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Reminder: Cast your ballot in PA, EB, TC & SV ratification votes before September 29

image vote ratification

We are getting close to the end of the voting period to ratify the new tentative agreements for the PA, TC, EB, SV and PSAC-UTE groups. PSAC has organized ratification votes between August 24 and September 29 for PA, TC, EB and PSAC-UTE members, and from August 31 to October 5 for SV members in each PSAC region.

In order to be eligible to vote you must:

  • have received your personal identification number by e-mail or mail (your PIN is required to vote, but is not required to register and attend a webinar)
  • ensure you are a member in good standing (MIGS)
  • attend a 15-minute webinar session

If you still haven’t received your PIN, please check your junk e-mail folder and if it is not found there contact your PSAC Regional Office. If you need more information on how to participate in ratification votes, please visit our national website.

If you have not registered and attended a webinar, please do so by checking out the regional websites for dates. If you have attended a webinar and have not yet voted, please vote to have your voice heard.

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

Labour Day 2020: Moving Canada Forward Together

Photo of CIU flag

The ongoing COVID-19 crisis has revealed the critical value of front-line workers. Healthcare workers, cleaners, grocery store staff, delivery drivers and many more continued working through the height of the pandemic, ensuring Canadians had access to basic amenities and services.

Tens of thousands of PSAC members did the same. They kept our food supply safe, maintained our borders, and ensured that millions of laid off workers received the financial relief they needed in record time.

While these unprecedented emergency relief measures were largely successful as a temporary safety net, a full, equitable, and resilient recovery for Canada demands an even more ambitious plan. That’s why this Labour Day we not only recognize workers’ essential contributions during the pandemic, but also commit ourselves to a plan to move Forward Together and come out of this crisis even stronger.

A moment for unprecedented change

Canada’s parliament, led by a Liberal minority government, is at a critical juncture. It can either rise to this historic occasion by working to put in place a bold and courageous recovery program, or it can opt to not prepare for the next crisis.

Rebuilding our economy that is disaster proof and works to the benefit of all Canadians will mean addressing the failures and weaknesses revealed by the pandemic. It will mean a massive commitment to public investment by the federal government not seen since the post-war period to:

  • Replace lost jobs with better ones by hiring people to build green infrastructure, to educate our youth and to care for others.

  • Strengthen public health care by introducing a universal Pharmacare plan to reduce the cost of medicine and incorporating long-term care into Canada’s universal public health care system.

  • Put in place a high quality, inclusive and fully accessible system of publicly-funded child care—something all economists and women’s organizations recognize as essential to economic recovery for everyone, not only parents with young children.

  • Strengthen social income support systems by reforming Employment Insurance and making sure workers have access to paid sick leave.

Forward Together

How will we pay for it?

While millions of workers struggled, many big businesses continued reaping massive profits throughout the pandemic. Canada’s big five banks alone recorded a stunning $9 billion in profits in their latest quarterly reports. There is no better time than now to ask big business to pay its fair share through a higher tax rate on profits.

Moreover, public spending on Canada’s social infrastructure will pay back big dividends by making our economy stronger, safer and more resilient, and by reducing profound inequities—including racial and gender inequities.

Towards the Canada workers deserve

This Labour Day, let’s demand that Canada’s political leaders seize this historic opportunity to build an economy that can weather the next storm and bring with it social and economic justice.

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

FB bargaining dates set; all PSAC members at CBSA to receive Phoenix damages

All PSAC members working at Canada Border Services Agency will receive Phoenix damages compensation while bargaining continues for FB members.

Last year, PSAC rejected the government’s meagre Phoenix settlement offer of five days of cashable leave because it wasn’t equitable and was far too little to compensate for the damage caused by the disastrous pay system.

Instead, PSAC negotiated a far better Phoenix damages agreement that provides a $2,500 lump sum payment to be distributed to all PSAC members who have been directly or indirectly impacted by the Phoenix pay system. This new agreement is a substantial improvement from the five days of leave accepted by CSN/UCCO-SACC, PIPSC and all other federal bargaining agents.

The agreement – which all PSAC members at CBSA will receive independent of the bargaining process – will help make PSAC members whole for over four years of hardships caused by the Phoenix pay system.

The agreement has three main elements:   

  • General damages compensation for all (i.e.: the $2,500 lump sum);
  • An improvement to the current claims process for out-of-pocket expenses and financial losses;
  • Compensation for severe impacts and other demonstrable cases.

Due to the work required to implement new collective agreements and retroactive pay for over 120,000 PSAC members, we anticipate a delay, but the employer has committed to balancing these priorities in order to process Phoenix damages as soon as possible.

For greater details please read our summary of the deal and review our FAQ.

Dates set for FB negotiations

Our bargaining team is scheduled to return to negotiations from September 23 to 25. We remain at odds with CBSA/Treasury Board over several issues – from shift scheduling and firearm practice time to leave with income averaging and protections against excessive discipline on the part of CBSA management.  Due to the timeline of the previous round of bargaining, we are currently at an earlier stage in the process compared to other federal tables that recently reached tentative agreements. 

As always, we are committed to achieving a fair contract that makes CBSA a better place to work.

To review the package of proposals that we tabled as well as those of the employer, visit psacunion.ca/fb-group and ciu-sdi.ca/issue/fb-group-bargaining. We’ll continue to provide updates throughout the bargaining process.

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

PA, EB, TC and SV groups ratification kits, including the full text of the agreements, are now available [updated]

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PA Group

On July 9, PSAC’s PA bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. The bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of the new agreement.

The ratification kit which includes the full text of the tentative agreement is now available for download.

Members will soon be invited to participate in an online ratification process. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.

EB Group

On July 23, PSAC’s EB bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. The bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of the new agreement.

The ratification kit which includes the full text of the tentative agreement is now available for download.

Members will soon be invited to participate in an online ratification process. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.

TC Group

On July 21, PSAC’s TC bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. The bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of the new agreement.

The ratification kit which includes the full text of the tentative agreement is now available for download.

Members will soon be invited to participate in an online ratification process. Details will be shared as soon as they are available.

SV Group

On August 14, PSAC’s SV bargaining team reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. The bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of the new agreement.

The ratification kit, which includes the full text of the tentative agreement, is now available for download.

Members now have the opportunity to participate in an online ratification process from August 31 to October 5.

The original version was first posted on the PSAC website: PA, EB, TC and SV.

Register to cast your ballot in PA, TC, EB, SV and CRA ratification votes (and get answers to your questions)

image vote ratification

The PA, TC, EB and SV groups as well as PSAC-UTE have reached tentative agreements with their employers, and PSAC members will now have the opportunity to vote on their new collective agreements.

PSAC has organized ratification votes between August 24 and September 29 in each PSAC region to allow you to cast your ballot.

 

FAQ: Tentative agreement for PA group, common issues

Icone discussion PSAC-AFPC

Maternity leave, contract duration, retroactive pay and more: PSAC has published answers to frequently asked questions about the recent tentative agreement for the PA group, and for common issues.

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FAQ: New parental allowance for TB groups

Icone discussion PSAC-AFPC

This new parental allowance is part of the common issues settlement for all of our Treasury Board groups. The changes only apply to the parental allowance. The maternity allowance remains unchanged.

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PSAC filing legal challenge against Canada Border Services Agency

Earlier this month, Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) management at Toronto Postal Operations created new shifts and began assigning students – without managerial supervision – to work these shifts. CBSA management has also refused to offer these shifts as overtime to Border Services Officers (BSOs).

Our PSAC-CIU bargaining team has made proposals in national negotiations concerning protections against unilateral changes to schedules and to protect our bargaining unit work. We’re in favour of students getting training and opportunities for work experience, but they should not be used to replace trained officers at CBSA ports of entry. Our proposals in negotiations would ensure that students are not being used as cheap labour by the employer.

Labour law guarantees that while we are in bargaining, our current terms and conditions are frozen, unless the union consents to changes CBSA wants to make. We are opposed to BSOs being replaced by students. We do not agree with CBSA’s scheduling changes.

As a result, PSAC has filed a statutory freeze complaint with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board against CBSA and Treasury Board.

PSAC will also be taking legal action against CBSA over unilateral scheduling changes implemented at the Vancouver International Mail Centre.

We will uphold and defend our rights.

Negotiations

Last month, Treasury Board announced that its negotiator for the FB group is leaving. After our bargaining team reached out to Treasury Board demanding an update, we were notified that a replacement has been hired. We’ve proposed dates in September to resume negotiations. We are ready to get back the table and get CBSA/Treasury Board moving on workplace issues that need to be addressed.

To review the package of proposals that we tabled as well as those of the employer, visit psacunion.ca/fb-group and ciu-sdi.ca/issue/fb-group-bargaining. We’ll continue to provide updates throughout the bargaining process.

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

PA, EB, TC groups ratification votes: What you need to know

image vote ratification

PSAC members in the PA, EB and TC bargaining units will soon have an opportunity to vote on their respective tentative agreement.

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COVID-19: Contact tracing

Image of border crossing with the words "COVID-19"

The Public Health Agency of Canada and Provincial Health Authorities are failing to conduct proper contact tracing. People continue to test positive after having travelled abroad and the CBSA is not always notified.

Although we are working with the CBSA on having these lapses rectified, members continue to process COVID-19 positive travellers without ever knowing they have.

The following page will help those working air, rail and marine modes to identify possible exposure.

Should you have any concerns, contact your Provincial Public Health Authority immediately.

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