Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

FB strike votes and strike preparation webinars

Image discussion FB PSAC-AFPC

The FB group will be conducting an electronic strike vote across the country starting June 16. Support your bargaining team at our upcoming strike votes to make sure we can return to the bargaining table in a position to win a fair contract.

Select your region for details:

Please note that more may be scheduled after the 28th. Please prioritizing registering for a session in your region. After attending one of these sessions, you will gain access to information on how to vote. It will involve a 10-15-minute presentation by a member of the bargaining team, followed by an optional Q&A session. You must have your attendance recorded at one of the 10-15 minute presentation portions or your vote will not be counted.

Strike Preparation Webinars

Date Time Language
June 15 7pm – 8:30pm EST English
June 16 12pm – 1:30 EST French
June 17 12pm – 1:30pm EST English
June 21 5:30pm – 7pm EST French

These optional webinars have been set up to give FB members a chance to learn more about strikes, strike preparation, and ask any questions you may have. More may be added to the schedule depending on registrations.

Any questions you may have about strike votes or strike action can be answered at the virtual vote information sessions and strike preparation courses that will take place before you vote. However, to provide you with as much information as possible ahead of time, PSAC has compiled key questions and answers for you.

Related content

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

FB strike votes: Frequently Asked Questions

Image discussion FB PSAC-AFPC

The Border Services (FB) bargaining unit consists of over 9,000 PSAC-CIU members at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA), responsible for protecting Canada’s borders and the planning, development, delivery, inspection and control of people and goods entering Canada.

FB members have been without a contract for nearly three years, with our collective agreement having expired in June 2018. At the table, our bargaining team has been fighting for key issues, including parity with other law enforcement personnel across Canada, better protections against harassment and discrimination, and a fair remote work policy for our non-uniformed members.

CBSA’s refusal to budge on these core demands led the FB bargaining team to declare impasse in December. We’ve submitted and presented our dispute to the Public Interest Commission and are awaiting their recommendation. In the meantime, we’re holding a vote seeking a strike mandate from the membership to give our bargaining team the leverage we need to call a strike if necessary.

Any questions you may have about strike votes or strike action can be answered at the virtual vote information sessions and strike preparation courses that will take place before you vote. However, to provide you with as much information as possible ahead of time, PSAC has compiled key questions and answers for you.

Related content

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining team: We need your vote to get the contract we all deserve

Image discussion FB PSAC-AFPC

Like you, we are all CBSA employees. Together, we have over 100 years of diligent service with the federal government. We care deeply about the work that we do, and we care about our coworkers. That’s why we got involved in the union in the first place, and that’s why we’re reaching out to you today about the most important decision we’ll all need to make this round of bargaining.

For over two years, we’ve been in negotiations for a new collective agreement with Treasury Board and CBSA. In the middle of negotiations, Canada and the rest of the world were engulfed by the COVID-19 pandemic. We – PSAC-CIU members at CBSA – have been on the front lines of that pandemic every single day, putting our health at risk to keep Canadians safe and our borders secure. From Programs Officers interpreting Orders in Council and Inland Enforcement Officers conducting removals to BSOs inspecting PPE and everyone in between, we’ve all played a critical part in protecting Canadians.

The importance of our work is undeniable. Public Safety Minister Bill Blair has publicly recognized our work during the pandemic on more than one occasion, while CBSA has frequently commended the work that we do to keep our borders secure.

Unfortunately, this praise seems to simply be empty words, because we haven’t seen that same recognition at the bargaining table.

When we make the case that we deserve parity with other hard-working law enforcement personnel across Canada – from wages to paid meal periods to issues related to firearms and other tools – we are told no. When we raise the dire need for pension reform at CBSA, we see no movement whatsoever from the employer. And with respect to our non-uniformed colleagues, who have been faithfully serving Canadians while working remotely throughout the pandemic, the employer still refuses to negotiate telework provisions into our collective agreement.

We’re also grappling with a toxic workplace at CBSA where we all work under the constant threat of heavy-handed discipline and abuse of authority. That’s why we need new protections in the context of discipline, harassment and whistleblowing in our collective agreement, but our proposals to protect employees have been denied.

Instead, CBSA is pushing for concessions – introducing a 48-hour shift change notice clause (instead of the current seven days), massive changes to scheduling and VSSA protections and changes to family care leave that would make it inaccessible to most of us and at the discretion of managers

The employer wants our jobs to matter more than our families when all they do is treat us like we’re all replaceable. We can’t stand for that, and we believe it’s time to make our stand.

Last month, we made our submissions to the Public Interest Commission, and they’ll provide their recommendations on our outstanding bargaining demands.

➡️  Read the full PIC submission

In the meantime, we’re fed up with the disrespect we’re all being shown by CBSA and the government, and we need to show them we’re ready to stand up to them to get the contract we deserve.

That’s why we – along with the PSAC National President and the CIU National Executive – have made the decision to conduct a vote to seek a strike mandate from the membership.

We’re asking you to vote YES to a strike mandate so that we can send a clear message to CBSA. Your support will give our bargaining team the leverage we need to call a strike if necessary.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be giving you all the details you need about the process, how you can stay informed and take part in the vote. But we wanted to be the first to tell you – directly from the bargaining team – that this is our time to make real and meaningful changes at CBSA.

Stay tuned for more updates. If have any questions, please be sure to follow up with your CIU
Branch President or contact your local PSAC regional office.

We hope you’ll stand in solidarity with us and all CBSA staff so that we can reach a fair agreement with CBSA and Treasury Board. We’re all in this together.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Ross
Newfoundland/Labrador
St. John’s Airport

Joey Dunphy
New Brunswick
Edmunston POE

Claude Bouchard
Quebec Eastern Townships
St Armand POE

Ken Turner
Windsor Ontario
Ambassador Bridge

Frances Baroutoglou
Toronto Postal Operations

Charles Khoury
Headquarters – Ottawa

Mat Ashworth 
Northern Ontario
Rainy River POE

Michael Aessie
Manitoba
Commercial office

Leanne Hughes
British Columbia
Victoria Airport

Related content

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

PSAC condemns hate-motivated terror attack on London family

London vigil / Vigile à London

Salman Afzaal, Madiha Salman, Yumna Salman, Fayez Salman and Afzaal’s mother should have been able to walk safely together in their own neighbourhood. Family walks have been one of the few ways in which families can safely spend time together outside their homes during the pandemic.

Fayez, the nine-year old sole survivor of the domestic terror attack in London, Ontario, should not be mourning the loss of his parents, grandmother and sister. This horrific and shocking killing of a family is an immeasurable loss for not only the Muslim and London communities, but for all people in Canada. It is a stark reminder of how much we still need to fight Islamophobia in Canada.

Muslims, and especially Muslim women, routinely experience Islamophobia because of their faith. Since 9/11, Muslims have been portrayed by some politicians, media outlets, and right-wing groups as terrorists, violent and threatening “Canadian” values, which has led to an increase in Islamophobia. Islamophobic incidents include murder, online harassment, threats, violence, vandalism, and workplace discrimination.

PSAC condemns Islamophobia in all its forms and calls for municipal, provincial, territorial and federal governments to take urgent action against systemic Islamophobia. PSAC also supports the National Council of Canadian Muslims’ call for a National Summit on Islamophobia.

There is no place for hate, violence and Islamophobia in our union, workplaces and our communities. We must show our solidarity with Muslim communities and play an active role in the fight against Islamophobia and racism. We must name it, speak out, and take action when we witness it.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

COVID-19 Update — Follow-up to question on use of 699 leave

Image of border crossing with the words "COVID-19"

The following message was sent by the Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat. 

We are following up on the question which was raised during our COVID-19 Update call on Tuesday.  With regards to requests from employees to take the child/person for whom they have a duty of care to get the COVID vaccine, our guidance to Departments is the following:

  • The employee should first try to schedule the vaccination appointment outside of work hours or work flexible hours to make up the time taken.
  • The employee can schedule family related leave to bring a child / person for whom they have a duty of care to the vaccination appointment.
  • If that is not possible and all Family related leave has been used, the employer could grant 699 leave for a reasonable time period to get the vaccine as this is related to COVID.