Tag Archives: négo

UPDATED — FB bargaining: Public Interest Commission dates set for May

Photo of BSO with the words "Bargaining: FB Group"

PSAC-CIU and the employer will appear before a Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearing May 10, 18 and 20. Both sides will present their arguments on the outstanding issues at the table, and then the Commission will prepare a report with its recommendations to reach a settlement.

Talks broke off in December when the FB bargaining team declared impasse over Treasury Board and Canada Border Services Agency’s refusal to address the key issues raised in negotiations.

Updated May 10, 2021:  The PSAC’s PIC brief is now available.

How a Public Interest Commission works

By law, once impasse is reached, a Public Interest Commission is established to help the parties reach an agreement. The Commission is a panel of three – a chairperson agreed upon by both parties or, if no agreement is reached, appointed by the Labour Board, as well as nominees appointed by the union and management.

The union and the employer both submit briefs and explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing. The Commission then provides its recommendations for both parties to reach an agreement. Unlike arbitration, the Commission’s recommendations are not binding.

Once the PIC releases its report, the FB bargaining team will meet to discuss the recommendations. Typically, bargaining teams and the employer return to the table to resume negotiations after the PIC.

Get the latest updates on bargaining throughout the PIC process by signing up for the PSAC’s newsletter, checking out the FB page or our website.

Article originally published on March 4, 2021. This article is also available on the PSAC website. 

Take action to support FB members in bargaining

UPDATED – FB group: Register now for national town hall meetings

Image discussion FB PSAC-AFPC

PSAC-CIU is holding virtual town hall meetings to give FB members the latest updates on bargaining and outline our next steps as we ramp up to mobilize for a fair contract.

During the town hall, you’ll hear from CIU National President Jean-Pierre Fortin and PSAC negotiator Morgan Gay who will provide important information and insight into the bargaining process and our key demands at the table. You’ll be able to ask questions or raise concerns at the end of the meeting.

You deserve a contract that recognizes your incredible dedication to Canadians and brings your salary and benefits fully in line with law enforcement agencies across Canada. This is your opportunity to learn how your bargaining team is fighting to make that happen.

French FB town hall 

English FB town hall 

Supplementary FB town hall (in English)

NEW

Supplementary FB town hall (in French)

Regional town halls are also being organized and will take place after the national town halls. We’ll send out dates and details shortly.

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

Get back to the table now

Image conversation PSAC AFPC

PSAC members stepped up to deliver the government’s massive response to COVID-19 in record time.

Yet the government continues to delay talks for a new contract for nearly 140,000 federal public service workers.

Tell the government to get back to the table. Now.

Go to the PSAC website to send a message to the Trudeau government telling them it’s time to reach a fair deal for public service workers.

Bargaining: TC group PIC report identifies wage gaps, allowances and occupational group structure as places for movement at the table

Bargaining

A positive Public Interest Commission (PIC) report has been issued for the TC group recommending the employer move on several important issues raised by your bargaining team. The report names a number of TC’s priorities such as closing wage gaps, parity with CFIA for EGs, increased allowances, and movement on the archaic classification system as areas where the employer can improve its offer. Though the report does not recommend everything in our proposals, its support of key issues demonstrates the union’s demands have been fair and reasonable.

Wage Gaps

Similar to the PA PIC report, TC’s PIC report points to general wage increases and special adjustments as being a major issue that has halted negotiations. It recommends the employer address wage rates if it expects to reach a tentative agreement with the TC group. PSAC expects a fair wage offer that does not require our members to buy allowances for some members out of the overall wage increases for all.

Parity with CFIA for EG Group

The PIC report acknowledged the wage discrepancy between those classified as EGs in the TC group and their counterparts at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). In 2018, your union signed an MOU with Treasury Board stating that there is no difference between EGs at CFIA and at those in the TC group. However, there is still a 3.3% salary gap between those different EGs. The PIC recommends that this gap be addressed.

Allowances

The PIC report recommends allowances for the following groups:

  • Transportation Inspectors at Transport Canada and the Transportation Safety Board
  • Fishery Officers
  • Environmental Enforcement and Wildlife Officers
  • EGs and TIs at fleet maintenance facilities and Workshop 202
  • Search and Rescue Coordinators and Hover Craft Crew members at Canadian Coast Guard
  • Labour Affairs Officers, and
  • Technical Inspectors at Measurement Canada

The report does not recommend specific amounts, nor suggests movement for all groups the union has tabled allowances for. However, PSAC welcomes the recommendation for movement on these specific allowances.

Occupational Group Structure

The PIC also recognized the importance of implementing new job evaluation standards. The employer has already missed several deadlines to put in place a new structure and classification system. Though the employer wants another extension until June 2021, the PIC recommends that the employer offer more and urges the employer to have new standards in place before the next round of bargaining. PSAC is seeking substantial penalties, payable from the beginning of 2020, for the employer failing to have the new standards ready for this round of negotiations.

Next steps

Although National President Chris Aylward has authorized strike votes for the TC bargaining unit, all strike votes are currently suspended until March 30. At that time the union will re-evaluate whether to continue the suspension or resume the strike votes.

Despite the suspension of votes, PSAC will continue to bargain for all units currently in negotiations.

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

FB bargaining: No evidence of ‘culture change’ at CBSA

The FB bargaining team continued to push for greater protections against harassment and abuse of authority by management during negotiations with Treasury Board/Canada Border Services Agency March 9-12.

Yet despite buzzwords like promoting inclusion, respectfulness and the elimination of harassment in CBSA’s 2020-2021 Department Plan – unveiled this week ­– there was little evidence of a tonal shift on these or other issues at the bargaining table.

Our team made proposals to enhance protections against abuse of authority and harassment, but management still hasn’t agreed to any of these changes. CBSA is taking the position that language in our contract should continue to be limited largely to sexual harassment. We can’t accept this, as we believe our collective agreement should address all forms of harassment, not just sexual harassment.

We also spoke to our proposed expansion of protections against CBSA management’s heavy-handedness in dealing with our members – including discipline and the arbitrary removal of defensive equipment. There will need to be new protections on these issues in our collective agreement.

There can be no ‘culture change’ without real action

The departmental plan also refers to a long-term reduction in CBSA staff. Our members are already short-staffed and spread thin; PSAC-CIU are prepared to fight any move to reduce staff.

Lastly, the plan speaks of ‘leveraging technology to enable flexibility’, yet CBSA refuses to reinstate fair and reasonable telework practices for Trade Compliance Officers and other non-uniformed personnel.

With respect to wages, our review of recent law enforcement wage settlements across Canada is ongoing – including our monitoring of contract talks for a first collective agreement for RCMP officers. Our position has always been that FB 3s should be matched to RCMP 1st class constables.  In past rounds of bargaining, we’ve always reached agreements with full retroactive wage increases for our members. We have no intention of doing otherwise this round.

We’ll be returning to the table in early May and are in discussions for additional dates into the summer.

We’ll provide updates as bargaining continues. To review the package of proposals that we’ve tabled, and those of the employer, click here.

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