Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

The purpose of this notification is to request any and all PSAC members to submit proposals for consideration in the upcoming review of Group B, C, and D of the National Joint Council OHS Directives.

• Interested in Health and Safety issues? Visit the Health and Safety minisite or forum.

In order to ensure full consideration of any recommendations made by our members, it is requested that all recommendations be submitted by June 2, 2008.

Group B includes:
1. Part IX - Sanitation;
2. Part X - Hazardous Substances;
3. Part XII - Personal and Protective Equipment and Clothing;
4. Part XIV - Materials Handling; and
5. Pesticides Directive.

Group C includes:
6. Part III - Elevated Work Structures;
7. Part IV - Elevated Devices;
8. Motor Vehicle Operations Directives
9. Part XIII - Tools and Machinery; and
10. Part XI - Confined Spaces.

Group D includes:
11. Part V - Boilers and Pressure Vessels;
12. Part VI - Lighting (currently not detailed in directives);
13. Part VII - Noise Control (Levels of Sound); and
14. Part VIII - Electrical Safety.

You will find attached the NJC proposal templates (pdf) that you may wish to use to assist you in capturing your input.

Should you have any questions please contact James Little, PSAC BC. Your completed forms should be sent to either James Little or Denis St-Jean

Thank you for your cooperation, James Little

via email

The fight against poverty requires justice and equality for women. Around the world, women and girls are more likely to face violence, have fewer rights and receive less education than men. And because women are often denied fair compensation for their work, poverty rates among women are much higher.

Gender equality is a key part of making poverty history. Policies that promote the health, education and rights of women make huge contributions towards alleviating poverty. Any serious attempt to eradicate poverty must work towards gender equality. That’s why to “promote gender equality and empower women” is one of the eight Millenium Development Goals.

So we are asking you to participate in International Women’s Day, this Saturday, March 8, in whatever way you can: learn more about the issues, tell your friends about the day, attend an event or take action online.

Learn more

Make Poverty History is part of a coalition of groups called the Global Call to Action Against Poverty (GCAP) See the GCAP International Women’s Day video on YouTube. Read GCAP’s page on the importance of gender equality here

Send and ecard to your friends or attend an event

Remind your friends of the importance of March 8th by sending them an e-card from www.makepovertyhistory.ca.

Make Poverty History volunteers will be at Women’s Day events across the country this Saturday - why don’t you join them? See events on March 8 here.

via New Westminster & District Labour Council

We are inviting the community to discuss local and regional issues on March 26th as part of our 2008 Municipal Election Program. We encourage you to broadcast this forum widely to citizens in the communities served by the New Westminster & District Labour Council. Our communities include all communities from Burnaby and Delta east to Langley and Maple Ridge. There is no pre-registration or cost attached to attending this forum. We want to attract the broadest cross-section of people and encourage you to invite neighbours, family, friends, work colleagues etc. etc.

We hope for a stimulating and thought provoking discussion that helps shape the debate for this Fall’s Municipal and School Board elections.

(more…)

Our PA and EB Treasury Board bargaining teams are at the table this week!

This week: The TB-Regional Coordinating Committee for B.C. Region is encouraging all Treasury Board members to wear anything black on pay days to show support for your bargaining teams. Help spread the word, support your bargaining teams! Send in photos for web posting.

If you want to keep up to date on what activities are going on for TB bargaining in the B.C. region and nationally please sign up for our regional list-serve.

Minutes of the Prince George Regional Women’s Committee,January 16, 2008

In attendance:

• Diane Beaulieu – Chair
• Patt Holmes
• Val Bergey
• Barb Mazur
• Sandy Stephens
• Narinder Minhas
• Colette Savarie
• Regina Brennan

Regrets:

• Lucy Fildes

Continue reading below, or download the Prince George Regional Women’s Committee meeting minutes - Jan 16 2008 (pdf)

1. Call to order and welcome introductory round

2. Election

• agreed to hold the next meeting with the election of officers on March 8, right after the breakfast. Agreed to book a room at the Ramada Hotel if possible, otherwise use HEU or BCGEU Hall.
• This committee will have no delegate to the PSAC - BC Regional Convention because they were deemed inactive.

3. International Women’s Day.

• Check with other unions about what they are doing, and look for posters and theme ideas. Colette and Regina to check with Jim Sinclair about what the BC Fed is doing. Patt suggested that the Sharon McIver case is a possible group in need of funding assistance. UNBC does an IWD event. HEU and BCGEU do events as well. CEIU is doing a Loonie auction. Currently doing a survey to choose who to donate proceeds to.
• Women from the committee will attend the breakfast at the Ramada Hotel on March 8th. Colette is invited to attend. Patt has the Women in Motion information.

4. Financial Report.

• $394.81 in the bank. Some discussion about the state of the books and the work that needs to be done to get more funding. Books to be handed off to the new Treasurer on March 8th.
• That the Prince George Regional Women’s Committee purchase a table of 10 seats, to be divided equitably among the 5 affiliated locals, to the March 8 International Women’s Day breakfast organized by the Prince George and District Labour Council. Tickets to be purchased by Sandy. M/S/C Patt Holmes/Narinder Minhas. Carried

5. Defending Public Services

• Review of handouts and activities. Letter from John Gordon (see attached) asking to work across Component lines to ensure co-ordination. Questionnaire from National Women’s Conference on re-organizations and what is happening in the workplace. Interesting statistics in the last National Board of Directors minutes. Patt will share all this information with the new Regional Women’s Committee executive. Colette will forward the Saskatchewan questionnaire.

6. PSAC Regional Council Rep for Women report

• Patt gave a verbal report.

7. Goals for the Regional Women’s Committee

• The planning and setting of goals was tabled to be dealt with by the new executive. Colette proposed using the remaining funds from the Regional Women’s Conference cycle to hold meetings with each committee to do some planning and goal setting.

8. Training and Building Capacity

• Sandy has sent out a questionnaire on education. She needs the completed forms back by January 21.

9. Round table

• Barb – Is working on her CRA women’s committee. They are holding a women’s self defense course. Contact Barb if you are on an employer committee.
• Colette – pass
• Regina – Is on the board for her Women’s Center now and also put together a woman’s self defense course.
• Sandy – She will get the IWD breakfast tickets and will email when she has them.
• Val – pass
• Patt – showed us her beautiful PSAC quilt.
• Narinder – pass
• Diane – handed out bargaining stickers.
• We had a brief discussion on improving the communications network for this committee, to ensure notices of meetings are sent out on a timely basis to all concerned.

Adjourned at 6:55pm

On March 8, International Women’s Day, the Canadian Labour Congress is launching a women’s economic equality campaign – “Equality! Once and For All!” An exciting year-long campaign, the CLC will use every opportunity to raise awareness about the lack of attention paid by politicians, employers and the media to the growing economic inequality of women, through the use of creative and innovative tactics.

The PSAC is part of this campaign …

• The PSAC asks: Where is the federal plan for women’s equality?.
• Read Robyn Benson’s letter re: March 8th launch of the Women’s Economic Equality Campaign (pdf)
  

By mobilizing union women to talk with their union sisters and brothers, with their families, the public, media, and politicians at all levels of government, this campaign will focus on important solutions; solutions like belonging to a union, creating an accessible, affordable, public child care system, minimum wage reform, pay equity, improving Employment Insurance, CPP, OAS and GIS. We know that these solutions are key to closing the wage gap between working men and women.

After twenty-five years of progress, the gap between the average wages of Canadian men and women have stopped narrowing and is now growing. Women workers of colour, Aboriginal women and women with disabilities face even greater economic disadvantages.

Contact the CLC’s Women’s Economic Equality campaign coordinators at 613-526-7424 or by email at equalityonceandforall@clc-ctc.ca for ways in which you contribute to the success of this campaign, and continue to check the PSAC regional and national websites for updates on the campaign.

International Women’s Day events in BC

Here is a list of IWD events coming up in the Province. Is there an IWD event happening in your community? Email Patrick and we’ll add it to the calendar.

• March 7, 7:30 AM, Vancouver, BC Federation of Labour annual breakfast | details @ calendar
• March 7, 6PM, Vancouver, India Mahila Association IWD Event | details @ calendar
• March 8, 11AM, Victoria & Nanaimo, CLC Teach-in Events | details @ calendar
• March 8, 1:30PM, Vancouver, IWD Book Launch - Burmese Women’s Union Report about migrant women and girl workers | details @ calendar
• March 8, 4PM, Vancouver, Grassroots Women IWD rally, march & dinner | details @ calendar
• March 8, 7PM, Vancouver, IWD dinner & fundraiser in honour of Aboriginal women | details @ calendar

Another in a continuing series of articles & handouts that will be of interest to PSAC stewards …

Discipline - Mitigating Factors

Mitigating factors are considered in determining an appropriate disciplinary penalty. They may be taken into account by an employer at the time a disciplinary measure is being decided. Or, they may be raised by the union during representation.

In cases of discipline, representation is usually concerned with two areas. The first concerns whether or not the wrongdoing occurred as alleged, or whether or not the employer can prove that some measure of discipline is warranted. Sometimes, the union may concede that an employee’s misconduct constitutes grounds for some form of discipline. The second area relates to the penalty and its appropriateness in the circumstances.

There may be factors that warrant reducing a disciplinary penalty. These are called “mitigating factors”. The burden of proof in disciplinary cases rests with the employer but the responsibility for raising mitigating factors lies with the union. The burden of proving mitigating factors also rests with the union. However, the onus is on the employer to rebut or explain why such factors should not affect the penalty imposed.

Arbitrators weigh the presence, or absence, of mitigating factors in deciding whether to uphold, reduce or rescind a disciplinary sanction. If an arbitrator does not receive evidence from the union, s/he has no basis on which to substitute a lesser penalty. Though by no means exhaustive or comprehensive, the following will provide stewards with a basic list of mitigating factors.

Continue reading in the “Discipline - Mitigating Factors” handout (pdf), prepared by the PSAC education section.