Tag Archives: FB

CBSA employees secure deal with government hours after strike action at Canada’s borders

After an intense final round of negotiations that lasted more than 36 hours, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) reached a tentative agreement with the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) late Friday, August 6.

“We are relieved that CBSA and the government finally stepped up to address the most important issues for our members to avoid a prolonged labour dispute,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “The agreement is a testament to the incredible hard work and dedication of our bargaining team who worked through the night to reach a deal.”

“We also couldn’t have done it without the tremendous support of our members, who put intense pressure on the government at every airport and border crossing across the country today.”

The agreement means an immediate end to work-to-rule strike action that had begun Friday, August 6 and ensures the flow of border traffic will return to normal as the government prepares to welcome fully vaccinated U.S. travellers on Monday, August 9.

“CBSA employees have been on the front lines of the pandemic since day one, protecting our borders and keeping Canadians safe. But they weren’t receiving the support they needed from the government,” said Mark Weber, CIU national president. “Finally – after three years of negotiations – we’ve resolved longstanding issues that will go a long way towards making CBSA a better, safer place to work for our members.”

Negotiations between PSAC-CIU and CBSA began in January 2019 but reached an impasse in December 2020. In May 2021, the union presented arguments at Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings and a PIC report was issued in July with non-binding recommendations. Following national strike votes throughout June and July, PSAC-CIU announced an overwhelming strike mandate at the end of July and issued an official strike notice on August 3. Work-to-rule action began across the country August 6 at 6 a.m. EDT.

Highlights of the tentative agreement include:

A four-year agreement from 2018-2021 with an average annual increase of over 2% per year;
Better protections against excessive discipline in the workplace;
The creation of a National Joint Committee to tackle workplace culture problems at CBSA;
A paid meal allowance for uniformed members, similar to what most Canadian law enforcement agencies provide;
A commitment letter to advance the work toward the introduction of early retirement benefits for CBSA employees;
A better grievance-handling process;
Domestic violence leave;
Other leave and allowance improvements.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

CBSA employees, government resume talks after strike mandate

Just hours after announcing that Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employees had voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action at Canada’s borders, unionized workers and the employer – CBSA and Treasury Board Secretariat – agreed to return to the table to resume negotiations on July 29.

“The government is clearly concerned about our strike mandate and the possibility of major disruptions at the border,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “We’re going back to the table with an open mind, but we’ve been crystal clear that if they want to avoid a strike, they need to bring a new mandate to address major workplace issues.”

Negotiations resume the day after the Public Interest Commission (PIC) released its recommendations for both parties to reach a deal, including many improvements to the working conditions of CBSA employees. Read more about the PIC’s recommendations.

With the release of the PIC report, The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) can legally call a strike on August 6 if a deal is not reached.

“Going back to the table is a step in the right direction, but the fact remains that we are grappling with systemic workplace harassment issues that the employer must be willing to address,” said Mark Weber, CIU national president. “Beyond needing stronger protections against a toxic workplace culture, our members also deserve parity with the broader law enforcement community.”

CBSA employees have been without a contract for over three years. They are seeking better protections against a toxic workplace culture at CBSA, and greater parity with other law enforcement agencies across Canada. The union declared impasse in December and applied for a Public Interest Commission hearing after CBSA and Treasury Board were unwilling to address these concerns.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining team receives Public Interest Commission recommendation

PSAC-CIU received the Public Interest Commission’s report July 28 with their non-binding recommendations for reaching an agreement at the bargaining table. The report comes the day after the union’s announcement of the FB strike vote results and puts us in a legal strike position as early as Friday, August 6.

Read the full PIC report

The report contains several important recommendations, including:

Opening the door for a discussion about a paid, pensionable meal period for union members;
Calling for paid firearm practice time and a fitness allowance for officers;
Recommending new protections for employees in the context of discipline;
Encouraging the parties to negotiate expanded seniority rights for scheduling and parameters regarding student work at CBSA;
Recommending language that ensures officers aren’t required to work alone, the grievance procedure is streamlined, and a negotiated increase in shift premium.

With respect to wages, the report states, “It is worth noting that the settlements for the FB group in the three previous rounds of bargaining have exceeded the core public administration pattern.”

Of significance, the recently negotiated settlement for RCMP employees was reached after the Public Interest Commission hearings took place in May and, therefore, did not form any part of the PIC deliberations.

While the report was silent about remote work for non-uniformed members, and pension reform (25 and out) is outside the PIC’s jurisdiction and therefore not addressed in the report, our team will continue to push for these improvements.

Our union and the employer have agreed to return to the bargaining table to resume talks on Thursday, July 29. The FB team is hopeful that Treasury Board and CBSA will return to the bargaining table with a renewed mandate to reach a fair agreement for PSAC-CIU members.

Make sure to keep your contact information up to date via the PSAC member portal to receive all the latest updates as we prepare to negotiate your next contract.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

Final chance to submit your FB strike vote!

PSAC has already held 20 virtual strike info sessions and four strike preparation webinars, and we’ve received great feedback from FB members. In order to ensure all members have the opportunity to vote, we’re hosting one final strike vote information session.

The national virtual session will be held this Thursday, July 22 and will be bilingual with simultaneous interpretation. All members are encouraged to join this meeting regardless of the location of their CIU branch.

Register now for Thursday, July 22 at 6:00 p.m. Eastern.

You must attend a mandatory information session (10-15 minutes) for your vote to be counted. If you’ve already participated in an information session, but haven’t voted, you have until Friday, July 23 at 12:00 p.m. EDT to submit your vote. Voting will be closed after this time and results will be announced the following week.

Under regulation 15 of the PSAC Constitution, every member must attend a mandatory information session (normally about 10-15 mins) to be eligible to vote. This is so we can ensure that everyone has the information they need to make an informed decision and give you an opportunity to ask questions. After attending one of these sessions, you will gain access to information on how to vote. You must have your attendance recorded at one of the 10-15 minute presentation portions or your vote will not be counted.

Any questions you may have about strike votes or strike action can be answered at the virtual vote information sessions that will take place before you vote. However, to provide you with as much information as possible ahead of time, we have compiled key questions and answers for you.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.

PSAC threatens legal action over changes to inland enforcement work

PSAC has warned the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) that the union may be pursuing legal action after the employer announced — in the middle of contract negotiations — that it intends to change its policy on international escorts for inland enforcement officers. The proposed changes, which would take effect on July 15, would force officers to take annual leave under certain circumstances.

PSAC has put the employer on notice that, if CBSA proceeds with these changes, the union will consult legal counsel about filing a complaint against CBSA with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.

Labour law clearly states that all terms and conditions of employment are frozen during collective bargaining and until such time as a new agreement is reached, legal strike action is called, or an arbitration award is issued.

In contract talks with Treasury Board and CBSA, our FB bargaining team has repeatedly highlighted work done by inland enforcement officers. We have been clear that we are opposed to the contracting out of escort work done by our officers, and we have presented proposals concerning international escorts.

PSAC and CIU opposes CBSA’s attempt to push changes concerning inland enforcement officers while we discuss their working conditions at the bargaining table. We will continue to stand up for the rights of our members.

PSAC-CIU and our FB bargaining team will continue to update members on this issue and the ongoing strike votes taking place across the country. Please reach out your PSAC union representative or CIU branch president with any questions.

This article has also been posted on the PSAC website.