Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

Treasury Board bargaining inches towards progress, but not far enough

Following more than six months of frustrating talks and delays by the government, PSAC bargaining teams representing 90,000 members finally received some responses to the union’s proposals this past week. The government’s small movements were a noticeable change from previous meetings but they fell significantly short of the progress needed at the table.

Bargaining teams reaffirmed a range of proposals for improving working conditions while also discussing the government’s counterproposals around work-life balance—including compassionate care, bereavement and parental leave—as well as general economic increases.

“We’ve made it clear to the Trudeau government that we expect new Treasury Board President Jane Philpott to have a mandate to reach a fair deal with us,” said PSAC National President, Chris Aylward. “These recent talks were a small first step in that direction, but we expect far more progress at our next session.”

“The modest movement we’ve seen is a result of the pressure and mobilization of our membership in response to the government’s many delays. It’s clear we need to not only keep up the pressure, but ramp it up in the weeks and months to come.”

“We are now on the eve of the third anniversary of the Phoenix pay system disaster and our members continue delivering the quality public services Canadians rely on every day, even as they wait to get paid correctly. They shouldn’t also have to wait for the fair working conditions they deserve. The clock is ticking.”

Treasury Board also decided that it will no longer negotiate issues of concern to all four bargaining groups at a common table. While this approach needlessly makes for less efficient negotiations, all four bargaining teams will move forward with a joint and unified approach to negotiating all common issues, even if it happens at separate tables.

This past week’s sessions were held between February 12 and 14 and covered four bargaining units under Treasury Board: Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB).

The next bargaining meetings will be held from March 19 to 21 in Ottawa.

Join us: On February 28, PSAC will kick off a series of escalated actions around the country in support of Phoenix damages and a fair deal at the bargaining table.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB vote on years of service accrual: Everything you need to know to vote

The FB bargaining team, with support of PSAC-CIU, recently decided to take the unprecedented step of calling a membership vote on the issue of years of service accrual. You can read the bargaining team’s reasons for calling the vote here. The FB bargaining team and PSAC-CIU will be taking no official position on the issue of years of service accrual until the vote is complete.

If you are a member of the FB bargaining unit, please read the following carefully.

The online vote will take place between 8:30 AM on February 18 and 12 PM (noon) on March 1^st (ET). A simple majority of those members who vote will decide the outcome and determine the position taken by the bargaining team on the years of service accrual issue in negotiations. The vote is secret and strictly confidential.

What are FB members voting on?

FB members will have the opportunity to vote on whether the union should take the position in this round of bargaining to keep the definition of “years of service” as is, or to have previous time in the Canadian Forces also apply for the years of service definition for:

Line selection for shift workers.
Processes for determining who works on a DPH for shift workers.
Vacation selection for everyone in the bargaining unit.
Determining who can access voluntary programs under the Workforce Adjustment Appendix in the event there are excess volunteers.

Note: Previous time in the Canadian Forces is already included in the calculation of vacation leave credits

Ballot wording

Option 1 — I support the Union taking the position in negotiations that the definition of years of service (seniority) should be changed to include time in the Canadian Forces as defined in Article 34.03 a) ii) for all areas of the collective agreement where years of service is applied.

Option 2 — I support leaving the definition of service as it is currently defined in the collective agreement.

Online information sessions (webinars)

This is an unprecedented vote and is not governed by PSAC’s Regulation 15. Therefore, online information sessions (webinars) being offered to members are not a prerequisite for voting. Nevertheless, PSAC-CIU encourages members to participate in the webinars to ensure all questions and concerns are addressed before voting.

The following webinars are available for FB members. To register, please click on the session you would like to participate in.

English	French
Wednesday February 20 at 4 PM (ET)	Wednesday February 20 at 3 PM (ET)
Friday February 22 at 12 PM/noon (ET)	Friday February 22 at 1 PM (ET)
Wednesday February 27 at 6 PM (ET)	Wednesday February 27 at 7 PM (ET)

How to cast a vote

Voter information package

In order to vote, you will need to receive a voter information package. This will be sent to the home email address we have on file for you on February 18. If we do not have a home email address for you, we will send you the package via regular mail on February 13.

If you are in the FB bargaining unit but are not a union member (i.e. you have not signed your union membership card), you will first have to sign a union membership card if you choose to participate in the vote. In such a situation, please contact your local or your PSAC regional office to make arrangements as soon as possible.

If you have not received your package by email or regular mail by February 18, please contact the closest PSAC regional office to you.

PIN and website/phone number to vote

The voter information package will include the PIN required to vote. It will also include the website address and phone number to cast a vote. You will only be able to vote once, either on the web or by phone.

Voting period

You may vote any time between 8:30 AM on February 18 and 12 PM/noon on March 1 (ET).

Where to get help with the vote

Your voter information package will include a PSAC helpline number for all questions related to the vote. If you have not received your package by email or regular mail by February 18, please contact the closest PSAC regional office to you.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PA, EB, SV & TC bargaining to resume February 12 – PSAC demands new mandate from Trudeau

PSAC will be resuming face-to-face bargaining sessions from February 12 to 14 on behalf of the 90,000 federal public service workers covered by Treasury Board bargaining. The union’s top priority is to obtain a fair wage settlement, and improvements in areas such as work-life balance, workload, leave provisions, and the use of temporary workers.

After many months of frustrating talks with the government, PSAC members are still waiting for a proper response to the union’s bargaining proposals. In December, the government insulted federal public service workers by coming to the table with a proposal for a two-year wage freeze.

“We will mobilize members to pressure Prime Minister Trudeau to live up to his promise of a new relationship with public service workers – one of respect,” said PSAC National President, Chris Aylward. “His Government is betraying our members and Canadians who depend on high quality public service.”

“New Treasury Board President, Jane Philpott must get a new mandate from the Prime Minister – one that will allow a fair deal. Our members have been waiting three years to get paid correctly under Phoenix – they shouldn’t also have to wait for the decent working conditions they deserve.”

Next week’s sessions will cover four bargaining units under Treasury Board: Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB).

A version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Accommodations regarding prescriptions for medical cannabis

Following the legalization of cannabis on October 17, 2018, CIU’s Human Rights Representative, Brother Murray Star, has been fielding questions from many accommodated CIU members who are being asked by the employer to disclose the medication they are taking.

Employees who are prescribed medical cannabis must be accommodated in the same way as employees who are prescribed any other medication. While every case must be assessed individually, members are encouraged to contact the union before informing the employer of their prescription for medical cannabis.

It is important to underline that employee and employer rights and obligations with respect to the duty to accommodate have not changed with the legalization of cannabis, nor have the protections with regards to disclosure of medical information. To implement appropriate accommodations that respect the dignity and privacy interests of people with disabilities, the focus should always be on the functional limitations associated with the disability, rather than a person’s diagnosis.

Generally, the employer does not have the right to know a person’s confidential medical information, such as the cause of the disability, diagnosis, symptoms or treatment, unless these clearly relate to the accommodation being sought. The employer’s right to information remains restricted. If members have concerns about the medical information that is being requested, they are encouraged to contact the union before they provide it.

PA, EB, SV & TC bargaining to resume – PSAC demands new mandate from Trudeau

This week, the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) refused to establish a Public Interest Commission, which could have brought PSAC and the government closer to reaching an agreement on behalf of 90,000 workers covered by Treasury Board bargaining.

In response, PSAC will be ramping up pressure on Treasury Board so that it returns to the bargaining table with a proper and full response to the members’ bargaining proposals. In December, the government insulted federal public service workers by coming to the table with a proposal for a two-year wage freeze.

PSAC has secured new face-to-face bargaining sessions in February. Our top priority is to obtain a fair wage settlement, and improvements in areas such as work-life balance, workload, leave provisions, and the use of temporary workers.

Upcoming negotiation sessions will cover table-specific proposals for the four bargaining groups: Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB); followed by discussions concerning issues common to all teams.

A version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.