Union Update

May 2007

Acrobat format

In this issue:

• Bargaining Underway
• Compensation Advisors Action
• We take Pride in the work we do
• Applications for 2007 PSAC Scholarship Program now available
• NO MORE PAY ZONES !!!

Bargaining Underway

The PSAC is now engaged in the largest round of collective bargaining in Canada. This current round of negotiations with the federal government and thee large Agencies will result in collective agreements for more than 130,000 PSAC members.

Treasury Board

Bargaining proposals were exchanged on April 27, 2007 for all of PSAC's Treasury Board bargaining units: Program and Administrative Services (PA), Operational Services (SV), Technical Services (TC), Education and Library Science (EB) and Frontière/Border Services (FB). The PSAC's demands are available at www.psac-afpc.com.

The first meetings with the employer took place on May 14 and 15 for the PA and SV units, and on May 17 and 18 for the TC, EB and FB units. At these meetings, the union and employer negotiating teams reviewed and explained demands and responded to questions.

Negotiations will continue at the next set of meetings. The PA and SV teams will meet with the employer from June 5 to 8, the TC, EB and FB teams from June 12-15.

CFIA

The CFIA negotiating team met for two days in Ottawa in early April to review and finalize their bargaining demands. On April 20, the proposals were exchanged with the employer. Two days of negotiations are scheduled for May 28 and 29. The demands package is available on the PSAC web site.

Parks Canada

Both sides exchanged bargaining on May 3, 20007 and the first meetings are being held on May 24 and 25, 2007. The demands package is posted on our web site.

Canada Revenue Agency

The national bargaining conference for members at the Canada Revenue Agency is taking place in Ottawa from May 15 to 18. Bargaining input is being reviewed and the negotiating team will be put in place. This collective agreement expires on October 31, 2007.

Aéroports de Montréal

Forty PSAC members working for l'Aéroport de Montréal have ratified their new collective agreement with an 87.5% vote in favour. The agreement is retroactive to July 8, 2006. It provides annual salary increases of 2%, 3%, 3% and 3%, as well as a 2.5% signing bonus. The lowest level of the salary scale will be removed and replaced by a new level at the top of the scale. The new contract also provides improvements to annual and parental leaves as well as an employer contribution of one cent per hour worked to the PSAC Social Justice Fund.

Commissionaires at Health Canada

There was another round of bargaining last April 18 and 19, and although progress is relatively slow in coming, the team managed to reach agreement on three new items that will be part of the first collective agreement. The three items deal with paid annual leave, traveling time and the reimbursement of expenses, and job descriptions.

Notice to bargain has been served on the Office of the Auditor General of Canada, the Salvation Army Booth Center (Ottawa), the National Arts Centre, the Canadian Institute of Health Research, the Aklavik Housing Association, the Tasiurqtit Housing Association in Nunavut, and Yukon College.

Tentative agreements have been ratified at the Amethyst Women's Addiction Centre, the Arviat Housing Association, SNPF Montréal and St-Jean, and the House of Commons – Scanners unit.

PSAC has asked for the appointment of a Conciliation officer in negotiations with the Nishnawbe-Aski Police Service (Officer Unit).

Compensation Advisors Action

Treasury Board President, Vic Toews has been receiving plenty of letters from PSAC members asking him to address the issues of classification, recruitment, retention, training and certification for the AS Compensation Community.

On March 30th, PSAC posted a suggested letter to Toews on its website asking members to write to the Minister. Many did and sent a copy of their letters to their union. Members are encouraged to continue sending letters to Vic Toews.

Meanwhile, PSAC continues to work with officials from the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) to set up a follow-up meeting to the January 23rd meeting. The meeting will likely take place in mid- June and several members from the AS Roundtable will be invited.

However, there has been an issue of mandate. The PSAC has been advised in writing by PSHRMAC that the members from the Interdepartmental HR Capacity Building Working Group will meet the PSAC on the issue of “Capacity Building in the Compensation Community,” but that the issue of classification is outside the scope of the Working Group. The PSAC has formally requested that the follow-up meeting include representatives responsible for classification.

The PSAC also raised the Compensation Community issues before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Government Operations and Estimates on March 29. Although the official subject of the PSAC presentation was a study of the demographic challenges facing the federal public service, the one-hour appearance was an opportunity not to be missed to place the Compensation Community issues before the Committee. During the exchange, it became clear that MP Diane Marleau, the Chair of the Committee, and many of the Committee members had heard from AS members and other federal public sector workers about the importance of addressing compensation issues.

Check the PSAC website and the Union Update for periodic updates on this important issue.

We take Pride in the work we do

As PSAC members, we can take pride in the work we have done to promote the rights of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender (GLBT) community.

The PSAC has made several gains at the bargaining table to ensure that all negotiated benefits are available to same-sex couples. More recently, the PSAC National Board of Directors adopted a recommendation to permanently place the National Day against Homophobia (May 17) on the PSAC National Calendar as an officially recognized and celebrated day, together with other equity days.

The PSAC also stands firmly with the labour movement across Canada in continuing to defend and uphold the Charter rights of gays, lesbians, and bisexual and transgender people.

However, as PSAC National President John Gordon said at the PSAC National Pride Conference held in April in Vancouver, we still have a long way to go and we must continue to make GLBT rights a priority at the bargaining table, in our union programs and in our political action campaigns. 

“LGBT rights are human rights and must be included in our struggle to build a better Canada and world,” said Gordon. “The fight for full equality should be an integral part of any campaign and the actions we take. It's a fight that is closely tied to the promotion of quality public services.”

For Gordon, human rights and full equality require a strong public sector, guided by values and not by profit. He believes that we need to vigorously fight the actions by the Harper government which are increasing marginalization, poverty and inequality.

Gordon urged the delegates at the Pride Conference to actively engage in the political process and the next federal election by monitoring the commitment of candidates and political parties to equality and human rights and making them accountable to those who elect them to office.

It's up to all of us – everyday – to work to ensure that all human beings have equal rights and dignity and are able to fully participate in their union and their communities.

Applications for 2007 PSAC Scholarship Program now available

PSAC is again offering 15 scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $4,000 for 2007. The majority of the scholarships are available for the children and dependents of PSAC members. Three of the seven PSAC regional scholarships may be awarded to PSAC members (if applications are received) who are returning to university, college or a recognized institute of higher learning on a full-time basis.

Among other requirements, applicants for the scholarships must write an 800- word essay. The 2007 essay topic is:

You work in a small non-unionized workplace of 100 employees. You would like to help unionize it. How would you go about it? Be sure to include how you would build support for this initiative among your co-workers.

The scholarship guidelines and application form are available on the PSAC web site at www.psac-afpc.com; or may be obtained by sending an e-mail to Scholarships@psac-afpc.com; or writing to: Public Service Alliance of Canada, Attn: Scholarship Committee 233 Gilmour Street, Suite 904, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 0P1.

The applications must be received or postmarked no later than July 16th. Documents sent by email or fax must be received by the PSAC by 4 p.m. E.S.T.

NO MORE PAY ZONES !!!

The time has come to finally put an end to a system that pays some PSAC members on the basis of where they work, not what they do.

PSAC members in Treasury Board’s Operational Services unit, together with some members at Parks Canada, at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the Canada Revenue Agency, are paid regional rates of pay. Here’s how they stack up against the rest of the federal public service.

Instead of everyone being paid a rate of pay for the work they do, some members are being paid dramatically less than others, depending on where they work.

Would you want to be paid as much as 7.5% to 17% less than you are for the work you do, just because you live in Saskatoon, Halifax, Montreal or Hamilton? If it doesn’t make sense for 93% of the federal public service, why should there be zones for the remaining 7%.

Members of Parliament are all paid the same rate of pay for representing their constituents, right across the country. Our members serve Canadians too in every part of the country. They all deserve national rates of pay.

In this round of negotiations, PSAC members receiving regional rates of pay are fighting to put an end to this system once and for all. We need and want your support!

A message from the Public Service Alliance of Canada I 04/07