PA Bargaining: No Movement from the Employer

19 September 2016

The PA bargaining team has done everything possible to try and negotiate an agreement with Treasury Board. But the employer came to the bargaining table once again without a mandate to negotiate with us on any of our major issues. It was the 11th bargaining session in this round, spanning 26 months since the parties first exchanged bargaining demands in July 2014.

Our bargaining team represents approximately 70,000 members – the single largest bargaining unit in Canada. We have tried repeatedly to involve our Treasury Board counterpart in serious discussions about high priority items identified by our membership, including updating the antiquated classification standards, minimum standards of work for call centres, work-life balance, and appropriate compensation, among other issues.

Two years, no contract: The employer told us last week that they could not respond to our general economic proposals, saying they have not completed their “comparative pay study,” despite the fact that members have been working without a contract for more than two years.

In the one move of any significance last week, Treasury Board did provide a counter-proposal on the Memorandum of Understanding on Occupational Group Structure and classification reform tabled by the union in July 2014. We are reviewing that document.

In addition, Treasury Board did formally withdraw its intention to limit retroactive pay to one year. Our bargaining team reviewed outstanding issues and tabled language to renew the Joint Learning Program.

Liberal government, Conservative agenda: Despite their commitment to “sunny ways,” the government continues to send all the wrong signals at the bargaining table, and in regard to the flawed Phoenix pay system.

Given that our employer is unwilling to make any significant movement on our demands, we have unfortunately reached the end of the road. We cannot set any further bargaining dates when Treasury Board is not taking members’ priorities seriously.

See the PSAC website for information regarding bargaining proposals.

FB Bargaining Update: Wages and Hours of Work Dominate Discussions

16 September 2016

Our FB Bargaining Team spent this past week in negotiations with Treasury Board/CBSA.

Wages: In bargaining we re-iterated our position with respect to compensation. CBSA is a law enforcement agency and employees should be compensated accordingly.

Astonishingly, the government asked about whether there are recruitment and retention problems at CBSA. With CBSA at the table on management’s side, we pointed out that recruitment and retention problems are such that CBSA has created YouTube recruitment videos and are asking officers to handout recruitment pamphlets to the public at POE’s and visit colleges to promote CBSA.

We made it clear that CBSA should be advocating for appropriate wages and working conditions for its staff, and that we have no interest in a settlement that doesn’t address the lack of parity between CBSA workers and those at other federal law enforcement agencies. We expect a response when we meet next.

Hours of Work – Shift Work and Compressed Work Weeks: This past week, we discussed our proposals to enhance rights and protections for shift workers, including the elimination of potential ‘6 and 2’ schedules being implemented by management. We are also raised our demand for fairer rules with respect to employees having the opportunity to relocate to different ports. With respect to day workers, we again reiterated our proposals to introduce protections against management unilaterally revoking compressed work weeks.

Sick Leave: Our position on the employer’s Short Term Disability Plan remains unchanged but we continue to seek either a renewal or improvements to the current sick leave regime.

We indicated to management that we are ready to meet again and are expecting answers from them on key issues that we’ve raised in this round of bargaining, including our proposals on telework and enhancement of protections for front-line officers in the context of firearm recertification and control defence tactics training.

For more information concerning FB negotiations and our next scheduled bargaining dates, be sure visit the FB Group bargaining section on the PSAC website.

Download the PDF version of this update (bilingual document).

Court dates scheduled for sick leave injunction

21 August 2016

PSAC’s request to the courts to stop the government from implementing its new sick leave plan will go before the court in October.

After consulting with the parties, the Ontario Superior Court has set out a timetable for both sides to present their arguments. The parties will exchange documents in September and October, with a court hearing to be held on October 29.

The court also said that if the government intends to implement the changes before the October hearing, it must give 5 days’ notice.

“We’re pleased that the court is moving as quickly as possible to hear our injunction motion”, said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President.

“We’re also pleased to see the court direct the government to provide advance notice if they intend to proceed with changes to current sick leave provisions before our motion is heard. This will give the court the opportunity to move up the hearing date if necessary. The Conservatives last budget implementation act was a direct assault on our members’ constitutional right to free collective bargaining and it needs to stop,” said Benson.

On August 10, the union filed a notice of motion with the Ontario Superior Court requesting an injunction against the sections of the 2015 budget legislation that allow Treasury Board to take sick leave provisions out of the collective bargaining process. That request was to ensure that no unilateral changes are made by the government while we are going ahead with our challenge to the legislation.

To stay up to date on this case and other important topics, sign up for PSAC email news.

Meeting Between CBSA and CIU Presidents

17 August 2016

On August 16, CIU National President Jean-Pierre Fortin met with CBSA President Linda Lizotte-MacPherson and Vice-President, HR, Jean-Stéphen Piché. It was a productive meeting and many subjects were broached.

Regarding Collective Bargaining, Brother Fortin emphasized the importance of FB members’ CA being in line with those of other law enforcement officers. Not only do we need to catch up, we need to ensure steps are taken so that we remain at parity once we get there. The National President also spoke of our demands (25 and out; meal periods; salary and other working conditions) and reminded CBSA that when a fair collective agreement is reached, it can demonstrate to members the employer’s genuine appreciation of their work.

Brother Fortin also raised the safety concerns our members have with the implementation of new technologies. For instance, those that relate to Primary Inspection Kiosks, Telephone Reporting Centres and Remote Traveller Processing. Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson and Mr. Piché were attentive to CIU’s concerns.

On another note, CIU and CBSA agreed that overall, the Duty to Accommodate project has been successful. CBSA looks forward to a similarly positive outcome with the Mobility Working Group. Mental Health was also discussed. Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson highlighted the importance of promoting the well-being of members and of developing the competencies of managers to deal with difficult situations.

Brother Fortin will provide more details to NBoD members at the next National Board meeting in September.

PSAC seeks court order to protect sick leave in Treasury Board agreements

13 August 2016

PSAC has asked for a court order to stop the government from going ahead with their plans to remove sick leave provisions from collective agreements in the federal public service.

On August 10, the union filed a notice of motion with the Ontario Superior Court requesting an injunction against the sections of Bill C-59 (the 2015 budget implementation act) that allow Treasury Board to take sick leave provisions out of the collective bargaining process.

“Protecting our members’ rights is a top priority,” said PSAC national president Robyn Benson. “While the government is in a caretaker position until after the election, we are doing everything we can to ensure that they don’t proceed with their plans to gut our members’ sick leave protection.”

We have asked the Court to have our motion heard before the election takes place. The Professional Institute of the Public Service (PIPSC) has filed the same motion that also includes most of the other federal public service unions. We are working with them and asking the Court for a joint hearing.

PSAC is arguing that this is a serious issue and one that will cause irreparable harm because it involves substantial interference in our right to bargain collectively. C-59 not only gives Treasury Board the right to invalidate parts of existing collective agreements, it also undermines future bargaining.

In June, PSAC asked the Court to declare that the sick leave provisions of Bill C-59 are in direct violation of our members’ right to free collective bargaining under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and to declare them invalid. However, it is expected that the Court will not being to hear the case until mid-2016.

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Phoenix Issue: Minister Foote finally agrees to meet with PSAC

11 August 2016

Yesterday, the PSAC sent National President Jean-Pierre Fortin the following link regarding the Phoenix system: Minister Foote finally agrees to meet PSAC after repeated requests

By now, we are all familiar with the problems related to the Phoenix pay system and know that some CIU members have been affected. On behalf of all CIU members, Brother Jean-Pierre Fortin wishes to recognize the extraordinary efforts of our PA group colleagues in the Pay and Benefits Section who have been dealing with this difficult situation since mid-April.

Even if the new pay system will not allow them to fix problems immediately, they are doing everything they can to process emergency salary advances and ensure their sisters and brothers are paid.

True solidarity!

Remote Processing of Travellers: National VP and 1st VP meet with Hamilton members

9 August 2016

Jean-Pierre Fortin and Mark Weber with members from Hamilton Branch

On August 8, 2016, CIU Hamilton Branch members met with National President Jean-Pierre Fortin and 1^st National Vice-President Mark Weber, who were seeking to familiarize themselves with the Agency’s Telephone Reporting Centre System, used for the remote processing of travellers.

In January 18, 2016, CBSA launched a pilot project which allows Hamilton based officers to process travellers crossing at Morses Line, Quebec, some 700 km away.

Brothers Fortin and Weber were pleased to receive the feedback and comments of CIU members who process travellers using the telephone reporting system, and who could provide them with first-hand information about the ins and outs of remote processing.

Phoenix system privacy breach unacceptable, must be addressed immediately by the government

20 July 2016

Officials at Public Services Procurement Canada were aware that the Phoenix pay system might cause privacy breaches as early as January 2016, according to media reports released yesterday.

Minister Foote acknowledged last night that the private information of thousands of public service workers has been shared with close to 70,000 staff.

“This is serious and unacceptable. The private information of our members and all public service workers should not be in the hands of anyone who does not need it,” said PSAC National President, Robyn Benson.

“The government must let public service employees know immediately about what personal information has been shared and how they can take steps to protect their identities.”

“I am writing to the Privacy Commissioner immediately, as well as the Prime Minister and Minister Foote, to express our alarm.”

Government already aware of privacy concerns

The government was aware as early as January 2016 that there were grave privacy concerns with the Phoenix pay system. Despite this, the government consistently told employees that their privacy was fully protected.

PSAC shared privacy concerns

When we shared our concerns about privacy protection last May 2016, PSPC assured us that a Privacy Impact Assessment was completed and all privacy concerns had been addressed. It now appears that some aspect of this process was deeply flawed.

PSAC calling on the government for immediate action

* Information has be shared with all public service employees about what personal information has been shared and how they can take steps to protect their identity.

* A hotline must be created to address individual members concerns about privacy issues, staffed with knowledgeable agents.

* The government must commit to approving compensation for any employee who has incurred costs because of privacy violations.

“PSPC has consistently refused to listen to the PSAC and other unions with regards to problems with the Phoenix pay system, even though our concerns have been proven valid time and time again. 80,000 employees are experiencing issues with their pay. That is a staggering number,” concluded Benson.

This article was originally published on the PSAC website.

Vote to stop the cuts

14 July 2016

Canada’s border security jobs are being cut. This makes all Canadians vulnerable. Harper’s Conservatives are cutting public services across the country, without regard for the safety and welfare of millions of Canadians.

Get the facts

– The government plans to eliminate almost 1,100 positions at the Canada Border Services Agency by 2017, cuts that include front-line border workers, intelligence officials and sniffer-dog teams. (Source: CBSA Reports on Plans and Priorities)

– The government is cutting staff despite an increase in drug busts by CBSA security at the borders and indications of a rise in illegal weapons entering Canada.

– Government data show that more than 3,000 flights over the last two years have failed to provide complete passenger information to the CBSA because smaller airports have no Border Services Officers.

– Fewer Border Services Officers have meant a sharp decline in the number of fake passports being detected at ports of entry. (Source: La Presse)

PA Bargaining: “Optimism Quickly Fades”

27 June 2016

Following the announcement that the Liberal government is repealing sections of the anti-union Bill C-4, enacted by the Harper Conservatives, our PA Bargaining Team returned to the negotiation table, hopeful that the Treasury Board had a new mandate to engage in serious collective bargaining. Any optimism we had was dashed almost immediately by the employer’s opening statement that they were willing to make some minor movements only on the condition that the union remove a significant number of our demands from the table.

Child care: Our bargaining team invited Morna Ballantyne, PSAC’s Special Projects Officer responsible for the union’s childcare campaign, to outline the need for affordable childcare. Her presentation was informative and persuasive. We are looking to develop a joint national committee with the employer to assess child care needs of federal public sector workers and make recommendations on how to best meet those needs.

Wages and other demands: We presented our complete economic package, as well as language on whistleblowing, rest breaks during overtime, and language on acting pay, workplace violence and electronic surveillance. We also reviewed all of our outstanding issues with the employer.

We signed off on minor changes to the Personal Leave and Volunteer Leave articles, allowing employees to take the leave in half days.

We’ll be back at the bargaining table in September. If you see your Member of Parliament in the summer, please tell him or her to keep their hands off our sick leave. And if that MP is a Liberal, please remind him or her that the Liberals were elected on a promise of showing respect to the public service. It’s time to change their bargaining mandate from the one they inherited from Stephen Harper.

Sick Leave: Our position on the employer’s short-term disability plan remains unchanged, but we continue to seek either a renewal or improvements to the current sick leave regime.

In a meeting this week, the Coordinated Issues Committee, which includes representatives from all five PSAC bargaining teams for the core public administration, said that any short-term disability plan must reside in the collective agreement.

Stay informed and get involved: Our bargaining team will keep you informed throughout this process. In the coming weeks, we will advise you of the next round of bargaining dates. Watch this page for updates and be sure to talk to your colleagues about the importance of supporting our union throughout this process.

Get involved and spread the word, so we can keep the pressure on the employer and fight back against concessions. See the PSAC website for information regarding bargaining proposals.