PSAC Pay Equity

September 7, 2002 

New developments in the ongoing battle for pay equity at the Canadian Museum of Civilization

The Employer has advised the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) that it is withdrawing from the union/management job evaluation committee that has spent the last two years  working  on the development of a new, gender neutral job evaluation plan for the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and that it is re-affirming its commitment to the use of the discredited Wyatt  job evaluation system.

 Since the unilateral introduction of the Wyatt plan by the Museum in 1997, the PSAC has made known its opposition to this system at every opportunity.  The Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) had already expressed its reservations with the Wyatt plan four years prior to its introduction by the Museum when, following a detailed analysis of the system, it determined that it was seriously flawed because it fails to measure important aspects of work typically performed by women.

 The PSAC was therefore deeply concerned when the Museum selected this plan to evaluate the work performed by our members at the Museum. When the employer repeatedly rebuffed our attempts to discuss the issue during the negotiation of our first collective agreement, a bad faith bargaining complaint was filed with the Canada Labour Relations Board on February 18, 1997.  Not only was the employer intent on imposing a discriminatory job evaluation plan on our members, it was also refusing to provide the union with the information needed to evaluate the plan and to negotiate appropriate rates of pay.

 In May, 1997, we agreed to withdraw our complaint in exchange for a commitment on the part of the Museum to enter into meaningful discussions with the union aimed at amending the plan so that it “fairly and equitably reflect and value the work of all employees”. The discussions that followed were nothing short of disastrous. The employer delayed, stone-walled, refused to meet, attempted to conceal information from the committee and eventually became obsessed with the need to somehow dove-tail the evaluation plan with the Museum’s organizational “values”.

 Unfortunately, because no one on the employer’s side of the committee had the slightest idea what these values might actually consist of, the joint review turned out to be spectacularly unsuccessful. The PSAC promptly withdrew from the committee and on March 6, 2000, filed a second complaint, this time with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, aimed at identifying and resolving all pay inequities caused by Wyatt, dating back to April 1, 1997, the effective date of the implementation of the plan.

 In an effort to accelerate the achievement of pay equity for our Museum members, in the fall of 2000, the PSAC cautiously agreed to participate with the employer in a second round of talks dealing with the Wyatt plan. This time, pay equity experts from the CHRC would provide training to the committee and assist whenever necessary, and the union’s equal pay complaint would not be withdrawn. All required information would be provided to the committee by the employer and the review process would be clear and transparent.

 Early into its deliberations, the committee recognized that the Wyatt plan was so deeply flawed that it was unsalvageable and work began on the development of a new job evaluation plan tailored to meet the specific and unique needs of all Museum employees. During the course of the two years that followed, and, in large measure, as a direct result of the hard work and determination of the PSAC representatives on the committee, a plan was developed that not only addresses the inherent weaknesses of Wyatt noted by the union and the CHRC but that also recognizes and values the unique occupations and roles of Museum employees. 

 We were looking forward to testing the results of these two years of work when the employer, with no warning, advised the union that it now intends to abandon the work done so far by the committee and to re-assert its commitment to the discredited Wyatt plan unless the PSAC relinquishes its right to identify and resolve discriminatory pay practices which the Museum may have engaged in as a result of the implementation of Wyatt in April, 1997. Incredibly, we are being told by the Employer that they will continue to engage in their discriminatory pay practices, unless we abandon our right to challenge these very same practices!

 The PSAC’s commitment to the principle of equal pay for work of equal value is well known and will not waiver. We have therefore advised the Canadian Human Rights Commission that reaching an agreement with the Museum of Civilisation on these outstanding pay equity issues is unfortunately no longer possible. The Commission has confirmed that it is re-activating its investigation into our complaint. We look forward to working with the Commission in this regard and are confident that justice will finally prevail.