Wednesday, December 07, 2011

BC Ferries outrageous decision to "only" pay new CEO Mike Corrigan $563,000 compared to David Hahn! Plus $200,000 one-time bonus!

BC Ferries management - sailing away with your money.
Absolutely outrageous!

There's no other way to describe BC Ferries' decision to pay new CEO Mike Corrigan $563,000 a year to run a monopoly service.

And to put the proverbial lipstick on a pig, BC Ferries thinks it's great news for long-suffering customers that they limited Corrigan's salary package to just 60% of what $1 million a year current CEO David Hahn has been making!

Even BC Transportation Minister Blair Lekstrom - who is ultimately responsible for this travesty - can't stomach that amount of money.


"In these difficult fiscal times, do I think it's a concern?" Lekstrom told CTV News. "Yes, I do."

But that's not all - BC Ferries will "phase out" it's long-term bonus program for senior executives like Corrigan - not by cancelling it but by dividing a huge $778,000 fund between Corrigan and three other executives!

Tell that to people lining up for a $100 ride on BC Ferries!

Lekstrom is queasy on this part too.

"I'm not sure it is appropriate," Lekstrom said.


Not sure?  Let me spell it out - this is completely unacceptable.  And doing nothing about it - which so far is Lekstrom's plan - is more evidence the government is completely adrift.


Let's compare Corrigan's $563,000 to the salary of the top paid health care CEO in 2010 - Provincial Health Services Authority CEO Lynda Cranston -  who made $390,110.


That's for a job with people's lives on the line - not passengers in a line for burgers and fries.


I think Cranston is also overpaid - but she still made $173,000 less than Corrigan.


The PHSA has a budget of over $1 billion annually and employs over 10,000 people, including doctors, specialists, medical technicians and other staff.


BC Ferries annual budget is about $757 million and has less than 5,000 employees.


I have nothing against Corrigan, who I've never met, nor do I blame him for making as much money as he can from BC Ferries.


But the owner of BC Ferries has a lot of nerve paying him this much - that would be the BC government, Premier Christy Clark - proprietor.


.







34 comments:

Anonymous said...

Corrigan has to be paid $563k/yr or else the BC Ferries board looks like idiots for paying Hahn $1m.

Remember the board swore up-and-down that the province was getting a great deal with Hahn and ONLY paying him $1m/yr was a steal.

The BC Ferries board couldn't turn around and pay Hahn's no contest, hand picked successor a paltry $200k/yr because that would make the board look foolish for paying Hahn $1,000,000.oo.

Hahn may be gone, but his twisted legacy lives on.

Lekstrom should go all 'maverick' on the board and fire the lot of them, offer Corrigan the job for $200k or walk the plank.

The $363k saving can go for fuel on the 3 gas guzzling VunderBarges.

Ron1 said...

Corrigan also makes more than twice the salary of the President of the Washington State Ferries!

Anonymous said...

You can't blame Mr. Corrigan for the pay, blame the BOD and the Liberals.
But let us we what we can expect from the new CEO:
fuel costs, fixed can't do much about that,
crew costs, mandated size by Transport Canada, can't do much about that,
number of sailings, Coastal Ferry Act looks after that.
And those are the items that cost BC Ferries the bulk of their expense.
Mr. Corrigan wants to cut the number of sailings, I guess if there was no ships to sail it would make the job easier.
Take a look at how the upper management has grown and you can soon find the expense that doesn't move the ships back and forth, after all the bunch of them only work office hours but BC Ferries is sailing somewhere 24 hours per day.
What a wage to run a monopoly with major cost the CEO can't control.
It was interesting that Mr. Corriagan's former position is no longer needed just as Mr. Hahn departs, perhaps Mr. Corrigan's former position wasn't needed years ago.
The Board didn't want someone from the outside coming in a going through all the dirty laundry at BC Ferries, just keep it in the family.

DPL said...

If the BC Government really cared about families this sort of thing would be stopped. They are waiting to see how big a back lash occurs before doing anything. Get rid of those overpriced people and take total control over our ferries

Anne said...

Oh Yeah...and the next thing to happen will be concessions for the WORKERS on the ferries and people will think they're greedy if they try to get a 4% increase...it's those recessionary times don't you know!!! These decisions should be made public, thank you Bill Tieleman!

Anonymous said...

Look at what the top paid civil servants in England are paid:

http://northerninsights.blogspot.com/2011/12/oh-not-to-be-in-england.html

Our top civil servants are overpaid. ICBC has 50 people making over $200 000 a year. Wow, really. And Mike Corrigan is not the only one at BC Ferries taking home the big bucks.

My Realtor, Deb N said...

I would like to read his job description.

kootcoot said...

"Tell that to people lining up for a $100 ride on BC Ferries!"

I've no doubt that BC Fairies users would happily pay $200 it that would make it possible for poor Mike to earn as much as his predecessor Admiral Hahn the Hun! After all, that's what we're here for........the 99% are dedicated to the well being of the 1%, it gives our lives meaning!

Ecce homo sous terre said...

And once again, in the spring, the government will cry 'deficit, deficit' when the public sector unions ask for a cost of living wage increase.
After two years of zero wage increases for them, they won't stand for any more years of no wage increases.
Potential for a general strike if the gov't sticks its workers to a zero wage increase?? Time will tell.

Anonymous said...

Corrigan's salary is still, a crime against the BC people.

This goes hand in hand, with the outrageous salary's, for the ICBC employees. Campbell thieved $778 million from ICBC. That money was our money....That should have been used, to lower our insurance costs. Instead, our ICBC insurance, is going up.

There is also, the ripoff salary's of BC hydro. Campbell's stupid smart meters, another ripoff.

Then we have a department, giving themselves incentive bonuses, for ripping off the people, who really need those services.

We have endured over, ten years of thieving by the Campbell/Clark BC Liberals, and Harper's ripoffs too.

What is there to show for, Hahn's absolutely asinine salary? BC Ferries is in, one hell of a mess. Corrigan isn't worth his salary either, no BC Ferries executive is.

It's this kind of, government thievery, the Occupy is all about.

Anonymous said...

This is interesting, considering that the NDP heavily politicized BC Ferries in the 1970's and once again in the 1990s.

In regards to Washington State Ferries, it is completely different as it is a subset of the Washington State Department of Transporation (equivalent in BC was the coastal ferries run by the Highways Department such as the service to Quadra, Cortes and Sonitula).

At least there has been a reduction in salary. I'd like to see the salary reduced to $220,000 but isn't going to happen.

The absolute worst thing that can happen is if the NDP decided to bring BC Ferries back to a government appointed board.

and no there is no "crime against the BC people".

The comments here other than the high salary which should be reduced is way over the top.

Anonymous said...

The Bill Good's and Michael Campbell's of the world always preach that "if you want the brightest and the best" you must pay them these salaries to attract them.
Unless you're a Ferry Worker Union Member, or nurse, or machine operator for the City.
To follow their rational, we just got a now CEO that is 40% less "brightest and best" than the individual that preceded him.
Can hardly wait for Good and Campbell to point that out to us great unwashed.

Cheers

e.a.f. said...

Corrigan is defintely over paid, but then he is most likely holding a whole lot of secrets.

Corrigan will take what is given to him. The problem is the provincial government and the board of directors. Until we get rid of the lieberals we can look forward to more of the same. Lots of money for the executives and as little as possible for the people who do the actual work.

There is also the thought, the people voted for the lieberals when they knew Hahn was making $1 M a year. Now that Christie is running the show she has nothing to fear, she has her job for at least 3 years.

Sometimes you have to pay people a great deal of money to take a job such as this. It isn't for the work they do or the knowledge they have, its because of the shit they have to deal with, i.e. the politicians such as the lieberals.

bgreen said...

last night i read another Absolutely outrageous document, the transcript of rcmp interview with brian kieran on alex tsakumis site, see the site is down this morning

Anonymous said...

It's this kind of, government thievery, the Occupy is all about.

Occupy wasn't about that all, it was the disparity between the banks and the middle class in the United States.

Occupy Vancouver couldn't even attend to a woman that was in dire need of immediate help.

Anonymous said...

Our top civil servants are overpaid. ICBC has 50 people making over $200 000 a year. Wow, really. And Mike Corrigan is not the only one at BC Ferries taking home the big bucks

and just how many were overpaid when the NDP was in power?

Let's start with Bob Williams who was getting way too much for being the head of an un-nessesary Cabinet Secretariat.

Anonymous said...

To follow their rational, we just got a now CEO that is 40% less "brightest and best" than the individual that preceded him.
Can hardly wait for Good and Campbell to point that out to us great unwashed.

Wrong. It was mandated that the CEO salary be reduced, and Corrigan did voluntarily accept the reduced salaries. Corrigan has had experience as a VP for BC Ferries.

Imagine the squeals if an outsider was brought in to run BC Ferries.

In this scope, would the BCFMWU take a parallel cut in pay? The burn barrels would be burning if that was to happen.

Keith said...

Hi Bill,

sure it's a sum still out of the park, but let's be clear, any one of us in the same position of David Hahn or Mike Corrigan would take the money without a second thought, they cannot be blamed for doing what any one of us would do, the fault lies (no pun intended) with the ferry board stacked with friends and insiders of the Liberals, and the govt. for paying Hahn a large sum to run it into the ground for them.

For Leckstrom to now have misgivings about the salary for Corrigan is hypocritical in the extreme, as he would have been one of the lesser liberal MLA'S looking for attention whilst pounding the dusk and guffawing when Hahn's salary was defended based on "paying for the best" to run a monopoly.

As for politicising the ferries under the NDP.? give me the good old days when it was so, our Spirit Class ferries built here, fares were affordable and well used. Now the opp[osite is true, ferry debt is out of sight and with ridership down...good luck Mr. Corrigan

Anonymous said...

Lets remember tow labour folks voted on Corrigans salary and that of the Board of Directors. These guys both came from the socialist United Fisherman and Allied Workers Union and they are Gordon Larkin and John Radasovic, each of these labour guys of convenience are up to their arses in pork. Where are they in this debate?

Bill Tieleman said...

Anon 4:45 p.m. is wrong on at least one count - John Radosovic is not on the BC Ferries board of directors - why would you think that he is?

Gordie Larkin is but who know how he voted or what he says in confidential board meetings? Nor should anyone expect him to break his oath to say so.

Larkin is a labour appointee as mandated by the BC Ferry and Marine Workers Union contract.

Besides that, the real and only shareholder is the Province of BC - and so far they are "concerned" - but nothing more.

Anonymous said...

No, Mr. Tieleman you are wrong. Mr. Larkin is on what is called the operations board. He is not the labour appointee. He earned his way onto the pork board by suck holing to David Hahn and the rest of that mob. Thats why he is there. He was representing himself and paid handsomely.

Mr. Radasovic is the labour appointee and is on an oversight board. He was chosen by THE BOARD as the labour appointee. His job is to vote on salaries and other remuneration.

I'm sorry your friends are caught up in this. But they were chosen by the existing board.

Please check your facts, some of which are on the BC Ferry website. My view? I think they have let us down. You can decide for yourself.

Anonymous said...

good luck getting more info after this link>


http://thetyee.ca/Blogs/TheHook/2011/12/08/Govt_Cant_Hide_Ministers_Records/

Sean in British Columbia said...

BC Ferries is no longer a crown corporation, owned by a single shareholder.

The government's hands are tied, and there is absolutely nothing that can be done.

Bill Tieleman said...

Anon 5:15 p.m. - Gord Larkin is on the BC Ferries board of directors.

I see that John Radosevic is on the BC Ferry Authority board of directors - I did not know that.

My understanding is that under the BCFMWU contract, the union puts forward possible labour nominees to the BC Ferries board and the government chooses one - that being Gord Larkin.

I am not aware of how the BC Ferry Authority labour appointee is chosen or if the BCFMWU contract is involved. More info welcomed.

The BC Ferry Authority "holds the single issued voting share of British Columbia Ferry Services Inc. (BC Ferries), a company incorporated in British Columbia, which is subject to the Business Corporations Act (British Columbia)."

"The provincial government is the holder of all of the preferred shares of BC Ferries."

Nonetheless, to blame one member of a board for group decisions in private is unfair in the absence of any other information.

DPL said...

Reaside has a editorial cartoon about the 563,000 man.According to one columnist, Raeside got quite depressed when the million dollar man left the system

Anonymous said...

$563,000.00 is still $163,000.00 more than the president of the US!!!
The 1% will never get it.
It's time for the 99ers to get out the vote!
Remember this and all the other bs May 2013.

Anonymous said...

Try paying the average living wage to a CEO of BC Ferries and watch the disaster that ensuues. As they say "if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys".

DPL said...

Hey Anon 10:04. Speaking of disasters. Lets talk about a guy who claimed BC doesn't have the ability to build ferries. Who built the Spirit class? Golly gee, it was a BC Yard, BC employees paying taxes to BC. And guess who is building 8 billion dollars worth of ships for the Federal government. I'll give you a hint, it isn't a German shipyard .Hahn went out of the country to a heavily subsidized yard and we got no return for the money spent in taxes. speaking of monkeys. our big monkey is leaving with no less than two pensions, leaving the vibrating, cavatating ferries behind.

Anonymous said...

"Try paying the average living wage to a CEO of BC Ferries and watch the disaster that ensuues."

Anonymous said...

Hey Anon 10:04. Speaking of disasters. Lets talk about a guy who claimed BC doesn't have the ability to build ferries. Who built the Spirit class? Golly gee, it was a BC Yard, BC employees paying taxes to BC. And guess who is building 8 billion dollars worth of ships for the Federal government.


yeah, and guess which North Vancouver company recently received two tugs built in the United States, and does not build its own coastal cariers? Same company that did not expand on capacity.



I'll give you a hint, it isn't a German shipyard .Hahn went out of the country to a heavily subsidized yard and we got no return for the money spent in taxes.

Wrong. The maintainence of those ships is done locally, at both Victoria Shipyard and in Vancouver.


speaking of monkeys. our big monkey is leaving with no less than two pensions, leaving the vibrating, cavatating ferries behind.

Wrong again. The engineering issues were resolved.

Compare to the chairman of a new ferry entity that had no idea of what the market for ferries was as he originally was from the forest industry. Plus a former premier who did not have the foresight to build steel hulled ferries and therefore continue the success of the Spirit ferries in favour of a flawed program building pointy aluminum cans.

DPL said...

Hey anon.2200

Nobody said the routine maintenance wasn't done in BC. Lots of foreign vessels are maintained here. That includes very large cruise ships. Victoria has a massive drydock. Please explain just how the cavitation problem could be fixed , unless the ships are in massive ballast all the time. The folks over on the North shore reported cracked windows and foundations caused by cavitation.I understand that the so called fast cats are working very well offshore.Sure hope we didn't pay for the engineering problems from the offshore construction.I remind you again that the boats Hahn contracted were build in a heavily subsidized German yard. Is anyone subsidizing ship builders here right now? Suddenly we need more tradespeople to do the federal work. A lag of many years of little of no big ship construction.Now that Hahn and his old boss King Gordo., are gone I rather doubt the German ship yards will be getting much BC work. And of course BC got an exemption from the Feds, of the taxes for bringing in foreign vessels.

Anonymous said...

Nobody said the routine maintenance wasn't done in BC. Lots of foreign vessels are maintained here.

No kidding.

That includes very large cruise ships. Victoria has a massive drydock. Please explain just how the cavitation problem could be fixed , unless the ships are in massive ballast all the time.

Can be explained but not to people who don't have a basic understanding of elementary level politics such as yourself.


The folks over on the North shore reported cracked windows and foundations caused by cavitation.

I find that hard to believe since Horseshoe Bay Terminal and the nearst homes to the foreshore are quite a distance. You have your geography out of whack.


I understand that the so called fast cats are working very well offshore.

They are working very well in their role of being tied up. Last report I heard from a primary source is that they have not been placed in any service. Care to elaborate as to where they are being run as passenger/vehicle ferries for revenue service?



Sure hope we didn't pay for the engineering problems from the offshore construction.I remind you again that the boats Hahn contracted were build in a heavily subsidized German yard. Is anyone subsidizing ship builders here right now?

Actaully there are taxpayer paid for incentives to Seaspan. The other thing you forgot to mention was that the local shipyards would not build on the basis of a fixed price, but rather on a cost plus basis which is horrendously more expensive.



Suddenly we need more tradespeople to do the federal work. A lag of many years of little of no big ship construction.Now that Hahn and his old boss King Gordo., are gone I rather doubt the German ship yards will be getting much BC work.

Depends if the German shipyards can do the work more efficiently and less cost including the costs associated with delivery. Seaspan has had a few ships of its own built in Korea.

Learn what a bow line is before you sail.

Anonymous said...

It is time to build a bridge from west vancouver to Bowen Island.
It is also time to build a highway from squamish to Langdale,

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