Opening Remarks to the National Bargaining Conference by John Gordon National President

February 1, 2007

Introduction

Good morning, and welcome to this important PSAC conference. The National Bargaining Conference is significant as it’s here that we will chart our course for Treasury Board and Agency negotiations. The demands you select and the priorities you set will impact not only the membership at Treasury Board and Parks Canada, but the broader PSAC membership as well. We have seen over the years how our Treasury Board and major Agency bargaining has set trends that influence the negotiations with our separate employers, other unions negotiating with Treasury Board and the broader public sector. We have also seen that sometimes we are even able to influence public policy, by moving the government with a priority bargaining demand.

We should all be proud of the role we have played, and continue to play, in making improvements that impact working Canadians across the country. We also need to take this responsibility seriously. When selecting our demands and setting priorities, we need be strategic. We must focus our attention on what the members truly need and what is achievable; bargaining demands that are inclusive, enhance members’ rights, and that move the union as a whole forward. To do this, we will require an informed, mobilized membership and the commitment of everyone to work together to make this a successful round of negotiations.

Looking Back

The 2003-2004 round of Treasury Board and Agency bargaining showed us that just maintaining the current benefits in the collective agreements is becoming more and more challenging. The employers at these tables, as well as other groups, sought some aggressive rollbacks. The gains we made took the concentrated efforts of the membership, and included improvements such as:

• Table 2 and their equivalent members at Parks Canada using the Table 2 Pay Study to achieve pay increases of 8% or more beyond the general economic increase. This helped to close some of the historical pay inequities that exist for this group;

• Moving the employer to an economic increase that exceeded the rate of inflation;

• Improving Maternity and Parental Leave provisions for terms, as well as reflecting recent changes in Parental Leave in the collective agreement;

• Improvements to compensatory leave, captive time and family-related leave provisions;

• Renewing the PSAC/Treasury Board Joint Learning Program with improvements, including transitional funding;

• An agreement with Treasury Board to a joint committee to examine the desirability of participating in the PSAC Social Justice Fund.

It is going to be up to PSAC bargaining teams to establish new trends and make further breakthroughs. We need to be prepared to engage all of our members in fighting to make this happen.

Membership Engagement

Engaging members in the bargaining process needs to start at the very beginning. That’s why the Program of Demands was sent to the Locals, to get grassroots members participating, in submitting demands that would improve their working conditions. But it cannot end there. At the Regional Bargaining Conferences, members began working on membership mobilization, and this work will continue here at this conference.

Those of you not elected to a bargaining team must help to build communication and mobilization networks across the regions, Components and workplaces. We need to have as many members as possible informed and involved in the negotiation of their next collective agreement. Members need to know what’s going on, and have a way to feed information to their teams. Whether or not their team is on the arbitration or conciliation/strike route, members must be engaged, supporting their team, and willing to pressure the employer to negotiate fairly. I cannot stress enough how important membership mobilization is to successful collective bargaining.
 
One of the ways that we ensure this, is selecting bargaining demands that are relevant to the membership. These demands need to address members’ concerns and issues, and be something we can negotiate with the employer. We have to be strategic in our choices, and select demands that are inclusive and do not negatively impact any member. As an advocate for human rights and equality, this is a goal that PSAC takes very seriously.

Another way is engaging our members in political action in support of negotiations. This can take many forms, but Members of Parliament do need to hear from our members from coast to coast to coast about their bargaining priorities, and desire for a collective agreement that promotes and enhances the role of the public service. To do this will require strong communication and organization networks, but we are all up to this challenge.

Priorities

This conference will also see the discussion of bargaining priorities. Our National Triennial Convention, held last May, provided us with some bargaining priorities, including the Defending Quality Public Services framework, Social Justice Fund, elimination of regional rates of pay, protecting our environment, and the student policy. All of these priorities were included in the Program of Demands, and I look forward to your discussion on these important items.

I do wish to make it clear that the demands on Defending Quality Public Services and the Social Justice Fund are priorities for all bargaining teams. After that, each group will look to select their other priorities. In terms of coordination, if more than one team selects the same demand, those teams must coordinate how they will handle that demand. One team cannot decide to unilaterally drop the demand – they must consult so as to not undercut any other team. I will be playing a strong role in these negotiations; for as National President I am ultimately responsible and answerable to the PSAC membership. As I mentioned at the beginning of my presentation, these negotiations set broader bargaining trends, so it’s important to me personally, and as the National President, that these trends be as positive and progressive as possible.

Members of the Alliance Executive Committee are also assigned to each bargaining team. While they cannot attend every bargaining session, they must be kept in the loop by their bargaining team, made aware of any potential problems, and be involved in their resolution. AEC Officers are the link between the bargaining team, the AEC, and the broader political arena, so it’s my hope that bargaining teams will be proactive and strategic in working with their AEC Officer.

Role of the Team

This conference launches the work of the bargaining teams, but this is only the beginning. If you are thinking of running for your bargaining team, you need to be aware of the responsibilities you and your Sisters and Brothers face in working as a team. Negotiations can take a long time; your days will be long and extend well beyond regular working hours. Working as a team, you will be expected to take good notes, participate in discussion, be able to solicit further information, and work well with your Negotiator, Research Officer, and other team members. Bargaining teams need to be reflective of the membership they represent, so it’s essential that teams are inclusive of classification, equity, regions and Components. 

You will be expected to make hard decisions, and these decisions must be based on what is best for the membership of your table and of the PSAC. You will need to put the needs of others before your own. Teams must also ensure that demands do not negatively impact on any group of PSAC members, or put PSAC in a prejudicial position. This is why we advocate so passionately for demands such as protective reassignment, improvements to maternity and parental leave, and compassionate care leave, and oppose demands calling for the payout of sick leave. The duty to fairly represent and accommodate all members is a responsibility we take very seriously.

You need to know the issues, and be able to look at alternative solutions, so creativity is key. Team decisions are usually based on consensus, so compromise and solidarity will be essential. A cool head and an ability to work together, not shouting and bullying, are what is needed in a team member. Bargaining teams must also stand behind the decisions they make, and be willing to defend these decisions to the membership and the public. While Regulation 15 is clear on this, I want to reiterate that team members cannot say one thing and do another. Clarity, consistency and solidarity are vital.

So as you can see, the decision to run for the bargaining team should not be taken lightly. It’s an important responsibility. That said, I am not trying to scare anyone off. It can also be exhilarating, educational and a lot of fun. I just want to ensure that you know upfront what the coming months will entail for team members.

Timeline

In terms of what comes next, bargaining teams for both Treasury Board and Parks Canada will be returning to Ottawa at the end of February/beginning of March. This will provide teams with more time for training and completing bargaining demands and rationale. After that, the packages of demands will be finalized, in order to be exchanged with the employers in early April. I am committed to serving notice to bargain as early as possible, so that we are at the bargaining table before the expiry of the collective agreements. After that, we will work hard to ensure that bargaining continues and is supported with membership mobilization.

There are some important factors that are going to impact our bargaining timeline. As you know, we are engaged in two compensation research studies; one for the Technical Services community, and the other for the enforcement community. These studies are just getting off the ground, so it will take some months before we have any meaningful results. While our experience with the Table 2 study was positive, we don’t know at this point how these studies will turn out, and what the results will be. We have long argued that pay disparities exist for these members, and it’s my hope that the results of these studies will be useful when we go before a third party. We will certainly be keeping you posted on the progress of this work, as it will impact the bargaining for these groups.

Another important factor is the political climate, and the possibility of a federal election. The Harper government is preparing to present its budget in March, which will certainly provide us with an indication of their priorities and fiscal mandate. It could also trigger an election. As you know, we have a new President of the Treasury Board, Vic Toews. A social conservative, Mr. Toews and I have had one discussion, and I am looking to continue this dialogue, as he needs to know where we stand and the priorities of the PSAC membership. He and his government also need to hear this message from you and all PSAC members. Successful negotiations will require the government addressing our demands, and protecting quality public services for all Canadians.

Defending Quality Public Services

Defending and enhancing our public services will require all PSAC members to be engaged and mobilized. We are all going to need to work together to challenge the Conservative mantra of tax cuts and further privatization. Treasury Board and Agency collective bargaining will provide us the opportunity to protect our public services, both at the bargaining table, and through political action and community-building on the part of the membership. Building alliances and increased political action is necessary, as defending quality public services is a fight not just for PSAC, but for all Canadians.

Our negotiations serve a larger purpose, as Canadians across the country want improvements, not further cuts to our public services. We can never forget this; that the work we do at the bargaining table and in the community is about building a better Canada. We have all witnessed the Conservative actions to date – slashing funding to the Status of Women, ending the Court Challenges Program, closing the Canada Labour and Business Centre, and shutting down many other programs that promoted the health, human rights and equity of Canadians. What will the budget bring? More cuts? Less services? Further privatization? We are in for the fight of our lives – so we all must be mobilized and ready to take action!

Our Heritage, Our Future

We have just celebrated PSAC’s 40th anniversary. For fourty years, PSAC has stood for solidarity, human rights and justice for working people. We must build on our heritage and defend our public services through our collective bargaining and membership mobilization.

I see our Union as a force for positive change in this country. As National President, I am committed to furthering this work. This can happen with our Defending Quality Public Services Framework, the Social Justice Fund, membership education, community building, fighting for human rights and equity, collective bargaining and increased member political action and solidarity across the country. PSAC will continue to build on our proud tradition and make further progress.

That is why the choices we make this week are so important. The demands we take to the table and the priorities we champion with the employer and the public are all a part of building on our tradition and furthering our progressive agenda. We must take demands that not only build the Union, but help to build a better, more inclusive Canada.

Our priorities must be forward thinking, relevant and inspire us, and our Sisters and Brothers across the country, to stand up and take action.

We cannot allow the Harper government to sell off our public services and dismantle this country. We therefore cannot allow ourselves to be perceived as self-serving and out of touch. That’s why our priorities must help to build a better Canada. Priorities that move the government forward, that promote and enhance public services, and restore pride to public sector workers.

Our priorities must therefore be relevant to workers across the country. We must engage Sisters and Brothers from other unions and communities to create new alliances, in order to collectively advocate for positive change in this country.

Does this sound like a lot? It is – but it is work that we must do, if we are to be successful in our negotiations and work as a Union. Building a better world is possible, but it will take the concentrated efforts of all of us, working together in solidarity, to make it happen. I know that together we can do it!

Have a great conference!