Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

PSAC Calls for Fair Treatment of Border Services Officers

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is launching radio ads today to raise awareness about the important work done by Border Services Officers, Inland Enforcement Officers and other front-line law enforcement personnel at Canada Border Services Agency.

“Every day, Border Services Officers and other front-line officers at CBSA are putting themselves in harm’s way to keep our communities safe,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President. “They deserve the same fair treatment as other law enforcement officers.”

The Border Services (FB) group returns to the bargaining table with Treasury Board the week of January 30. The bargaining team is seeking improvements to compensation and working conditions, bringing them more on par with that of other law enforcement officers.

These improvements include a retirement regime consistent with other peace officers, more paid time for firearm practice, and enhanced protections for front-line officers in the context of firearm recertification and control defence tactics training.

“This is about fairness and safety,” said Jean-Pierre Fortin, National President of the Customs and Immigration Union – a component of PSAC. “These workers deserve a federal government that has their back.”

The ads can be heard on radio stations across Canada, as well as online at https://youtu.be/bqWEU1-XoX0

A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.

TC Bargaining Team Reaches Tentative Agreement with Treasury Board

(Article updated Jan. 26)

PSAC and Treasury Board have reached a tentative agreement for the Technical Services (TC) Group, which covers more than 11,000 federal public service workers. The deal includes significant breakthroughs on “common issues,” such as sick leave and workforce adjustment, the details of which were hammered out by the common issues committee last December. The TC bargaining team was also able to make meaningful improvements to monetary compensation, enhancing existing allowances and creating new allowances for specific groups of members.

“I thank the bargaining team for all their hard work and dedication to the members of the TC group. It has been a long two years. They resisted concessions, and in the end, they were able to achieve something for everyone,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson.

Common issues need to be implemented at all tables

The issues agreed to in December between the employer and the common issues committee, composed of members from all five Treasury Board tables, need to be accepted by each specific table. The TC bargaining team has formally accepted the work of the common issues committee, which covers sick leave and the workforce adjustment appendix.

Sick leave

The sick leave articles of our collective agreements will remain unchanged.
The parties have negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a Task Force to develop recommendations on measures to improve employee wellness and reintegration of employees.
Any future enhancements to the regime would need to be negotiated and agreed to by both parties.
PSAC’s four principles are included in the MOA: sick leave provisions will be contained in the collective agreement, provide for wage replacement, protect and grandfather sick leave banks, and will not be administered by a third-party provider. Any enhanced sick leave regime shall contain, at minimum, these four principles.

Workforce adjustment appendix

What we achieved represents the most significant improvements in workforce adjustment since it was first signed as an appendix into PSAC collective agreements in 1998.
Changes will reduce involuntary layoffs by allowing volunteers to come forward to leave the public service during times of workforce adjustment.
Employees will now have up to fifteen months to find an alternation match.
More union involvement, ensuring employees have the right to union representation during the process.
Limits to contracting out.
Improvements to the monetary provisions, including the education allowance and transition support measures.

Monetary gains

TC members will receive a 1.25 percent economic increase per year, over four years, as well as a 0.5 percent market adjustment in the third year. A signing bonus of $650 will be paid to those members who do not receive a group specific salary adjustment. Those group specific adjustments include:

Roll-in the remaining value of the terminable allowance to Appendix A-1 and an additional increment of four percent to the maximum rates of pay at all levels for Marine, Rail and Air Technical Inspectors, effective June 22, 2016.
Increases to the monies paid in Appendix W to EG and GT members working in shore-based positions at Canadian Coast Guard (CCG), effective June 22, 2016.
New allowance of $3,000 per year for Fishery Officers (GT-02 to GT-05), effective June 22, 2016.
New allowance of $3,000 per year for Enforcement and Wildlife Officers (GT-02 to GT-05) at ECCC, effective June 22, 2016.
New allowance of $3,000 year for Technical Inspectors (TI-03 to TI-07) employed at Measurement Canada, effective June 22, 2016.
New allowance of $3,000 for Labour Affairs Officers (LAO) at the TI-05 level, effective June 22, 2016.
New allowance of four percent for Search and Rescue Coordinators (GT-05) working at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC).
Additional increment of four percent to the maximum rate of pay of PI levels, effective June 22, 2016. Add the PI-CGC-07 rates of pay.
New allowance of $2,500 for EG-06 at Fleet Maintenance Facilities (FMF).

Additionally, the EG allowance contained in Appendix V will be rolled into the base rate of pay, effective June 22, 2016 and delete Appendix V. However, EG members who receive this roll-in and no other special measures above will be eligible for the $650 signing bonus.

Helping workers meet family demands

A committee will be established to look at childcare needs. Better family leave, including provisions for extended family, have also been negotiated. Significantly, the definition of family has been improved to include more family members. This means members can utilize relevant provisions of the collective agreement for more members of their family.

Other notable gains

New language has been included in the collective agreement to better protect members from being switched from day workers to shift workers, and vice-versa.
Travelling Time: the cap for travel in 34.04 has been increased to 15 hours, from 12.
The amounts paid under Appendix K for Diving Duty and Transfer at Sea have been improved.
Volunteer Leave has been included into Personal Leave, increasing the amount of time to two days, which can be split into smaller periods for ease of use.
The union and employer have signed a Memorandum of Understanding examining the comparability of EG work and compensation in the federal public service and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
We have a commitment to undertake occupational group structure review for the TC group and have new job evaluation standards completed by 2019.
Minor improvements to language on discipline and access to employee files.

The Memorandum of Understanding that established the Task Force on Mental Health in the workplace is also contained in this agreement. The mandate of the task force includes identifying ways to reduce and eliminate the stigma associated with mental health issues, improving communication on mental health challenges in the workplace, and implementing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. The parties came to an agreement on the MOU earlier in the bargaining process, in 2015, and the task force has been hard at work ever since.

The TC Bargaining Team is unanimously recommending acceptance of this agreement. Further information will be made available to TC members in the near future.

Download: Summary of Tentative Agreement reached for the TC Group on January 21, 2017 [Bilingual PDF]

A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.

EB Bargaining Team Reaches Tentative Agreement with Treasury Board

(Article updated Jan. 26)

PSAC and Treasury Board have reached a tentative agreement for the Education and Library Science (EB) Group, which covers more than 900 federal public service workers. The deal includes significant breakthroughs on “common issues,” such as sick leave and workforce adjustment, the details of which were hammered out by the common issues committee last December. The EB team was also able to achieve market adjustments for every classification in the bargaining unit.

“This is yet another victory in what has been a very challenging set of negotiations with Treasury Board,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson. “It is through the hard work and commitment of the members of our EB bargaining team, along with the steadfast support and solidarity from the bargaining unit members, that we were able to reach this agreement.”

Common issues need to be implemented at all tables

The issues agreed to in December between the employer and the common issues committee, composed of members from all five Treasury Board tables, need to be accepted by each specific table. EB is the second table to formally accept the work of the common issues committee, which covers sick leave and the workforce adjustment appendix.

Sick leave

The sick leave articles of our collective agreements will remain unchanged.
The parties have negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a Task Force to develop recommendations on measures to improve employee wellness and reintegration of employees.
Any future enhancements to the regime would need to be negotiated and agreed to by both parties.
PSAC’s four principles are included in the MOA: sick leave provisions will be contained in the collective agreement, provide for wage replacement, protect and grandfather sick leave banks, and will not be administered by a third-party provider. Any enhanced sick leave regime shall contain, at minimum, these four principles.

Workforce adjustment appendix

What we achieved represents the most significant improvements in workforce adjustment since it was first signed as an appendix into PSAC collective agreements in 1998.
Changes will reduce involuntary layoffs by allowing volunteers to come forward to leave the public service during times of workforce adjustment.
Employees will now have up to fifteen months to find an alternation match.
More union involvement, ensuring employees have the right to union representation during the process.
Limits to contracting out.
Improvements to the monetary provisions, including the education allowance and transition support measures.

Monetary gains

The agreement with the EB table contains significant improvements to monetary compensation for members. This includes a wage increase and a wage adjustment for all groups. The total compensation for all EB members amounts to a minimum increase of five-and-a-half per cent over the four years of the collective agreement, plus a $650 signing bonus. The wage increase is 1.25 per cent for each year, plus a 0.5 to four-per-cent market adjustments for 2016.

An appendix that provides a framework for working towards a national rate of pay for the ED-EST 12 month teachers has been added to the collective agreement. An allowance for EB members who work in Correctional Services Canada and more support for First Nations teachers have also been achieved.

Helping workers meet family demands

A committee will be established to look at childcare needs. Better family leave, including provisions that are more respectful and inclusive of Indigenous cultures, have also been negotiated.

Other notable gains

This agreement has language recognizing gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

Download: Summary of Tentative Agreement reached for the EB Group on January 21, 2017 [Bilingual PDF]

A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.

FAQ about the PA Group Tentative Agreement

When will we vote on the deal?

PSAC is currently preparing the ratification kits for the PA membership. These kits will explain the changes that were negotiated and why our PA Bargaining Team is recommending that members accept this tentative agreement. Information meetings will be held across the country so that PA members can hear from a Bargaining Team member and ask questions prior to casting their ballot on the tentative agreement. Given the size and diversity of the PA membership, the ratification vote process takes approximately six to eight weeks to conclude. Information on ratification meetings will be shared via the PSAC national and regional websites when it becomes available.

Ratification votes are being planned for the near future. Check the PSAC National Union’s website for planned dates and sign up for email updates to stay informed.

When will the deal come into effect?

If a majority of members vote “yes” in the ratification vote, PSAC will meet with the employer to sign your new collective agreement. With the exception of wages, which are retroactive, the new negotiated provisions come into effect on date of signing, unless otherwise specified.

Who will get back pay (retroactive pay) for the negotiated economic increases?

The new collective agreement is retroactive to June 20, 2014, expiring June 20, 2018. This means that you are entitled to back pay for the period of time you were employed and a PA member from June 20, 2014.

When can I expect the employer to pay the retroactive pay?

The employer has 150 days from the date of signing to implement the provisions of the new collective agreement, including adjusting rates of pay and issuing retroactive pay.

Who will get the signing bonus?

As part of your economic package for this tentative agreement, a $650 signing bonus will be given to any employee who is a member of the PA bargaining unit on the date of signing of the new agreement. The employer has 150 days after the date of signing to pay the bonus.

If I retired recently or left the PA bargaining unit, will I get the signing bonus?

Unfortunately, no. The signing bonus is only given to members of the unit who are employed in the PA bargaining unit on the date of signing.

If I am eligible for either the Compensation Advisor Allowance or the Correctional Service Specific Duty Allowance, will the increase be retroactive?

Increases to allowances are not retroactive. The employer has 150 days after the date of signing to implement the changes and issue payment of the allowances.

A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.

Treasury Board Bargaining Resumes in January

Four bargaining teams will be back at the table with Treasury Board, with the assistance of a mediator, to continue negotiations for new collective agreements.

The Education and Library Science (EB) and the Technical Services (TC) groups will return to negotiations the week of January 16, 2017.
The Operational Services (SV) and the Border Services (FB) groups will return to the bargaining table the week of January 30, 2017.

Tentative agreement reached for PA table

On December 14, 2016, the Program and Administrative Services (PA) table reached a tentative agreement, covering over 68,000 federal public service workers. The deal includes significant breakthroughs on “common issues,” such as sick leave and workforce adjustment.

A version of this article was originally published on the PSAC website.