On Friday March 9, 2018, our PSAC Negotiator for the FB group was contacted by the Treasury Board and told that the employer has a new mandate. As a result, we are in the process of setting dates to return to the bargaining table during the week of March 19.
Thanks to all of the CIU-PSAC members at CBSA from coast to coast to coast for participating in our ongoing mobilization activities. Updates will be provided as things progress.
On February 22, CIU and PSAC members rallied in Sault Ste. Marie in support of ongoing national bargaining efforts for members of the FB Group (Border Services). FB members have been without a contract for over 3.5 years, and on Friday they took their message to the CBSA office, and to Liberal MP Terry Sheehan – in person.
PSAC members from coast-to-coast-to-coast who are covered under four of the collective agreements with Treasury Board will be gathering in Ottawa, March 26-29, 2018 to elect bargaining teams and discuss proposals for the upcoming round of bargaining.
“PSAC’s number one priority is getting the best deal for our members,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson. “We have a democratic process for prioritizing the proposals we bring to the bargaining table. The bargaining conference is a critical step in ensuring our members have their say.”
Over 100,000 federal public service workers are covered under the PA, TC, SV, and EB collective agreements.
How Treasury Board bargaining works
The current collective agreements for the four groups will all expire within the next six months:
PSAC will begin negotiating new collective agreements for all four groups shortly after the March bargaining conference. The chart below briefly outlines the complete process.
A version of this article was first published on the PSAC website.
Fellow CIU members, as National President of CIU, and as a Border Services Officer with over 18 years experience on the front line, I want to thank those CIU members over the last several months who have taken action at their ports, offices and outside their MPs’ offices in support of our fight for a fair contract. Officers from Edmunston, New Brunswick to Douglas, British Columbia and many points in between have participated in demonstrations and rallies in support of our fight.
We have reached a critical stage in our negotiations with CBSA and Treasury Board. It has been a long and frustrating process. We spent two and a half years (CIU and PSAC) before the courts and the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations Employment Board defending our collective bargaining rights as we challenged the previous government’s Bill C-4 and Bill C-59.
With other PSAC bargaining units we fought against attacks on our sick leave. We won that fight.
We are awaiting the Public Interest Commission’s recommendation. I want to commend the work of our Bargaining Team in representing us before the Commission. A copy of the brief submitted to the Commission is available on the CIU and PSAC websites.
As we await this recommendation CIU branches across the country have been taking action. MPs’ offices have been lobbied. Rallies have been held outside CBSA ports. The PSAC and CIU have erected billboards in several key locations across the country to inform the public of our fight for parity with the broader law enforcement community.
Fellow FBs, there is a very real chance that we will be taking the next step in the legal process after we receive the PIC recommendation – a strike vote, followed potentially by a strike if we do not reach a fair agreement. Because of our court challenges against the government, we will then have the legal right to engage in a number of worksite activities and pressure tactics that we have been restricted from doing up until now.
Now is the time for us to stand united and show CBSA and Treasury Board our solidarity. We can win this fight, but to do so we must stand together. The victories that we have won in the past – from the arming of officers to VSSAs to a 19.5% wage increase for officers in our first FB contract – all happened because we acted in solidarity.
If you have questions or concerns, or if you have ideas about how we can further pressure elected officials or our employer in this struggle, please speak with your Branch President. Please be sure to monitor the CIU and PSAC websites for regular updates.
In solidarity,
Jean-Pierre Fortin
CIU National President
A new year means more rallies: CIU & PSAC members kicked things off for 2018 by demonstrating in Windsor (CIU local 00018) today. With a large number of members in attendance, this rally is the latest in a series of demonstrations supporting the FB bargaining team, reminding Canadians that FB members protect Canada’s borders, and sending a clear message to the employer : It is time to treat FB members with respect. These men and women put themselves in harm’s way, they are law enforcement, and they deserve a fair contract.
CIU and PSAC members from different locals were present, including CIU National President Jean-Pierre Fortin and 1st National VP Mark Weber. Thank you to Windsor & District Labour Council, UNIFOR 444, Iron Workers 700, IBEW 773, WUFA, Ontario Teachers Federation, CUPW, CUPE and LIUNA 625 for their solidarity and support. MPP Taras Natyshack, MPP Lisa Gretsky, and MP Brian Masse were also present.
