Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

It is time that we achieve a contract that meets the standards found in other enforcement agencies, and elsewhere in the federal public sector.

It has been almost a year now since we first tabled our demands with CBSA/Treasury Board for the FB bargaining unit. During that time there have been dozens of meetings between our bargaining team and CBSA management. We have made clear to the employer that the things that we are asking for are well established both in the federal public sector and with enforcement agencies across the country. Yet management continues to refuse to agree to fair and equitable rules around the work that we do, rules that are already well established in the federal public sector. For example, tens of thousands of workers at Canada Post have full job security. If a federal employer like Canada Post can provide full job security to its employees, CBSA can do the same in the context of the arming initiative.

In some cases, what we are asking for has already been agreed to for other workers with the same employer. For instance, for thousands of enforcement workers at Corrections Canada, their years of service are respected by Treasury Board and they have a say in the hours that they work. If Treasury Board can agree to respect years of service and provide employees a choice in the hours that they work for other enforcement workers, they can do the same for us. If police and other enforcement organizations across the country respect officers’ seniority, so can CBSA.

For FB members working primarily in Trade, Alternative Working Arrangements existed for over a decade, and now management is removing these arrangements for no reason. If alternative working arrangements have worked for over a decade, and continue to work in various parts of the country, there is no good reason why working arrangements that make sense and are well established shouldn’t be provided for under our contract.

The week of May 26th we are back at the bargaining table. We will again be making it clear that we expect to achieve a wage settlement in this round that minimally meets standards already set with enforcement workers at Treasury Board and at enforcement agencies in other jurisdictions.

We work hard. We do important work. Turnover is high at CBSA. We deserve the same protections and benefits as other enforcement workers in the federal public sector and beyond. CBSA has provided no good reason as to why we should be denied standards that are in place for other federal workers.

If you have any questions contact a member of our bargaining team or your Shop
Steward. For more information go to: www.ceuda.psac.com.