September 13, 2006
CFIA National Bargaining Conference 2006
Day 1
Robyn Benson Speaking Notes
CFIA National Bargaining Conference 2006
My name is Robyn Benson, I am the Regional Executive Vice-President for the Prairies region and the AEC Officer assigned responsibility for this bargaining unit. I want to welcome everyone to the first Canadian Food Inspection Agency Bargaining Unit National Bargaining Conference.
This conference is one of the many steps we take to begin one of our most important activities as a Union: collective bargaining with the employer.
Preparation and planning are key to a successful round of bargaining, and in preparation for this round, the evaluation of the last round has helped guide our planning and decision making. After the last round of collective bargaining, we held an evaluation of our internal processes.
There were a number of very important findings and recommendations coming out of that evaluation. So let me take a few minutes to tell you about what some of those recommendations were and how we have taken steps to implement them.
One of the key recommendations involved the need to improve our internal communication systems around the collective bargaining process.We have taken up the challenge and are finding new ways to seek membership input, provide information and engage in discussions with the membership about bargaining. Four of the most tangible examples of communicating in a different manner are the two round tables – one for the AS and one for Enforcement Officers, the work being done by the Zone Committee where concerns were raised and bargaining proposals and strategies will be developed. To seek broad membership input for this round we are conducting a large-scale poll of the Treasury Board and Agency members.
Our aim is to seek members' input on concerns and bargaining priorities. As you know, that poll is currently underway. Over 5,000 PSAC members are being contacted and invited to provide their views. Results of the poll should be ready as early as October, in sufficient time for your negotiating team and strategy committee to review and be guided by the outcome.
We are starting the communication strategy with the CFIA bargaining unit by involving staff from the Communications Section right from the beginning. The communications officer will be responsible for attending all strategy committee meetings and will work with the unit on an as need basis to provide support to the team and provide communiqués to the membership.
Another important recommendation which we have sought to act on is the need to design the input call and bargaining conference processes to encourage membership debate on demands and priorities for the union.
The Program of Demands that was sent to CFIA Locals along with the input call was written in a manner that encouraged a debate about demands and priorities. In addition to outlining the Union's approach to the non-wage demands and providing a list of proposals for inclusion in a demands package, an explanation of what makes a good bargaining demand was provided to assist those new to the process. After all, how many of our members know that there is a different bargaining process to propose changes to the Public Service Dental Plan, the Public Service Health Care Plan or the NJC Directives? The package was also designed to encourage members in Locals to consider which issues are top membership priorities.
Looking back, it is clear that the evaluation process from the last round of bargaining has assisted us to plan more effectively and improve the bargaining tools we use to plan, to prepare for and to engage in negotiations.
In the next year and a bit, contracts expire with the FOUR existing Treasury Board units, and all THREE major agencies: yourselves, Parks, and CRA. We also expect to be certified shortly for a FIFTH Treasury Board bargaining unit, the new Border Services unit representing customs and immigration officers and related functions at the Canada Border Services Agency.
Our bargaining process for all 8 units will set the terms and conditions of employment for more than 80% of the PSAC's entire membership, some 150,000 members. And CFIA will be leading the pack as the first to begin negotiations.
In fact, the CFIA group is the first large bargaining unit to negotiate under the new legislation – the Public Service Labour Relations Act. This legislation provides an entirely new framework in which we will do our work as representatives of PSAC membership. And we are prepared and ready to do what it takes to achieve our goals.
In order to achieve our goals, we will continue to coordinate our bargaining with the other 7 units. Although each unit will have a unique package of bargaining demands that will be tabled with its respective employer, I expect a number of demands will be exactly the same. Let me just take a few minutes to talk about what I see as some of the key demands that are of interest to all members.
Defending Quality Public Services is not only a bargaining demand reflected in the Program of Demands, but it is also a key PSAC campaign. The delegates at the PSAC 2006 Convention voted unanimously to endorse a “Defending Quality Public Services” policy that commits our Union to develop contract language and draft memoranda of agreement designed to enhance job security by contracting-in public sector work currently performed by private sector companies, to increase the obligations of the employer in instances of devolution to other levels of government; and to update, strengthen and improve the language and protections in Workforce Adjustment provisions. Defending Quality Public Services and Workforce Adjustment Appendix amendment proposals are reflected as breakthrough issues in our Program of Demands and I expect every bargaining unit will include these issues as top priorities.
The Social Justice Fund will continue to be included in each package of demands. Although we have achieved this demand in other sectors during negotiations, we have yet to achieve success with federal government employers.
Therefore this proposal continues to be considered a “Breakthrough Demand” until we achieve it in the federal sector. Maternity and Parental Leave – Mobility rights is one of the many “keeping pace” demands in the Program of Demands package. I recognize that Agriculture Union has already made this issue a priority! I applaud the two-tiered approach the members of this Component have planned to pursue the elimination of the requirement to pay-back maternity and paternity allowances if a person transfers from one federal employer to another. I am aware of the lobby efforts undertaken in my region and I know this kind of initiative can only assist us to achieve this demand. It is the contract language that was achieved by our Sisters and Brothers at Parks Canada. I expect the remaining 7 bargaining units who do not have this language will include the demand as one of their 30 non-wage proposals. There are so many more issues of importance that I could focus on but that is why we are here at this conference today.
You, as conference participants, are tasked with the job of reviewing and discussing the bargaining input including the Program of Demands proposals that have been received from members and Locals across the country. It is a daunting task and I thank you for volunteering for the job. In order to prepare you for the task ahead, we have attempted to design this National Bargaining Conference in a manner that provides participants with a complete overview of the process – the past, the present and the future. Bob and Mike will talk about the history of collective bargaining with the CFIA employer.
The information delivered in this session will help set the tone for this round of bargaining and will provide some insights about this employer, what we think their intentions might be and what we might expect from them at the table in this round of bargaining.
The delivery of the Public Service Modernization Act presentation will point out the significant changes contained in the new Public Sector Labour Relations Act that now governs bargaining in the federal public service. The new legislation provides us with new challenges and rules that we must learn if we are going to prevail and achieve our goals.
I am speaking to the converted when I say that mobilization prior to and during negotiations is critical. Nonetheless, the mobilization workshops will assist us in getting organized and leaving the conference knowing the mobilization plan for each region which is an important part of the preparation. The work we invest in our mobilization plans will, in many ways, dictate our future success.
As you know, it is the PSAC's goal to be ready to start bargaining BEFORE the contract expires. In order to file notice to bargain before December 30th and be ready to go to the table, the negotiating team elected at this conference has an immense task before it. The negotiating team must finalize the package of demands keeping to the limit of 30 non-wage demands and include the wage demands. The negotiator and research officer need time to take the list of priorities and develop contract language where needed. The final product is a package of demands that is tabled with the employer.
Rationale in support of each demand is critically important if we are to convince the employer to accept our proposal. I trust much of what will take place this week will be the identification of this group's key demands along with rationale.
The other important task you are charged with is the election of a negotiating team. The question of when the notice to bargain will be served will be discussed later. You can be sure that once our intentions are finalized, it will be communicated to the members.
Now that we know what you are going to be doing, I would like to share with you, my role in the process as AEC officer. I am your link to the entire AEC and as such I will work diligently to ensure the CFIA bargaining unit receives the utmost in support, whether it is research, communication or political , to achieve the goals you have set. I will be in attendance at this National Bargaining Conference for the rest of the day today, and most of the day on Friday.
I will attend every CFIA strategy committee meeting, either in-person or by phone. I may attend some of the bargaining sessions and will check in advance with the negotiator. I will make every effort to attend negotiations if I am asked to attend by the team. To achieve this I expect that I will be consulted in advance when the strategy committee meetings are being planned. And I need to know from you the team when you believe that my presence is required when meeting with the Employer. I of course want to have a relationship that allows for open communication with the team, negotiator and research officer.
As we move through this collective bargaining process, and as the 7 remaining bargaining units proceed to negotiations, it is going to take active partnership among the PSAC, the Components and the negotiating teams, in order to make this round a success. We really want to work at getting all the parts of the union working in a synchronized fashion.
In order to work together successfully, we need to be flexible and recognize that our best laid plans are often changed due to unexpected events.
Some of these events we can predict and others we cannot. We need to recognize that there may be events that occur that will force us to rethink and adjust our plans.
For example, the negotiation of the Essential Services Agreement is an activity that overlaps the negotiation of our collective agreement. Our ability to negotiate an Essential Service Agreement that we are satisfied with has an impact on our ability to engage in strike activity.
Once negotiated and signed, these agreements carry forward and are used as the template in future rounds of negotiations. Because there are differences between designations and essential services, it is important that we take the time we need to negotiate the best possible Essential Service Agreement and challenge employer proposals where we think a change will be to our benefit.
Another potential event that may impact this round of negotiations is the possibility of a federal election. It is impossible to predict if and when an election will take place, but the potential is there given the government of the day – Canada's New Government, is a minority. (Used to be named Government of Canada).
These are but two events that may impact our negotiations. Having said that, I believe our members are ready for this round of bargaining. We know the changes we want and need for the future. Those changes are reflected in the membership input that is before you today. The fact that the Component received a significant number of demands is a clear indicator that the work you have undertaken at your Component Regional Spring seminars has paid off. I believe it is also an indicator that Locals have done the job of casting a wide net to seek membership input.
Your team that you elect this week will be working closely with Mike McNamara our negotiator and Shawn Vincent our research officer who combined have years of experience achieving collective agreements that our members can be proud of. I have had the privilege of working with these Brothers in the past and know that you are in very capable hands.
So I will end my comments here and let you get to the task at hand. In closing, I wish you the best in your learning and deliberations at this conference. I look forward to working with
Agriculture Union and all of the CFIA members. I am going to be around for the rest of today and will be back later in the week. I hope to have a chance to meet with each and every one of you before the end of the week. Thank you.
Date Modified : 2010/07/28
