Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

VANCOUVER – Canada Border Services Officers and members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s component, the Customs and Immigration Union, will be participating for the first time in full uniform in a Pride parade on Sunday, Aug. 2.

Steve Pellerin-Fowlie, who has been working as a Front-line Customs and Immigration Officer for 21 years, will be among those marching in full uniform during the Vancouver parade along with other members of the CIU Vancouver District Branch. Pellerin-Fowlie is also the Third National Vice-President of CIU and has been a labour activist since 1985.

“Our union and the labour movement in general have always fought for human rights, equality and diversity and against discrimination of any type in all parts of society,” says Pellerin-Fowlie. “Our participation in the parade is another way for our union of public service workers to express continuing commitment to that struggle and solidarity with the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) community. We see this as a first in what we hope will be a long series of participation by our members in pride parades across Canada in years to come.”

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Please join PSAC and MUP at the Vancouver Pride Parade, Sunday Aug 2nd, starting at 11AM.

• Time for Marchers to arrive: 11:00am
• Time for the parade to start: Noon
• Location of Multi Union Pride: Robson Street, between Thurlow and Burrard
• Entry number for Multi Union Pride: FN4

Our entry will be similar to last year’s, so look for the arches of rainbow colour balloons! T-shirts with a Multi Union Pride log will also be available for marchers to wear.

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We met with the Employer on July 22nd and 23rd with the assistance of conciliation officers John Rooney and Bill Lewis. We spent some time bringing the two conciliation officers up to date on the outstanding proposals. At the request of the conciliation officers, your negotiating team put together a comprehensive response on all of the outstanding issues which we presented to the Employer Wednesday afternoon. Your negotiating team made substantial movement on a majority of our previous proposal package which we felt established the framework for a new collective agreement. The Employer advised us that they would respond Thursday morning.

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Everyone should have the right to join a union if they want to.

Did you know that students who work under the Federal Student Work Experience Program are banned from joining a union? The definition of employee in the Public Service Labour Relations Act excludes student, casual, and short-term workers from access to collective bargaining.

This provision prevents these workers from becoming union members and enjoying the rights and protections afforded to them by membership in a union, including the right to bargain collectively and access to the grievance process.

The PSAC thinks this is unfair and has filed a lawsuit against the Canadian government that argues that this violates the Article 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the freedom of association.

We are also undertaking a number of initiatives to demonstrate that our charter challenge has the support of student workers and of the public at large.

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Cheers to Garry Fraser, PSAC Regional Representative, for this report and some photos from the Surrey Fusion Festival!

The West Fraser Area Council and the BC Mainland Human Rights Committee joined together to and set up a Think Public! booth at the Fusion Festival on July 18th and 19th. Members from Passport Canada, Western Economic Diversification, Service Canada, Veteran Affairs, Canada Revenue Agency all joined together to get the PSAC Think Public! message out to the public. We also shared our tables with the Service Canada Centre for Youth who were assisting youth in their employment endeavours.

Hundreds of people dropped by the booth where we handed out Think Public leaflets and bandannas and had a petition available in support of the PSAC summer student campaign. We heard from the public of their strong support for public services and had an opportunity to enjoy the festival and participate in the community’s celebration of its diversity. We also sampled many international foods and heard excellent and diverse music from all four corners of the globe.

The Fusion Festival was a great venue to meet the public, we had a great time, and we look forward to next year! Here are some photos … (more…)

I am pleased to share that the BC Regional Council has approved support for PSAC members to attend this year’s BC Fed Young Worker’s Conference from September 25-27, 2009 at Camp Jubilee on Indian Arm.

Last year, the Region was able to support three young workers, including James Painter and Nicole Jacobson, the Regional Council Youth Representative and Alternate.

This is what Nicole had to share about the experience:

I had an excellent time meeting other young activists and building public speaking skills. The site is gorgeous. The experience reminded me of my many happy summers spent at camp.

If you are a PSAC young worker under the age of thirty, please consider applying by August 20th, 2009. Also, you are encouraged to approach you Local/Branch, and Component (if applicable) for support as well. This will help to ensure that as many PSAC young workers who are interested in attending will be able to.

If you aren’t a young worker, please consider passing this on to young workers in your workplace.

The September conference registration form can be found here: http://www.bcfed.ca/node/1624

Please send your form to the PSAC-BC REVP’s office, Attn: Kay Sinclair at sinclak@psac.com and cc myself at urrutim@psac.com or via fax at 604-430-0194.

In Solidarity,
Monica Urrutia
Regional Representative
Staff responsible for Youth Portfolio

2009 Brings the PSACBC GLBT Members to Multi-Union Pride 2009.

Educate! Liberate! Celebrate! We are stronger in numbers!

Paul Jones, GLBT Regional Council Coordinator invites one and all to join us in this year’s “MULTI-UNION PRIDE” Celebration at this year’s Pride March in Vancouver.

• When: Sunday August 2, 2009
• Where: TBA (Marshal point on Robson Street)
• Time: 11:00 – 11:30 am

Swag provided. Wear your most colourful outfit! Afterall …  It’s a gay affair! Download a poster (pdf).

Like thousands of young Canadians, Tanya Forrest is charting a new career path in this recession.

The 31-year-old engineer has abandoned her chosen field – in extractive metallurgy with mining and steel companies – and hopes to find stable employment in nursing. That’s why the Hamilton resident is heading back to school.

“It was a big decision because I had already completed five years of university. And to face down the barrel of another four years … is quite depressing, financially,” she says of her decision, made after she was laid off at Stelco Inc.

The worst labour market in a decade is causing young workers to radically revisit their career plans. In many cases, they’re tilting to the perceived stability of the public sector, such as health care and community services, according to enrolment data compiled by community colleges and universities.

“I have to look at long-term job security. And nursing absolutely has better job prospects,” Ms. Forrest explained, adding that in nursing, “you’re really making a difference.”

Her view exemplifies a sea change for a generation who grew up in the longest economic expansion on record – a group that hasn’t exactly viewed “reliable” and “stable” as prized job attributes.

Until last year, labour shortages meant people in their 20s and 30s could have their pick of jobs, wrangle higher salaries and hop from one position to another. Now, a deteriorating job market for young people is forcing a major rethink.

Read more at: globeandmail.com

Call for “Sweatships” to Stop Exploitation of Workers

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

A group calling themselves the Pirates of Justice is urging Vancouverites to dress as pirates and converge on Canada Place at exactly 1pm this Saturday, July 18, 2009. Organisers say the flash mob will be a fun and impactful way to raise awareness of widespread cruise ship exploitation. The event is being promoted on Facebook as well as by email and word of mouth.

According to organisers, Vancouver is Canada’s largest port and provides the perfect location for drawing attention to the exploitation that takes place on cruise ships, which the activists are labelling “sweatships”.

The International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF) reports that cruise ship employees contend with “a hidden world of long hours, low pay, insecurity and exploitation,” especially those from economically marginalized countries who are often supporting dependants and unable to find employment at home.

A spokesman for the Pirates of Justice, identifying himself only as “Blackbeard”, points to studies which show widespread exploitation of cruise ship employees,“Vancouverites are largely unaware of the conditions on these cruise ships. If they knew there were sweatships right here in our city under our noses, I believe there would be an outcry. We’ll be raising a Jolly Roger flag of freedom this Saturday at Canada Place and we invite everyone who cares about justice, or just likes dressing up in girly blouses and peg legs to join us.”

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Please note the CLC Labour College application deadline has been extended to July 24, 2009. Information and application forms are available on the CLC website.

In December 2008, similar to PSAC members working at Canada Revenue Agency, RCMP officers and civilian staff had a two year wage increase rolled back to 1.5 % per year – in line with the Expenditure Restraint Act (Bill C-10). RCMP members mobilized to challenge the government and began a lobby campaign and court challenge.

CBC recently reported “The RCMP is claiming victory in a bitter dispute with the federal government after reaching a new agreement on salaries for regular and civilian employees, as well as pay for on-call work. The agreement, announced last month in an internal memo from RCMP Commissioner William Elliott, comes a year after the federal government backtracked on a promised wage hike.” Read more at the CBC website.

Following the employer’s Notice of Dispute, the Minister of Labour appointed a Conciliation Officer to assist the parties in reaching a new collective agreement.

The Conciliation proceedings in the dispute are scheduled to be held on August 18 and 19, 2009.

Please contact a member of your Bargaining Team, or your Local President, should you require additional information.

In Solidarity, Joanne Hay, Karen Hirst, Jo-Anne Oberg, Richard Des Lauriers

Your TC team was in Ottawa the week of July 6 to present the issues of the TC members to the Arbitration Board. The Arbitration Board consisted of David Starkman, Chair; James Wolfgang, PSAC’s sides-person; Jock Climie, Treasury Board’s sides-person.

At the request of the Chair, the week started with a preliminary session of mediation prior to formal presentations. A few minor issues were addressed through this process. Consistent with the employer’s previous conduct, there was very little movement on outstanding issues. At the conclusion of mediation, the parties moved to the formal Arbitration hearing with both sides taking their respective turns to present arguments and rebuttals.

The timing of the Arbitration Board hearing was critical to the team’s ability to achieve anything beyond the Conservative Government’s draconian Expenditure Restraint Act (ERA) legislation. By law, an arbitral award must be in place for at least one year but cannot exceed two years past the date of the award. For TC members, the ERA expires June 21, 2011. Since our hearing was held in July 2009, the Board has the ability to make an award that would take effect after the expiration of the ERA legislation. This permitted the Team to argue that all of our priority issues may be considered by the Board. The Employer’s position was that the Board could not award anything because of the ERA.

Your TC Team was disappointed to see that the Employer maintained their position on claw-backs right to the end of the process, in spite of the fact that TC members are already adversely affected by the ERA. While the Employer conceded to the removal of bargaining concessions at the other tables, the Employer continued to press for further penalties to TC members.

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Minutes BRUSH June 24, 2009 (Draft)

Chair: Sam Wiese (Regional Councilor, H&S)

In Attendance: Gary Shwaluk (AGR), Wayne Little (UTE), Tracey Shudo (CEIU), Melvin Dureen (USGE), Varginia Vaillancourt (UVAE), Monique Bakker (UEW), Gail Jewsbury ((UEW), Susan Yaciw (UTE), Leanne Hughes (NAT), Angela Marafon (UTE), Susan James, James Little (PSAC, H&S) and Kay Sinclair REVP BC

Regrets: Bob Jackson (AGR), Janelle Ho-Sing (PSAC), Jamie Mills (UTE), Floyd Knelsen (UTE), Sargy Chima (CEIU)

Guest: Jayne Johns (PSAC)

Agenda
1. Introduction
2. Political Action Lobby – Jayne Johns
3. Review of Previous Minutes
4. Terms of Reference
5. 2009 BC H&S Conference Report
6. H&S Website and Communications
7. 2009 National H&S Conference
8. Education
9. Round Table

Continue reading below, or download the June 24th BRUSH Committee meeting minutes (pdf)

1. Introduction – Sam

2. Guest Speaker – Jayne Johns

The BC PSAC Region has undertaken a Member of Parliament lobbying campaign focused on the overall goals and objectives of the PSAC’s Think Public Campaign and designed towards engaging our members. The idea is to establish relationships between MP’s and our members in hopes that our members will have confidence in continuing the dialogue with their MP’s. The core issues for this campaign are; Bill C-10, Food Safety, Fish Campaign, cuts to EI, Student Hiring and Think Public.

3. Review of Previous Minutes

Members reviewed the previous minutes and there were no additions or amendments required.

4. Terms of Reference

Sam summarized the Draft Terms of Reference and opened the floor for discussion. There were a couple of amendments suggested, such as, fewer acronyms, more on education, membership and frequency of meeting.

Meeting will be held quarterly, March, June, Sept and December on the fourth Wednesday of the respective month. This will be added to the ToR.

5. Review of 2009 BC Regional H&S Conference Report

The report of the 2009 BC Regional H&S Conference was circulated by e-mail and members had an opportunity to review the final DRAFT. No comments or suggestions for amendments were received. We can now publish the report.

6. 2009 National H&S Conference

One of the main purposes of this meeting was to remind the BC H&S activists of the opportunity to apply for the 2009 National H&S Conference.

Kay Sinclair REVP BC is chairing the steering committee, which is currently working on developing the conference objectives and organizing guest speakers. The registration forms should be out soon, the resolutions deadline will be Friday, August 7th (confirmed subsequent to meeting), and they must come from a constitutionally recognized body i.e.: Area Council, Local, Woman’s committee etc.

Members were advised that, like previous H&S conferences, we will be holding a BC Caucus at the end of the conference to develop a Regional Action Plan. Members were asked to be prepared to assist in the development of that plan.

7. Education

There will be no Union School this year and although this has always been a venue for delivering H&S education, that opportunity will not be available in 2009. Further to that we requested the opportunity to hold H&S training in the North and Interior and it has been determined that the funds are not available in 2009. We hope that we will be able to provide this training during the beginning of the new education cycle, which begins in 2010.

We also discussed the need for better national H&S training and how the Joint Learning Program could assist with the delivery of a national H&S program.

Round Table

Wayne Little – Raised the very important issue about Health Canada and its newly announced decision to amend its Public Service Health Program (PSHP) and the devastating effects this decision will have on our members. For the most part the Fit to Work Assessments and Ergonomic Assessments will no longer be performed by Health Canada and the Treasury Board and Agencies will need to find alternate service providers for these services. Wayne and Sam will work on developing an information campaign on the issue.

Meeting Adjourned

Next Meeting September 23, 2009

Download the draft terms of reference for the committee here. (pdf)

Jayne Johns recently attended two public forums, one on cutbacks at the CBC and one on food security, here is a report, and some more information on these topics.

CBC

At the Public Forum on the CBC that I attended Wednesday July 8 the host, Libby Davies and NDP spokesperson for Heritage and Culture and Digital issues, Charlie Angus asked:

“How do we change the nature of the debate?  How do we influence the  political agenda?”

CBC is the cultural institution that helps us identify ourselves as Canadians.  It keeps us informed about political issues and exercising our democratic rights. It’s the only source of information for many isolated communities.  It’s the only way for remote regions to get information about themselves to others.

Since the 1990’s the CBC has had to defend itself as a commercial entity, competing for market share to prove its worth then facing cuts when market shares declined.  The result is that radio and TV programming took big cuts and remote areas lost service.  For example Northern Manitoba lost their lone radio reporter and since there are no other radio stations there was no one to cover local stories.

The risk is that when the CBC stops talking about your area you stop listening.  Then the downward cycle of defending and explaining the existence of a public broadcaster becomes a no win situation.

There is hope.  The public outcry in Northern Manitoba resulted in the replacement of the reporter’s job.  Lobby groups such as the Friends of Canadian Broadcasting are also very effective.  But they need our help.  It’s not about your political party.  It’s not about whether you like this show or that one.  It’s about having regional voices giving stories to each other and to the center.  It’s about the “conversation”.

To find out more visit the Canadian Media Guild website and www.friends.ca

Food Security

Libby Davies, MP and Bill Siksay, MP hosted a community forum on July 9 to discuss threats to Canada’s long-term food security.  Special Guest Alex Atamanenko, MP and NDP Critic for Food Security described our agricultural system as:

• Food safety-safe food
• Food security-enough food
• Food sovereignty-control of the food supply

Alex has been touring the country since last summer listening to citizens concerns about the loss of control over our food to large-scale corporations, dependence on imports, cost of transportation and the impact of climate change on food production.   Farmers are producing more products than ever for export but are making less money.   Overall our food system is relatively safe and secure but we are losing control over the supply.   The answer is to have a policy on food security.  We need to take agriculture out of free trade agreements.  We need to support producing more healthy food with local control.   We need farmers to make a living from their work.

Devorah Kahn, City of Vancouver, spoke about local initiatives such as the garden at city hall, allocation of city land for gardens, creating 2010 gardens by next year as an Olympic legacy (there are 1800 gardens to date), support for farmers markets and a an edible landscape policy for city properties.  She provided Vancouver Community Garden Walking tours brochures featuring 44 garden locations.

Click for more information from the National Farmers Union on Food Security and Sovereignty. Please note on the NFU web site they have a published a form letter for politicians expressing opposition to the federal decision to close prison farms in Canada (see the PSAC Save Our Farms campaign)

La Chiva (with the help of many friends) has begun a major fundraising campaign in Vancouver to support of the Tejido de Comunicación of the Association of Indigenous Councils of Northern Cauca, Colomba (http://www.nasaacin.org).

The Tejido has asked for our help in raising funds to repair the equipment for Radio Pa-Yumat, their community radio station, which was destroyed last December by unknown saboteurs, seriously hindering their ability to accompany their communities.

This and many other attacks and threats have come from all of Colombia’s armed actors. The attacks are clearly in response to their community’s position of non-violent resistance to war and the effectiveness of the Tejido’s communications strategy in bringing that message to the national and international scene (see: http://www.nasaacin.org/noticias.htm?x=9919).

For the Nasa indigenous communicators, communication is simultaneously community accompaniment and resistance to what they call the ‘death project’ presented by transnational interests and the armed actors that threaten the viability of popular community-based responses, or ‘life plans’.

Truth, participation and democracy derived from the communities are what social movements seek to strengthen within society. They are confronting the mass media, which engages in what might be more accurately regarded as propaganda rather than communication: the domination of the media landscape to ensure passive audiences and to halt the development of communication based on raising consciousness from social movements. Is this confrontation why the Communications Weavers are currently being singled out, persecuted, and threatened?
– Vilma Almendra, member of the Tejido de Comunicación

As friends of the Tejido, we are mobilizing our support to show that they are not alone and that we share their vision for another possible and necessary world.

On July 1 2009, Latino Soy (FM96.1 in Vancouver) began a summer-long radio campaign to raise funds for the Tejido de Comunicación. They have been in direct contact with Radio Pa’Yumat, collecting donations, broadcasting interviews and informing Vancouver’s Spanish-speaking community about the situation in Cauca and the importance of communication in popular resistance struggles in the Americas.

Please join us in Vancouver for the following events, where you can learn more about the situation in Colombia (and its relation to Canada), support the work of the Tejido, and have a good time while you’re at it!

Mark your calendars!

Salsa en Minga
A salsa party in support of the indigenous Communications Network in Northern Cauca, Colombia
With genuine hard-hitting salsa music by DJ La Salsómana
FREE Salsa lesson with Ramses (8:30-9:30pm)

Saturday July 25 2009
Doors: 8pm
Venue: Cambrian Hall
Address: 215 E 17th Avenue (Main Street & 17th Ave)
Cost: $10
Snacks and locally-produced alcoholic beverages will be available.
We will also be selling copies of ‘Country of the Peoples without Owners’

Tickets available at the door, or at the following locations:
Panaderia Latina Bakery: 4906 Joyce Street, Vancouver
Los Guerreros Latin Food Products: 3317 Kingsway, Vancouver
Info: 604.607.4814 or 604.338.0806
Presented by La Chiva and Grupo Atarraya. Sponsored by Latino Soy 96.1FM

Film Screening and Celebration:
Country of the Peoples without Owners
A screening of the documentary (Spanish w/ English subtitles) created by the Tejido de Comunicación about the process of the Minga de Resistencia Social y Comunitaria
This documentary has been warmly received by audiences across Colombia, up and down the West Coast of North America, in Eastern Canada and, more recently, to hundreds in New York.
With music by DJ La Salsómana

Saturday August 1 2009
7:30pm
Venue: Rhizome Cafe
Address: 317 Broadway East, Vancouver, (near Broadway and Kingsway)
Cost: $5 – $10 Sliding Scale (No one will be turned away).
Come early for dinner and drinks!
Copies of the documentary will also be for sale.

Presented by La Chiva and Grupo Atarraya with the generous support of Rhizome Cafe and Latino Soy 96.1FM.
For more information about the above events, please check out the Canada-Colombia Project blog: http://www.canadacolombiaproject.blogspot.com

If you work for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) or have the same “meal break when working overtime” language in your collective agreement this decision from the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) will be of interest to you.

Two employees of the CFIA working in Edmonton, Alberta worked three (3) hours overtime following the end of their normal shift.  The employer paid them overtime at the applicable rate as well as the ten ($10.00) dollars meal allowance.  The grievors were not provided their meal break and grieved this violation by the employer.

Were the grievors correct?  Read the full decision to determine whether they were right.

Stop by the Surrey Fusion Festival, July 18th and 19th, and say hello to PSAC members from the West Fraser Valley Area Council who will be in the pavillion area, speaking to members of the public about the value of quality public services and our ThinkPublic! campaign.

Surrey Fusion Festival will be Surrey’s largest two-day multicultural celebration with 40 international pavilions celebrating music, food and culture. Two stages of entertainment with headline performers on the World Music Stage and the Celebrations dance stage, all this in a brand new beautiful urban park.

Fusion Festival takes place July 18 and 19, 2009 at Surrey’s magnificent new urban park Holland Park located at King George Highway and Old Yale Road. This will be the largest multicultural event in Surrey’s history as over 60,000 people are projected to attend this FREE outdoor festival.

More info at fusionfestival.surrey.ca!

Cheers to Mandi Schubert (CEIU 20975) for forwarding these photos! PSAC and other Union members marched with “Pride in Labour” at the Victoria Pride Celebrations, Sunday July 5th.

For more about Pride in Victoria, visit victoriapridesociety.org and check out the Vancouver Sun news report.

Click for the photos …

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2009 PSAC NATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY CONFERENCE

“WORKPLACE ALLIANCES FOR HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS”

- REGULATE – AGITATE – ENFORCE -

• REGISTRATION DEADLINE: Friday, August 21, 2009
• RESOLUTIONS SUBMISSION DEADLINE : Friday, September 18, 2009
• CONFERENCE DATES: November 20 to 22, 2009
• CONFERENCE LOCATION: Sheraton Hotel, Montreal, Quebec

Download the Conference Call Out and registration package.

CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES

The objectives of the 2009 PSAC National Health and Safety Conference are to:

• Examine the current state of enforcement of health and safety legislation in order to develop union-based strategies that will better protect workers.
• Strengthen the ability, knowledge and effectiveness of all PSAC activists on union and joint health and safety committees to better mobilize members around workplace issues.
• Increase the involvement of health, safety and environmental activists in the “Think Public” campaign and to join with coalitions working to defend and advance our rights.
• Better identify harassment and discuss what makes harassment a health and safety issue and propose specific preventive measures and responses that unions can take to prevent and deal with harassment at work.
• Make the connections between “The Environment” and health and safety, and propose actions that Locals and health and safety activists can do about “The Environment” in their workplaces and communities.