Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

The next chapter in the Federal Superannuation Surplus dispute begins at the Ontario Court of Appeal, April 19, 20 and 21, 2010 in Toronto.

PSAC and other federal public service unions took the then-Liberal government to court over 1999 changes to the Public Sector Investment Board Act which allowed it to expropriate $30 billion from the federal superannuation fund.

Read more at the national website.

Judging from the Throne Speech, the Harper government’s strategy for containing the deficit will focus on attacks against quality public services through spending freezes, more expenditure review and deregulation.

The speech was clear that the government plans to balance the budget by restraining federal program spending overall. It will do this by freezing the total amount that government departments spend on salaries, administration and overhead, and by aggressively undergoing a review of all departmental spending.

Continue reading John Gordon’s message regarding the Throne Speech at the national website.

The federal budget will probably talk about both short term measures and long term measures to slay the deficit. Some of those measures could involve direct attacks on federal public sector workers. Read more at the national website, and download the budget background documents on …

• Child care
• Debt and deficits
• Destroying public services
• A healthy economy
• Taxes and public services

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives has released the 2010 version of its Alternative Federal Budget. The budget is produced in collaboration with unions, including the PSAC, and other progressive groups and individuals. As its name suggests, the Alternative Federal Budget offers a different economic approach, one that supports strong public services and working people. Read more at the national website.

Speculation about what will be in the March 4 federal budget is rampant in the media. Some reports would lead us to believe that the Harper Conservatives will leave the federal pension plans alone.

So far, nothing PSAC has heard from Treasury Board President Stockwell Day would lead us to believe that we won’t have to continue to fight to protect the pension benefits our members in the federal public sector pay for.

Minister Day has made repeated references to the pension plan funds. At no time has he guaranteed federal public sector unions that the Conservative government will not reduce pension benefits and/or increase contribution rates.

Our pension campaign is in full swing and we are not letting rumours slow us down. I urge you to continue your hard work gathering signatures on our petitions to Stephen Harper. The willingness of our members to send a strong message to the government is critical if we are to succeed in getting the Conservatives to keep their hands off our pensions.

In solidarity, John Gordon, PSAC National President

Powerful business interests, some corporate media, and corporate think-tanks such as the C.D. Howe Institute and the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, are pressuring the Harper government to attack our pensions under the guise of reducing the deficit.

The PSAC is launching a campaign to stop the attack on our pension and to ensure that all Canadians have a safe and secure public pension when they retire.

Here are some of the campaign materials (all pdf):

• A petition that can be circulated and returned to PSAC,
• The ‘Retirement security for all‘ flyer which summarizes the issue and what we can do to take action to protect our pensions
• ‘Building on what works‘ – a series of myths and facts about public and defined pension plans.

Please give these wide circulation in your worksites. All of these materials, as well as an on-line petition, are available at the national website which will continue to be updated as the campaign progresses.

In B.C. we are organizing an M.P. lobby on the issue. Meetings of union officers and members will be held to ensure members are well-equipped to lobby their M.P.s; write letters to the editor; gather petitions; talk to co-workers, friends, and neighbours etc. Staff from the PSAC Regional Offices will contact you soon regarding these activities.

The Conservative Government will table a new budget on March 4th. Please join with me and PSAC members from coast-to-coast-to-coast-to-coast to let them know that we are against using federal public sector workers as scapegoats and attacking pension plans and the important public services we deliver.

We need you to be involved in this crucial campaign.

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

Lobby groups with the Harper government’s ear are making much of the federal public service’s pension. They’re calling for cutbacks spreading misinformation and distortions to make their case for funding tax cuts and investment loopholes that would benefit their constituents.

We need to make sure Harper knows he’s in for a fight if he wants to pilfer our deferred wages or weaken our pension plan.

Take action to protect your pension:

• Sign our online petition calling for retirement security for all and to preserve federal public service pension plans.
• Follow us on Twitter: PSAC BC | PSAC National
• Join our Facebook Fan page: PSAC BC | PSAC National
• Forward this URL via email to co-workers, friends and family who share your concerns about federal public service pensions and retirement security.

During the Labour Day long week-end, I encourage PSAC members and all Canadians to take a moment to reflect on the exceptional contribution made to Canadian society by working people and their unions.

• Labour Day events in Vancouver | Victoria | All BC

Today, we enjoy a more compassionate and just world because of hard-won struggles of the labour movement. The right to a healthy and safe workplace, to Medicare, to unemployment insurance, to paid holidays and vacation, to public pensions, to living wages and maternity and parental leave – these were all fought for by the labour movement.

PSAC marks this day by celebrating the work done by its members who deliver quality public services to all Canadians. PSAC strongly believes that social services, including quality child and health care and environmental protection, are best delivered by those who do their jobs out of genuine concern for the collective welfare of Canadians and not by those who are motivated by profit.

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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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Here are some Q&A’s regarding upcoming changes at Health Canada.

Introduction

A full evaluation of the Public Service Health Program (PSHP) was completed in 2007/08. In light of this review, the Treasury Board Secretariat and Health Canada have agreed that the occupational health service delivery support that Health Canada provides to the federal public service through the PSHP must be adapted to ensure future sustainability for the program.

In order to do this, beginning in 2009, the PSHP is transitioning to a new program model known as the Occupational Health Medical Services model (OHMS). This transition will ensure that deputy heads can rely on Health Canada to provide occupational health support in areas that are best delivered through an internal common service. On the other hand, those services which are available elsewhere and can be delivered at the departmental level will no longer be provided by the PSHP.

While the PSHP will cease to provide some of its current services, the transition to the OHMS model will involve strengthening other services. This will improve the program’s focus on the provision of high quality and timely medical services that respond to the unique occupational health needs of the federal public service. The overriding objective of the PSHP remains excellence in service delivery.

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OTTAWA — The Union of Solicitor General Employees (USGE), a component union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), is launching a campaign to stop the federal governments plan to close six farming operations run by Correctional Service Canada (CSC) over the next two years.

The Save Our Farms campaign launched a website (www.saveourfarms.ca) to provide information about the farm programs and to mobilize public opinion against shutting them down. Save Our Farms hosts an electronic petition and provides a conduit for sending protest e-mails directly to Prime Minister Harper.

Also, working closely with organizations such as the National Farmers Union, the campaign is organizing protest meetings and community support events in the communities that will be most affected by any closures. Save Our Farms also intends to pursue an Access to Information request to force the government to make public the rationale for the closures contained in the Strategic Review recently conducted by the department.

The goal is to mobilize public opinion to pressure the Conservative government to reverse an incomprehensible and short-sighted decision, says John Edmunds, USGE National President.

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PSAC is seeking your support for the Union of Solicitor General Employees’ “Save our Farms” campaign to stop the closure of Canada’s prison farms.

• visit www.saveourfarms.ca for more information and to sign the petition

Without warning or consultation, the Harper government announced in February that it intends to close all of the six farm programs operated by Correctional Services Canada.

With more than a century of history and tradition, the farm annexes attached to the minimum security facilities provide inmates with a variety of opportunities and skills training.

These institutions also give back – a part of their local agricultural communities, the farms have forged links in their communities by providing healthy, fresh, local dairy, meat and produce to charitable and non-profit institutions in addition to supplying the needs of their own institutions.

Farming matters. Save our farms and say no to the Harper government’s short-sighted plan to close Canada’s prison farms.

presented by Patty Ducharme, National Executive Vice-President, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)

Thank you for once again inviting us to appear before this Committee to testify regarding hiring practices and employment equity in the federal public service. Today, we would like to provide our views on recent events impacting on employment equity, including some of the information that has recently been provided to this Committee by other witnesses.

On March 23, 2009, the Office of the Chief Human Resource Officer of Treasury Board, or OCHRO, released its report on Employment Equity in the Public Service of Canada covering the last two fiscal years. That report shows that the federal public service is still lagging far behind in achieving a representative workforce, especially when it comes to racialized workers. Unfortunately, the Report did not receive very much attention, since it was released on the same day that Maria Barrados, President of the Public Service Commission, testified before this Committee, indicating that PSC has re-calculated its figures on hiring and has now determined that the number of racialized new recruits is twice as high as they had previously reported. The release of those new figures took us by surprise, to say the least.

Continue reading the brief at the national website.

OTTAWA–Nine months after a deadly listeriosis outbreak, the union representing federal food inspectors says there’s still a critical shortage of staff to oversee meat processing plants.

The agriculture section of the Public Service Alliance of Canada bases that conclusion on a survey it conducted in major metropolitan areas, a copy of which was obtained by The Canadian Press.

Union officials, who are to appear Monday at a parliamentary sub-committee on food safety, said the survey results suggest it’s almost impossible for federal inspectors to verify industry compliance with safety rules because staff are overwhelmed.

The union estimates that the number of inspectors specifically devoted to monitoring processed meat plants would have to double to 400 from the current 200 to do a proper job.

… continue reading at TheStar.com

On behalf of the PSAC, I would like to invite you, your staff and your activists in the field who represent on grievances to participate in our first Representation Conference tentatively scheduled for spring 2010. This letter is the start of our process to develop conference content that will speak to the needs of those who do representation on behalf of our members.

• Download the Representation Conference survey here (pdf)

The Representation Section has been evaluating the current backlog of grievances waiting to be heard at adjudication or arbitration. Looking at the recurring and often complex grievance issues the Section sees, it is clear to us that many of those involved in the handling of grievances want an opportunity to share experiences and enhance skills around the representation work that we are all doing for the benefit of our membership. For this reason, as part of the plan to deal with the backlog that was approved by the National Board of Directors in December, a commitment was made to establish a conference/symposium that will bring union representatives and activists together to deal with some of the issues that we all face representing PSAC members.

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Delivered at the PSAC Triennial Convention, Vancouver, BC

Imagine being in a peaceful demonstration and worrying that you could be shot.

Imagine being fired – or worse – for going on strike.

Imagine being beaten up for defending the rights of your fellow workers.

On May 1st we are together once again at our union’s convention to celebrate International Workers’ Day.

Once again, we can celebrate the fact that for the most part, we have the right to strike, the right to participate in our union and the right to march, demonstrate and protest without fear.

But it hasn’t always been this way. And if we don’t stand strong and defend workers’ rights, we will continue to see our rights chipped away at by the Harper government.

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On Tuesday, after a delay caused by a burst water pipe, the 2009 PSAC National Triennial Convention got underway at the new Vancouver Convention Centre. Guided by the theme of Lead the Way for Quality Public Services delegates from coast to coast to coast will debate resolutions, hear from panelists, and hold elections for National Officers.

For the latest news, photos, and video visit the national website.

On April 22, it is estimated that millions of people in more than 180 countries will be celebrating International Earth Day. Around the world these observances will highlight both local and world wide environmental issues. Canadians will participate in Earth Day events which can include the planting of trees and native gardens, neighbourhood cleanups, workshops and seminars, concerts, eco-fairs, parades, cultural events, waste reduction projects, the implementation/expansion of environmental programs, wildlife conservation projects, and much more.

Earth Day is celebrated in schools, community and youth groups, unions, and environmental organizations.

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The Canadian government has refused to provide loans to the CBC to cover its budget shortfall this year.

This is forcing the CBC and Radio Canada to drastically cut over 800 jobs as well as programming.

The CBC is asking for temporary loans amounting to just $6 per Canadian, or less than 2 pennies a day for each of us. We can make this happen, so let’s pull out all the stops to deliver a massive petition to Parliament and Save the CBC!

Sign the petition to Prime Minister Stephen Harper: The CBC and Radio Canada are a national treasure, and play a vital role in our culture. We urgently call on you to grant the CBC’s request for a bridge loan to cover its budget shortfall this year, and commit your government to supporting our public broadcasters.

In response to the world-wide financial instability affecting global equity markets, stakeholder concerns have prompted the federal government to undertake cross country hearings to examine the state of pension funds and the regulations that govern them.

The federal government regulates a number of private pension plans governed by the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985. These plans cover many workers in the federal jurisdiction in transportation, telecommunications and banking, including PSAC members employed by Canada Post, Nav Canada, Purolator Courier, members who work for the many airport authorities across the country and members who participate in separate pension plans in the Yukon and Northwest Territories and Nunavut, as well as members employed with other bargaining units governed by the Canada Labour Code.

The government’s discussion paper, called Strengthening the Legislative and Regulatory Framework for Private Pension Plans Subject to the Pension Benefits Standards Act, 1985, was released January 9 and is available at the Department of Finance website at www.fin.gc.ca.

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