Tag Archives: FB bargaining

Watch — Retirement after 25 years of service for border personnel: Brian Masse asks the real questions

Brian Masse asking the real questions about the long-standing issue of retirement after 25 years of service for border personnel.

CIU is thankful to Brian Masse for asking the real questions in the House of Commons on behalf of our members. On April 30, the Windsor West MP brought up the long-standing issue of retirement after 25 years of service for border personnel, putting the spotlight on the lack of action by the federal government.

Treasury Board President Anita Anand seems happy to pretend this is something that’ll be resolved through the PIC process, claiming “all deals are best made at the table”.

Some facts:

  • Equitable retirement provisions — “25 and Out” — require legislative amendments. That doesn’t happen at the table, it happens in the House. TB President Anita Anand can make this happen now. It’s easy.
  • The PIC process takes place after parties reach impasse. Maybe Anita should ask the TB bargaining team what they were busy doing when our team was at the table.
  • The employer does not need to wait for the PIC recommendation to offer a fair deal and an actual wage proposal. They can choose to do the right thing now.

Additional content

FB bargaining: Proposal for 25 and out pension reform now with Minister Fortier

Banner-FB-Bannière

The FB bargaining team continued to negotiate improvements on the issues that matter most to PSAC-CIU members at the bargaining table November 15-17.

Our team stressed the importance of pension reform for FB members across the country, which PSAC-CIU has been using every avenue to push forward for more years.

When the union raised our proposal for pension reform at the table, the employer responded that it felt it would be inappropriate for the employer to take a position in bargaining at this time as the union’s proposal has been through the pension advisory committee process and it’s now before the president of Treasury Board to decide.

PSAC has been pushing for fair retirement benefits for FB members that would introduce an early retirement option — also referred to as 25 and out — consistent with what other federal public safety employees already receive. We are finally starting to see progress from the federal government.

You can help support these efforts by pressuring Treasury Board President Mona Fortier to do the right thing. Contact your local Member of Parliament and Minister Fortier to tell them FB members deserve fair treatment on their pensions.

Other critical bargaining issues

Meanwhile, the team also discussed the proposals to protect workers from management harassment and the abuse of authority at CBSA, and new protections against indiscriminate removal of tools and investigative suspension without pay.

We made it clear that telework must be enshrined in the collective agreement to reflect the new reality of thousands of our members. It’s especially important for our members to have recourse under the agreement when management fails to grant telework in a transparent, consistent, and equitable fashion.

We also pushed for new seniority rights that are in line with standard protections enjoyed by most other law enforcement personnel, and discussed issues related to captive time — including when Intelligence and Enforcement Operations Division staff are unable to immediately return from overseas, as well as members being required to stay on the work site.

The employer, on the other hand, came to the table with a proposal that would significantly impact job security by allowing them to rescind reasonable job offers in surplus situations. The team is against this unacceptable proposal and will continue to push for enhanced protection.

Next steps

The team will return to the table again in December. You can read more about our bargaining proposals below:

Please be sure to 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.

FB bargaining: Team lays out priorities in first round of talks

Banner-FB-Bannière

The latest round of negotiations for PSAC-CIU members employed by CBSA kicked off when the FB bargaining team met with Treasury Board to exchange proposals on June 16 and 17. This followed the FB National Bargaining Conference, held in Ottawa from March 31 to April 2.

The team raised key issues this round including:

  • A commitment from Treasury Board to provide an early retirement regime comparable to other law enforcement agencies. This complements the work PSAC is doing with the Public Service Pension Advisory Committee.
  • New rights with respect to discipline and protections against forced overtime to address CBSA’s heavy handed management style.
  • Mechanisms that allow members to transfer to different ports and offices.
  • Rolling the paid meal allowance into salary and applying it to all FB members.
  • Job protections in the context of new technologies, contract workers, and student use.
  • Entrenching access to telework in the collective agreement.
  • New allowances for escort removal, dog handler, plain clothes, dry cleaning, and field coaching, as well as paid time for firearm practice.

The employer also tabled their proposals, which included reducing shift change notice from seven days to 48 hours, no weekend premium on overtime, and new restraints on access to care and nurturing leave. Management indicated they are interested in more “flexibility” for hours of work and identified “enhancing management authority” as a priority for this round of negotiations, which raises red flags for our team.

The FB bargaining team’s objective is to strengthen protections in the context of VSSAs, shift work, and hours of work for all FB members at CBSA and enhance protections against managerial authority. The team made it clear to the employer that they are looking for improvements that would make CBSA a better place to work, not concessions.

Wage proposals will be submitted at a future session once the employer provides payroll data. The team will be returning to the table in September.

Please be sure to 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.

FB group: Renewed talks with CBSA stalled, union prepares for strike action

CIU members rallying with a sign that says "I'm on strike alert"

After returning to the bargaining table for two days of renewed negotiations with Treasury Board, talks stalled between PSAC-CIU and Treasury Board July 30.

It’s abundantly clear that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has not given Treasury Board a new mandate to address critical bargaining issues, including protections against a toxic workplace culture at CBSA and greater parity with other Canadian law enforcement personnel.

The FB bargaining team remains ready and available to return to the table and negotiate. In the meantime, PSAC-CIU will be mobilizing to begin sweeping job action beginning Friday August 6 if an agreement isn’t reached.

We would prefer to reach a fair agreement at the table and avoid disruptions at the border for Canadians, but the employer is leaving us with no other choice.

PSAC-CIU’s leadership is finalizing plans to coordinate strike activities across the country. You will receive more information early next week about what strike action will look like for you.

In the meantime, refer to the PSAC Strike Manual for more information on the PSAC strike structures or the Frequently Asked Questions for answers about essential employees and strike action.

You can also take several actions right now to help your FB bargaining team:

Thank you for your ongoing support and stay tuned for more details.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.