This afternoon RCMP management declared in one e-mail that it was taking $1100 from my pocket. Slashed our plainclothes allowance.
Calls to our weak-ass staff-relations representatives (we're the only police force in the country not allowed to have a union/association) got a response of "well, shucks, this is news to us too. They didn't tell us anything about it."
Coupled with our pension contributions increasing, and some health benefits being retooled and scaled back, and it's getting really frustrating.
And, I know it sounds bad for me to be griping about this sort of thing, given the overall difficult economic times, and I still have it good compared to the rest of the population, but.......city and provincial (ie. state) police forces aren't having all these cutbacks like we are.
I like being in the RCMP. I like having the fancy red uniform, I like doing the unique investigations that you only get to do in the RCMP.....I'm just not sure those intangibles are worth it when I could jump ship and slap on a city or provincial uniform on and instantly get paid almost 10k more in salary, and get better equipment etc. too.
/rant