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.

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OTTAWA – The union representing about 10,500 CBSA workers, which includes all of Canada’s Front-Line and Inland Customs & Immigration Officers, is charging the employer of being irresponsible with how it is handling workplace issues, including the implementation of the arming initiative.

The government has given CBSA a mandate for a smooth transition over a 10-year period for the implementation of the arming of Canada’s border officers, but the Public Service Alliance of Canada says the Agency is not following that mandate at the bargaining table.

“Our union has been pushing for a smooth transition that ensures that officers are protected through the arming implementation process,” says PSAC National President John Gordon. “CBSA has responded irresponsibly by implying that officers may be laid off as a result of arming. CBSA has also indicated that there is no long-term plan regarding implementation.”

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Demands Includes Wage Increases to Bring CBSA Workers in Line with Other Enforcement Workers.

The week of April 30th our Bargaining Team met with Treasury Board/CBSA Administration to continue negotiations for a first contract for FB workers at CBSA. At the table our team made it clear to management that officers are leaving CBSA on a regular basis because working conditions and wages are inferior at CBSA in comparison to other unionized law enforcement agencies in Canada. Recently our team received the first installment of an independent pay study produced for the PSAC that confirmed that compensation for CBSA workers are significantly below market. To address the issue of wage inequity, our team tabled an economic package based on the initial findings of the independent study, a package proposal that includes the following …

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• Contact your Area/Hub Strike Coordinator here.

Your PA negotiating team finished its work on our pay proposal and spent two days, April 23 and 24, with the Treasury Board team.

Our proposal has three significant elements:

1. Adjusting our salaries to keep them in line with other federal public sector employers

We’re proposing what are known as “market adjustments” so that salary rates in the PA unit are in line with comparable jobs in the federal public sector – particularly the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA).

Effective June 21, 2007, before applying an economic increase, we’re proposing that job rates (the maximum rate) for each classification, except WPs, be increased to the job rates for comparable positions at CRA when they were converted to their new classifications on November 1, 2007. To ensure that none of our members are left behind, we’ve also asked for increases to job rates for the small number of classifications and levels that can’t be compared to CRA. These market adjustments, if implemented, would result in increases to all pay rates.

In the case of WP positions, and two groups of PM-4 positions with enforcement responsibilities, we’re proposing adjustments based on the results of an Enforcement Study conducted for the Union by compensation consultants Morneau Sobeco. For WPs, we’re proposing to increase all job rates, which would result in an increase to all WP pay rates. For PM-4 wildlife officers and fishery officers with enforcement duties, we’re proposing an annual allowance, on top of the market adjustment for PM-4s, outlined above.

2. Changes to our system of increments

Right now there are differences in the number of increments for each of the groups in the PA bargaining unit. In order to even this out, we’re proposing that there be a job rate (the maximum rate) and two increments for most levels in each classification. The period between increments would in most cases be 52 weeks and the difference between most levels in each classification would be 4%.
Deep discounts shouldn’t apply to your job

We’re proposing this change to stop the employer’s practice of discounting your job. We understand that some members see the increments as a way for the employer to recognize their years of service. But think again. The actual value of each classification is the maximum rate. Increments are calculated downwards from that rate. In other words, every year that you are not at your maximum rate, the employer is devaluing your work, not recognizing it. We want to reduce the number of years the employer can take advantage and pay you less than your job is worth. Fewer increments mean more years at the maximum rate of pay.

3. A fair economic increase

After applying market adjustments and fixing up the increment system, we’re proposing economic increases of

• 4.5% - effective June 21, 2007
• 4.5% - effective June 21, 2008
• 4.5% - effective June 21, 2009

The full details of our pay proposal will be posted on the PSAC web site soon.

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This round of bargaining is taking place under the new Public Service Labour Relations Act, here are 10 things you ought to know about the law …

1. The basic framework remains unchanged
2. The new Act emphasizes “the public interest”
3. There are new factors which Arbitration Boards must consider, including an “ability to pay” clause.
4. Conciliation Boards are replaced by Public Interest Commissions, which also must consider the same factors.
5. The conduct of strike votes is now governed by the law.
6. The strike vote has a “best before” date (60 days).
7. The Employer has a “free speech” clause.
8. Designations are gone, replaced by “Essential Services Agreements”.
9. There are prohibitions against impeding ESA workers.
10. Planning strike vote timing and strike vote commencement has become more complex.

The factors that go into developing a pay demand

Our Union considers a number of factors when putting together a pay demand.

1. We examine what other workers are being paid who are doing comparable work and we make direct comparisons with PSAC members working for other federal employers.

We use union research, sometimes supplemented by compensation studies, to see what workers are being paid for comparable jobs both in the public and private sectors. With this data, we can propose what are known as “market adjustment” increases. These increases are designed to keep the federal government competitive as an employer. In an economy with low rates of unemployment and an aging workforce, that’s important. Our negotiating teams for each Treasury Board unit are determining what “market adjustment” increases are needed for their members. Look for more information on proposed adjustments in upcoming bulletins from the negotiating teams.

1. We calculate what we need to give our members some real economic improvement that reflects the continued strength of the Canadian economy and protects against inflation.
2. We consider what kinds of increases other workers are negotiating.

Our demand for 2007-2008-2009

For this round of negotiations, we’re proposing:

• an economic increase of 4.5%,
• in each year of a three-year collective agreement,
• retroactive to the first day of the new three-year agreement (the date in 2007 will vary by bargaining unit),
• that applies to all members covered by the agreement.

This proposal has already been tabled with Treasury Board for the PA and FB units and will be soon for the SV unit.

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EB negotiations: more frustrations

The EB bargaining team had another long and frustrating negotiating session with its Treasury Board counterpart the week of March 3rd.

Your team returned, as the lead table, to the issue of adding “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the no discrimination language in all Treasury Board agreements. The Employer has previously denied this proposal because a small number of cases that have been adjudicated suggest that “gender identity” is already covered by the word “sex.” We have made the point to Treasury Board that if discrimination on these grounds is already prohibited, we paty poker net5card draw pokerpoker superstars 2 spielendraw poker rulespoker texas holdem strategiepoker spielen mit geldtexas holdem handtexas holdem reihenfolgepoker net comonline poker netpoker regeln splitpoker live spielenpoker online macpoker 5 drawper giocare a pokeritalian poker tourpoker sexi gratisgioca pokergioca a poker on linestrip poker da scaricare gratisonline gamesgioco di pokerstrip poker livegioco strep pokerscommesse internetpoker gametexas holdem online gratis,texas holdem online,texas holdem poker onlinepoker online italiastreap poker gratispoker giochi scaricaregame pokergioco d azzardo pokerpoker su internetscarica gioco pokerpoker carte gratispoker tour gamefree omaha pokerpoker game online gratisgioco poker italianocasino poker gratisgioco poker per pcgiochi 7 card stud inlinearegole pokergiochare omaha pokervc pokertornei poker gratisplay omaha poker onlinecarte giocopoker non onlinepoker room should write it into the Collective Agreement for all to see. The team was assisted by PSAC legal counsel Shannon Blatt and a Treasury Board employee, both of whom are members of the trans community. Despite a major and incredibly moving presentation by the two women, the Treasury Board negotiating team took the position that it has to “conduct more research” into our proposal. We are hoping this will result in a positive response when we bargain the week of April 28.

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Is that light at the end of the tunnel?

Your PA bargaining team may be a year older since the PSAC served notice to bargain in March 2007 but we’re energized by the fact that we’re finally seeing some movement from the employer. During our bargaining sessions from March 4 to 6, it was clear that the employer’s team had come to the table with the intention of making some progress. Treasury Board started to back off and withdraw some of their demands for serious concessions.

We’re encouraged by this approach. But we’re also ready to do what it takes to get the rest of the employer’s concessions off the table and start moving ahead with improvements to our agreement.

During this latest session, we spent time bringing the employer up to date on the good work of PSAC’s Social Justice Fund as background to our demand for an employer contribution to the Fund. Team members Megan Adam and Geoff Ryan, together with one of the Fund’s Officers Louise Casselman, talked about how the Fund’s projects are helping workers in Canada and internationally.

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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.

Your TC Bargaining Team was in Ottawa from February 26 to 29 and continued negotiations with Treasury board.

As in earlier rounds, bargaining is being coordinated between the Treasury Board Tables, with each Table taking the lead on certain issues. So this session, our Table discussed the following issues:

• Article 20 – Harassment;
• Article 28 – Overtime;
• Article 29 – Call-back Pay;
• Article 30 – Standby;
• Article 31 – Reporting Pay;
• Article 34 – Traveling Time/Captive Time;
• Article 41 – Injury-on-duty Leave;
• Article 43 – Maternity Related Reassignment;
• Article 65 – Pay Administration (Acting Pay & Salary Protection);
• New Article – Pre-retirement Transition Leave;
• New Article 39.09 – Sick LWOP provision for extended absence.

The Employer responded to a number of items that we had tabled during the last session, and said NO to the following:

• Improved Call-back for workers at Percy Moore and Norway House Hospitals;
• Article 39.09 – Sick LWOP provision for an extended absence;
• Training to keep TI certification up-to-date (According to Treasury Board, the existing Employer-provided-training is sufficient)
• Inclusion of Ammo Techs in the Dangerous Goods Article (Treasury Board stated that DND informed them that the Ammo Techs are not accountable if something goes wrong, because they only handle the material and they are not certified under the TDG Act.)
• App K – Improvements to Diving Duty Allowance;
• Article 43 – Improvements to Maternity Related Reassignment;
• A new proposal to include on Pre-Retirement Transition Leave in the Collective Agreement.

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Members across the Province wore black last week in support of their bargaining teams. Cheers to Mandi Schubert, CEIU 20975 (Government Street Service Canada office, Victoria) for sending in these photos!

The next day of action to wear black is on the 19th! Contact your Treasury Board Area Strike coordinator for more information.

Click the thumbnails for a larger view!

Team Presents Thousands of Petition Signatures to CBSA at Bargaining Table, FB Workers at CBSA Send Clear Message to Management

This past week (Feb 25 - 29), our bargaining team met with CBSA/Treasury Board in an effort to bring the parties closer to a new contract. During the session, our team presented management with petitions containing well over 5,000 signatures from CBSA employees in support of our core demands in this round of bargaining for our first FB contract: Job Security in the context of the arming initiative, wages that meet the standards set by enforcement workers in other jurisdictions, respect for both our years of service and our work as union members, protection of Alternative Working Arrangements and safe working conditions for members with enforcement responsibilities. Our team explained to management that our members are determined to achieve a fair contract that addresses these concerns. The employer’s team committed to deliver the petitions to senior CBSA administration this week.

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Our PA and EB Treasury Board bargaining teams are at the table this week!

This week: The TB-Regional Coordinating Committee for B.C. Region is encouraging all Treasury Board members to wear anything black on pay days to show support for your bargaining teams. Help spread the word, support your bargaining teams! Send in photos for web posting.

If you want to keep up to date on what activities are going on for TB bargaining in the B.C. region and nationally please sign up for our regional list-serve.

Here are a few photos of PSAC events & activities over the last month …

Members at the Service Canada office in Nelson supported their TB bargaining teams last week, click the thumbnails for a larger view. Cheers to Sheila Pearce, Treasury Board Area Strike Coordinator for the South Kootenays, for the photos. Visit this webpage to find out how to keep up to date with TB bargaining, or send a message to your TB strike coordinator.

Members of CEIU Local 20975 - the Victoria Service Canada office - held their AGM, and re-elected Mandi Schubert as the President. Congratulations Mandi, and thanks for the photos!

The PSAC Regional Staff conference took place last week in Victoria. The Director of the Regional Offices Branch, Penny Bertrand (in black) presented Dave Jackson and Janet Routledge with their long service pins - 20 and 30 years respectively!

If you want to keep up to date on what activities are going on for TB bargaining in the B.C. region and nationally please sign up for our regional list-serve here.

There is also have a link dedicated to TB bargaining on our regional website - look for !
This week: TB-Area Coordinators are distributing an info flyer on current negotiations. Please help get these flyers out to your members, Union boards, lunch rooms. Help spread the word, support your bargaining teams!

In Solidarity, Monica Urrutia, TB-RSC for BC Mainland

Progress slow at PA bargaining table after another four days of talks

PSAC was back at the table in negotiations for the Program and Administrative Services (PA) unit from February 5 to 8. As of the end of this session, our PA team has tabled all of the union’s demands with the exception of the wage package.

Employer demands more shift work

Hours of work have been the subject of much discussion in this round of bargaining and the last session was no exception. While we have heard in the past that the employer wants to create special hours of work for Service Canada members, this time the discussion included the WP and IS groups who are currently excluded from shift work. The employer is demanding the right to change members in the WP and IS groups, as well as those at Service Canada, into shift workers.

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Frustrating negotiations for EB group

Four full days of bargaining with Treasury Board last week left members of the EB Table feeling disappointed and wondering if their management counterparts have a mandate to bargain.

Your team was able to sign off on the existing hours of work for librarians, language teachers, and employees in the ED-EDS classification, after the Employer dropped a demand (dealt with at the PA table) to expand the hours of a normal work day to between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. And the EB team also withdrew a Travelling Time proposal dealing with child and elder care, acknowledging that the issue is more appropriately dealt with at the National Joint Council.

But that was where the progress ended. The Employer has said no to our demand to improve bereavement leave to five working days from five consecutive days, in the case of a death in the immediate family. They have said no to our proposal to remove the cap on the amount of vacation pay that can be carried over from year to year.

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Your TC bargaining Team was in Ottawa from January 28 to February 03. We met with the Employer to table more proposals and provide further information on other items previously submitted.

• See all TB bargaining updates.
• Sign up for regional TB bargaining updates by email
• Contact your Area/Hub Strike Coordinator here.

As in earlier rounds, bargaining is being coordinated between the Treasury Board Tables, with each Table taking the lead on certain issues. Table TC has the lead on:

• Article 29 – Call-back Pay;
• Article 30 – Standby;
• Article 31 – Reporting Pay;
• Article 34.09 – Captive Time – also to include appropriate appendices;
• Article 41 – Injury-on-duty Leave;
• Article 65.07 – Acting Pay;
• New Article – Pre-retirement Transition Leave;
• New Article 39.09 – Sick LWOP provision for extended absence;
• Various articles involving Compensatory Leave.

We also share the lead on Work Force Adjustment (WFA) with Table SV. We have tabled language on all of the above demands except for WFA.

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CBSA/Treasury Board to provide responses to key bargaining demands at the end of the month

Our elected FB Bargaining Team met with Treasury Board/CBSA from January 28 to February 1, in an effort to bring the parties closer to a new contract. At the outset of the session, our team expressed frustration over Treasury Board’s position in the compensation study that our Union withdrew from in December. Our team indicated that the jobs that management was comparing our work to in the proposed study demonstrated a fundamental lack of appreciation and respect for the work that we do as enforcement workers.

Our team also indicated our frustration with CBSA/Treasury Board’s lack of progress on the key issues that we have raised in this round. In response, management expressed a commitment to take the time to discuss the key issues with us in good faith. Over the course of the week, we discussed job security in the context of the arming initiative, alternative working arrangements, protection of bargaining unit work, seniority rights and paid investigatory suspension language. We indicated that other federal workers have these things and we deserve no less.

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Your SV Team was in Ottawa from January 29 to February 1, 2008, to meet with the Employer.Our efforts this week focused on pay zones and the apprenticeship issue. On Article 44, Maternity-Related Reassignment or Leave, the SV group experiences unique work issues around finding alternate work for pregnant and nursing members in workplaces that are hazardous or where the nature of the work poses a health threat to the members.

Ongoing discussions continued on allowances that included height pay, transportation of dangerous goods, NERT and dirty work. Talks centred on broadening the scope of allowances, as well as the method of their payment.

There were meaningful discussions on the apprenticeship issue, with movement on the Employer’s part to entertain this issue.

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