Global News has learned that the number of Montreal city employees earning 100,000 dollars or more tripled in just one year from 2009 to 2010.
Global News obtained the figures through an access to information request filed with the city of Montreal.
Seventeen hundred city employees earned $100,000 in 2010, compared to just 626 in 2009.
Most of the new members of the $100,000 club are employees in senior management positions.
In all there are 504 who are directors, administrators and professionals and another 727 are police commanders or fire chiefs.
Only two are blue collar workers. David Caldarone is a blue collar worker. He earned $55,000 in 2010 and says he doesn't think he'll ever hit $100,000. "I've got maybe another seven eight years left to work at the city and I don't think i will ever come close to making that much. Never."
Marc Ranger of the blue collar union says the city isn't doing enough to reduce spending and stem its ever-growing bureaucracy. "This number is really scandalous," Ranger told Global News.
Andre Dollo, the director of the white collar union is afraid the situation may get worse. "I don't want to see what it's going to be in 2015."
Montreal's human resources department has previously argued it needs to pay a large number of workers high salaries to compete with the private sector. But the sudden hike from 2009 to 2010 is what is sounding the alarm bells.
Thursday on Global News we’ll ask the city to explain the dramatic increase?
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