PSAC Union Update for the period October 16- 27, 2000
Fighting
for Pay Equity at the
Office of the Auditor General
With picket signs in hand, PSAC members who work at the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), took their fight for pay equity to Parliament Hill on October 17 during their lunch hour.
"You are owed pay equity and we're prepared to fight for you to get it," PSAC National President Nycole Turmel said when addressing the members. "Up until last year, the classification system and the pay rates at the OAG were exactly the same as within the federal government. It is the federal government which provides the budget for the Auditor General so why, when it comes to pay equity, should you be treated differently?"
Turmel also informed the members that their union will be taking their case, and that of other federal employers to court. "We will be challenging the decision not to give you the pay equity you deserve and, we will be using the same lawyers and experts who helped us to win the federal case. We will also be making this issue a priority during the upcoming federal election."
The PSAC extends condolences to the family of Pierre Samson, former PSAC National President, who passed away in Orleans, Ontario, on October 8.
Brother Samson served as National President of the PSAC from 1982 to 1985. Prior to that he was elected President of the PSAC's Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU) in August 1981 and served in that position until he was elected to the PSAC. He joined the federal public service in Montreal in 1972 and was a member of the Programme Administration (PM) group. His union activities began in 1960 when he joined the police force in Vanier and took an active role in the police union.
The B.C. Corps of Commissionaires are in the throes of forming a partnership with the PSAC. Fed up with being paid low wages with absolutely no benefits such as medical, dental, illness and injury, in addition to no job security, the Commissionaires are seeking to have the PSAC represent them at the bargaining table.
Commissionaires of B.C. Local President Tony Hodge said that the Commissionaires are signing up with the PSAC because it can provide them with the support needed to obtain bargaining rights. "As PSAC members we can bargain terms and conditions of employment that will allow our honoured veterans the opportunity to work in dignity. These veterans work in highly responsible and dangerous conditions for menial wages and no benefits," he added.
PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for B.C., Patty Ducharme, said that it is ironic that "while the federal Liberals are crowing over a $12.4-billion budget surplus this last fiscal year, they are allowing our most respected citizens to go without basics like health insurance, medical and job security".
Bargaining proposals on behalf of Tables 1, 2, 3 and 5 were exchanged with the employer the week of October 23. Negotiations for Table 1 will be held December 4 to 8 and from January 8 to 12; for Table 2, from December 6 to 9 with a second session scheduled for January 15 to 19; for Table 3 negotiations will be held December 11 to 15 and from January 22 to 26; and, for Table 5 negotiations will be held from December 4 to 8 and from January 15 to 19.
Although many of the non-contentious issues have been signed off for PSAC members at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the major issues remain unresolved. According to the PSAC negotiating team it was with extreme frustration and regret, but not without surprise, that once again the parties were unsuccessful in concluding a collective agreement. The employer's negotiating team arrived with a Treasury Board mandate, not one of their own. The PSAC is now in the process of applying for the establishment of a conciliation board.
Among the outstanding issues are: classification, acting pay, hours of work, pay zones and duration, National Joint Council, and, rates of pay.
Negotiations on behalf of PSAC members in the multi-bargaining unit groups at Nav Canada will resume November 27 and continue through to December 1. Further negotiations are scheduled for January 15 to 19.
Bargaining proposals on behalf of PSAC members in the Postal Services Unit at the House of Commons were exchanged with the employer on October 18. Their current collective agreement expired June 30, 2000.
PSAC members working for the Whitehorse Transit Authority, a division of the City of Whitehorse, set up their picket lines on October 11 following a break down in negotiations.
Talks broke off in September for these workers when the employer tabled a number of rollbacks during conciliation. At issue in particular is the discontinuation of a half-hour paid lunch break, which amounts to a loss of close to 9% - or between $200 and $220 a month. The drivers work a 30 hour work week, spread over five days.
"This paid lunch break has been part of the bus drivers' schedule for as long as they can remember," says Jean-François Des Lauriers, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the North. "Paid lunch breaks were not even an issue when the two sides met in April," he added. "It was raised at the 11th hour during talks with a conciliation officer. Why all of a sudden did it become important?"
However, Des Lauriers says the strike is not just about paid lunch breaks. "There's been many events over the past two years that have eroded the trust and faith these workers have in their employer."
The workers have come to the rescue of the city's administration on more than one occasion over the past two years. On September 5th, a schedule prepared by the bus drivers' scheduling committee was accepted and put in place by the employer, replacing a disastrous one that had been concocted by management and implemented on July 1st. The drivers also voluntarily gave up some hours. As a result the citizens got an improvement in service and the City saved $225,000 per year!
As a response, the City's negotiator tabled a roll back of close to 9%, a real slap in the face. This was the straw that broke the camel's back, and the members opted en-masse for strike action.
Morale on the picket line is good and public support is very strong.
For more info, please visit our website at http://www.busline.homestead.com/busline.html
World March for Women
Hundreds of PSAC members from all across the country converged on Ottawa on October 15 to join the World March for Women. As they marched to Parliament Hill carrying banners, picket signs and flags, the more than 15,000 women from all walks of life, chanted for an end to poverty and violence. When speaking to the protestors, Terri Brown, president of the National Action Committee on the Status of Women said women in this country are second-class citizens, and it is time to change that right now. "Time to change violence against women. Time to change racism," Brown added.
On the same day, Brown and other leaders met with the Prime Minister only to learn that he doesn't understand what the group meant by women's issues. "The Prime Minister encouraged us to keep up the pressure for social reforms, but refused to make commitments on any of the 13 demands the marchers brought to Parliament Hill," she added.
On October 17th, Patty Ducharme, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for B.C. joined the international delegation of women who presented their demands to the Secretary General of the United Nations in New York.
The majority of PSAC members at the Canada Council for the Arts have voted in favour of their new three year agreement.
The agreement, which became effective on July 1, 2000 and will expire June 30, 2003, provides for an increase of 2% plus a $400 signing bonus effective July 1, 2000; 2.5% effective July 1, 2001; and, 3% effective July 1, 2002.
In addition to the economic gains, the agreement provides for a number of other improvements, such as:
* overtime hours at a rate of time and a half (1 1/2) for those members working variable hours;
* a meal rate of $9 when an employee is required to purchase a meal in the performance of his/her duties;
* the addition of harassment to the No Discrimination language;
* provisions for short-term and long-term elder care;
* changes to the Maternity/Paternity/Adoption language to reflect legislative changes;
* removing certain deductibles previously paid by employees, adding orthodontic coverage for adults, and paying for dental care at the rates in the current Ontario Dental Fee guide.
Revised mileage rates
Employment Opportunities
