City of Windsor saves millions of dollars by contracting out jobs
A recent decision to contract out custodial work at Huron Lodge Long-Term Care home in Windsor is just one of the ways the city is saving money through outsourcing.
Contracting out services such as garbage pickup, parking enforcement, and daycare has saved the City of Windsor $21 million since 2010.
When looking at garbage collection alone, the municipality saved $4 million over the past seven years.
"I think there's been good response from the public," says Onorio Colucci, Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Windsor, adding that he thinks the amount of money saved over the past few years translates into one percent of the municipal tax levy.
But union officials say the city is ignoring the spin-off effects of higher paying jobs. Mark Vander Voort, president of CUPE Local 543, represents some workers who will see their jobs outsourced at Huron Lodge.
"The city uses a formula to determine the impact of an event like FINA. We're saying that okay, the same formula can be used to determine what the economic impact of decent paying jobs are," says Vander Voort.
"Is reducing the taxes by a very very small amount the only thing to look at? We're saying that's not the only thing to look at."
City officials say job cuts from outsourcing are handled through attrition, and that it will be a few months before contractors take over at Huron Lodge Long-Term Care Home.
