HRM parking ticket revenue has increased 45% in three years, a direct result of the city taking the parking enforcement revenue away from the Corps of Commissionaires and awarding it to Securitas. That switch was made on September 1, 2008, soon into the 2008/09 fiscal year (which runs from April 1-March 31). Here are the total fines paid over the last three years:
2007/08 $2.4 million
2008/09 $3.4 million
2009/10 $3.5 million
According to Jerry Blackwood, who oversees the city’s parking programs, the $1.1 annual increase came because the Commissionaires only kept five enforcement officers on duty at any one time, while Securitas has 10 on enforcement officers on duty.
As Bruce Wark pointed out last year, the Commissionaires-employed officers were paid $12.50 an hour, while Securitas’ officers only make minimum wage.
Parking enforcement officers give tickets for expired meters, but also for illegally parking in other areas, and for parking too long in an unmetered space.
Interestingly, HRM collects more from parking fines than it does from parking meters. For each of the three years listed above, parking meter revenue was essentially flat, at $2.6 million.
This article appears in May 27 – Jun 2, 2010.
Another example of Halifax employees letting the employer trample all over them – minimum wage to be a Securitas officer?? You guys/gals need a union or employee association asap. Tell this multi-million dollar security machine that you are worth more than minimum.
People obviously love paying out for a ticket rather than putting a couple of bucks into a meter.
VoR: the wages paid to Nova Scotia security guards is a not-so-secret embarrassment to the security industry. Most guards are minimum wage or within a few dollars of it, and are untrained or poorly trained. There are barely any entry standards – as you may have noticed physical fitness certainly isn’t one of them.
That’s not to say that security guards are completely useless, regardless of their age or size or fitness or lack of training. The mere presence of someone – anyone – as an official representative of the property owner is enough to deter lots of people from committing mischief. Add to that the fact that guards are meant to be observant and aren’t – in theory – distracted by doing anything else means that they are presumably your best witnesses if something needs to go to court.
There are also conflicting expectations on the part of the “consumer”. In a retail security situation, the insurer expects the store to have guards and have good ones too. The store head office shops for the cheapest guards they can get. The actual store employees – manager on down – naively expect the guards to be good ones too…but often they aren’t, because head office just wants to be able to tell the insurer that they have guards.
As regards unionization, a lot of security guards in Canada are. But I don’t think too many security guards in NS are. I believe Casino NS security guards might be, though.
Thanks Tim! I wondered about this, though I am surprised the increase is not more since the “officers” doubled. Maybe they aren’t working at hard as the Commissionaires?
Any employee with no training and no skill deserves only minimum wage. Especially if most of their job requires no action aside from walking/sitting and observing for extended periods of time.I’m sure unions could bargain for more wages but if that effort would be better directed at helping them get better jobs.
There will always be a need for people to do low end jobs yet if you arent ambitious enough or determined enough to put effort into finding something better for yourself then you deserve to make minimum wage forever.
I am not in the least bit surprised that the HRM collects more in fines than from the actual parking meters. I think thats a pretty obvious indication that there is a parking crisis in the city! Its a shame no government representitive will find a solution.
Guess they have found a way to capitalize on that such ‘crisis’ by enforcing the ridiculous winter parking ban…but that belongs in the ‘bitch’ column :[
The fact that the city has seen fit to award the parking patrol to a company that pays people minimum wage is pretty sad.
Securitas is the second largest security company in the world. It has over 200,000 employees and raked in over $300 million last year.
These employees that are making minimum wage deserve a raise. They get no shoe allowance – remember they walk all day around the city.
As per unionisation at Securitas, the heads of the company based in Sweden have signed an agreement with an international group of unions stating they won’t interfere with union drives and will work with unions to make any attempt to form a union as least disruptive to their business as possible.
Unfortunately the managers of Securitas in halifax have ignored this agreement and sent letters out to employees, suggesting they don’t need a union and spreading rumours about the possible loss of jobs actions like these, while not threateneing employees, have a chilling effect on workers trying to form a union.
Fortunately many securitas officers in halifax are beginning to form a union along with securitas officers in 8 cities in the US. Securitas workers in Ontario, BC and Quebec have unions as do workers in many major cities in the US. Across Europe Securitas workers have joined unions.
Interestingly the main issues Securitas workers have aren’t about money – of course they need a raise, but it is about the unfair and erratic treatment they face from management and the lack of professionalism.
In most places when security guards form a union, the comapny actually grows as turn over lessens, employees take more pride in their job and get better training and working conditions.
Let’s hope the Halifax management of Securitas stops ignoring their companies agreement to work with unions, and starts realising that sooner or later securitas workers will gain the respect and dignity they deserve.