Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

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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In October, the PSAC postponed negotiations with Treasury Board that had been scheduled for December. We had to postpone the sessions because various departments are not meeting their legal obligations to provide the most basic information required to negotiate Essential Services Agreements (ESAs).

FB Complaint

PSAC filed a complaint on behalf of our Frontière/Border Services(FB) unit with the Public Service Staff Relations Board (PSLRB) against one of those departments, the Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA). As a first step to address our complaint against the CBSA, the PSLRB proposed mediation between the parties. The mediation hearing resulted in an agreement that CBSA would begin to provide the necessary information needed so the parties can enter into the negotiation of the ESA. The union is expecting the employer to provide the type and proportion of duties that the employer considers essential. From there, the parties are expected to determine the number of employees necessary to remain on the job in the event of a strike.

The Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA) and the CBSA met for the first time on December 10 and 11. Further meetings are scheduled for December 20 and 21 and January 9 and 10, 2008. CEUDA Branches have been or will be contacted for additional information in support of these negotiations.

ESAs for PA and SV units

PSAC will next focus on ESAs for the Program and Administrative Services (PA) and Operational Services (SV) bargaining units that need to be negotiated with some 45 different Departments. In most cases, Components and Departments have met and begun the ESA discussion and several ESAs have been signed. However, the union continues to experience difficulty receiving basic information from some Departments. Progress reports will be provided as we move forward with the negotiation of these agreements.

To provide an opportunity for PSAC members to meet and discuss this round of TB bargaining, we are planning to hold info sessions on the following dates and locations.

If you are unable to come to the meeting, sign up for Treasury Board bargaining alerts and find out how to contact your Area Coordinator at the regional website: www.psacbc.com/tb-regional/

FB UNIT MEMBERS:
Meet Morgan Gay, PSAC Negotiator for the FB Group and Carolyn McGillivray, FB member negotiator
December 11th, 2007, 11:30AM - 1PM
Sandman Hotel, 180 West Georgia St.
Ballroom

PA UNIT (TABLE 1) MEMBERS:
Meet Megan Adam, PA member negotiator
December 12th, 2007, 11:30AM - 1PM
Vancouver Public Library
Peter McKay room

TB Info Sessions Poster

Your team listens to the members

The TC Bargaining Team was in Ottawa from November 02 to the 09. During this session the team continued to gather information from the members in support of their proposals.

The team also met with the other Bargaining Teams to brief each other on the status of the team negotiations, to discuss the recent CRA tentative settlement, and the postponement of the December bargaining sessions and to clarify who would be the lead tables for our coordinated list of demands.

Starting Tuesday November 6 to Friday November 9, the team had meetings with the employer where we discussed proposals including the following items: compensatory leave, NJC agreements, sexual harassment, call back, standby, reporting pay, travel status leave, leave general, transfer of leave credits, injury on duty leave, and a new pre-retirement transition leave.

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The PSAC bargaining team for the EB Group met with the Employer from November 6 to 9, 2007

The Employer did not respond favourably to our proposals to improve bereavement leave. We are asking for leave of five working days when there is a death in the immediate family, and we are trying to improve the discretionary leave for bereavement-related travel to five days from three. We are also proposing to increase bereavement leave provisions dealing with extended family members and to add co-workers and close friends to the list.

Moreover, we are seeking to have the Employer recognize the special leave requirements for those who have traditional bereavement responsibilities in aboriginal communities.

We are disappointed to report that the Employer also turned down our proposal to include gender identity and expression, as well as political activity, in the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination, despite a passionate presentation in which we invited Treasury Board to join us in making a powerful statement opposing discrimination of all kinds in the workplace. This demand as well as our bereavement leave proposals remain on the table.

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Your bargaining team had a lot of face-to-face discussions with the employer during the bargaining session on the week of October 29. These discussions have laid the groundwork for future talks at the bargaining table.

We have achieved resolution on rest period language and commenced discussions on the scope and structure of various allowances and began discussions on new allowances.

We continued discussions on other items, including:

• Childcare fund
• Maternity reassignment
• Early retirement for members in emergency and enforcement
• Harassment
• Apprenticeship
• Injury on Duty Leave
• Overtime language for FRs (Firefighters)
• Shift and Weekend Premiums

The bargaining session that had been scheduled for December has been postponed. To date many departments have not met their legal obligations to provide the most basic information pertaining to Essential Services Agreements (formerly known as designations). This has resulted in your Union filing complaints with the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB), in order to force Departments to provide the necessary information, as we continue to seek the information from the Departments. The postponement is also due to delays with compensation studies.

Your PSAC negotiating teams have come to the bargaining table to address serious issues. The PA unit has been discussing changes to the grievance procedure and language training. Hours of work and overtime,apprenticeship and child care for shift workers have been topics at the SV unit table, as well as the establishment of a Ships’ Crews sub-committee to address this group’s specific issues. The TC team has been focusing on the many allowances that affect this unit and finalizing documentation required for their pay study.

Job security in the context of the Canada Border Service Agency’s arming of Border Service Officers is a critical issue at the FB table and is also the subject of a PSAC unfair labour practice complaint with the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB). The EB unit has been presenting their position on expanding the application of the no discrimination clause and on the issues of education and career development leaves.

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To: All TB Local/Branch Presidents - BC Mainland, TB-RVPs/NVPs, Area Councils - BC Mainland
From: Monica Urrutia, Treasury Board Regional Strike Coordinator – BC Mainland

Re: Treasury Board Mobilization Update

This letter is going out to all TB Local/Branch Presidents on the BC Mainland. A similar letter has already been sent to locals on the Island.

I am writing to inform you that the Treasury Board Regional Strike Coordinating Committee has met on two separate occasions. The meetings took place in September and October to discuss this round of Treasury Board negotiations and to start organizing the area coordinators.

One of our main goals is enhanced communication. We aim to ensure that we have the most up-to-date contact information for all worksites in BC including contact information for your Local/Branch executive.

• Sign up for Treasury Board bargaining updates via email here.

Dave Jackson is the TB-Regional Strike Coordinator for the Island. Monica Urrutia is the TB-Regional Strike Coordinator for the BC Mainland.

• Contact your Area/Hub Strike Coordinator here.

The Vancouver Island has been divided into 7 HUBS and the BC Mainland has been divided into 13 areas, for ease of coordinating our communication networks in the event that this round of bargaining results in job action.

• Downtown Vancouver – Hub 1 (Downtown Vancouver, worksites north of Georgia St.) – Area Coordinator: Alistair Crawford (UCTE)
• Downtown Vancouver – Hub 2 (Downtown Vancouver, worksites south of Georgia St.) – Area Coordinator: Velna Clarke (NAT)
• Metro Vancouver (worksites in the city of Vancouver, except Downtown) – Area Coordinator: Robert Strang (CEIU)
• Richmond (Worksites in Richmond) – Area Coordinator: Alexander Bishop (CEUDA)
• Waterfront (Grain Inspectors, worksites in North & West Vancouver and northwards) – Area Coordinator: Teri Friday (AGR)
• East Metro (Worksites in Burnaby, New West, Coquitlam, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Andy Yung (NAT)
• Surrey/Delta/Langley (Worksites in Surrey, Delta, Langley etc.) – Area Coordinator: Donna Cowan (UVAE)
• Fraser Valley (Worksites in Abbotsford, Mission, Chilliwack, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Jayne Johns (CEIU)
• Kamloops (Worksites in Kamloops, Lillooet, Osoyoos, 100 Mile etc.) – Area Coordinator: Dave Leicester (CEIU)
• Okanagan (Worksites in Kelowna, Vernon, Penticton, Oliver etc.) – Area Coordinator: Randy Ihme (CEUDA)
• South Kootenays (Worksites in Nelson, Cranbrook, Trail, Revelstoke etc.) – Area Coordinator: Sheila Pearce (CEIU)
• North West (Worksites in Prince Rupert, Queen Charlottes, Kitimat, Terrace etc.) – Area Coordinator: Be Gomes (USGE)
• North East (Worksites in Prince George, Quesnel, Wms Lake, Ft St John, etc.) – Area Coordinator: Diane Beaulieu (CEIU)
• Island Hub 1 (Downtown Victoria including up to Huron Street) – Area Coordinator: Virginia Vaillancourt (UVAE).
• Island Hub 2 (Downtown Victoria from Fort Street to Pandora) – Area Coordinator: Mandi Schubert (CEIU).
• Island Hub 3 (CFB Esquimalt/Colwood and Rocky Point) – Area Coordinator: Mark Miller (UNDE).
• Island Hub 4 (Graving Dock including the Veteran’s Cemetary) – Area Coordinator: Tim Isherwood (GSU).
• Island Hub 5 (Metro Victoria including William Head) – Area Coordinator: Nick Humphreys (UEW).
• Island Hub 6 (Nanaimo-Qualicum-Tofino-Duncan) – Area Coordinators: Patricia Lamont (CEIU) & Christine Walker (CEIU).
• Island Hub 7 (Campbell River-Courtenay/Comox and North) – Area Coordinators: Nicole Gibson (USGE) & Tom Hopkins (UEW).

Area Coordinators will be contacting you for work site contacts within your Locals/Branches that fall within their areas. We will also be planning bargaining information sessions and may have a member/negotiator at as many of the information sessions as they become available.

If you require any further information or clarification, please contact the Vancouver RO at 604-430-5361/toll free 1-800-663-1655 or the Victoria RO at 250 953 1050 / toll free 1-866-953-1050.

We look forward to working with you.