Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

United Steelworkers in the lumber and forestry sector as well CUPE members from Locals 1005 and 15 (Vancouver) and Local 389 (North Vancouver) are currently on strike, and CUPE Local 391 (Vancouver Public Library) has issued strike notice. Major Issues include wages, classification adjustments, pay equity, job security, and whistle blower protection. Although job actions are not expected to directly impact PSAC worksites, there may be situations where PSAC members encounter a picket line.

If you encounter a picket line:

• the BC Federation of Labour has a strict picket line policy that obliges all union members in BC to honour picket lines.
• the PSAC has a picket line policy (No.21) that also urges members to honour picket lines.
• if you encounter a picket line, speak to the strikers and/or picket captains and ask for direction from them.
• contact your union representative for direction and contact the Regional Office of the PSAC.
• call your supervisor to let him/her know that there is a picket line
• if you choose to cross the picket line, ask for a management escort across the line
• if it seems unsafe, do not attempt to cross the line, let your supervisor know that you feel your safety is in jeopardy.
• bolster picket lines before/after work and during breaks
• it would be appreciated if you would provide coffee, snacks and moral support to striking workers
• unfortunately, most PSAC members do not have picket line protection in their collective agreements, or in legislation, and therefore are obliged to report to work.

Please contact the Vancouver RO if you have any questions, and check back here for updates.

• More info: CUPE BC
• More info: CUPE Local 15
• More info: BC Coast forestry strike.

In July of 2006, twelve delegates from four Canadian trade unions (PSAC, BCGEU, CUPE and CUPW) traveled to Colombia as part of an ongoing campaign to defend public services and trade union organizing in that country. Over twelve days the delegation visited three major cities and several smaller communities, speaking with dozens of people representing trade union, human rights and indigenous community movements. Here is a 13 minute video produced for CBC’s online Exposure series chronicling their trip …

For more information about the Frontline Tour, read the report written by BC Regional Council member Megan Adam, who took part, or visit the PSAC Social Justice Fund website.

If you enjoyed the video, take a minute to visit the CBC Exposure website and rate or comment on the video. Highly rated videos will be aired on national television.

17 July 2007 Vancouver Area Council meeting – Theme: Environment

In attendance were: Rand, Sharon, Anne-Marie, Deanna, Karim, Marie, Colleen, Rhonda, Wanda, Kay, Terri, Jack, Sam (chair), Megan, Jas, Craig, Monica (minutes)

Continue reading below, or download the Minutes: Vancouver Area Council meeting, July 17 2007 (pdf)

1. Meeting

Called to order at 6:20pm. Sam briefly reviewed the agenda. There were introductions by all. Sam acknowledged that Carly Crawford, VAC secretary, was planning to attend, but because of the change in dates from July 10 to 17, Carly was not able to get the time off of work. Carly sends her regrets.

2. Speakers – Environment

Sam – read out parts of the PSAC Environment policy, mentioned the upcoming BC Regional Women’s Conference which has an environment theme.

Anne Marie – spoke on the 401 Burrard Green Team, made up of Environment Canada/Public Works/Management/Department of Fisheries and Oceans. Gave brief history of the environmental movement, currently more about climate change; previously more on land use and timber extraction. The environmental movement is very diverse, has worked with labour on and off over the years. The Labour Environment Alliance Society (LEAS) run by Mae Burrows was promoted . Now – people “get it” -environmental issues are not “special interest group” issues, rather must be of concern to all.

401 Burrard Building – in 2003 the residents of the building formed a “Green Team” which supports the Government Environment Policy. The Green Team is comprised up of 20 volunteers, and links in with a national GT network. Environmental “auditing” was powerful – audited paper and energy use with friendly reminders and kudos issued to individuals.

Organizing the team is like unionism, start one person at a time. The Team has commuter challenges – organize departments to tally up who used what to get to work, has lunch & learns – screened an “Inconvenient Truth”, holds waste reduction (compost awareness) workshops. Emphasizes need for behavioural change, don’t force individuals to change as there may be resistence.

Public Concerns: air quality and water 7 out 10 people, need to find ways to weave social messages around the work site, e.g. 401 Burrard has, bike racks, bike user support group, internal website is linked to great sites and has tips. Workplaces can initiate their own green teams. Contact ; Rheannon.Wylie@ec.gc.ca.

There are a variety of resources available: PSAC, CUPW, BC Fed Climate – change working group, CUPE.

3. Public Services Are Cool! P.S.A.C.

• (a) as part of Defending Quality Public Services, Sam talked about summer leafletting, PSAC website and contest.
• (b) No to sale of public buildings – Jack shared that if sale goes through the building is no longer maintained by SNC; if not then PWGSC no longer has responsibility in auditing the building for safety and members’ safety is at stake.
• (c) House of Commons workers – James Moore letter, on website, Sam will phone to see Mr. Moore. Moore.J@parl.gc.ca

4. Offer of labour history tour

Regina has led a labour history walking tour throughout the downtown, including where PSAC had a sit-in. If members of the VAC are interested in organizing one let Monica know (urrutim@psac-afpc.com).

5. Round

• UEW 20729 – updating local worksite, getting JLP in workplace
• UPCE 20029 – desperate for people but company is unnecessarily letting people go; doing pre-bargaining via surveys
• UPCE 20101 – wants to do survey as well, gearing up for bargaining
• GSU 20008 – mentioned Duty To Accommodate – national ACCESS conference in September, National access audit from coast, is currently being done by 2009 – all crown buildings.
• AGR 20044 – tentative agreement, CFIA to get behind TB, ratification this month, sending out postcards for AGM, went to COPE Bbq, had local picnic, 60 people showed.
• CEUDA 20040 – had last summer meeting in June; memberships’ minds are on bargaining
• UVAE 20045 – wants to do a Component Anniversary thing this year; reminding all in general about the CUPE strike – 0%; issue is access to handydart, write to Translink (cc. Craig as he sits on advisory committee for PWD on Disability)
• UTE 20027 – bargaining, going to access, appreciated PSAC did support national day of action.

Adjourned 8:20 p.m.

Fraser Valley Area Council General Meeting – June 2, 2007, Ramada Inn Abbotsford

In Attendance:

• Anne Marie McCully CEIU Local 20903
• Edi Martin USGE Local 20141
• Chuck Leech USGE Local 20054
• Mel Dureen USGE Local 20054
• James Little PSAC Rep

*other members who attended the TUB course on June 2, 2007

Continue reading below or download the  Fraser Valley AC minutes – June 2 2007 (pdf)

Anne Marie McCully introduced the members of the executive to the general membership in attendance* and passed on message of regret from president Jayne Johns that other union duties prevented her from attending.

As the purpose of this general meeting was the social focus of a meet and greet a brief overview of the FVAC structure and mandate was given and the discussion was than opened to the floor for questions.

Refreshments were served and the executive circulated answering questions and encouraging participation in future political, educational, and area council events.

A brief discussion of upcoming courses offered by PSAC was also reviewed by James Little.

Meeting adjourned at 5:30 pm

The next meeting time and place will be announced.

To: PSAC Regional Women’s Committees

We are pleased to be sending you this Registration package for the 2007 PSAC National Women’s Conference, which will be held November 23rd – 25th, 2007 at the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel in Toronto, Ontario, under the theme PUBLIC SERVICES …PAVE THE WAY TO EQUALITY!

• More information & registration package at the national website.

This registration package is available upon request in Braille and/or on diskette (MS Word) through the PSAC Programs Section by contacting Sue Courchaine at 613-560-5457 or by email at courchs@psac.com

Conference Objectives

The objectives at our 2007 PSAC National Women’s Conference are to:

1. develop our analysis of the impact of federal government policies and cutbacks on women’s equality and human rights
2. understand the importance of quality public services for women as workers and members of society
3. increase PSAC sisters’ involvement in the campaign to Defend Quality Public Services and in coalitions working to defend and advance equality rights
4. build women’s political capacity and activism in the union, the community and beyond and develop action plans which are effective and easy to implement.

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The third negotiation session between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and MDS Nordion Inc. is scheduled for July 23 and 24, 2007. The first meeting between the parties was held from April 25 to 27, 2007. The second meeting was scheduled from May 8 to 11, 2007, but was cut short due to the employer representatives not having the mandate to deal with the Union’s monetary issues.

The major outstanding issues include wages, benefits, vacation, shift schedules and job security.

Approximately 40 PSAC members work at MDS Nordion Inc. in Vancouver. Nordion produces medical isotopes for worldwide distribution. The collective agreement expired March 31, 2007.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada – BC Region would like to congratulate Craig Langston, PSAC-BC Regional Council Representative for Aboriginal Members. Brother Langston competed and won GOLD at Boccia Ball at the BC Disability Games that was held from July 11 – 15, 2007 in Powell River.

Congratulations Brother Langston!

More results can be found at bcgames.org.

Commissionaires at Library Square working for Immigration Canada sign up with union, seek safety improvements at workplace

VANCOUVER – Commissionaires working at Vancouver’s Library Square on contract with Immigration Canada have signed up to join a union and are seeking safety improvements at their workplace.

The Commissionaires, who provide assistance and security to the public, have signed cards to become members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada,a union that represents Commissionaires across the country.

Kay Sinclair, PSAC’s BC Regional Executive Vice President, said the union has filed an application to the BC Labour Relations Board for certification.

“One of the main reasons these workers are seeking union protection is safety,” Sinclair said. “They are required to work in potentially violent situations and yet are provided no safety equipment or adequate training.”

(more…)

PSAC members all over the Province, coordinated by their Area Councils, are spending the summer letting the public & politicians know the value of strong public services – services that should be protected and improved. They are attending events in their communities, meeting with the public, distributing fans and leaflets with the Public Services Are Cool message and website address, and encouraging people to send a message to Ottawa …

Federal public employees are on the job every day to protect our health, safety, environment, culture and standard of living. Our quality of life would be poorer in Canada without them. As workers, citizens, and neighbours, they contribute to strong communities.

I expect their employer, the Government of Canada, to treat them with the respect they deserve. That means compensating them fairly for their labour, providing them with the equipment and infrastructure they need to do their jobs well, and ensuring there is enough of them to get the job done properly.

I support federal public emplyees because their work supports me. Quality public services bring us quality of life. They help keep us safe, healthy and secure. Social programs and benefits support us in difficult times: when we’re ill or unemployed, or facing economic hardship. They provide security in old age.

Quality public services promote social equality and cohesion, and are vital to our prosperity and a sustainable environment.

Quality public services: they’re the ties that bind us together.

Visit www.publicservicesarecool.ca to send a message to your MP, sign on to the petition, and enter to win an enviro-friendly bike.

Here are some photos taken at various events around the province …

(more…)

It may have been Canada Day, but the PSAC was busy serving notice to bargain on the Canada Revenue Agency on July 1, the earliest possible date it could be served under the new Public Service Labour Relations Act.

Your union’s demands are designed to improve salaries and working conditions for all members, including part-time and term workers. CRA, on the other hand, has a number of demands that would reduce or eliminate hard won benefits, particularly for those members who are not indeterminate or full-time.

• Union demands
• Union demands – addendum
• Employer demands

Your bargaining team is committed to saying NO to any demand calling for a roll-back in current terms and conditions of employment.

(more…)

The Conservative government intends to sell and then lease back nine federal buildings as a pilot project that will be expanded to include up to 40 more buildings. The initial nine buildings ­– located in Vancouver, Edmonton, Calgary, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal – are among the most modern and well-maintained buildings the government owns. This proposed sale will rank as one of the largest sales of Canadian public assets ever.

• More about the buildings for sale in Vancouver: Sinclair Centre and 401 Burrard.

Last fall, the federal government awarded a contract to BMO Capital Markets Real Estate Group and RBC Capital Markets Real Estate Group to determine whether or not it made sense to sell the buildings. BMO and RBC recommended selling the buildings and have since handled the sale. On May 1, 2007, the nine buildings were listed for sale over a six-week period. On June 12, 2007, the bidding period closed with a 60-day review period.

The sale of the buildings is being driven by the Conservative government’s unwillingness to invest in maintaining its properties and by an ideological belief that government should not be in the business of owning and maintaining infrastructure. The government intends to sell the buildings and then lease them back for 25 years with a guaranteed 100% occupancy rate. We believe that taxpayers will pay $2 in leasing costs for every $1 gained in proceeds from the sale of the buildings.

• Email your MP – let them know this is a bad deal for Canadians.

Aside from it being simply a bad deal, the sale of these public assets – property that belongs to the people of Canada – lacks accountability to Parliament and to the people of Canada.

(more…)

All of the PSAC negotiating teams for our Treasury Board units met with the employer in bargaining sessions in May and June. During those sessions, the five teams tabled our bargaining demands reflecting the improvements we are trying to achieve. However, Treasury Board also has come to the bargaining table with their demands, many of which require an immense amount of interpretation.

For instance, the Employer wishes to discuss a new approach to pay. Since our initial discussions at the bargaining table focus on non-monetary demands, it will be some time down the road before the employer’s position on any monetary issue is known.

Treasury Board wants:

• the elimination of additional sick leave for shift workers,
• the elimination of the right to have a complete and current job description,
• the elimination of vacation advance payments

The employer is also asking for:

• a reduction in the amount of vacation leave members can carry over,
• a reduction in the amount of overtime part time workers can claim,
• reductions to call back and reporting pay entitlements,
• a reduction in the number of situations where double time for overtime work would apply,
• a reduction in the notice period for changes to shift schedule from 7 days to 48 hours.

The employer also wants to increase and/or adjust core working hours for some groups and have indicated they intend to table demands on severance pay and Work Force Adjustment.

Although some Employer demands are unclear at this point, many are perfectly clear. Your bargaining teams are committed to saying NO to any demand calling for a roll-back in current terms and conditions of employment.

The negotiating teams are back at the bargaining table in October. Check back for regular bargaining updates.

Meetings are taking place across the Country starting the week of July 9 and continuing until the end of July to conduct a ratification vote on the tentative agreement with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.

Bargaining Team member Bob Jackson will be in attendance at all the meetings. For more information please contact the Victoria Regional Office.

These meetings are your opportunity to cast your vote on the tentative agreement. The ratification kit document will be available at the meetings and is also available on-line at the national website.

Hi – thanks so much for supporting the street newz.  We’ve spent the $1500 you so generously provided, and we’re sending a report to let you know what we did with it. We appreciate your help very much …

The Victoria Street Newz is one of the projects the PSAC Social Justice Fund is supporting: here is a letter they recently sent to the SJF.

Thank you for your generous donation of $1,500 tax dollars to help cover production costs for the Victoria Street Newz.

With each issue, from February 2006 to June 2007, the PSAC logo and/or advertisement was displayed prominently in the newspaper and on the relativenewz.ca website.

The Victoria Street Newz is now entering its fourth year. We’re very grateful to all the organizations and individuals who have supported us thus far. Because of your generosity we are able to maintain our integrity. Rather than surrendering valuable print space to excessive advertising, or increasing the cost to vendors and readers, the Victoria Street Newz is able to ensure a comprehensive collection of community writings is available at a reasonable price. With help from the community we serve, we will continue to sustain our local environment by reflecting, showcasing, informing, and educating.

Additionally, we serve and sustain our local physical environment by printing on 100% post consumer recycled paper, rather than paper extracted from our precious forests. While we are forced to invest our print dollars in Vancouver, because of a lack of recycled print options in Victoria, we make an effort to distribute all other monetary resources within our local community. The Street Newz coordinator is paid $700 a month, works from her home office, rents a mailbox and phone answering service from locally owned Raincoast Business Centre, and meets with vendors at the locally owned Solstice Café – which serves locally owned Silk Road tea and Canadian owned fairly traded organic coffee, and which serves the community by offering its space to local groups for benefits.

We participate in BC Transit’s bus ticket purchasing project, in conjunction with the Community Council, and distribute free bus tickets to Street Newz writers, vendors, and volunteers.

Through the years we’ve published information about and from various local organizations and businesses including the Community Council, the Open Door/Our Place, the Oak Bay Green Committee, Parents of Apprehended Children, HomelessNation.org, Participatory Sustainable Waste Management, Victoria’s Committee to End Homelessness, the Faith in Action Coalition, Bridges for Women, Sukhi Lalli Pharmacy, Chinese Herbalist Dr. John, InnovativeCommunities.org, St. Vincent De Paul, Burnside Gorge Community Centre, Cool Aid, Vancouver Island Head Injury Society, TAPS, Access Justice, CARTS, the Downtown Victoria Business Association, the Western Canada Wilderness Committee, Livable Income for Everyone, street artists, musicians, poets, and writers. Archived versions of the newspaper are available on-line at relativenewz.ca.

To sustain ourselves in the future, we’re launching a creative fundraising effort in the form of volume subscriptions. In exchange for $600 subscribers will receive 18 copies of Street Newz, delivered monthly, for a year. We’ll also include a complete set of Street Newz for your library – back issues from the previous three + years of publishing. Alternatively, we’d be interested in completing another grant application and/or continue offer advertising space to PSAC. Either way, we thank you for your support.

Namaste, Janine Bandcroft, Coordinator, Victoria Street Newz

The PSAC Vancouver Regional Office recently switched from drinking bottled water to tap water … here’s why.

Our union recently identified Defending Quality Public Services as one of our key priorities.

Water is the most important public service in the world. It is also a fundamental human right and according to the United Nations, “the human right to drinking water is fundamental to life and health.”

Unfortunately, the majority of people in the world do not have access to this fundamental human right. Over 1.7 billion people lack access to safe drinking water and each year, millions of children die of disease caused by unsafe water. The numbers are increasing as multinational companies turn water into a commodity that is being privatized, bottled and sold back to us in the guise of being “purer, healthier and safer,” even though much of this water is re-filtered from our municipal supplies.

We need to defend and keep water as a quality public service that everyone in the world has the right to access without paying for it.

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TORONTO- Random workplace drug testing is intrusive and an unreasonable exercise of management rights an arbitrator ruled on June 28. The policy grievance against the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) was launched by PSAC for Local 00004 in February 2001.

The GTAA’s Drug and Alcohol Testing Policy, which was developed and implemented without union input, cast a wide net and called for provocative measures such as random drug testing involving urine samples, pre-appointment testing and the imposition of discipline upon a positive test. Noting that a positive drug test does not indicate impairment, the Arbitrator also rejected employer arguments that positive tests legitimately alert the employer to increased safety risks.

Highlighting the disconnect between drug test results, impairment and safety, the Arbitrator pointed to the Supreme Court of Canada decision in Meiorin and ruled that the employer could not justify the discriminatory aspects of the policy because the testing could not be shown to be reasonably necessary for the accomplishment of a work-related purpose.

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The deadline for PSAC scholarships is July 16th.

The PSAC Scholarship Program is offering the following 15 scholarships to PSAC members and their children:

• one $4,000 PSAC – Groulx National Scholarship;
• one $4,000 PSAC – Coughlin National Scholarship;
• two $3,000 PSAC – Groulx National Scholarships;
• two $3,000 PSAC – Coughlin National Scholarships;
• one $2,000 J.R. (Joe) Power National Scholarship;
• one $1,000 PSAC National Scholarship;
• seven $1,000 PSAC Regional Scholarships; – one for each of the seven regions (Atlantic, Quebec, National Capital Region, Ontario, Prairies, British Columbia, and the North).

Scholarships are available for the children and dependants of PSAC members. As well, three out of the seven $1,000 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.

PSAC members (as parents of applicants or as applicants) must be in good standing as of March 31st of the current year.

Visit the national website for more information and an application form.

Negotiations between the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation – Granville Island Office and the Public Service Alliance of Canada were held from June 19 to 22, 2007. The parties exchanged proposals on June 19, 2007, and progress was very slow. As the Corporation representatives did not have a mandate to deal with several of the Union’s monetary proposals, the parties have agreed to meet again from September 17 to 19, 2007.

Over 40 PSAC members work at CMHC – Granville Island. They perform a variety of duties including Administration, Grounds Maintenance, Market and Events Coordination, Janitorial, Painting, Building Maintenance etc. The collective agreement expired March 31, 2007.