To support your FB bargaining team members, we encourage you to download and use your team’s virtual background for all your work meetings and swap out your social media profile picture.
I support my bargaining team
I’m voting yes to strike
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
Our members at Canada Border Services Agency have waited long enough. You’ve been without a collective agreement since 2022 as you’ve seen your wages stall and the cost of living rise. Yet CBSA still isn’t prepared to negotiate an agreement that protects our members, and continues to demand concessions at the bargaining table.
That’s why PSAC and CIU will be conducting a nationwide strike vote for the FB group April 10 to May 15, ramping up the pressure on CBSA in advance of our Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings later this month.
Our FB bargaining team is committed to reaching a fair contract that protects our hard-fought gains in previous rounds of bargaining and provides new rights and protections for our more than 9,000 PSAC-CIU members. Over the past two years of negotiations, our team has fought for wage parity with the broader law enforcement community, stronger job security, access to telework, and protections around contracting out – but CBSA management continues to insist on concessions.
While strike votes are underway, Public Interest Commission hearings will take place April 10 and 22 with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, where PSAC and CBSA will outline our positions on the outstanding issues, and the PIC will issue a report with non-binding recommendations for reaching a settlement.
If you vote in favour of a strike mandate, PSAC will be in a legal strike position seven days after the PIC releases its recommendations.
We saw what we could achieve last round when we came together – by bringing international borders to a standstill August 6, 2021 through work-to-rule action, we secured important gains for our members, without concessions.
We strongly urge you to vote in favour of a strike mandate to once again show CBSA management that we are prepared to take job action to reach a fair deal at the bargaining table.
We’ve also made it clear that if this government is serious about achieving a new collective agreement, Treasury Board President Anita Anand must honour the commitment made during the last round of bargaining and make equitable 25-and-out retirement a reality for FB members. Law enforcement personnel at CBSA deserve the same treatment and retirement benefits as their counterparts in other law enforcement agencies.
To give you as many opportunities as possible to participate in the vote, we’ll be holding strike sessions virtually with national sessions open to everyone.
Your voting credentials will be sent to your personal, non-work email or by mail to your home address if we don’t have a personal email on file. You will need these credentials to register for a strike vote session.
If you haven’t received your voting credentials by email or regular mail, you may need to update your contact information before you can register to vote.
In Solidarity,
Chris Aylward
PSAC national president
Mark Weber
CIU national president
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) who work at Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will be conducting a strike vote across the country starting April 10, 2024.
After almost two years of negotiations, PSAC declared impasse in bargaining in September 2023 after CBSA refused to budge on key issues like wages in line with other law enforcement agencies, better job security, access to telework, and protections from contracting out.
“Workers at CBSA have waited long enough,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “Our members have been without a collective agreement since 2022. While wages have stalled and the cost of living has risen, CBSA has refused to negotiate an agreement that protects workers and continues to demand concessions at the bargaining table.”
While strike votes are underway, PSAC and CBSA are proceeding to Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings April 10 and 22 with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.
Following the PIC hearings, the commission will release its non-binding recommendations to reach an agreement. If members vote in favour of a strike mandate, PSAC will be in a legal strike position seven days after the board releases its report.
Workers at CBSA are also still waiting for the government to make good on a pledge to provide CBSA law enforcement personnel with the same retirement benefits – 25 and out –as other law enforcement and public safety workers.
“If the government is serious about achieving a new collective agreement, Anita Anand, President of Treasury Board, must also honour the commitment made during the last round of bargaining and make equitable retirement a reality for our members,” said Mark Weber, CIU national president. “Law enforcement personnel at CBSA deserve the same treatment and retirement benefits as their counterparts in other law enforcement agencies.”
The Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of Canada’s largest unions, representing nearly 230,000 workers in every province and territory in Canada, including more than 120,000 federal public service workers employed by Treasury Board and another 45,000 working for federal government agencies, including Canada Border Services Agency.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
The FB group will be heading to Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board April 10 and 22, 2024.
The PIC is a panel of three people — a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and the employer. Each side presents briefs to explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing and the PIC issues a report with non-binding recommendations for reaching a settlement.
After impasse is declared a PIC hearing is a legislatively imposed component of the negotiations process.
Our union believes that the PIC process is not an effective means of assisting unions and employers in reaching a collective agreement and causes needless delays. The Board has the authority to permit the bypassing of this step.
PSAC made a request to the Board to skip this step so that negotiations could move forward, but the request was denied. We will continue to press for changes to the legislative process and have lobbying activities organized for the new year on the issue.
The bargaining team will be meeting over the coming weeks to discuss mobilization and lobbying efforts in support of pension reform and a fair contract. PSAC and CIU will also continue to escalate our pressure on CBSA by launching strike and essential services training for members in the FB group. Watch for more information as we move forward.
We are determined to reach a fair contract that protects our hard-fought gains and provides retirement benefits and wage parity with the broader law enforcement community, stronger job protection, access to telework, and new rights around variable shift scheduling agreements (VSSAs) and shift scheduling.
Everything we do in the workplace to show CBSA we are paying attention to the issues and support our bargaining team – no matter how big or small – makes a difference as we push for a fair contract.
Members of the FB bargaining team are joining CIU branch executive members to visit worksites and hold membership meetings across the country.
This is your opportunity to meet the bargaining team, hear the latest bargaining update, and get materials that will let the employer know you want a good collective agreement, not concessions.
If you have any questions, please contact your CIU branch president, or visit the CIU and PSAC websites.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
The Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) has appointed a Public Interest Commission (PIC) to advance negotiations for 8,500 members in the FB group.
The appointment of the PIC follows the bargaining team’s declaration of impasse after the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) refused to budge on our key issues – including retirement benefits and wage parity with the broader law enforcement community, job protection, access to telework, and new rights around VSSAs and shift scheduling.
What’s more, CBSA continues to insist on concessions at the table. This includes clawbacks that would see short shift change notices go from 7 days to 48 hours, care and nurturing leave being subjected to operational requirements, and negotiated shift schedules heavily curtailed, negatively impacting our members.
Bargaining began in June 2022 – before the contract expired – and both parties have met almost every month since. Despite this, the employer asked the labour board to deny the declaration of impasse, asking that the bargaining process be further delayed.
We are determined to reach a fair contract that protects our hard-fought gains and provides new rights and protections for PSAC-CIU members.
Under the law that governs contract negotiations in the federal public service, a PIC is established to help the parties reach an agreement once impasse is declared at the bargaining table.
The PIC is a panel of three people — a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and the employer. Each side presents briefs to explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing and the PIC issues a report with non-binding recommendations for reaching a settlement.
Once the PIC releases its report, the union will meet to discuss the recommendations at which point the parties typically return to the table to resume negotiations with the employer.
The union and employer will nominate their board members and the labour board will set hearing dates. The timeline is largely dependent on availability of all three parties. We will continue to provide updates as things progress. As always, membership support will be the key to getting a fair contract.
Everything we do in the workplace to show CBSA we are paying attention to the issues and support our bargaining team – no matter how big or small – makes a difference as we push for a fair contract.
Members of the FB bargaining team are teaming up with Branch Executive members to visit worksites and hold membership meetings across the country.
This is your opportunity to meet the bargaining team, hear a bargaining update, and get materials so you can show your support during this round of bargaining.
Keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest updates. If you have any questions, please contact your Customs and Immigration Union branch president or visit the CIU and PSAC websites.
This article was first posted on the PSAC website.
