Finally, no one in the city knows more about public employees, how much they earn and how rich their benefits are than Sam Tyler, the head of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau. Whenever there’s an issue surrounding city employees’ salary, pension, health insurance or benefits, the media beats a path to his door for a comment. And comment he does. Regularly. “The unions are bankrupting the city,” is his steady refrain.

As recently as two days ago, Mr. Tyler had yet another comment, this time on the proposed cost-of-living increase (COLA) for the city’s 15,000 or so retirees. Here’s what Mr. Tyler had to say about the increase in the Globe:

“But Samuel R. Tyler, president of the Boston Municipal Research Bureau, argues that it is ‘not fiscally prudent’ for the city to promise to increase pensions in a fragile economy. Critics question whether pension funds can generate enough long-term revenue, plus there is the pressure of rising retiree health care costs.
‘We’re looking at the bigger picture,’ Tyler said….”

The COLA that Mr. Tyler was referencing amounts to $30 per year. That’s per year. About 8 cents per day. In Mr. Tyler’s world, our retirees, many of whom are trying to eke out a living on $20,000 per year, do not deserve an increase of 8 cents per day.