Duncan - The reason for increase in ferry fares is because the wages for both management and union employees has gotten out of hand.
There are over 900 BC Ferries employees, a combination of both management and union employees, making over $75,000 per year with a 100 per cent fully funded employee benefit plan paid for by the taxpayers.A gift shop cashier is paid $24.49 per hour, boarding attendant at vehicle ticket booth is paid $24.85 per hour, a coffee shop attendant is paid $23.35 per hour, and a third cook is paid $27.51 per hour. On top of this, the union employees will receive a wage increase on April 1, 2014, and April 1, 2015, as per their union contract.The rates of pay are outrageous, as a green chain worker in the sawmill earns $25.93 per hour, and a choker man in logging makes $26.94 per hour under the United Steelworkers contract.A listing of the 900 employees was available on the website for a short while for taxpayer reference, but has since been removed due to the BC Ferries workers' union taking the issue to court to have the report removed from the website, to hide the fact that wage rates are out of control.Joe SawchukDuncan