Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

PSAC files policy grievances over government’s flawed hybrid work plan

PSAC has filed policy grievances against Treasury Board and agencies for unilaterally imposing changes to our members’ working conditions while we’re in negotiations for 165,000 federal public service workers.

Guidelines for those impacted to file individual grievances are also now available.
The grievances follow PSAC’s statutory freeze complaints filed to halt the government’s hybrid work plan first announced in December.

PSAC’s grievances argue that the policy contravenes important articles of the collective agreement, as well as the health and safety provisions of the Canada Labour Code, and the Canadian Human Rights Act.

We are demanding that the government:

Immediately rescind its hybrid work policy;
Immediately engage in joint consultation with the union on the return to workplace issue;
Identify all potential instances of discrimination that may impact members as a result of returning to the workplace for the union to review duty to accommodate, as per Article 16 of the collective agreement and relevant provisions of the Canadian Human Rights Act; and
Provide damages for any losses that might have resulted from the policy.

Filing a grievance

PSAC encourages members to file an individual grievance if they believe the policy has been unfairly applied to them. The deadline for filing an individual grievance is 25 business days from the date that the policy is implemented in your workplace.

Filing a grievance is an important procedural step that protects your right to have the dispute resolved by the Federal Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board. It also means the employer must meet with you and your union representative, listen to the problems you are having because of the hybrid work policy, and provide a formal response about what they are doing to correct it.

It is important to carefully document the return to workplace problems you are having. To file a grievance, contact your steward, a member of your union local executive, or your component labour relations officer as soon as possible.
We especially encourage members experiencing serious impacts due to the government’s policy to file grievances in order to protect their rights.

If you have incurred expenses and financial losses as a result of the return to workplace policy, be sure to identify these damages to your union representative.

For more information, reach out to your component labour relations officer.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining: Show your support for the team on February 2

Have you ever felt stuck in a loop? Our FB bargaining team knows the feeling all too well. As mobilization ramps up for this round of bargaining, it’s becoming increasingly clear that CBSA has little more to offer than a Groundhog Day-type scenario, with the same inconsiderate proposals and attitudes we’ve already seen countless times.

That’s why we’re asking you to show support for our team on Thursday, February 2, by wearing stickers and swag. To mark the day, PSAC-CIU has prepared “Remember August 6” and “I support fair bargaining for all” stickers as a reminder to the employer that we’re serious about our demands, are focused on getting a fair deal for members, and won’t go another three years without a contract.

The unprecedented work-to-rule action by FB members across Canada on August 6, 2021, caused major delays at the borders and showed the strength of workers when we work together. That pressure ultimately led to a strong new collective agreement That’s why we’re mobilizing early, to remind the employer what we’re capable of, and we need your support.

Here’s what you can do:

Please contact your branch president or your PSAC regional office to request the new stickers. You can also wear any PSAC-CIU swag you have at home and download our virtual background and signature block to use throughout bargaining.

Virtual background
- Remember August 6
- I support fair bargaining for all!
Signature block
- Remember August 6
- I support fair bargaining for all!

This round of negotiations, so far

This round of bargaining kicked off in June 2022 with our continued push for an early retirement regime comparable to other law enforcement agencies, which complements the work PSAC is doing with the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee.

The team is also focusing on other key issues this round, like entrenching the ability to grieve access to telework in the collective agreement for non-uniformed FBs; job protections in the context of new technologies, contract workers, and student use; and new rights with respect to discipline and protections against forced overtime to address CBSA’s heavy-handed management style.

Meanwhile, we’re closely watching the 120,000 PSAC members working for Treasury Board in the PA, SV, TC, and EB groups as they move forward with strike votes. Many of these members are in our workplaces supporting FB members daily and were there when we needed them on August 6. Now it’s our turn to be there for them!

We’re also mindful that what happens at those tables, and with the 35,000 PSAC-UTE members working for the Canada Revenue Agency who are taking strike votes, will inevitably influence our negotiations, so it’s important we support their efforts. We’re all in this together.

Read our bargaining proposals below, and please keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest updates.

Yes, you can wear union swag on the job

Everything PSAC-CIU members do in the workplace to show employers we are paying attention to the issues and support our bargaining teams – no matter how big or small – makes a difference as we push for a fair contract.

Learn more about your rights in the workplace and refer to past rulings from the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) that reinforced our rights to represent the union in the workplace.

A 2018 FPSLREB ruling found CBSA’s arbitrary ban on wearing orange “I support my bargaining team” shoelaces anywhere except boots to be an unfair labour practice and a violation of the collective agreement. The judgment guaranteed members’ rights to wear these shoelaces as hair ties or bracelets, should they choose to do so. Another FPSLREB ruling from 2012 protected members’ rights to wear red “support the bargaining team” bracelets while on duty and rejected the claim that it was a violation of the uniform policy.

If management interferes with these rights or discourages you from exercising them, alert your branch president or your PSAC regional office right away.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Mental health matters: Introducing the Before Operational Stress program for CBSA workers

As in past years, sustained calls for better mental health resources and an improved support infrastructure continue to echo, highlighting the still pressing need for well-funded and accessible services to ensure the well-being of Canadians everywhere — including in the workplace. Indeed, studies have shown unequivocally that Canadians want increased funding for mental health, with issues stemming from stressful, toxic work environments remaining all too present.

**The Before Operational Stress program**

Frontline officers and public safety workers, including CBSA personnel, often face mental health challenges specific to their profession. As a union, we’ve been active in pushing the Agency to do more to support its workforce and find solutions to issues that contribute to — or outright cause — lasting mental health problems.

In a recent positive development, CIU and the CBSA Wellness Division have been working together to give our members access to a bold mental health initiative specifically developed with public safety personnel in mind — Wayfound‘s Before Operational Stress (BOS) program. As per the program’s description:

[BOS] uniquely combines theoretical and experiential learning procedures to mitigate the effects of operational stress. As we work to continue to understand the impact of operational stress, our evidence tells us we can provide tools to proactively cushion the impact of public safety personnel’s work so that they can do their jobs without tragic consequences. While it is understood that public safety employees will inevitably be exposed to operational stress, that does not mean they are destined to have their lives ruined by the psychological effects of their work.

Through Wayfound and with the help of CIPSRT, 8,000 free spots have been made available to CBSA workers so that they may benefit from the BOS program.

Click here for more information on how to register. Please note that this fully confidential, self-directed program is run by an independent 3^rd party. Neither CBSA nor the union can access the information you choose to share as part of the BOS initiative. We encourage all our members to participate, and to contact their local manager to complete this program while at work.

You are not alone

When facing a difficult situation at work or at home, remember that you are not alone. People around you can be a source of support, and your union is there to assist and help you find the resources you need. As CBSA employees, you can also contact LifeWorks for confidential assistance — be it for advice, counselling or treatment (for more information about LifeWorks and other resources, see our Mental Health page). PSAC has also published a list of resources to assist you if you feel overwhelmed, are struggling with stress, or are facing mental health difficulties.

Just like physical well-being, mental health matters, in any setting.

Changes to PSAC default dues rates, March 1: Explainer

PSAC is updating the default level of dues from $20 per pay to $35 for full time employees and from $20 to $12.50 for part-time employees as of March 1, 2023.

It will only affect new members hired on or after March 1, 2023 who work for Treasury Board (EB, PA, SV, TC, FB groups), and Agencies such as CRA, Parks Canada and CFIA. This does not apply to members in Directly Chartered Locals (DCL).

This change will have no impact on members already paying dues before March 1, 2023.

Understanding the default rate

As the amount in monthly union dues can vary greatly from one member to another, PSAC has provided guidance to compensation advisors to start the union dues at a default amount adjusted based on employees’ status as full-time or part-time. This is an interim amount to be paid until such time as your correct dues have been calculated by PSAC.

To do this, PSAC receives information from your employer that will allow it to determine the amount in union dues you should be paying. This is based on the 1st step salary of your classification and the various dues rates set at your local, component and PSAC level. If the information provided by your employer to PSAC is insufficient (for example, the employer does not provide your classification), it is impossible for PSAC to determine your dues. Your dues may remain at the default amount for longer than necessary until all the information is received.

The correct calculation of your union dues is also related to whether you have been allocated to the correct component and local. This may take up to 3 months, on average.
When a PSAC member starts a job in the federal public service, the employer’s pay system starts deducting a minimum dues amount immediately with what is known as a default level of dues. Later, the employer will deduct the difference between the default dues and the actual dues amount back to the date of hire.

Until PSAC receives the required information from the employer, it uses the default rate to start dues payments in order to reduce the amount of any arrears the member might owe, once the actual rate is calculated and applied. This update will help reduce the typical gap between default and actual dues, minimizing dues recovery.

For more information about membership dues, please see our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

We’re in this together: Strike votes for 120,000 PSAC members

Since the beginning of the pandemic, you and other PSAC members have stepped up by helping Canadians when they needed it most — whether your work got done from home or the workplace.

But instead of showing their appreciation for workers at the bargaining table, all we’ve seen from Treasury Board is total disrespect and disregard for the issues that matter most to PSAC members.

That’s why we’ve made the difficult decision to hold strike votes for 120,000 hard-working federal public service workers in the Program and Administrative Services, Operational Services, Technical Services, and Education and Library Science bargaining groups from February 22 to April 19, 2023.

Register to vote

We need to hold the line on fair wages that will prevent you from falling further behind as the cost of living increases. We believe in good, secure public service jobs, and an end to contracting out and privatization within the federal public service. We’re calling for solutions to harassment, discrimination and systemic racism in the workplace, so all workers feel safe on the job. And we’ll continue to fight to enshrine remote work and the right to disconnect in our collective agreements for better work-life balance.

Good wages. Protection from discrimination. Safe workplaces. Work-life balance. Is that too much to ask? We don’t think so.

Unfortunately, Treasury Board is hell-bent on pushing through serious concessions that impact your rights, including reducing job security and access to some leaves. And their insulting wage offer of 2.06% per year over four years is asking more than 120,000 hard-working PSAC members to take a big pay cut

To add insult to injury, the government imposed a flawed hybrid work plan on federal public service workers just days before the holidays, even though we’re negotiating remote work at the table and we’ve continued to serve Canadians effectively regardless of where the work gets done.

You deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Treasury Board’s stalling tactics and demands for major concessions are unacceptable and are hurting our members and their families. That’s why we need your support.

Register to vote

Going on strike is never our first choice and it doesn’t mean we’ll automatically call one. But securing a strong strike mandate from our membership shows we’re willing to fight and will give us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement you deserve, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.

Together, we have the strength in numbers to fight for a contract that makes real gains for our members. This is our opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our workplaces, and we strongly urge you to vote in favour of a strike mandate. To give you as many opportunities as possible to participate in strike votes, we’ll be holding strike information sessions both in-person and virtually.

Your voting credentials will be sent to your personal, non-work email or by mail to your home address if we don’t have a personal email on file. You will need these credentials to register for a strike vote session. All virtual sessions are national votes, so you may register for any virtual session. If you haven’t received your voting credentials from PSAC via your personal, non-work email or mail, you may need to update your contact information before you can register to vote.

Thank you for your continued support.

In solidarity,

Chris Aylward
National President
Public Service Alliance of Canada

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.