Anti-racism training for CBSA personnel: Letter to Minister Mendicino
Treasury Board strike: Deadline for reporting scabbing activities
As communicated on June 9, 2023, CIU has established an Investigation Committee to look into allegations of members in non-essential positions who continued to work during the Treasury Board strike, earlier this spring. This Committee must report its findings to PSAC’s Alliance Executive Committee (AEC) no later than six months after the signature of the PA, EB, TC and SV collective agreements.
As the PA and TC agreements were signed on June 28, this means that the Committee must report its findings to the AEC by December 28, 2023. As a result, in order to provide the Committee with sufficient time to investigate complaints and issue a report, CIU will only accept allegations of scabbing activities until July 30, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time. Allegations received after the deadline will not be investigated.
Should you have witnessed or be aware of any CIU PA, EB, TC, or SV member who performed work during the strike (April 19-28, inclusively) while occupying a non-essential position, you may file an allegation to that effect by emailing us at complaints@ciu-sdi.ca using your personal email address (and not your CBSA email address), until July 30. Please include the relevant name(s), work location(s), witness(es) and date(s) along with a basic description of the incident(s), as well as your own contact information.
As per the PSAC Constitution, Section 25, Sub-Section (4), members found to have engaged in scabbing activities may be disciplined, which could include a suspension of membership and a “fine that equals the amount of daily remuneration earned by the members, multiplied by the number of days that the member crossed the picket line, performed work for the employer, or voluntarily performed struck work”.
FB bargaining: Pushing back against CBSA plan for self-checkout at border
Our FB bargaining team met with the employer May 24-25 for the first bargaining session since the government introduced the 2023 federal budget and Bill C-47, the Budget Implementation Act. It was our first opportunity to oppose the changes outlined in Bill C-47 since we postponed negotiations in April in solidarity with striking Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency workers, and last met with the employer March 21-23.
The government is proposing changes in Bill C-47 that put our communities at risk by allowing individuals to enter Canada without speaking to a border services officer. This is reinforced by CBSA’s Traveller Modernization initiative. Our FB bargaining team voiced opposition to proposed changes that would implement self-checkouts at the border.
Self-checkout kiosks at Canada’s borders will make it easier for people intending to commit crimes — including dangerous offenders and individuals who would not be allowed to enter Canada for criminality (including war crimes), as well as individuals engaged in espionage or smuggling people, guns, and drugs — to enter the country, as we know they will not self-identify if given the chance to process their own entry.
PSAC-CIU taking employer before Labour Board
PSAC-CIU will take the employer before the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board for technological changes that have already been introduced by CBSA, including ArriveCAN and eGates.
During negotiations this week, our bargaining team called on Treasury Board and CBSA to halt the rollout of these changes — as well as the border services officer information sessions that management is carrying out related to “border modernization” — until the employer has properly consulted with PSAC-CIU. If they refuse to do so, we will consult our legal counsel about taking legal action against the employer. We will not sit idly by while the government eliminates officers from the front line and puts our communities at risk.
The team also spoke to our proposals concerning anti-racism training and asked CBSA to explain their decision to unilaterally halt the training PSAC-CIU and CBSA had agreed to with no explanation in March.
Next steps
We return to the bargaining table next month and will continue to push the government and CBSA to act responsibly, work with our union, and do the right thing.
Keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest updates about bargaining. If you have any questions, please contact your branch president or your PSAC regional office.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
Building a better workplace and a stronger union: CIU anti-discrimination and anti-racism survey
At the last CIU National Convention in 2021, delegates passed three resolutions seeking to address discrimination and racism within both the union and the workplace. A component of these resolutions pertained to gathering the data necessary to work towards that goal, asking the union to engage the services of an external, independent, and labour-friendly third-party with the required expertise to help conduct such a study. Thanks to the work of the CIU Human Rights Committee, and after a comprehensive search, the union has hired Rachel Décoste and Associates to assist us in this important endeavour.
As part of our efforts to fulfill the mandates of these resolutions, a confidential and anonymous survey has been designed by Rachel Décoste and Associates to gather information from the CIU membership about their workplace and union experiences. In the next few days, CIU members can expect to receive an email sent to their personal email address from ciu-survey@WorkplaceBelonging.ca through Survey Monkey, inviting them to take this short survey (3 to 5 minutes). We strongly encourage all members to participate. Note that only the aggregate data and results will be shared with the CIU Human Rights Committee. All other information gathered will be strictly confidential and will not be made available to either CIU or CBSA.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding the survey, we invite you to contact ciu-survey@WorkplaceBelonging.ca.
Thank you in advance to all members who participate in this survey for helping us build a better workplace, and a stronger, barrier-free union.
CIU strike pay top-up update
We have now processed the CIU national strike pay top-up for PA, EB, TC and SV members who attended picket lines between April 19 and April 21, 2023.
Members who attended a picket line between April 19 and April 21, and who signed up for electronic payments with PSAC, will receive an e-transfer in the next 24 hours covering picket line attendance in the first week. An email has been sent to these members with information on how to deposit the e-transfer once they receive it. Members who have not registered to receive e-transfers will be issued a cheque, although these are still being processed.
As a reminder, the CIU national strike pay top-up of $50/day is paid to striking members who attended a picket line for at least four hours per day. Please note that payments are issued based on data communicated to CIU by PSAC.
Further note that we are still processing the strike pay top-up for the second week of the strike. Members who attended picket lines during the second week and who have registered for e-transfers will receive a notification once payment is processed for those days. We thank you for your patience as we continue to work to process payments as quickly as possible.
All inquiries regarding the CIU strike pay top-up should be sent to strike@ciu-sdi.ca. In a few isolated cases, we have incomplete contact information for some members, which makes it difficult to issue payment via cheque or e-transfer. Members who have attended a picket line but who do not receive a payment notification from CIU should contact us at strike@ciu-sdi.ca so that we may investigate, bearing in mind that payments for the second week have yet to be issued.
Some Branches are also issuing local top-ups. Please contact your Branch President for more information about Branch strike pay top-ups.
2023 wildfires: CIU donates $1,000 to Canadian Red Cross
In light of the severe impact of ongoing wildfires on several communities across the country, the CIU National Executive has elected to make a $1,000 donation to the Canadian Red Cross.
The fires have resulted in a state of emergency being declared in Alberta and are also affecting a number of locations in other provinces and in the Northwest Territories. It is the union’s hope that this contribution will be of some help to those facing hardships and challenges in the wake of the wildfires.
To all who have been impacted by this crisis, know that you are in our thoughts. We also wish to extend our gratitude and support to all firefighters, other first responders, and volunteers currently hard at work. While we cannot stand with you in person, we do so in spirit.
PA, EB, TC and SV ratification votes to be held May 24 to June 16
Ratification votes for PSAC members in the four Treasury Board groups will begin on May 24 and end on June 16 at noon ET.
In order for PSAC members to receive their new rates of pay, retroactive pay, and lump sum payment, the new agreements must first be ratified. To ensure this ratification process is done as quickly as possible, PSAC will be conducting an expedited ratification process.
The ratification votes will be conducted using the same online voting platform used for strike votes earlier this year.
- Review the ratification kit for your group: PA | SV | TC | EB
- Read the tentative agreement and ratification vote FAQ
Click here more important information regarding ratification votes.
Bear Witness Day: We are all responsible for defending the rights of Indigenous children
On May 10, we recognize Bear Witness Day to raise awareness for Jordan’s Principle — a child-first principle and legal rule named in memory of Jordan River Anderson that ensures First Nations children receive the same standard of social, health and educational services as the rest of the Canadian population.
PSAC is proud to be one of the first unions in Canada to recognize this day annually. We encourage all PSAC members to take part in actions in support of reconciliation and equity.
One way to do that is to support the ongoing work of the First Nations Child & Family
Caring Society by sending a letter to your MP calling on them to endorse the Spirit Bear Plan to end the injustices experienced by First Nations children and families living on reserve and in the territories.
Call on your MP to support the Spirit Bear Plan
PSAC also encourages everyone to learn more about Jordan’s Principle by watching the documentary Jordan River Anderson, The Messenger by acclaimed Indigenous director Alanis Obomsawin. The film tells the story of how the life of Jordan River Anderson initiated a battle for the right of First Nations and Inuit children to receive the services they need, when they need them.
Visit the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society’s website for other ideas on how to support and honour Bear Witness Day through education, awareness, and action.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
Ratification kits for PA, TC, SV and EB groups
After nearly two years at the bargaining table and one of the largest strikes in Canadian history, CIU and PSAC members of the PA, SV, TC and EB bargaining units have a tentative agreement.
We thank all our CIU members for the unity they demonstrated and actions they took during this strike. Without you, we would not have this tentative agreement. We also thank our bargaining teams for their hard work and tenacity. These negotiations were uniquely challenging and CIU supports the tentative agreements they’re unanimously recommending.
CIU members of these bargaining units will soon have the opportunity to attend ratification sessions. We encourage you to review your ratification kit, attend a session, ask your questions and cast your vote.
- PA group ratification kit and full text of the agreement:
https://psacunion.ca/pa-group-ratification-kit-including-full-text-0 - TC group ratification kit and full text of the agreement:
https://psacunion.ca/tc-group-ratification-kit-including-full-text - SV group ratification kit and full text of the agreement:
https://psacunion.ca/sv-group-ratification-kit-including-full-text-0 - EB group ratification kit and full text of the agreement:
https://psacunion.ca/eb-group-ratification-kit-including-full-text-0
Breaking down the gains in PSAC’s Treasury Board settlement, and individual summaries of PA, EB, TC, and SV agreements
In the hours after reaching a deal with Treasury Board, PSAC shared with members the highlights of the wage increases and remote work language that were negotiated.
As PSAC prepares the ratification kits that contain the full details of the new agreements to share with you in the coming days, here are more details and clarification on the key improvements the union secured in this round of bargaining.
Please see the following page on the PSAC website for a breakdown of these gains.
Individual summaries
PSAC has also published summaries of each tentative agreement (PA, EB, TC, SV). Review them here: