual compensation for a first-class firefighter — roughly $30,000.
On top of those two paycheques, he was also paid $8,000 for his work with the International Association of Fire Fighters.
That puts his total 2016 salary around $154,000.
On Wednesday, Forrest said he would no longer respond to media questions related to his salary.
“We have done interviews on this issue countless times, and we keep saying the same thing. As such, we are no longer doing interviews,” Forrest wrote in a text message.
He declined to comment when reached Thursday.
Moe Sabourin, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, and Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500, were not listed in the city’s 2016 compensation disclosure.
The police association and CUPE were asked whether they give their presidents an additional paycheque. Neither answered the question.
When asked why the two union leaders were not listed in the city’s 2016 disclosure, a City of Winnipeg spokesman said: “Other union leaders do not appear on the compensation disclosure report. We are looking into this on a going-forward basis.”
As of Thursday, numerous questions about the controversial arrangement between the city and Forrest remain unanswered.
Forrest, who holds the rank of captain, is running for re-election as union president next month.
ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
Who’s paid the least?
The claim by Alex Forrest, the United Fire Fighters of Winnipeg president, that he is likely the lowest-paid civic union leader in the city — despite collecting two paycheques for roughly 20 years — is inaccurate, the Free Press has learned.
On Tuesday, Forrest defended the fact he’s drawn two paycheques — one paid by city taxpayers, the other a top-up from his union representing the partial wage of a city firefighter — since being elected union president in 1997.
“That’s what a union president would normally get paid. That is the rate of a union leadership for a union of my size. With the combination of the two, I’m still probably the lowest-paid union president in the city. And I’m one of the lowest-paid union presidents of major fire departments in Canada,” Forrest told the Free Press.
Forrest’s salary in 2016 was $116,342.
The city’s 2016 compensation disclosure agreement contradicts Forrest’s claim. That year, Ryan Woiden, who is a full-time paramedic in Winnipeg and also president of the local paramedics union (Manitoba Government and General Employees’ Union Local 911), pulled in $102,710.
While on union leave the union fully reimburses the city his salary. A spokeswoman for the paramedics local confirmed the union doesn’t pay its president a second paycheque on top of his city salary.
Given the March 2014 renegotiation of Forrest’s salary deal — which saw the city go down to 60 per cent from paying 100 per cent — Winnipeg taxpayers would have been on the hook for about $70,000.
However, in addition to Forrest’s city salary, he also took home a UFFW paycheque for 34 per cent of the annual compensation for a first-class firefighter — roughly $30,000.
On top of those two paycheques, he was also paid $8,000 for his work with the International Association of Fire Fighters.
That puts his total 2016 salary around $154,000.
On Wednesday, Forrest said he would no longer respond to media questions related to his salary.
“We have done interviews on this issue countless times, and we keep saying the same thing. As such, we are no longer doing interviews,” Forrest wrote in a text message.
He declined to comment when reached Thursday.
Moe Sabourin, president of the Winnipeg Police Association, and Gord Delbridge, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 500, were not listed in the city’s 2016 compensation disclosure.
The police association and CUPE were asked whether they give their presidents an additional paycheque. Neither answered the question.
When asked why the two union leaders were not listed in the city’s 2016 disclosure, a City of Winnipeg spokesman said: “Other union leaders do not appear on the compensation disclosure report. We are looking into this on a going-forward basis.”
As of Thursday, numerous questions about the controversial arrangement between the city and Forrest remain unanswered.
Forrest, who holds the rank of captain, is running for re-election as union president next month.
ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca
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History
Updated on Friday, January 19, 2018 11:45 AM CST: Adds note on Woiden's salary.