Tag Archives: négos

Border Services Bargaining to Begin in January

With bargaining input gathered from every CIU branch across Canada and our FB Bargaining Team now elected and in place, PSAC has proposed dates in January to the Treasury Board to commence negotiations for a new FB collective agreement. An update will be provided once dates are confirmed. We look forward to getting back to the bargaining table and making CBSA a better place to work.

November 21, 2018 update: Last Friday, PSAC and Treasury Board confirmed that the parties will exchange proposals and commence negotiations for a new collective agreement for the Border Services (FB) group the week of January 7th, 2019.

Stay up to date with bargaining news by visiting the PSAC’s Border Services bargaining webpage, or sign up to receive the PSAC’s e-News.

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

PA, EB, TC & SV Groups Bargaining: PSAC Proposes 3.75% Wage Increase Per Year and Additional Improvements

Bargaining teams representing nearly 90,000 federal public service workers were at the bargaining table with Treasury Board (TB) on October 16-17. This week’s sessions involved elected teams from the Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB) groups, whose collective agreements expired this summer.

PSAC’s bargaining teams remained disappointed by the continued lack of response and meaningful engagement by TB negotiators at the table. Similar to PSAC’s experience at the common issues bargaining session on October 10-11, government representatives did not engage substantially with PSAC’s various proposals, and also did not bother to offer counter proposals.

The teams all proposed economic increases of 3.75% per year for the 2018-2020 period. In addition, each team presented wage adjustments and allowances, as well as other proposals at their specific tables.

Specific bargaining proposals at-a-glance

Program & Administrative Services (PA)

Proposals from the PA bargaining team include a Public Safety Allowance for workers at security agencies in constant risk of mental or physical injury, a Primary Responsibility Allowance for Parole Officers, a higher retention bonus for workers having compensation and benefits related duties, and improved working conditions and training for call centre workers.

The PA team also reiterated its proposals to: improve compensation for overtime work, better address family responsibilities, and enhance work-life balance.

Technical Services (TC)

The TC bargaining team tabled a comprehensive wage proposal that seeks to expand and roll all current allowances into salary, add two increments to the top of all members’ pay scales, as well as introduce new occupational allowances to help address a substantial pay gap with others who do similar jobs.

Moreover, the TC team reiterated previously tabled proposals around fair job classification, leave improvements, hours of work, and travel time.

TC Wage Proposal

Education & Library Science (EB)

The bargaining team focused its wage proposals on closing the pay gap between EB members and those working outside government in comparable sectors, such as public school boards and academic libraries. And it followed up on a previously tabled proposal to negotiate a new national rate of pay for 12-month Elementary and Secondary Testing (ED-EST) teachers, which government negotiators have been sitting on for more than four months.

The team also presented new proposals aimed at increasing opportunities for professional development.

Operational Services (SV)

The SV bargaining team proposed market adjustments (in addition to the economic increases mentioned above) for a wide range of job classifications to eliminate the pay gap between public sector positions and comparable jobs in the private sector, as well as initiatives associated with salary grid restructuring. The team also tabled language proposing improvements to the terms and conditions contained in some of the group-specific appendices.

The team also further discussed measures to protect pay and benefits in situations necessitating a Duty to Accommodate.

Next bargaining dates

The next bargaining sessions will be held on:

November 27-29 for table specific proposals
December 4-6 for common issues proposals

PSAC has demanded that government negotiators come to the next set of bargaining meetings ready to respond to our proposals and begin meaningful negotiations.

A version of this article was posted on the PSAC website.

Border Services Delegates United and Ready for Upcoming Negotiations

PSAC / CIU members working at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) held a Bargaining Conference in the National Capital Region, October 10 to 12, 2018, to prepare for upcoming negotiations for a new collective agreement. Border Services delegates from across the country are united and ready to fight for a fair collective agreement.

Delegates reviewed membership recommendations for contract improvements, discussed the bargaining process and developed mobilizing strategies for members in their regions and across Canada.

Delegates also elected the Border Services (FB) Bargaining Team, which will sit across from the employer throughout negotiations and fight for improvements to the current contract. The most recent four-year collective agreement with CBSA expired June 20, 2018.

The team will provide regular updates during the bargaining process. The full package of bargaining proposals will also be made available once it is presented to the employer.

We strongly encourage members to visit the FB bargaining webpage, sign up to receive the PSAC electronic newsletter directly, and stay in touch with elected bargaining team members:

Border Services (FB) Bargaining Team

Leanne Hugues, Border Services Officer, British Columbia
Claude Bouchard, Border Services Officer, Quebec
Frances Baroutoglou, Border Services Officer, Ontario
Jonathan Ross, Border Services Officer, Atlantic
Michael Aessie, Border Services Officer, Prairies
Mathew Ashworth, Border Services Officer, Ontario
Ken Turner, Border Services Officer, Ontario
Joey Dunphy, Border Services Officer, Atlantic
Charles Khoury, Senior Program Officer, National Capital Region

Alternates

Mathieu Landry, Quebec
Murray Star, Ontario
Stewart Saunderson, Ontario
Tammy Firlotte, Atlantic
Jordan Smith, Ontario
Keith Palmer, British Columbia
Andrew Wiersema, Ontario
Emily Henry, Ontario

PSAC Research Officer

David-Alexandre Leblanc

PSAC Communications Officer

Jonathan Choquette

PSAC Negotiator

Morgan Gay

A version of this article was posted on the PSAC website.

Border Services Bargaining Conference Begins Today

Border Services (FB) delegates are meeting this week in the National Capital Region for a three-day bargaining conference. Members from across the country are gathering from October 10 to 12 in order to prepare for upcoming negotiations for a new collective agreement.

Throughout the conference, the delegates are:

learning about the collective bargaining process,
reviewing bargaining proposals and discuss priorities,
developing mobilization strategies, and
electing their bargaining team members.

Treasury Board signed their most recent agreement on July 3, 2018.

The four-year collective agreement, which expired June 20, 2018, finally delivered the respect deserved as law enforcement personnel, including the largest increases for law enforcement personnel achieved by any union in Canada for the same period of time.

Stay up to date with bargaining news by visiting the Border Services bargaining webpage, or sign up to receive the PSAC electronic newsletter.

A version of this article was posted on the PSAC website.

Treasury Board Bargaining to Resume in October

PSAC will return to the bargaining table with Treasury Board on Oct. 10 to 11 to negotiate issues common to the Program and Administrative Services group (PA), Operational Services group (SV), Technical Services group (TC), and the Education and Library Science group (EB). Negotiations on issues specific to each table will resume from Oct. 16 to 17.

At the last round of negotiations in July, PSAC came to the table with clear proposals and a strong mandate to move forward. Unfortunately, the employer did not show that same level of commitment, and instead was unprepared to make any real progress.

When we sit down to bargain in October, we’ll be focused on important issues like:

ensuring salaries keep up with inflation, and that wage gaps are closed;
improving work-life balance like extending the parental leave top-up from 37 weeks to the full 63 weeks now available;
addressing workload and reducing the use of temp agencies and precarious contract work.

After two years and a half years of hardships under Phoenix, our members continue to show up to work every day and deliver the services Canadians depend on. The least this government can do is negotiate a collective agreement that recognizes that commitment and the importance of the services they provide to Canadians.

It’s outrageous that PSAC members are still waiting to get paid correctly – they shouldn’t also have to wait to get the working conditions they deserve.

A version of this article was posted on the PSAC website.