Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

source: The Vancouver Sun

OTTAWA — Such fast-food outlets as Tim Hortons, Pizza Pizza and Subway are quietly popping up on military bases across the country in sole-source deals that “hand them a captive market,” says the Union of National Defence Employees.

It wants to challenge the legality of replacing base restaurants, canteens and cafeterias operated by the Canadian Forces Exchange System — known as CANEX — with food outlets and franchises without seeking bids from other suppliers.

“What bothers us is these private sector companies are selling on Crown property to provide services to a captive market, the military troops and their families, without being publicly tendered. It raises the question of how many small businesses would love to put in a bid for such a captive market,” said UNDE President John MacLennan who intends to ask Auditor-General Sheila Fraser investigate.

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The UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples has been in the works for two decades. It calls for world-wide measures to address the widespread hardship, poverty, and human rights violations against Indigenous Peoples around the world.

• Sign the online petition
• Write to Harper urging the Government of Canada to stop opposing the UN Declaration.

The Declaration was adopted by the newly formed UN Human Rights Council in June 2006. But the Declaration has not yet been adopted by the UN General Assembly. Canada supported the Declaration in the past, but is now among a handful of states pressing for further negotiations … despite the fact that 20 years of negotiations have already taken place.

Such negotiations will only delay - and quite possibly weaken - a human rights instrument critical to the survival and well-being of some of the world’s most impoverished, marginalized and frequently victimized peoples.

PSAC has joined the list of over 22,000 organizations and individuals who are pushing for the immediate adoption of the UN Declaration.

OTTAWA, Sept. 12 - The Corps of Commissionaires is making excessive profits at the expense of both the Commissionaires they employ and Canadian taxpayers, according to Ed Cashman, Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing the Commissionaires in Ottawa.

Cashman made the statement this morning. For Cashman, it is unacceptable for the Corps to be pocketing money that should go to its workers.

“The Corps receives 80 cents an hour per Commissionaire from Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) to pay its workers a bilingual premium while the Commissionaires receive only 35 cents an hour, a difference of 45 cents,” says Cashman. “In Ottawa alone, there are about 3,000 Commissionaires. This represents a huge amount of money.”

In a letter to Auditor General, Sheila Fraser, Cashman has requested an investigation into that practice by the Corps.

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via Vancouver & District Labour Council

CUPE Locals 15, 391, and 1004: Our sisters and brothers on the picket lines need our support!

Bring your union placards or get one from the VDLC and let them know that we are behind them and stand with them. Help is needed 24 hours a day at City Hall, Vancouver Public Library Main Branch (Georgia), and the Works Yards (National, Evans, and Manitoba). Your presence at all picket sites would be appreciated - all community centres, parks, and public library locations. Click for a list of CUPE picket sites (pdf).

Please visit www.fairnessforcivicworkers.ca for updates and information and contacts for specific information.

Are you a PSAC member from the Aboriginal, Racially Visible, Persons with Disabilities or GLBT groups? Would you like to meet with other members from these groups for group discussions and are you interested in taking some training?

The next Human Rights Committee meeting is scheduled for 5:30PM - 7:30PM at the Vancouver RO, 200 - 5238 Joyce Street.

Agenda

• Access Conference report-back
• CEIU National HR Conference report-back
• Poster contest
• Planning for annual HR dinner

Please RSVP to Vancouver RO, 604.430.5631 as a light dinner will be served. On site childcare, and / or participation from other areas via conference call is available. Please call the Vancouver RO for details.

Dear friends,

Once again we are offering our retreat over the Remembrance Day weekend, amid the 400 acres of the North Vancouver Outdoor School and the returning Chum salmon. This is a precious opportunity for reflection and renewal. For cost reasons, it is likely the last time we will offer the retreat in this very special location, so if you have been thinking of coming this is the year! - For the earth, Jackie Larkin

Reconnecting To Life - 6th Annual Residential Retreat
Friday, November 9- Monday, November 12, 2007
Squamish, British Columbia (about 1 1/2 hours north of Vancouver)
with Jackie Larkin and Maggie Ziegler

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PSAC-BC is proud to announce that Guinevere Sanderson is the winner of the Public Services Are Cool giveaway.

Guinevere is a PSAC member who works for Canadian Heritage and is a member of the Green Team there. She was excited to win the zero-emission scooter-style electric bike and plans to use it to commute to work.

Congratulations Guinevere & thanks to everyone who signed our petition, emailed their MP and entered the contest!

update: Gwen just emailed us … Thank you so much for coming down this morning to deliver the certificate. I was so excited that I went to the shop on my lunch and picked it up! I rode it back to work and was able to show it off to the office. I think it’s really really cool and I’m so happy to have won. Thanks again!

The registration deadline for 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! is September 10th

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.

For more information, visit the national website or go directly to the Conference registration form.

The PSAC BC Regional Education Program is coming to your neighborhood!

• 4 – 7PM, Wednesday, September 12th
• The Ramada Plaza & Conference Centre, Mt. Baker Room
• 36035 North Parallel Road, Abbotsford

The regional education program is coming to your neighborhood and we want to hear from you!

• Share your thoughts and feedback on union education and courses for your area!
• Help shape the future of the regional education program!
• Join us for some great food, company and conversation!
• Meet other PSAC members and staff!

Refreshments will be served. For more information, please contact Amal Rana (Regional Education Officer) at the Vancouver Regional Office @ 1.800.663.1655 or ranaa@psac.com

This Labour Day PSAC members took part in the “Public Services Are Cool” blitzes at the labour picnics at Confederation Park in Burnaby and Esquimalt Gorge Park in Victoria.

• Visit the photo gallery for lots of pictures.

We’re proud to report PSAC had excellent representation! In Victoria, PSAC staff and members of the Southern Vancouver Island Area Council set up a tent and spoke with the picnic-goers about the value of a strong public service as well as the save our fisheries campaign. Members from many components stopped by throughout the day and an excellent time was had by all.

In Burnaby, staff and members active with the Vancouver Area Council came out and helped with the table. They distributed PSAC materials and asked the public to sign letters to their MPs regarding the second phase of the federal building sell-off. National Vice-President Patty Ducharme was in town and visited the table for a while and REVP Kay Sinclair also joined in in the afternoon. Several PSAC members who were attending the picnic and weren’t aware of the table were there and very pleased to see PSAC out with the whole labour family.

The Philippine Women Centre of BC invites you to a multi-media report back from the Women’s International Solidarity Affair in the Philippines (WISAP) organized by GABRIELA-Philippines that was held from July 29 - August 5th, 2007.

• Date and time: Monday, September 10, 6:30 pm
• Venue: Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell Street (see map)
• Who: All are welcome!

Monica Urrutia, member of the Philippine Women Centre of BC and staff of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, was one of the delegates to the WISAP and will be sharing her experiences from her exposure trip to Leyte province, and her participation in the 10th annual WISAP under the theme: The Women’s Vision - Strategies and Tactics of Women’s Resistance.

The Association of Chinese Canadians for Equality and Solidarity Society (ACCESS) and Head Tax Families Society of Canada would be honoured by your presence this Friday evening at a dinner gathering of anti-racism, human rights and social justice activists. Food and non-alcoholic beverages are provided. BYOB beer and wine okay.

• 5:00pm – 8:00pm, Friday September 7, 2007
• Kalayaan Centre, 451 Powell Street, Vancouver

On site will be one of two video installations titled “Shattered” by Karin Lee, current artist in residence at Video In. The works question the official reports of the anti-Asian riots that took place in Vancouver between September 7-10th, 1907. Earlier at 3:00pm, Karin presents an Artist Talk. Later in the evening, following our by-invitation-only gathering, there will be a reception open to the public at 8:00pm. For more information: email Sid Tan.