Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Burnaby – The New Westminster & District Labour Council (NWDLC) today released their list of endorsed candidates (pdf) for the Municipal and School Board elections being held on November 15, 2008 across British Columbia.

“The Labour Council has recommended the endorsement of 62 candidates in this years’ Local Government Elections running for positions of Mayor, Councillor and Board of Education Trustee within our region,” said Carolyn Chalifoux, Secretary-Treasurer of the New Westminster & District Labour Council.

(more…)

OTTAWA - Canada Post workers gave their bargaining team the strongest strike mandate in their union’s history. The workers are members of the Union of Postal and Communications Employees (UPCE), a component of the 165,000 member Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

“The membership have stated loud and clear that Canada Post’s “take it or leave it” offer is completely unacceptable,” said Richard Des Lauriers, National President of the Union of Postal and Communications Employees (UPCE), a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. “The PSAC bargaining team has invited the employer back to the bargaining table. With this mandate in hand they can provide a strong message to Canada Post to take the concessions off the table and negotiate in good faith.”

PSAC members voted 88% in favour of strike action. The national strike vote took place at membership meetings between October 1 and October 17, 2008.

(more…)

Rumours, gossip and myths abound during collective bargaining, especially when the outcomes are uncertain and the stakes are so high. Sometimes employers tend to play fast and loose with the facts. Here are just some of those rumours and myths we’ve been hearing over the past few weeks. And here are the real facts.

1 The union refuses to bargain or respond to the employer’s last offer.

The union has always been prepared to negotiate. In fact, the union added bargaining dates in September. We put a comprehensive offer of settlement on the table that included compromises and realistic wage proposals. Instead of responding to our proposals, the employer tabled an “all or nothing” offer that contained major rollbacks. The union rejected that offer and told the employer why.

(more…)

Attention to all members of the DD, EG, GT, PI, PY and TI pay groups.

• Your Bargaining Team encourages PSAC members to register for the automatic email update on the PSAC National Website.
• Sign up for regional bargaining alerts here.

Your TC Bargaining Team was in Ottawa from October 7th to the 10th for a session of mediation.

Our objectives were to make improvements on our outstanding TC specific and lead table issues with the assistance of the mediator. Unfortunately this did not happen.  The Employer appears to define a successful mediation session as one where proposals are withdrawn or articles are renewed unchanged. Since these sessions were held in the middle of a Federal election, it appears that the Employer is unable to make any commitments until a new government is formed.

(more…)

Our PA negotiating team kicked off the resumption of bargaining talks with a two-hour presentation on classification and pay equity that left the employer’s team speechless.

In our presentation, team members underlined the fact that the employer has failed to follow up on any promises to implement a new, gender-neutral classification standard for their employees. Every worker at Treasury Board — not just the PAs — suffers as a result. The team, once again, highlighted the crisis that this broken classification system has created among compensation advisors and reiterated our demands for various allowances and wage parity with other federal-sector employers. Finally, the team reminded the employer that allowances are just temporary band-aid solutions and that a new classification system is what we need — and needed yesterday! The employer’s team members were clearly paying attention, and we can only hope that the message gets back to the promise-breakers.

Unfortunately, the rest of the three-day session that began on Oct. 6 was like walking through quicksand for our team. We continued to hammer our important issues but the session was side-tracked for two days because the employer had failed to provide the union with appropriate information concerning hours of work for certain members of the WP group. Our team held the line through very difficult discussions and ensured that the employer will not be able to turn WPs who are day workers into shift workers. In this, the team was backed with the full support of the USGE Component and the PSAC Board of Directors.

(more…)

Fraser Valley Area Council Annual General Meeting, Wednesday October 8, 2008 Cross Roads Restaurant Abbotsford

In Attendance:

• Jayne Johns CEIU 20903 President
• Melvin Doreen – RVP USGE Vice President
• Ann Marie McCully CEIU 20903 Treasurer
• Elaine Michaud CEIU 20903
• Linda Nance CEIU 20903
• Cheryl Hicks USGE 20040
• Nancy Burton USGE 20155
• Dori Lottger USGE 20155
• Heidi Rempel AGR 20038
• Brenda Williams USGE 20015
• Scott Verwold USGE 20054

Guests:

• Janelle Ho-Shing – PSAC Rep
• Bonnie Rai – NDP Candidate Abbotsford

Continue reading below or download the Fraser Valley Area Council AGM minutes (pdf)

Presentation: Bonnie Rai gave a brief speech about stopping the trend of privatization and contracting out. She also talked about the erosion of workers rights and our need to have adequate funding for social programs. She stands opposed to cuts to federal public services and encouraged members to get involved in the electoral process.

A quorum has been reached.

Meeting called to order at 6:00 p.m.

1. Previous Minutes

The dates for the Talking Union Basics course to be held in the Fraser Valley have been changed to November 22 and 23. The new deadline for applications is November 10th.
M/S/C McCully/Verwold

2. Financial Report

Fiscal year from January 1 to December 31 2007 presented. Fiscal year is not in sync with AGM. As of September 30, 2008 FVAC dues have not all been paid. $600.00 was received from Regional Council, affiliating to the FVLC October 2006 to December 2008 dues paid $930.00.
M/S/C McCall/Johns

3. Election of Executive

The following were elected by acclamation:

• President – Jayne Johns
• Vice President – Melvin Doreen
• Treasurer – Ann Marie McCully
• Secretary – Brenda Williams

4. Election of Delegate to PSAC Convention

The following were elected by acclamation:

• Delegate: Jayne Johns
• Alternate: Ann Marie McCully

5. Resolutions to PSAC Convention

No resolutions were presented at this time. Discussion on getting resolution on hardship fund through another AC.

6. Bargaining Update

Melvin Doreen gave an update on the SV table. The teams were able to meet but there were no principles in place due the Federal election so there was not a lot of movement. Some work was undertaken regarding shift workers e.g. food services lost their shift differentials as a result of language change. Discussion also included discussion on exclusions for firefighters and ships crews. There was also an all teams meetings and debriefing the various kinds of job actions held. USGE still is working on ESAs.

7. District Labour Council

FVDLC has an education program and is offering Stewart Training and Talk Back – how to debate union principles-on Saturday November 1, 2008. Registration is $50 and will be paid by the FVAC. All are encouraged to attend. November 19 is annual spaghetti dinner and dessert auction.
Labour Council Representatives are as follows:

• Delegates - Jayne Johns, Ann Marie McCully, Melvin Doreen and Linda Nance.
• Alternate - Brenda Williams, Heidi Rempel, Scott Verwold, and Edi Martin (to be confirmed).

8. Other Business

• Need to establish a Committee work on updating By-Laws. Executive elected to work on it.
• Federal Election – reminder to vote and volunteer for labour friendly candidates.
• Rand Campaign – reminder to return membership cards to Janelle in Vancouver RO.

Meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.

The SV Bargaining Team returned to Ottawa for another session with the employer. We conveyed to the employer that the team had had a busy summer meeting with members across the country and consistently heard expressions of utter disgust with the employer’s wage offer. We told the employer that the members reiterated the need to get rid of the zones and are asking: “Where is the rest of the market adjustment to bring the SV Group to wage parity?”

We said that members also raised concerns about contracting out and how this affects our job security, especially in light of the government’s privatization and deregulation of public services like Aviation Inspection, Food Inspection and Grain Inspection. Ironically, this is the same government that says that it is maintaining quality public services.

(more…)

We are excited to announce the first edition of the new Public Service Alliance of Canada BC newsletter THINK public was mailed to members last week! The regional newsletter will come out about every three months and  serves the approximately 14,000 PSAC members located in 142 locals and branches in BC.

THINK public will include member profiles, features on membership and staff-supported activities, and articles on a variety of issues including defending public services - over the next few weeks we’ll be highlighting a few of the articles in the Fall 2008 edition - here’s the lead article, written specially for us by Bill Tieleman, a columnist with 24 hours Vancouver newspaper and a commentator on CKNW AM 980. We hope you enjoy it!

(more…)

Dear PSAC member:

Food safety has been on the minds of a lot of people these days. And with all of the food recalls, you may have been thinking about it too.

It’s a sad day when parents worry that the school lunches they are packing for their children might make them sick. Or that a parent in a nursing home might be served food that could prove fatal.

This shouldn’t be happening in Canada. That’s why we’ve set up a special website - www.foodsafetyfirst.ca. I urge you to check it out and to use it to send a message to the candidates running for election in your riding about food safety.

Canadian Food Inspection Agency food inspectors - PSAC members - are doing the best job they can but there just aren’t enough of them. And, now the Harper government wants them to concentrate on paper work, rather than spending the time they need to on the plant floor to make sure our food is safe.

(more…)

FB Bargaining Team Discusses Operational Issues with CBSA Management at Bargaining Table.

This past Tuesday through Friday (September 30th through October 3rd) our bargaining team met with Treasury Board/CBSA in an effort to bring the parties closer to a first contract. The parties spent the week discussing hours of work – including VSSA’s, ‘day is a day’, seniority protections and issues related to ensuring safe working conditions for enforcement workers (‘Doubling Up’). Our team reiterated at the table that we will not agree to remove the language in our contract that ensures that VSSA’s are negotiated between Union and employer. We also reiterated that, like hundreds of thousands of other unionized workers across Canada, CBSA workers deserve to have a say in the hours that they work, including the line they are assigned and the shifts that they work.

While progress was not made with respect to specific contract language, there was for the first time a willingness on the part of management’s team to discuss and gain an understanding of our issues and what we need addressed in our contract regarding hours of work and the doubling up initiative. We return to the table in three weeks time.

(more…)

James & Nicole, our newly elected Youth Coordinator & Alternate, attended a rousing BCFed Youth convention this spring at Camp Jubilee.

They emerged keen to strengthen the ranks of our youth members. The Youth BBQ, held Friday, August 22nd, was their first event to promote this. This fall they are hosting a contest to encourage all youth throughout the province to identify themselves. All those aged under 30 in BC who identify as youth online or via mail before December 12, 2008, will be entered to win one of three $150 gift certificates to Mountain Equipment Co-op.

You can register to self identify online or call the PSAC office for a form at: (604) 430-5631 or toll free at 1-800-663-1655.

Employer concedes before court that contract workers are Parks employees

Halifax - Parks Canada Agency’s strategy of replacing its unionized employees with contract workers has taken three steps back.

After years of insisting that three contract workers are employees of the employment contractor, Parks Canada Agency has finally been forced to admit that the three are, in fact, Parks Canada employees. At the request of the three workers, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) provided support in taking one of their cases to the Tax Court as a test case after seeing an increase of members’ work being handed over to contract workers.

“The Tax Court, on the consent of Parks Canada Agency, determined that these workers are employees of the Agency,” said PSAC National President John Gordon. “This means that their working conditions and treatment at work should be the same as those of our union members working for Parks Canada.”

(more…)

Our bargaining team began a week of mediation with Parks Canada Agency Monday, September 29. We reviewed our package of demands and focused on some of the priority issues of the membership, particularly no contracting out, privatization, hiring of students instead of bargaining unit members, and the arming initiative.

The employer’s response to contracting out, privatization, and the student issue was completely unsatisfactory to your bargaining team and offered no collective agreement language that protect bargaining unit jobs.

(more…)

The employer has tabled a proposal to eliminate your current sick leave and family-related leave entitlements. Canada Post is seeking to replace them with a new, corporate short-term disability program. This would represent a large concession and the loss of substantial benefits that we fought hard for in previous rounds of negotiations.

The employer says its program will benefit employees, but at the bargaining table — when your union asked Canada Post how much they would save through this program — the employer was too embarrassed to give us an answer. Clearly, this plan was designed to benefit Canada Post’s bottom line at your expense.

This document will lay out exactly what leave entitlements the employer proposes to roll back. The main differences between the current plan and the employer’s proposed plan are as follows:

• Currently, you are entitled to 20 annual days of paid sick and/or family-related leave, of which 15 days can be rolled over if unused.
  • The new plan would reduce this to seven “personal days.” These days would not roll over, but would be paid out if unused.
• Currently, if you have banked sick leave, you have 100% income protection when on short or longer term sick leave.
  • The proposed plan would provide only a 70% income replacement for extended sick leave and you would be required to apply for Employment Insurance (EI). However, there are some cases where accumulated sick leave could be used as a supplementary top-up.
  • However, note that there would be no more accumulation of sick leave. Currently, after 13 weeks of extended sick leave, you would be put on long-term disability.
  • The new plan would extend this period to 30 weeks.
  • And, if you have no sick leave banked, you would only receive 70% income replacement.

(more…)

This is a call out for interest with a deadline of midnight, Sunday, October 12th. Visit the CLC website for more information about the conference.

The PSAC Alliance Executive Committee has approved funding for one member per Region to attend this Conference. This opportunity is open to PSAC members who identify as a person with a disability.

The Conference will focus on doing more to build the voice of activists with disabilities and allies, on doing more to build the political agenda, and doing more to shatter the barriers which prevent persons with disabilities from getting employment, keeping it, and thriving at the workplace. Conference participants will discuss work strategies and access to information, transportation, and income and service supports. Participants will look at emerging issues and approaches at the workplace, share breakthroughs, and leave with a plan to shatter barriers and move forward.

The member selected must commit to:

• writing a report for an article on the Conference for distribution to PSAC members
• making a presentation to PSAC B.C. Human Rights Committees or other PSAC body
• organizing one follow-up activity involving PSAC disability rights activists

To be eligible to apply you should support disability and human rights issues, be a member of the PSAC, and self-identify as a person with a disability.

Please send your interest in attending the Conference to Kay Sinclair in the B.C. REVP’s office at sinclak@psac.com or by fax to (604) 430-0194 by midnight Sunday, October 12th with a paragraph of 400 words or less describing your perspectives with respect to disability and human rights, any involvement in PSAC disability/human rights activities, any involvement in community disability activities, and why you are interested in attending. Please also indicate whether you are a member of another equity group, i.e. woman; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender; aboriginal; or racially visible. (This is optional.)

Please provide your contact information and membership number.

In Solidarity, Kay Sinclair, Regional Executive Vice-President, BC

MONTREAL — Canada Post employees demonstrated in Montreal on Monday in a show of protest against their employer’s latest contract offer. The workers are members of the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE) — a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

“The employer’s last offer is an insult. We have no choice but to take a strike vote and to move our members towards strike action,” says Richard Des Lauriers, UPCE National President. Des Lauriers was speaking at the demonstration in front of Canada Post’s Montreal plant.

The protest comes in response to a “take it or leave it” offer tabled by Canada Post on August 21. Des Lauriers characterizes the employer’s behaviour as “completely unacceptable” and warned that his members will not be bullied into accepting concessions.

“We are determined to get the best possible deal for our members,” says Des Lauriers, reminding the members that they can count on support from the labour movement and from their fellow workers at Canada Post.

(more…)

Tuesday Oct 21, 5:30PM, dinner at 5:30 pm, meeting at 6:00 pm
200-5238 Joyce St., (1 1/2 block south of the SkyTrain)

Agenda:

• Call to Order, Welcome and introductions
• Proposed Agenda
• President’s Report for 2007-2008
• Treasurer’s Report: financial statement & budget for 2008-2009
• VAC By-Law Amendments
• Elections for VAC Executive Council
• Resolutions for PSAC Triennial Convention
  • Resolutions for VAC by-law amendments, and/or for PSAC Triennial Convention from affiliated bodies of the VAC are due by October 7th.
• Elections for Area Council delegate to PSAC Triennial Convention
  • Current VAC by-laws state that in order for a delegate to be eligible to vote for
    convention delegates their affiliated body must have sent delegates to at least fifty
    percent (50%) of the Area Council meetings one year prior to the AGM.

please RSVP to Monica Urrutia at 604.430.5631 or urrutim@psac.com by Oct17

One of the hallmarks of a healthy democracy is the ability of citizens to participate freely and actively in determining who they elect to govern and make decisions on their behalf.

PSAC members are encouraged to take an active role in exercising their democratic political rights by:

• Signing a candidate’s nomination papers.
• Wearing a party or candidate button in public.
• Placing an election sign on your property.
• Giving political opinions in public or elsewhere
• Working as a canvasser for a political party or candidate.
• Working in a campaign office
• Participating in the formation of party or candidate policies
• Taking part in election-day activities on behalf of a party or candidate
• Attending peaceful demonstrations on political topics.
• Soliciting funds from the public for political campaigns and parties
• Attending a political convention as a delegate.
• Writing letters to the editor endorsing a candidate or party.

(more…)

We’re back at the table but where are our agreements?

Negotiations have resumed with Treasury Board for our PA, SV, FB and EB units. Our TC team will be in mediation from October 8 to 10. Our Parks Canada team started mediation on September 29 and our CFIA team is back at the bargaining table this week. We’re back at the table but we’re still not close to settlements.

What’s the election got to do with it?

This federal election is critical for PSAC members and for the future of federal public services. What will happen to individual Canadians and to our communities if governments continue to cut budgets and programs, contract out, privatize or eliminate the services we deliver?

It’s also critical because PSAC members in the federal public sector are not just electing a government, we’re electing our employer.

(more…)