Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

VANCOUVER – John Gordon has been re-elected as the National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Gordon was first elected President in 2006 and had previously served as the union’s National Executive Vice-President since 2000. Gordon was re-elected National President at PSAC’s 15th National Triennial Convention in Vancouver, B.C.

“Over the last three years, PSAC has taken great strides to defend quality public services against the Harper government’s cynical and ideological cuts,” said Gordon. “Public services are the great equalizer – they improve Canadians’ lives and help protect them against job losses and financial devastation. I am proud to work with PSAC to continue the struggle to protect public services, economic justice and human rights.”

Prior to his election as National Executive Vice-President, Gordon was the National President of the Union of Public Works Employees from 1982 to 1999. A PSAC activist since 1974, when he joined the federal public sector as a tradesperson with Public Works Canada, Gordon has held a variety of union positions in his Component.

Patty Ducharme re-elected VP

Delegates also re-elected Patty Ducharme as the union’s National Executive Vice-President for a second term. Prior to her election as National Vice-President in 2006, Ducharme was PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP) for British Columbia.

Prior to her election as REVP in 2000, Ducharme had worked as a customs inspector in British Columbia and served as First Vice-President of Branch 20040 of the Customs and Immigration Union (formerly known as CEUDA). She has been a PSAC activist for almost 25 years holding a number of union positions.

Jérôme Turcq was elected as the Alternate National Executive Vice-President. He is PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President for Quebec, a position he has held since 2000.

On Tuesday, after a delay caused by a burst water pipe, the 2009 PSAC National Triennial Convention got underway at the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Guided by the theme of Lead the Way for Quality Public Services delegates from coast to coast to coast will debate resolutions, hear from panelists, and hold elections for National Officers.

For the latest news, photos, and video visit the national website.

Please join Grassroots Women for our 6th annual Mothers’ Day march and rally!  Sunday, May 10th, 2009.  Everyone is welcome to show their support.

Rally @ McSpadden Park, 2:00 p.m. (5th Ave. and McSpadden Ave. one block east of Commercial Drive).  March to Grandview Park (Commercial Drive and Charles St.)

Featuring speakers, cultural performances and free balloons and activities for the kids!  This year, we are also sponsoring an art and writing contest.  Cash and other prizes available for visual art, creative writing, songs, or multimedia submissions on the theme of “Mothers on the March: Understanding, Surviving and Resisting the Economic Crisis”.

Submit entries to Grassroots Women (address below) or by email.

To endorse this event or for further inquiries, please contact us at: 604-682-4451 or e-mail.

Grassroots Women, 1115B E. Hastings (entrance on Glen), Vancouver, BC V6A 1S3
Email, Phone: 604-682-4451 (fax same #, please call first)

Vancouver – The Public Service Alliance of Canada announced today that it has filed a case with the Ontario Superior Court, challenging the constitutionality of the Expenditure Restraint Act and the Equitable Compensation Act for breaking collective agreements and denying women the right to pay equity in the federal public sector.

The 166,000-member union maintains that the Harper government attempted to hide its disrespect for workers’ and women’s rights by burying the two contentious laws deep in the Budget Implementation Act.

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Negotiations between Purolator Courier and the Public Service Alliance of Canada commenced April 21, 2009. During the three-day session, the parties exchanged bargaining proposals and information related to their respective proposals. Although the number of employer proposals is relatively small (11), several of them contain rollbacks. However, the Union team was clear from the beginning that they were not interested in negotiating rollbacks.

Progress was slow. The issues dealt with were generally non monetary in nature. At the end of the three-day session, agreement had been reached on five items dealing with:
• Selection of arbitrators
• Job sites – re staffing of temporary vacancies
• Job sites – re lay-offs and recalls
• Days of rest for part-time employees
• Administrative changes to the vacation year

The next negotiation session is scheduled for May 13 to 15, 2009.

The bargaining unit has approximately 150 members in British Columbia performing duties in different functions of the Company including administration, retail, customer service and operations support.

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2008.

The Vancouver Area Council welcomes and encourages you to join the May Day march and rally on May 1st, 2009 at 5 pm (one week from today) starting at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Please see the attached poster for further details.

The Vancouver Area Council is an active member of the May Day Organizing Committee.

In Solidarity,

Monica Urrutia
Regional Representative
PSAC Vancouver Regional Office

On April 22, it is estimated that millions of people in more than 180 countries will be celebrating International Earth Day. Around the world these observances will highlight both local and world wide environmental issues. Canadians will participate in Earth Day events which can include the planting of trees and native gardens, neighbourhood cleanups, workshops and seminars, concerts, eco-fairs, parades, cultural events, waste reduction projects, the implementation/expansion of environmental programs, wildlife conservation projects, and much more.

Earth Day is celebrated in schools, community and youth groups, unions, and environmental organizations.

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Under threat that the opposition parties would vote to reject the bill from the agenda, the Government chose to pull Bill C-13 themselves.

Instead of helping Canada’s grain producers in these troubled economic times, the amendments to the Canada Grain Act in Bill C-13 would:

• Shift the purpose of the Grain Act away from protecting producer interests
• Expose producers to financial harm by eliminating the requirement for grain buyers to post security bonds
• Dismantle the Grain Appeals Tribunal which protects producers from unscrupulous behaviour on the part of grain companies
• Eliminate Commission inspection services that independently determine the quality and quantity of grain grown by individual farmers and introduce new safety concerns

Now that the government has withdrawn the bill, it seems unlikely the government will try again without making at least some changes to improve it.

Congratulations to all those who have sent messages to your MP, the Minister of Agriculture and the Prime Minister. Your action has made a huge difference!!

Public access to medically necessary health care is a human right

The Public Service Alliance of Canada denounces the Alberta government for de-listing sex re-assignment surgery (SRS) from its provincial health plan and urges Health Minister Ron Liepert to reinstate funding immediately.

On Wednesday, transsexual people in Calgary and Edmonton simultaneously filed a series of human rights complaints against the Government of Alberta. They maintain that the Alberta government is discriminating against transsexual people by cutting off public funding for a medically necessary procedure.

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The Statistical Survey Operations agreements have been signed.

The four-year collective agreements, which expire on November 30, 2011, provide for across-the-board annual wage increases of 2.3 per cent for the first year from 2007 to 2008 and 1.5 per cent for each of the remaining three years. The agreements also broaden the definition of “family,” which now applies to various other leaves. They also improve the Bereavement Leave article and secure commitment from the employer to improve its communication to employees on pension and retirement options and to provide pre-retirement seminars.

… an ongoing series of articles and information of interest to PSAC stewards. See more at the stewards network pages.

In February 2005 the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) re-organized their Client Services area. Specifically, they wanted to eliminate both the “cash counters” and the “client service counters”. At the request of their Local, PSAC/UTE members working in those areas wore buttons which read “You’ll miss us when we’re gone! 2006″.

The Employer believed the wearing of this button gave the public a false image of the Agency and ordered the employee’s to remove their buttons.

Was the participation by UTE members a “lawful activity of an employee organization”?

Visit the Public Service Labour Relations Board website to read the complete decision which was issued March 20, 2009.

OTTAWA – The Public Service Alliance of Canada is thrilled with the results of a new study proving that public services make a significant contribution to Canadians’ standard of living – worth at least 50 per cent of their income.

The study, released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, thoroughly debunks the notion that tax cuts put money in people’s pockets. In fact, authors Hugh Mackenzie and Richard Shillington prove that tax cuts actually take money away from most workers and would be better spent by investing in public services for Canadians.

“Quality public services improve Canadians’ lives in so many immeasurable ways. But this new study demonstrates the fact that middle-income Canadian families benefit from public services that are worth about $41,000 per year – or 63 per cent of their income,” says John Gordon, PSAC’s National President.

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The Public Service Labour Relations Board has announced that the TC Table Arbitration will take place on July 6 to 8, 2009. The panel will be chaired by arbitrator David Starkman. The union representative will be James Wolfgang and the employer will be represented by Jock Climie.

The three days scheduled will begin with the panel attempting to mediate the items in dispute prior to the formal presentation on the remaining outstanding issues. In recent arbitrations, this process has assisted the parties to settle some issues by reducing the number of outstanding issues that the Arbitration Board has had to rule on.

Last call – Reminder that Gordon Global Fellowships are due April 15, 2009. Please help us spread the word by circulating the 2009 call for applications via email (see below) or by joining our Facebook page.

2009 Call for Applications

The Walter and Duncan Gordon Foundation is delighted to announce the 2009 call for applications for the Gordon Global Fellowship programme. The fellowships are targeted towards emerging Canadian leaders who demonstrate potential to enhance role on the world stage. The fellowships will provide successful candidates with a cash award of $20,000 as well as other forms of support.

To be eligible for consideration, applicants must be Canadian citizens or permanent residents between 24 – 35 years of age with previous international experience – paid or volunteer. They also need to demonstrate a sustained commitment to international issues through studies, career choices and volunteer activities.

Application Deadline: Wednesday, April 15, 2009 by 5:00 p.m. EST.

More information about the fellowship programme, including application forms, guidelines and information on current and past fellows, can be found on our website.

Originally broadcast on October 12, 2008 as part of Saltwater City Television on Shaw cable community channel 4 in Metro Vancouver.

Thirteen members of Chinese head tax families tell their story of why they continue to seek an inclusive just and honourable redress. Subtitled in English and Chinese where necessary.

Many thanks to the volunteers at Head Tax Families Society of Canada and particularly to Daniel/Cynthia Lee, Eric Chan, Foon Chang and Fanny Chan.

Also thanks to Saltwater City Television Collective, Nugget Peak Railway Collective, ACCESS Association of Chinese Canadians For Equality and Solidarity Society, Chinese Canadian National Council and especially the seniors for speaking out.

The observance this year of the International Day of Mourning on April 28 marks the 25th anniversary of this solemn day, marked annually to commemorate workers who have been killed, injured or made ill because of their work.

• Day of Mourning events are scheduled throughout BC, watch for posters or check back here for details.

Established first in Canada by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1984, the April 28 date was chosen to commemorate the passage of Ontario’s Workers’ Compensation Act in 1914 – the first such legislation in the country.

In December 1990, the Canadian Parliament passed the Workers Mourning Day Act and observance of the Day of Mourning became a national event. Across the country flags are flown at half-mast and a moment of silence is observed at 11 a.m. as part of the many ceremonies and observances that are conducted.

In 1996, April 28 was adopted as the International Day of Mourning and now workers from more than 100 countries join Canadians in marking the day.

The annual observance of the Day of Mourning serves to strengthen everyone’s resolve not only to establish safe conditions in the workplace for all but to demand an end to the suffering caused by hazardous working conditions.

The Canadian government has refused to provide loans to the CBC to cover its budget shortfall this year.

This is forcing the CBC and Radio Canada to drastically cut over 800 jobs as well as programming.

The CBC is asking for temporary loans amounting to just $6 per Canadian, or less than 2 pennies a day for each of us. We can make this happen, so let’s pull out all the stops to deliver a massive petition to Parliament and Save the CBC!

Sign the petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The CBC and Radio Canada are a national treasure, and play a vital role in our culture. We urgently call on you to grant the CBC’s request for a bridge loan to cover its budget shortfall this year, and commit your government to supporting our public broadcasters.

On March 26-27, 2009 15 young workers came together for Young, Organizing, Unionizing and Resisting (YOUR). It was a great and diverse group and for many it was their first union event ever. James Painter and Nicole Jacobsen, as BC Regional Council Youth Representatives, helped organize the course and Kay Sinclair, REVP-BC came and spoke to the young workers as well.

Lots of ideas, new energy, and most importantly new faces to work with! Stay tuned to the Youth webpage for upcoming info.

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Income disparity suffered by Indians should trump concerns about other groups, an SFU economist involved in the research says.

By Shannon Proudfoot, Canwest News Service, March 31, 2009

The income gap between aboriginals and other Canadians is so wide it should trump concerns about other ethnic disparities in this country, a Canadian economist says.

“My way of thinking about it is once you start thinking about ethnic disparity in Canada, you should really only be paying attention to aboriginal people,” says Krishna Pendakur, an economics professor at Simon Fraser University. “They’re an order of magnitude worse off than all other ethnic minorities.”

He and his brother Ravi Pendakur, a sociologist at the University of Ottawa, recently completed the largest study of its kind quantifying the exact size of that gap, and the results are stark.

“Those of us who live in Canadian cities have an intuitive awareness that aboriginal people are on average kind of poor,” Pendakur says. “The thing is that if you then push yourself and ask how poor, you don’t really have any answers. We were lacking a quantitative assessment in this area.”

Using an extensive database from the 2001 census, which includes 20 per cent of all Canadian households and 100 per cent of those on aboriginal reserves, the researchers traced the earnings gap of several segments of the aboriginal population, both on reserves and in cities. (more…)

This Saturday, thousands of people from communities across BC will come together to demand immediate government action to end homelessness, build social housing, protect rental housing and raise welfare and minimum wage rates.

Please join us for a family friendly march at noon at the following locations:
-Thorton Park (Main Street Skytrain Station) – THIS IS WHERE PSAC MEMBERS ARE MEETING – LOOK FOR THE PSAC FLAGS
-Main and Hastings
-Peace Flame Park (South End of Burrard Street Bridge)

Or join us for speakers and music at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 1:30 where thousands of people will come together and show their support to bring about positive change.  Housing is everyone’s issue.

To help you can post a poster in a prominent place: staff room, lounge, common area. If you have any further questions or would like to volunteer for the march please do not hesitate to contact us or check out our website.