FB bargaining: Employer pushes concessions as talks resume

Our FB bargaining team met with Treasury Board and the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) from September 9 to 11 for our first session since exchanging proposals in June.

Unfortunately, the employer is sticking to its familiar playbook of concession bargaining under the guise of needing “greater management flexibility.” During this session alone, we rejected more than two dozen concessionary proposals.

We also pushed back against the employer’s claim that several union proposals are “off the table” due to existing legislation. We reminded them that collective bargaining exists to build on and improve statutory minimums, and that is exactly what our team intends to do.

Employer targets key protections and working conditions

Several employer proposals would strip members of important and long-standing rights:

• Restricting schedule flexibility: Weakening the Variable Shift Schedule Arrangements (VSSA) in Appendix B by adding restrictive language like “cost effectiveness” and “operational requirements,” and eliminating regional representation in VSSA discussions. (Read the full employer proposal.)
• Cutting holiday pay & undermining seniority: Capping compensation for designated paid holidays at 7.5 hours — regardless of actual shift length — and shifting volunteer selection from full days to individual shifts. Treating a designated paid holiday as individual shifts circumvents negotiated seniority rights, leaving senior members on one shift forced to work while junior members on another get time off.  (Read the full employer proposal.)
• Eroding core rights: Diluting protections across crucial articles, including discipline, grievance procedure, technological change, and more.

Common attacks across all Treasury Board tables

The employer introduced several other broad concessions they are also pushing at the PA, TC, SV, and EB bargaining tables:

• Removing Workforce Adjustment Appendix from the collective agreement: This key protection (Appendix C) has been entrenched in our contracts since 1998 and strengthened over subsequent rounds of bargaining. We refuse to revert to the weaker NJC Workforce Adjustment provisions, especially as the federal government continues to cut tens of thousands of jobs.
• Removing the dental plan from the collective agreement: This would also dissolve the PSAC Dental Board of Management and force members into the NJC plan.
• Eliminating paid union leave: PSAC already fully reimburses the employer for these costs under Article 14.14.

Stay engaged

We return to the bargaining table on October 20–22, with another session scheduled for November 17–18. We’ll keep you updated every step of the way as negotiations progress.

Here’s how you can support your bargaining team and stay involved right now:

• Visit our bargaining page: Read our full package of proposals, meet our bargaining team, and get the latest updates.
• Show your support at work: Display and share our “I Support My Bargaining Team” materials.
• Subscribe for updates: Join our mailing list to get the latest bargaining news as it happens.
• Reach out: Have questions? Contact your CIU branch president or a member of our FB bargaining team.
• Get involved: Connect with your PSAC regional office to learn about upcoming events and actions.
• Watch and share our video series: Learn more about the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Act and see why PSAC is fighting to modernize federal labour laws.