Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

The Parks Agency was caught bargaining in bad faith last week, giving an example of their arrogance and lack of respect toward the bargaining process.

On Tuesday, October 23, near the end of the day, the Employer approached one of your bargaining-team members and began to talk about setting up private discussions the following week about changing the terms and conditions of employment for some canal workers, a discussion that would take place away from the bargaining table. The bargaining team member reported the incident to the rest of the team in caucus. On Thursday morning, the negotiator raised the issue at the bargaining table with the Employer, stating that this was a clear text-book case of bargaining in bad faith.
However, as it is the mandate of your bargaining team to reach a fair and just agreement with the Employer, we intend to continue negotiating in spite of the Employer’s complete lack of respect for your right to be represented by your union, for your bargaining team, for your union, and for the bargaining process.

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The widely anticipated tax cuts announced in yesterday’s Economic and Fiscal Update confirm once again the Harper government’s preference for politics over meaningful public policy.

Betting that a $60 billion giveaway will give them a boost in the polls, the Harper government is playing shabby pre-election politics while furthering its agenda to shrink the capacity of government to act in the interests of all Canadians.

Massive tax cuts for the corporate sector – cuts that will take Canada’s rate to the bottom of industrialized countries by 2012 – are no substitute for investments in the nation’s social and physical infrastucture.

While the Harper government seeks to portray its single-minded focus on tax cuts and debt reduction as evidence of sound financial management, in fact the government’s approach is both unbalanced and risky – ignoring the needs of the majority of Canadians right now and endangering the country’s finances in the event of an economic downturn in the future.

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Cheers to BC Human Rights Committee member Rhonda Brain (UTE 20029) for forwarding us this four-page factsheet on mental disorders and addictions in the workpace (pdf). Included are some …

Ways Employers Can Help Reduce Workplace Stress:

• learn what causes workplace stress
• provide positive feedback and engage in twoway communication with employees
• offer flexible hours for juggling family responsibilities
• provide employee assistance programs to help people get counseling on personal, financial or other problems
• provide or help with cost of stress control programs
• offer on-site fitness facilities and access to nutritious food
• create an environment that offers fresh air, proper lighting, regular work breaks, and
• reduced noise
• permit someone recovering form a mental illness to work fewer hours rather than totally disconnecting them from the workplace

The full series of factsheets is available at heretohelp.bc.ca

To: All Lower Mainland Locals, Area Councils and Committees

Greetings Sisters and Brothers!

Our 2007 Union School is fast approaching and I am very excited and pleased to extend an invitation to all PSAC members in the Lower Mainland who are not attending the school to join us this year to hear two incredible speakers who will be speaking on November 2nd and November 3rd at the Metrotown Hilton in Burnaby (6083 McKay Avenue).

November 2nd, 2007 : We are greatly honoured to present Malalai Joya, member of the Afghan Parliament and world renowned activist as our keynote speaker at the school. She will open our school at on Friday, November 2nd at 12:30 pm.

Malalai’s upcoming visit to Vancouver and to our school represents a rare opportunity for us to hear directly about conditions in Afghanistan. Malalai is one of Afghanistan’s most courageous politicians and a dedicated defender of the rights of the Afghan people and women in particular. She has survived four assassination attempts and was recently suspended from the country’s parliament to which she was democratically elected in 2005. Despite this, she continues to speak out both in her own country and around the world.

• The week prior to the school, Malalai Joya will also be speaking at several engagements in Vancouver & Victoria – visit bclabouragainstwar.ca for details.
• Malalai Joya will be speaking at the stopwar.ca rally in Vancouver, Saturday October 27th – visit stopwar.ca for details.

November 3rd, 2007: Malalai’s key note speech at the school on Friday will be followed by a panel discussion on defending public services with PSAC National President John Gordon and Seth Klein – BC Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) – on Saturday, November 3rd at 9AM. We are very pleased that John will be joining us – please take advantage of this great opportunity to hear him speak about defending quality public services, collective bargaining, and other important issues in our union. John, along with Seth, will also be pleased to answer questions after the panel presentations.

John Gordon was elected as the PSAC’s National President in May 2006 at the PSAC’s Triennial Convention. John had been the Union’s National Vice-President since 2000. Prior to 2000, he was the National President of the former Union of Public Works Employees component (now Government Services Union). He has also been a union activist in the broader labour movement with extensive involvement in the Labour Council of Metro Toronto and the Ontario Federation of Labour.

Seth Klein is the BC Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA), a public policy research institute committed to social, economic and environmental justice. He is a frequent media commentator and public speaker on public policy issues. He has authored numerous studies and newspaper articles.

We very much hope that you are able to join us to hear these amazing speakers. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or would like more information. Hope to see you there!

In solidarity, Amal Rana, Regional Education Officer

via BC Federation of Labour

Nov. 1, 2001. It was the last time B.C.’s minimum wage was increased.

With another year gone by without a raise for thousands of workers, it’s an anniversary that is symbolic of the growing economic divide in our province. It spotlights the policies of the Campbell government that prevent the benefits of a booming economy from being shared by all.

To make it worse, the Liberals gave themselves huge pay boosts, but say no to a higher minimum wage.

We can be proud that the labour movement is leading the way to win a $10 minimum wage that will benefit 250,000 low-paid workers and bring more economic fairness for British Columbians.

To mark the Nov. 1 anniversary, I’m urging union members like you to act immediately to help win more support for our $10 NOW campaign.

Please click on this link to sign our $10 NOW petition. Then forward it to family and friends who you know support our efforts. Ask them to sign up before Nov. 1.

If you’re one of the thousands of trade unionists who’ve already signed the petition, then send this link http://www.bcfed.ca/petition/minimum_wage to your family and friends and encourage them to sign.

On Oct. 31, we will be lobbying politicians in Victoria for a higher minimum wage. And we’ll be presenting to the Legislature copies of all the petitions that have been signed so far.

Thanks for your help. I’m confident that if we keep up the pressure, we’ll win on this important issue for working people.

Jim Sinclair
President

OTTAWA – The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has achieved an historic milestone in its bargaining history. The union has negotiated a tentative agreement with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) before the expiry date of the current contract.

“Negotiating a new contract before the old one has expired is virtually unheard of in the federal public sector,” says PSAC National President John Gordon. “In this case, both negotiating teams were focused on reaching a new agreement and we have achieved this in record time.”

• CRA Bargaining update, ratification kit & other details available here.

The union served notice to bargain and exchanged bargaining demands with the CRA at the beginning of July. Intense negotiations took place over a two-week period in September and resumed in mid-October.

“Our negotiating team is making a unanimous recommendation of acceptance to our members,” says Gordon. “The speed of these negotiations did not affect our ability to achieve important gains.”

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Details of the tentative agreement between PSAC and the Canada Revenue Agency are now available.

Arrangements are being made for meetings to conduct a vote on the tentative agreement between the PSAC and the Canada Revenue Agency. More information will follow at a later date.

Details of the tentative agreement can be found in these documents:

• PSAC ratification kit
• Article 18 – Grievance Procedure
• CRA Term Employment Policy
• PSAC news release

OTTAWA – The federal government should call off the sale of nine federal office buildings in the wake of its last minute decision to pull two Vancouver properties out of the transaction, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Sale of the Sinclair Centre and another office and retail complex in downtown Vancouver had been stalled in late September by an injunction when the Federal Court ruled Ottawa had failed to consult the aboriginal band on whose traditional territory the buildings reside.

• Stop the sale! Send a message to your MP.

Faced with this legal roadblock, Public Works and Government Services Minister Michael Fortier has decided to yank the two Vancouver buildings from the sale.

“We know the sale is a terrible deal for taxpayers. We now also know there are serious legal issues with implications for Aboriginal land claims that have clearly taken the federal government by surprise as well,” said Patty Ducharme, National Executive Vice-President of the PSAC.

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The Downtown Eastside Community Arts Network Film and Video (DTES-CAN-FV) cluster is pleased to present the broadcast premiere of FearlessTV #10, an In The Heart of the City Festival (HOC) special edition.

In Metro Vancouver on Shaw cable 4, the community channel: Wednesday October 24 @ 8:00pm and Saturday October 27 @ 3:00am (early morning)

The show features Anne Marie Slater introducing her documentary Heart and Home. Also interviews with Terry Hunter about upcoming HOC, Mildred German and Carlo Sayo on the titled Maleta [Suitcase] art at Gallery Gachet and Gena Thompson on Downtown Eastside Romeo and Juliette performance. Closes with Our Story: Chinese Head Tax Mash Up by No Luck Club and more. More information about the Heart Of The City festival.

To: All TB Local/Branch Presidents – BC Mainland, TB-RVPs/NVPs, Area Councils – BC Mainland
From: Monica Urrutia, Treasury Board Regional Strike Coordinator – BC Mainland

Re: Treasury Board Mobilization Update

This letter is going out to all TB Local/Branch Presidents on the BC Mainland. A similar letter has already been sent to locals on the Island.

I am writing to inform you that the Treasury Board Regional Strike Coordinating Committee has met on two separate occasions. The meetings took place in September and October to discuss this round of Treasury Board negotiations and to start organizing the area coordinators.

One of our main goals is enhanced communication. We aim to ensure that we have the most up-to-date contact information for all worksites in BC including contact information for your Local/Branch executive.

• Sign up for Treasury Board bargaining updates via email here.

Dave Jackson is the TB-Regional Strike Coordinator for the Island. Monica Urrutia is the TB-Regional Strike Coordinator for the BC Mainland.

• Contact your Area/Hub Strike Coordinator here.

The Vancouver Island has been divided into 7 HUBS and the BC Mainland has been divided into 13 areas, for ease of coordinating our communication networks in the event that this round of bargaining results in job action.

• Downtown Vancouver – Hub 1 (Downtown Vancouver, worksites north of Georgia St.) – Area Coordinator: Alistair Crawford (UCTE)
• Downtown Vancouver – Hub 2 (Downtown Vancouver, worksites south of Georgia St.) – Area Coordinator: Velna Clarke (NAT)
• Metro Vancouver (worksites in the city of Vancouver, except Downtown) – Area Coordinator: Robert Strang (CEIU)
• Richmond (Worksites in Richmond) – Area Coordinator: Alexander Bishop (CEUDA)
• Waterfront (Grain Inspectors, worksites in North & West Vancouver and northwards) – Area Coordinator: Teri Friday (AGR)
• East Metro (Worksites in Burnaby, New West, Coquitlam, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Andy Yung (NAT)
• Surrey/Delta/Langley (Worksites in Surrey, Delta, Langley etc.) – Area Coordinator: Donna Cowan (UVAE)
• Fraser Valley (Worksites in Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Jayne Johns (CEIU)
• Kamloops (Worksites in Kamloops, Lillooet, Osoyoos, 100 Mile etc.) – Area Coordinator: Dave Leicester (CEIU)
• Okanagan (Worksites in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Oliver etc.) – Area Coordinator: Randy Ihme (CEUDA)
• South Kootenays (Worksites in Nelson, Cranbrook, Trail, Revelstoke etc.) – Area Coordinator: Sheila Pearce (CEIU)
• North West (Worksites in Prince Rupert, Queen Charlottes, Kitimat, Terrace etc.) – Area Coordinator: Be Gomes (USGE)
• North East (Worksites in Prince George, Quesnel, Wms Lake, Ft St John, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Diane Beaulieu (CEIU)
• Island Hub 1 (Downtown Victoria including up to Huron Street) – Area Coordinator: Virginia Vaillancourt (UVAE).
• Island Hub 2 (Downtown Victoria from Fort Street to Pandora) – Area Coordinator: Mandi Schubert (CEIU).
• Island Hub 3 (CFB Esquimalt/Colwood and Rocky Point) – Area Coordinator: Mark Miller (UNDE).
• Island Hub 4 (Graving Dock including the Veteran’s Cemetary) – Area Coordinator: Tim Isherwood (GSU).
• Island Hub 5 (Metro Victoria including William Head) – Area Coordinator: Nick Humphreys (UEW).
• Island Hub 6 (Nanaimo-Qualicum-Tofino-Duncan) – Area Coordinators: Patricia Lamont (CEIU) & Christine Walker (CEIU).
• Island Hub 7 (Campbell River-Courtenay/Comox and North) – Area Coordinators: Nicole Gibson (USGE) & Tom Hopkins (UEW).

Area Coordinators will be contacting you for work site contacts within your Locals/Branches that fall within their areas. We will also be planning bargaining information sessions and may have a member/negotiator at as many of the information sessions as they become available.

If you require any further information or clarification, please contact the Vancouver RO at 604-430-5361/toll free 1-800-663-1655 or the Victoria RO at 250 953 1050 / toll free 1-866-953-1050.

We look forward to working with you.

On Thursday, all the sub-committees reported back to the bargaining teams. With the exception of the ACS-SP classification conversion sub-committee, the sub-committees have concluded their work. The ACS-SP sub-committee will complete its work on Friday and report to the teams.

Your team has now received responses from the employer on all outstanding issues. We’re continuing to work hard to achieve a settlement.

We’re getting there with your help

Your bargaining team can’t say thank you enough to our members who have been organizing the plantgating, wearing stickers and coming up with other great ideas to show their support. Members have even been braving sub zero temperatures in some locations to distribute stickers and daily bulletins.

There isn’t space to acknowledge everyone but here are some of the activities that have been taking place this week. In Trois Rivières, in addition to wearing “Deliver the Deal” stickers, 98% of the Local members wore blue jeans and red shirts and sweaters on October 15 to show their support for their team. One of our Locals in Toronto delivered balloons decorated with the “Deliver the Deal” stickers to their Director. In Sudbury, the Local distributed PSAC kit folders with the sticker and asked members to use them in the workplace and at meetings to show

Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo boasted of her country’s recent economic growth. However, a Philippine labour activist, during a visit to PSAC on October 11, explained that this growth has occurred amid a continuing increase in human and trade union rights violations.

• Send an email to the Canadian & Philippine governments, demand justice and human rights now!

“Human rights violations under the Arroyo regime has surpassed the record under the Marcos dictatorship,” says Arnel Salvador, the deputy executive director of the Workers Assistance Center (WAC) in Cavite province, Philippines.

Salvador’s one-month tour in Canada seeks to raise awareness among and gain support from Canadians, particularly the labour movement, for the Filipino workers’ struggles against the spate of labour repression and human rights violations under the Arroyo regime.

From the time Arroyo assumed power on January 20, 2001 until June 30, 2006, more than 60 leaders, members, organizers and supporters of trade unions and workers organizations have been killed. They are among the more than 800 victims of political killings of progressive activists and critics of the Arroyo regime. Aside from killings, other trade union violations include assaults on the picketline, illegal arrests and detentions, grave threats, intimidations, abductions and harassment. According to the Center for Trade Union and Human Rights (CTUHR), an independent workers research institute in the Philippines, there were 982 cases of trade union and human rights violations victimizing 77,028 workers from 2001 to 2006.

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MDS Nordion and the Public Service Alliance of Canada reached a tentative agreement on October 4, 2007. The three (3) year agreement was ratified by the membership on October 11, 2007.

Some of the highlights of the agreement include:

• Effective April 1, 2007, an economic increase of 4.25% plus an additional 0.75% for the V9 and V10 classifications
• Effective April 1, 2008, an economic increase of 3% plus an additional step to be added to the top of the existing salary grid (with a 3% increase)
• Effective April 1, 2009, an economic increase of 3%
• Improvements to the Vacation, Bereavement and Illness in the Family Leaves
• Improvements to the Group Insurance Plans

Over 40 PSAC members work at MDS Nordion in Vancouver. Nordion produces medical isotopes for worldwide distribution. The revised collective agreement has an expiry date of March 31, 2010.

While Stephen Harper paid lip service to the ideals of peace, order and good government, the October 16th Speech from the Throne does little to promote these ideals in concrete terms.

Announcing a legislative agenda that prominently features deregulation, broad-based tax cuts, self-imposed limits to federal spending along with inaction on the environment, poverty and the growing prosperity gap, the Harper government has served notice that it intends to degrade existing public services and severely limit the government’s ability to address emerging needs in the future.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the government has got it wrong. The Harper Conservatives continue to fail to understand that enlightened investment in people through stable funding for programs and public services is one of the hallmarks of a progressive, modern society and the birthright of every Canadian.

In the wake of enormous budget surpluses, the government’s failure to invest in Canada and in the health and welfare of all citizens is a national embarrassment. Canadians deserve better!

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On Wednesday, the sub-committee dealing with issues affecting term workers reported back to a face-to-face meeting of the union and Agency negotiating teams.

The ACS-SP classification conversion and the Workforce Adjustment (WFA) sub-committees are still meeting and are now expected to conclude their work and to report to the full teams on Thursday.

Progress continues to be made towards achieving a fair settlement and a new collective agreement.

Your negotiating team met with the Employer from October 9 to 12. The PSAC’s proposal regarding the No Discrimination clause, an issue for which the EB group is the lead table, was the subject of long and serious discussions. The PSAC wants to ensure that the non-discrimination clause includes gender identity and political activity. Your team explained its position to the Employer and answered questions.The Education Leave Without Pay and the Career Development Leave were also the subjects of intense discussions. We asked several questions to the Employer regarding the selection and information process and the budget allocation for these leaves. Our goal is to ensure fairness and consistency in the application of this article in the different departments.

We also discussed the Employer’s proposal regarding the Appendix G – MOU with respect to continuous learning and Appendix L – MOU concerning Whistleblowing.

The EB group will meet again from November 6 to 9.

Your TC bargaining team was in Ottawa from October 9th to the 12th and met with Treasury Board several times.

The union team spent time discussing some operational group specific issues. The team focused their efforts in finalizing some 9 different allowances being proposed.

We signed off on some minor articles and presentations were given Treasury Board on hours of work.

Your team finalized the documents required for the TC Table Pay Study. The study will compare our wages to those of other people doing similar work in both the private and public sectors. This will be used in our negotiations on wages.

Our next meetings are scheduled for November 2nd to the 9th.

The second day back at the table with CRA was devoted completely to essential sub-committee work. It was the first day since your bargaining team started this round of negotiations with the Agency that we have not had face-to-face sessions involving the complete teams on both sides.

At this critical stage in our bargaining, all the decisions your team will be making are important ones and we are taking the time we need to make the right decisions for our members.

Your team will be meeting with the employer’s team on Wednesday afternoon. At that time, all the sub-committees will be reporting back to the main table.

Watch for more bulletins coming out this week.

via BCFed

In conjunction with the PSAC Leadership Training Conference taking place this week in downtown Vancouver, come and take part in the next petitioning event for the B.C. Federation of Labour’s $10 NOW campaign Sat. Oct. 20th.

• Saturday, Oct. 20, 9:45 am to 12 noon
• meet at the Port of the World room, Renaissance Hotel, 1133 W. Hastings, Vancouver then;
• disperse to solicit signatures in downtown Vancouver

It’s an important event because the BC Fed is trying to get as many petition signatures as possible before Nov. 1 – the sixth anniversary of the last time B.C.’s minimum wage was increased. The event is being organized in conjunction with our leadership training conference and is designed to link PSAC leaders with activists who’ve been part of the minimum wage campaign and share skills.

The PSAC will host a lunch for all volunteers back at the Renaissance Hotel, and the BCFed will have a premium for all those who take part. If you’re interested please contact Stephen Howard at the B.C. Federation of Labour, 604-430-1421 or cell 604-220-2965.

Here are some upcoming Joint Learning Program events in Vancouver, for more information about the JLP visit www.jlp-pam.ca or

• November 6,7,8 – Facilitator Clinic.
  • Day one of the clinic will be devoted to learning activities, including a piece on questioning skills, public service renewal and building a tickle trunk.
  • Day two will be practice facilitation and day three in the afternoon will be devoted to a workshop presented by the Aboriginal Speaker’s Bureau, Catherine Blackstock, focusing on the history of of First Nations in the context of present day events.
• Facilitator Orientation Sessions -  November 19,20,21,22,23, Four Seasons Hotel, Vancouver.