Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

Strike votes for over 9,000 workers at Canada Border Services Agency begin April 10

Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) who work at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be conducting a strike vote across the country starting April 10, 2024.

After almost two years of negotiations, PSAC declared impasse in bargaining in September 2023 after CBSA refused to budge on key issues like wages in line with other law enforcement agencies, better job security, access to telework, and protections from contracting out.

“Workers at CBSA have waited long enough,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “Our members have been without a collective agreement since 2022. While wages have stalled and the cost of living has risen, CBSA has refused to negotiate an agreement that protects workers and continues to demand concessions at the bargaining table.”

While strike votes are underway, PSAC and CBSA are proceeding to Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings April 10 and 22 with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.

Following the PIC hearings, the commission will release its non-binding recommendations to reach an agreement. If members vote in favour of a strike mandate, PSAC will be in a legal strike position seven days after the board releases its report.

Workers at CBSA are also still waiting for the government to make good on a pledge to provide CBSA law enforcement personnel with the same retirement benefits – 25 and out –as other law enforcement and public safety workers.

“If the government is serious about achieving a new collective agreement, Anita Anand, President of Treasury Board, must also honour the commitment made during the last round of bargaining and make equitable retirement a reality for our members,” said Mark Weber, CIU national president. “Law enforcement personnel at CBSA deserve the same treatment and retirement benefits as their counterparts in other law enforcement agencies.”

The Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of Canada’s largest unions, representing nearly 230,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada, including more than 120,000 federal public service workers employed by Treasury Board and another 45,000 working for federal government agencies, including Canada Border Services Agency.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PSAC-CIU survey: Members working at CBSA

While bargaining on behalf of members in the FB group moves forward and preparations for another round of bargaining with Treasury Board get underway for PA, TC, SV and EB units, PSAC and CIU are surveying members working at CBSA.

All members working at the Agency are encouraged to fill in this brief survey. Your answers will help guide our work on behalf of the entire PSAC-CIU membership and assist our FB bargaining team to secure a fair collective agreement.

Answer the survey

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Survey: Review of the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act

In November 2022, Treasury Board announced the creation of a task force mandated to review the Public Servants Disclosure Protection Act. This Act establishes a procedure for disclosure of wrongdoings in the federal public service and outlines protections for the person reporting these issues, often referred to as a whistleblower.

As part of this review, the task force is engaging in a consultation process, including a survey.

Protecting workers who come forward to report a problem is critical to ensuring workplace safety. Therefore, PSAC is inviting all its members to complete a survey about their experiences in the workplace related to reprisals and safety in disclosure. The survey should take between 20 and 30 minutes. The deadline to answer is April 2, 2024.

Answer the survey

Previously, PSAC presented recommendations that, if implemented, would provide better protection for whistleblowers, which would increase the likelihood that federal public service workers feel safe against reprisals in reporting wrongdoings.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Support striking Non-Public Funds workers

Non-Public Funds workers are the backbone of services for Canadian Forces members, veterans, and their families.

But despite generating profits from the programs and services NPF workers provide, Canadian Forces Morale and Welfare Services (CFMWS) refuses to offer fair wages to more than 500 workers currently on strike in Bagotville, Kingston, Montreal–St-Jean, Ottawa, Petawawa, and Valcartier.

Send a letter supporting striking workers

CFMWS has pushed PSAC-UNDE members to the brink by forcing us to stay on strike for more than 60 days. That’s why we are calling for a nationwide boycott of CFMWS services and programs.

The boycott of CFMWS is more than a protest. It’s a declaration that all workers matter — not just those in the highest pay bands.

How to participate in the boycott

For military staff on Canadian Forces bases throughout Canada, as well as community members around the bases who utilize the same services, boycotting CFMWS means actively choosing not to use their services and programs and encouraging others to do the same.

By making conscious choices about where to spend our money and which services to use, we can put financial pressure on CFMWS and send a clear message that our troops and communities support us in our fight to be treated with dignity.

Here are some examples of what the boycott looks like in practice:

Instead of using CFMWS-operated gyms and recreational facilities, seek out local community centres or private gyms.
Organize or participate in community sports leagues and recreational activities outside of military bases.
Avoid purchasing items from CANEX stores and look for alternative retail outlets and local businesses to support off-base instead.
Choose local restaurants, cafes, and bars over CFMWS-operated facilities for meals, group outings, and events.
Attend events, concerts, and activities hosted by community organizations or local businesses instead of those organized by CFMWS.

If nothing else, talk about the strike with military personnel, community members, and CFMWS staff. Engage in a dialogue about the reasons for the boycott and the importance of fair wages for workers. Encouraging understanding and empathy can broaden support for striking workers and help us reach a fair resolution.

Other ways to support the strike

Even if you don’t live near a Canadian Forces base, you can still demonstrate solidarity with striking PSAC-UNDE members and help apply pressure on the employer.

Sign our online action calling on Bill Blair, Minister of National Defence, and Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board, to give CFMWS negotiators the direction to come back to the table with a fair offer.
Take the solidarity pledge and explain why you support striking NPF workers. We share the submissions with members on our Solidarity for Striking NPF Workers page.
Show your support with our virtual background, social media profile photo, and printable poster.
Spread the word using social media and word-of-mouth to encourage others to support striking NPF workers and to talk about the boycott.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

“We’re inundated with managers”: National President addresses Standing Committee on Public Accounts

On February 29 and March 5, 2024, CIU National President Mark Weber addressed the House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Accounts (PACP) as part of the Committee’s work related to the Auditor General’s report on ArriveCAN.

In his opening statement on February 29, the National President did not mince words, highlighting CBSA management’s lack of accountability — along with its tendency to retaliate against employees and its arbitrary internal investigative and disciplinary processes — and noting that the “glaring disregard for basic management practices” uncovered by the Auditor General was far from a surprise for those acquainted with CBSA management.

“The situation within the Security and Professional Standards Directorate, responsible for internal investigations, is especially egregious, with the directorate showing little understanding of the basic principles of procedural fairness” said Mark Weber. “Reform is badly needed to ensure the integrity of a process that should be fair, transparent, and unbiased, and yet is anything but.”

At the subsequent meeting on March 5, the National President answered questions from Committee members, touching on a wide range of subjects, including CBSA’s focus on facilitation and automated technologies such as ArriveCAN, which undermines the security of Canadians by removing crucial interactions between officers and travellers.

Committee members also heard about the overly broad CBSA code of conduct, the two-tiered approach to discipline between officers and managers, and the perennial issue of understaffing, which CBSA exacerbates by hiring more and more managers instead of frontline officers. “We’re already inundated with managers at CBSA” told Weber to the Committee, highlighting that “you could go the next decade without hiring another manager and you’d likely still have too many”.

The overarching message to the Committee is clear: CBSA and the federal government must learn from the ArriveCAN debacle and seize this opportunity to change course. Canadians are owed an agency built on solid principles where the frontline is properly supported to ensure the security of all.

See selected clips below. A full recording of the Committee proceedings can be viewed here (February 29) and here (March 5) (with interpretation language options).