Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

PSAC members marched with Pride in Vancouver on Sunday August 1st.  This year, the Multi-Union Pride entry, which won the prize for “Captivating Community Cluster”, took inspiration from Vancouver Pride’s “educate, liberate and celebrate” theme. MUP educated last year, liberated this year, and next year they’ll celebrate!

PSAC BC also hosted a Think Public booth at the Pride Festival at Sunset Beach. PSAC members and the public stopped by to play “Spot The Public Service” and learn about the work PSAC members do. We also gathered over 300 signatures on our long form census petition.

Read more for some photos …

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Join us for the evening to listen to a keynote address from David Foster, Executive Director of the BlueGreen Alliance

The BlueGreen Alliance is a national (USA), strategic partnership between labor unions and environmental organizations dedicated to expanding the number and quality of jobs in the green economy.

Date: Friday, September 10

Time: 7:00 -10:00pm

Space is LIMITED – Register Now to ensure your seat.The event is Free, but you must pre-register at columbiainstitute.ca.

This event is part of the Green Jobs Conference, which is sponsored/hosted in part by the Union of Environment Workers/PSAC, along with many other Unions and environmental groups. Download a poster (.pdf)

Labour Day is just around the corner … here are some events scheduled for Monday, September 6, 2010. PSAC members and staff will be at all three events – stop by the PSAC booth or table and say hi!

• Vancouver Labour Day Picnic – a celebration of Solidarity
• Sept 6th – 11:00 am to 2:00 pm
• Central Park, Burnaby, BC (map)
• Families welcome! Come join us for food, music and games for kids.
• Download a pdf copy of poster.

• 22nd Annual Victoria Labour Day Picnic – hosted by the Victoria Labour Council
• Sept 6th  – 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
• Irving Park, Victoria, BC (corner of Menzies & Michigan – map)
• Kids games – Clowns – Refreshments – Fun for the whole family!
• Volunteers and Donations are Welcome! Contact the Victoria Labour Council
• Download the poster as .pdf.

• 1st Annual Fraser Valley Labour Day Picnic – hosted by the Fraser Valley Labour Council
• Sept 6th – 11:00 am to 1:00 pm
• Mill Lake Park, 2310 Emerson St. Mill Lake, Abbotsford, (Bevan Road Entrance – map)
• East Meets West! Join members of the PSAC East and West Fraser Valley Area Councils and other Unions for entertainment, food, information booths, kids events and solidarity!
• Contact: Fraser Valley Labour Council, phone: 604 314-9867
• Download a poster as PDF: Labour Day Picnic Fraser Valley

Is there a Labour Day event happening in your community? Email Patrick and we’ll add it to the list!

Photo day at psacbc.com! Thanks to Amal Rana and Aly Kanani (President, CEIU 20901) for this report and photos from the Union Pride Celebration at Library Square in downtown Vancouver.

On Thursday, July 29th, CEIU Local 20901 held their 1st annual Union Pride Celebration at Library Square. Everyone was invited to celebrate the LGBT community. The event was also a celebration of culture and diversity. A number of people came out to mingle, enjoy wonderful food and conversation, fabulous decorations and great music. Congratulations to the local executive for such a successful event! We look forward to next year!

Cheers to Garry Fraser and Jennifer Ho (NAT 20088) for these photos and report from the PSAC Think Public booth at Surrey Fusion Festival, July 17 and 18!

PSAC BC set up a Think Public Booth at the Surrey Fusion Festival on July 17th and 18th. Many members volunteered to help promote Public Services and encourage the public to sign a petit…ion to the House of Commons urging them to reverse the decision to eliminate the mandatory long form Canada Census questionnaire.

The event was a celebration of community diversity in the second largest city in BC, Surrey. We had many good discussions with the public on why Public Services are critical for Canada. Many people played our game of spot the Public Service and were given a Think Public prize.

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National Component – LOCAL 20150 – INAUGURAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

• 5:00 PM, JULY 13, 2010
• Leylum, 2nd Floor, 1138 Melville Street

AGM AGENDA

1. Call to Order by the Chairperson
2. Guest Speakers
3. Approval of By-Laws
4. Nomination and Election of Officers
5. Adjournment

Refreshments will be served.

Download the meeting notice and proposed local bylaws (pdf).

Election of Interim Executive

Tuesday, June 8th 2010
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
YWCA 535 Hornby St.
Vancouver, B.C.
(MacMillan Bloedel room)

Lunch and refreshments to be provided.

Contact Information for conference dial in:

1-866-797-9098 followed by the number 16 25 704 (followed by the pound sign)#.

Please note: While members may participate via conference call from various locations, voting stations will be located at the Hornby location, the Kamloops and Kelowna offices only.

Business:
Election of Interim Executive

As was conveyed to those members present at the AGM in March this interim executive would work with the National President to rebuild the structure of local 20031 and present our recommendations for membership approval at the 2010 AGM in November.

The main areas of focus are to be:

• To prepare a financial report for 2010 and a budget for 2011 for adoption
• To present officer reports for adoption
• To review and recommend possible and /or necessary changes to local by-laws
• To establish a communication and meeting structure that would be more responsive to the current needs of the membership.

In solidarity,

Tony Tilley
President
National Health Union

With the assistance of PSAC Regional Representative Garry Fraser, members in ridings throughout the Lower Mainland have been meeting with their MPs over the last couple of months to discuss the Public Service Pension Plan, retirement security, and the impact of the budget on jobs and services to the public. Here is a brief report on what some of the MPs had to say.

• Don Davies, Vancouver Kingsway, is very supportive of Public Service Pension Plan and improvements to the CPP and the OAP and committed to bring the issue up with the NDP caucus.
• Bill Siksay, Burnaby-Douglas, is also very supportive, and Will support any action to stop the government from changing the plan. He also supports improvements to CPP and OAP and committed to bring the issue up with his caucus.
• John Cummins, Delta-Richmond East, suprised PSAC members by stating that the employer should not be “changing a pension plan in the middle of the game. The pension plan is a condition of employment and employees invest accordingly for retirement”. John was somewhat supportive of improvements to the CPP and will bring the issue to the Conservative caucus.
• Ed Fast, Abbotsford, laughed at the petition. This is not the kind of support PSAC members would like to see, but were expecting.
• Chuck Strahl, Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon, holds similar views as John Cummins and is supportive to the extent that the terms and conditions of the plan should not be changed. He noted that all the major unions had been involved in consultation in regards to the budget and were assured that the pension was not on the table. He stated he will bring our concerns to Stockwell Day, head of the Treasury Board, and is supportive of improvements to the CPP and OAP.
• Mark Warawa, Langley, was reluctant to sit down and have a discussion but did so. He stated that constituents should send him a letter detailing their concerns and he would take it the minister responsible and get back to them. We informed him that Veterans Affairs are scheduled to close the Surrey Office – veterans in the area will now either have to drive into Vancouver or do their business over the phone – and he seemed concerned with this as his father was a veteran.
• Peter Julian, Burnaby-New Westminster, said his party is very supportive of improvements to CPP and OAP and have been working to that end. He noted that there are too many corporate tax breaks in Canada and if the corporations paid their fair share we could much better care for Canadians. PSAC members also spoke to him about the budget and its impact on services and programs. A member from the parole office in New Westminister noted she is seeing the evidence of cuts now, and gave as an example the declining frequency of monitoring parolees for substance abuse. Peter was interested in our Workplace Watch campaign and asked to be kept up to date on it’s progress.

Are you interested in joining a group of PSAC members and meeting with your MP? Contact Patrick Bragg in the Vancouver Regional office. Our lobbying and Workplace Watch campaigns are ongoing – stay tuned for more reports.

Vancouver Human Rights Committee Meeting

• Monday, May 17, 2010, 5:30 p.m.
• PSAC Vancouver Regional Office – 200-2538 Joyce St.
• Agenda items: National Aboriginal Day

Download a poster

Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee meeting

• Wednesday, May 19, 2010, 5:45 p.m.
• PSAC Vancouver Regional Office 200-5238 Joyce St. Vancouver, B.C.
• Agenda: Regional Women’s Conference
• Please RSVP to: Jennifer Ho or Marie Lygo

Download a poster

PSAC BC is proud to be a DOXA Documentary Film Festival Community Partner! William Karel’s latest film “1929″ – an analysis of the economic and financial mechanisms that lead to the crash of Wall Street and then to the Great Depression of the 1930’s – is showing Sunday, May 9th at Pacific Cinémathèque. Visit doxafestival.ca for more information.

Federal Health & Safety Committee Training – delivered by the BC Federation of Labour Health & Safety Centre

• Maritime Labour Centre, 1880 Triumph Street
• June 1 & 2, 2010 – 8:30 am–4:30 pm
• Course Cost: $150.00 for 2 days

This two-day course aims to prepare workers in the Federal jurisdiction to play an active and confident role on their workplace Joint OH&S Committees.

Participants will discuss and develop strategies to improve working conditions through the Joint Committee structure. They will review relevant legislation, principles of control along with processes and strategies for inspections and investigations. The legal requirements for the development and implementation of hazard prevention programs in workplaces under Federal jurisdiction is also reviewed.

To register or for more information contact the BC Fed Health and Safety Centre toll free at 1-888-223-5669, 604-430-1421 in Vancouver, or visit bcfed.ca.

Download these Vancouver RWC meeting minutes (all pdf) …

• Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee – April 2009
• Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee – June 2009
• Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee – September 2009
• Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee – November 2009

Rally to protest gov­ern­ment fund­ing cuts and express your con­cern at the direc­tion our province is head­ing. Join with oth­ers who believe we can build a bet­ter BC.

• Sat­ur­day, April 10, 2010 at noon
• Van­cou­ver Art Gallery, north side – Georgia and Howe

Stand up to the cuts. Stand up for kids, arts, seniors and your community! Visit betterbc.ca for more information.



The Public Service Alliance of Canada and Servisair Inc. formerly GlobeGround Fuel Services will resume negotiations with the assistance of a conciliation officer from Tuesday March 2 to Friday March 5, 2010.

The parties were able to exchange proposals in December and met again in January and were able to reach agreement on a number of issues. The employer applied for conciliation in January despite the number of outstanding issues. Full copy of bargaining proposals can be found at www.local20221.com

The bargaining unit has approximately seventy-three members who provide fueling and fueling related services at the Vancouver International Airport.

For further information, please contact VP Labour Relations – Jason Salchert at 604.999.4961

• Tuesday March 2nd between 11AM and 3PM (briefings will be staggered on the 1/2 hour)
• Welch 1 & 2 Rooms, YWCA, 535 Hornby Street, Vancouver

Come to a lunch and learn meeting, Tuesday March 2nd, between 11AM and 3PM (briefings will be staggered on the 1/2 hour) to find out what you can do to safeguard pensions for federal government workers and all Canadians.

Please RSVP to the Vancouver RO at (604) 430-5631 as pizza and refreshments will be provided.

Spread the word! Download a poster (pdf).

Vancouver Regional Women’s Committee meeting

• Tuesday, March 2, 2010
• 5:30 p.m. – Light Supper, 6:00 p.m. – Meeting
• PSAC Vancouver Regional Office, 200-5238 Joyce St. Vancouver, B.C.

Agenda:

• 2009 Financial Statement
• 2010 Budget
• Elections
• IWD Events

Please RSVP to Colette Savarie. Spread the word: download a poster.

Victoria Regional Women’s Committee invites you to attend a movie history night to celebrate International Women’s Day

• Monday March, 8, 2010
• 5:30 pm to 7:30/8:00 pm
• Victoria PSAC Office, 210-1497 admirals Road

Bring your Mothers/daughters/sisters with you! Please rsvp by March 4th, 2010 to Rosemary, and include any dietary needs, as food will be provided. Download a poster!

PSAC – Human Rights Committee Meeting, Vancouver Regional Office, 17 November 2009 – 5:30pm – 8:00pm

In Attendance:

• SHUDO, Tracy
• MUNDY, Wanda (Secretary)
• CHIMA, Sargy
• THANDI, Jag
• WILSON, Deanna
• JABAL, Pam
• GHAG, Meena
• HO, Jennifer
• FRASER, Gary
• JONES, Paul (Vancouver Island)
• BRENNAN, Regina (Temporarily)
• SANDHU, Bhupinder

Agenda:

• Call to Order
• Roll Call
• Human Rights Day (Dec 10th, 2009) Activities
• Adoption of the previous (September) Minutes.
• Election of Chairperson and Co-Chair
• December Human Rights Committee Social
• Goals & Objectives for 2010
• Debrief “Made In L.A.” – sisters Tracy Shudo & Wanda Mundy
• Financial Statement
• Adjournment

Members arrived by 5:45pm – dinner was served – and the meeting was called to order by Gary Fraser at 6:00pm.

Before the Agenda was addressed – sister Regina Brennan made a brief presentation on behalf of the VDLC Arts & Culture Sub-Committee regarding BC Human Rights Day activities – as she had to be elsewhere by 6:30pm. Discussed was the possibility of holding a Dec 10th event at the LAWA Café (920 Commercial Dr), or participating in others’ events (BC HRCP – Philippines).

Also mentioned were the logistics of funding participants/events @ $10-per-plate – on a “first come, first served” basis – up to 20 people. Brother Paul made a motion to donate $200 for the band, “Fraser Union,” who were performing at the LAWA Café. Sister Pam Jabal seconded – and the motion was unanimously passed.

(Note: We need to know what our budget is at the beginning of every year.)

The Minutes of the previous (September) meeting were read and adopted as written.

The Elections for a Chairperson and a Co-Chair were held – each position to be a year in duration from the date of the election.

Nominees: Tracy Shudo Wanda Mundy – Nominator
Deanna Wilson – 2nd

Sargy Chima Pam Jabal – Nominator
Mina Ghag – 2nd

Wanda Mundy Paul – Nominator
Jag Thandi – 2nd

Sister Wanda Mundy declined to run. The election was held, with the result that sister Sargy Chima will hold the position for a year of Chairperson for the BC Human Rights Committee, and sister Tracy Shudo will hold the position of Co-Chair for the same time.

Sister Sargy Chima has stated that she hopes to not only re-grow the Human Rights Committee, but also wants to serve further – as a member of the on the Health & Safety Committee. Sister Tracy Shudo will continue her good work as the Disability Rep for BC.

It was decided to hold the annual December (“Christmas”) Social on 11 December – a Friday. Sisters Tracy Shudo and Wanda Mundy will prepare the main courses of the turkey, smashed potatoes, special stuffing and gravy (sister Shudo) – and the veggies and cranberry/pear relish (sister Mundy). Desserts and beverages will be supplied by various members of the HRC. Sister Mundy has also booked her trio – “Illiteraty” – to perform (Earle Peach – Solidarity Notes Choir Director – and Albert Klassen – as the other two members of the trio) – and there will be games and prizes for the children.

After a brief discussion, a motion was made by sister Tracy Shudo and seconded by brother Paul – to delay discussion and planning of 2010 Goals & Objectives until we have a better understanding of our budgetary limits. The motion passed unanimously.

Sisters Tracy Shudo and Wanda Mundy had made arrangements to attend the viewing of a documentary film, called “Made in L.A.” – that had been shown at the SFU Harbour Campus. This film, which began initially as a 2-month student project – but then grew to a 3-year commitment to tell the whole story – centered around the struggle of a community of illegal Latina garment workers in Los Angeles – who, against many barriers (not the least of which was their illegal status), tried to form a Union. Working 12 to 16-hr days for less than minimum wages, doing piecework – they would see the clothing which they had made for pennies – being sold for thousands of dollars Retail.

At the end of the film, the sisters were able to meet and speak directly with two of the participants in the film – a very powerful experience. It has been put forward that the BCHRC look into acquiring copies of this film for purposes of education and re-sale.

The Financial Statement was read and adopted as follows:

$ 507.39 (currently in the bank)
$ 500.00 (coming from the PSAC)
$1,007.39 Total

The meeting was adjourned at 8:00pm.

Submitted By: Wanda Mundy – Recording Secretary, 16 February 2010

Come to a lunch and learn meeting, Wednesday February 17th, anytime between 11AM and 3PM to find out what you can do to safeguard pensions for federal government workers and all Canadians. Please RSVP to Garry Fraser at (604) 430-5631 as lunch and drinks will be provided.

• Wednesday February 17th 11AM – 3PM
• Vancouver Public Library, 300 W Georgia, Alma Vandusen room

Spread the word! Download a poster here (pdf).

• Position Title: Secretary, Regional Office
• Branch/Section: Regional Offices Branch
• Employment Type: Indeterminate
• Classification: Band 7
• Language: English

Employment Equity Designation: As a result of the PSAC Workforce and Availability Analysis and in accordance with the PSAC Employment Equity Plan, the successful candidate for this appointment will be a qualified Racially Visible
person.

Purpose of Position: As part of the Regional Office administrative team provides administrative and secretarial support to the Regional Office and participates in the provision of comprehensive administrative services that enables the regional office to fulfill its role in a timely and credible manner. Under the direction of the Regional Coordinator, assists in the maintenance of the administrative aspects of the regional offices while carrying out a wide variety of administrative, secretarial and clerical responsibilities to ensure the efficient operation of the regional office.

More details are available in the job poster and work description. The competition closes February 26 2010.

Mainland Human Rights Committee meeting

• February 16, 2010 – 5:30PM
• Vancouver RO, 5238 Joyce Street
• and via conference call – email Regina Brennan for details

Agenda Items:

• International Women’s Day
• Financial Update
• Financial Limitations for Chairperson
• Access Conference

Tracy Shudo has suggested the Human Rights Committee do a pot luck dinner for the meeting, contact Tracy for more information and to assist.

Vancouver Island Human Rights Committee meeting & Potluck Social: 5:00-5:30 PM (Bring snacks or whatever you want)

• February 18, 2010 @ 5:30 PM
• PSAC Victoria Regional Office, 210-1497 Admirals Road
• Agenda: To be announced.

Potluck Social: 5:00-5:30 PM (Bring snacks or whatever you want)

Old Business for review

1. Review Last Meeting’s Minutes in general
2. Update on New Banking Account & Obtaining 3 Signers – Mandi

New Business:

1. Final Draft of TOR to be adopted and put into force – Paul
2. VIHRC Acronyms + Pronunciation – Michael
3. Adoption of 2010 dates for VIHRC meetings throughout the year -  Michael
4. VIHRC Election for available positions:  Chair, Co-Chair, Treasurer & Recording Secretary – All
5. VIHRC Budgeting Issues – Michael
6. Pride 2010 Funding Request – Paul
7. PSAC National Access Conference in Ottawa – All
8. End of VIHRC Logo Contest Results (Contest ended: Nov 2, 2009) – Dave
9. VIHRC Logo Designs – Committee to select a winning logo? & How to award a prize? – Michael/Wendy
10. Directive on Banner Style & Costing (Regardless on outcome of logo contest) – Mark
11. Website hosting for VIHRC resources?  – Michael

Victoria Area Council Meeting

• March 9, 2010, 5:30PM
• Victoria Regional Office, 210-1497 Admirals Road

Proposed Agenda

1. Treasurer’s report
2. Federal budget follow-up
3. De-staffing of lighthouses update
4. Pension campaign
5. Campbell River & District Area Council

Please RSVP to Rosemary at the Regional Office no later than noon on March 8, 2010. Snacks will be served.ar