Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

PA bargaining: Treasury Board ignores key wage, equity issues

Negotiations at the PA table are nearing the breaking point after Treasury Board presented their comprehensive offer on April 28 rife with concessions and which fails to respond to most of the PA team’s key demands.

The employer refused to budge on the unacceptable wage offer they presented at the Common Issues table in March, with economic increases averaging 1.75% per year that fall well below inflation. Treasury Board also completely ignored the PA team’s key demand for wage parity with members at the Canada Revenue Agency.

Mental health and equity overlooked

The bargaining team was dismayed by Treasury Board’s silence on proposals related to mental health and equity. The employer did not respond to the team’s proposal for leave to support employee mental health and was completely silent about our proposal for an allowance to recognize employees who use Indigenous languages in the workplace.

Treasury Board continues to reject PSAC’s proposals for mandatory training to address systemic racism, harassment, and discrimination for all federal public service workers and managers at the Common Issues table. This has left the team with no evidence that the government recognizes the need to dismantle systemic racism and address discrimination in the federal public service.

Our bargaining team is very concerned about the lack of progress towards a fair deal for PA members.

Upcoming national event, stay updated

Other Treasury Board groups including SV, TC, and EB have bargaining dates set for May, which will give a clearer picture of how Treasury Board negotiations will shape up going forward.

As Treasury Board bargaining reaches a critical point, we encourage you to register for our May 17 national panel to discuss the latest bargaining news, why strong mobilization is more important than ever, and how other PSAC members have taken job action to win important victories during the pandemic.

You can also stay informed and engaged during this round of negotiations using our bargaining toolkit.

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Asian Heritage Month: Remembering the past, shaping the future

It’s been 20 years since the federal government officially recognized Asian Heritage Month, but Asian and Asian-Canadian workers have been contributing their labour – and organizing for workers’ rights – for at least 200 years before that.

From building Canada’s railways to working in lumber, mining and agriculture, and later in health and other care professions, Asians from a wide variety of ethnic origins have built and enriched this country and its labour movement from the ground up since the 18th century. 

Anti-Asian racism in the workplace and in our unions dates back to those early days as well. In the late 1800s, Chinese workers in Canada were prohibited from joining unions. In the early 1900s, Canadian immigration laws were changed to deter and prevent East and South Asian workers from entering the country.

Fighting for workers’ rights 

People of Asian heritage in Canada continue to work and organize for workers’ rights despite these challenges. In the first half of the 20th century, East and South Asian workers formed their own unions demanding higher wages and better working conditions. Into the 21st century, they successfully mobilized to change immigration laws, providing better working conditions for migrant caregivers.

Since 2000, a grassroots collective of Asian community and labour activists have worked through the Asian-Canadian Labour Alliance (ACLA) to build an Asian-Canadian labour identity and represent Asian-Canadian trade union members and workers in the broader labour movement.

Anti-Asian racism continues 

Asian-Canadian workers, union leaders and organizers continue to contribute to Canada’s workplaces today. However, anti-Asian racism persists, as seen by a lack of representation in leadership positions, racial micro-aggressions, dehumanizing and divisive stereotypes, and the rise of anti-Asian hate throughout the pandemic.  Between 2019 and 2020, the number of police-reported hates crimes against the East or Southeast Asian population increased by 301 per cent, and incidents of violence against the South Asian population increased by 47 per cent.

Our union is taking action 

PSAC is demanding change by calling on the federal government to provide equity, diversity and inclusion training for all federal public service workers, and advocating for changes to the federal Employment Equity Act to address exclusion and discrimination in the federal public service.

We are also finalizing PSAC’s Anti-Racism Action Plan that will review how our union serves, mobilizes, engages and represents our Black, Indigenous, Asian and racialized members. Members will be able to learn and be heard through education sessions and workshops, a dedicated membership survey, focus groups, telephone townhalls, discussions and more.

We will be sharing a timeline of key moments in Asian-Canadian labour history later this month, and urge you to join us in taking action to combat anti-Asian racism – and all forms of racism – in our workplaces and communities.

Get engaged and take action 

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

National Day of Mourning: Work shouldn’t hurt

On National Day of Mourning April 28, PSAC recognizes the exemplary work of PSAC members who saved countless lives defending the health and safety of workers during the pandemic.

From mandating employers to develop COVID-19 protocols, administrative controls and ventilation and sanitation policies, unions and activists have played a key role in keeping workers safe. Their work has been possible because of the strong health and safety legislation, compliance and enforcement that unions have fought for to protect workers in Canada and around the world.

Unfortunately, not all workers have access to these same protections, and we have a responsibility to ensure all workers have a right to a safe workplace.

In Canada, many workers, especially gig economy workers, do not have basic health and safety protections like the right to know about hazards in the workplace. Other workers, including long-term care, gig and frontline workers, have insufficient sick days and limited health and safety protections. In the 2022 budget, the federal government has committed to providing 10 days of paid sick leave for federally regulated workers, but these benefits need to be extended to all workers.

That’s why PSAC and other unions are pushing governments to make occupational health and safety a fundamental right at work through the United Nations’ International Labour Organization (ILO). Here, we organize together under the same vision: work shouldn’t hurt.

Both in Canada and around the world, millions of people continue to die because of their work. The most recent data from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada (AWCBC) shows that in 2019, 925 workplace fatalities were recorded in Canada. That’s on top of the 271,806 accepted claims for lost time due to a work-related injury or disease.

Canada must be a leader and act to ratify and implement core ILO health and safety conventions that guarantee occupational health rights and protections for all workers, as well as protections against violence and harassment.

PSAC also recommits to hold all employers to the highest standards of health and safety in the workplace, so all workers can go home safely at the end the day.

You can observe the National Day of Mourning by:

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB National Bargaining Conference brings together first ever women’s caucus

FB Conference Women's Caucus

A new round of negotiations for more than 8,500 PSAC-CIU members officially kicked off at the FB National Bargaining Conference — held in Ottawa March 31 to April 2 — where delegates from every CIU branch across Canada discussed the issues that will drive the next round of bargaining.

After issuing an input call for bargaining demands in December, PSAC received over 1,300 proposals from uniformed and non-uniformed members employed by the Canada Border Services Agency. Delegates reviewed and prioritized these submissions and discussed what to expect from the bargaining process.

Key bargaining issues raised at the conference included compensation improvements, pension reform, increases to leave provisions, discipline, early retirement benefits, hours of work, discrimination and harassment, job security, union rights, work-life balance, and health and safety.

Delegates also heard from members who were active in the last round of bargaining, as well as mobilization and organizing experts, to aid them in developing strategies to build on the success of last summer’s unprecedented mobilization actions, which ultimately helped secure a deal.

The conference broke new ground with women representing nearly half of all delegates at the conference and holding its first-ever women’s caucus. There were also many young workers in attendance. Overall, the conference brought together a diverse membership with experience in a multitude of roles, including border services officers, inland enforcement, hearings and intelligence.

It was also the first time the conference was held in a hybrid format that allowed delegates to participate in person in Ottawa and virtually from home.

The newly elected FB bargaining team consists of Michael William Fraser, Marjorie Gavel, Mathieu Landry, Jacqueline Monk, Lisa Morgan, Keith Palmer, Stewart Saunderson, and Jordan Smith. PSAC negotiator Morgan Gay and research officer Darren Pacione will also return to the team.

PSAC served Treasury Board with notice to bargain in February 2022. Following the conference, our newly elected bargaining team will meet at the end of April to finalize our bargaining proposals. We expect dates to be set for the first meeting with the employer in the coming months.

Stay in touch

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

If you have any questions, please contact your CIU branch president or PSAC regional office.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

Common Issues: PSAC and Treasury Board still far apart after insulting wage offer

PSAC is keeping all options on the table to put pressure on Treasury Board after they came to the Common Issues table with an unacceptable wage proposal during negotiations March 28–31. The employer’s offer of 1.5%, 2%, 1.75% and 1.5% over a four-year agreement — averaging 1.75% per year from 2021–2025 — is completely out of touch with soaring inflation across Canada.

“This offer is a slap in the face to our members who have been delivering frontline services to Canadians throughout the pandemic,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “If the government expects our members to pay for the costs of the pandemic, they have another thing coming.”

The government is asking our members to take a pay cut when they need a raise most. Last year’s inflation rate topped out at 3.4% and this year’s rate is expected to be well above 4%. Indicators reached 30-year highs in February 2022 and inflation is not expected to drop below 2% for 2023 and beyond. PSAC has proposed wage increases of 4.5% per year to protect workers from the rising cost of living and ensure PSAC members and their families don’t fall behind.

Other than a response on wages, the employer’s offer did not address any of the union’s proposals. They only restated their position on their concessionary proposals related to technological change, discipline, numerous leave provisions, and the Work Force Adjustment Appendix (WFA).

“We’re prepared to meet with the government again to try and find common ground, but right now we’re simply too far apart,” added Aylward. “If Treasury Board fails to come to the table with an offer that keeps up with the skyrocketing cost of living, we will be forced to escalate our actions across the country, up to and including taking strike votes.”

Ramping up actions across Canada

We need your help to fight for a fair deal by turning up pressure on the government.

Register now for our April 12 national panel on fair wages to learn more about why mobilization is more important than ever and take action to demand fair wages. Then, join us on April 14 for our virtual day of action where we will flood the lines of Members of Parliament calling for fair wages and better working conditions.

You can also learn more about how inflation impacts your job with our conversation starter, “What does rising inflation mean for Canadian workers?,” support your bargaining team by wearing buttons or pins and send a powerful message to the employer by using our virtual bargaining materials.

Please be sure to keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest updates as we negotiate your next contract.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.