Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

OTTAWA – The largest union of federal public-sector workers is poised to mobilize against cuts in public sector programs and operations and to apply pressure on Parliament to reject the federal budget.

“This budget is a clear attack against quality public services,” says John Gordon, the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. “The freeze on public-sector operation budgets, combined with an increase in deregulation and free trade, will further weaken the economy and hurt Canadians.”

Gordon argues that freezing the operation spending of government departments will mean significant reductions to the quality of public services that Canadians need in an economy that’s, at best, still undergoing a fragile recovery. Spending freezes, more expenditure review and deregulation will also mean job losses in the federal public sector.

“This runs counter to the government’s stated goal of job creation and economic growth,” Gordon says. “With this budget, the government is compromising the food we eat, the health of our environment, transportation safety and the public services that the people in Canada rely on everyday.”

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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.

OTTAWA –The head of the largest union representing federal public sector workers is urging the Harper government not to cut public services or attack federal pension plans in order to pay off the deficit.

“If the recession has shown us anything, it is that Canadians need and expect more services from their national government, not less,” said the national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, John Gordon, today during a press conference on Parliament Hill. “They expect safe food and drugs, their environment protected, their military and veterans supported and their human rights enforced.”

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Groups provide “reality check” on women’s equality – Labour, women’s groups will tell UN Canada is lagging

VANCOUVER, Feb. 22 /CNW/ – Labour and women’s groups have issued a report which they say is a “reality check” describing Canada’s lagging performance in achieving women’s equality. The report will be distributed at the Bejing plus 15 meeting being held at the United Nations in New York, March 1-12.

“Canadian women have lost a lot of ground in the past 15 years,” says Kay Sinclair, Public Service Alliance of Canada Regional Executive Vice President for BC. “Our government has sent a report to the United Nations that paints a rosy picture on women’s equality in Canada. We have written our own document and it is a reality check on what the government is saying.”

• Download the report: Reality Check:Women in Canada and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action Fifteen Years On, A Canadian Civil Society Response (pdf)

The UN meeting in March will evaluate progress, identify challenges, and recommend policies to promote gender equality and the advancement of women. This year holds special significance because it marks the 15th anniversary of the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women.

Sinclair continues, “We see the ravages of poverty every day in school classrooms, and rates are increasing at an alarming rate while the support mechanisms are disappearing or non-existent. With more women and girls living in poverty and being denied fundamental human rights, how can we build for a strong and prosperous Canadian future?” She adds, “Although Canada has made commitments to implement equal pay for work of equal value, the federal government hasn’t lived up to its commitments. The government removed the right to pay equity for federal public sector workers in 2009, with the adoption of the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act. We raise this issue in this report and it will be front and center for us next week at the United Nations in New York.”

Five years ago, Canada was ranked amongst the top ten countries in the world for its achievements in women’s human rights, but in 2009 Canada had fallen to 73rd in the UN Gender Disparity Index. Changes to gender architecture, shifts in policy and programming within the government, and the government’s response to the economic crisis have been felt by the most vulnerable women and girls in Canada.

The joint report is called Reality Check: Women in Canada and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action Fifteen Years On, A Canadian Civil Society Response. It was coordinated and produced by the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action and the Canadian Labour Congress, and is endorsed by a variety of other organizations.

Union unanimously recommends ratification

OTTAWA—Early this morning, the Public Service Alliance of Canada reached a tentative agreement with the Museum of Civilization Corporation. This came on the 85th day on the picket line for workers at the Museum of Civilization and War Museum. The union is unanimously supporting the tentative agreement and will meet with the museums’ management today to negotiate a return-to-work protocol.

“We are unanimously recommending ratification of this agreement,” said Daniel Poulin, a guide at the Museum of Civilization and the President of PSAC Local 70396. “We have made serious gains in the areas of job security and contracting-out. We are confident that our members will support this agreement and we are thrilled that will be able to return to work soon.”

John Gordon, National President of PSAC, expressed admiration for the striking workers’ courage and determination.

“These workers have shown us the true meaning of solidarity,” he said. “Their tenacity and strength have been an inspiration to the labour movement and to the entire community of Ottawa/Gatineau. When workers unite, anything is possible.”

The workers will meet soon to ratify the tentative agreement. Until then, picket lines will remain up at the two museums

OTTAWA – On the 20th anniversary of the Montreal massacre, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is calling on all Members of Parliament to reject a private Member’s bill that will eliminate the need to register rifles and shotguns and destroy more than eight million records in the federal long gun registry.

“This extreme example of violence against women will forever be branded in our collective memory,” says PSAC national executive vice-president Patty Ducharme.

“After this crime was committed, women and men across the country turned their grief into action. Yet, 20 years later, violence against women remains endemic.”

According to John Edmunds, national president of the Union of Solicitor General Employees component of the PSAC, spousal deaths by guns have been reduced by 50 percent since gun owners were required to register long guns. “The registry allows police to check households for the presence of firearms which is especially important in the case of domestic disputes.”

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Workers on strike, seeking fair working conditions and protections against contracting out

Ottawa/Gatineau – Workers are on strike at the Canadian Museum of Civilization and the War Museum.

Represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the 420 workers are demanding the same protections that are in place for other museum workers in the Ottawa/Gatineau region. The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) continues to deny their demands for workplace fairness and protections against contracting out.

The Canadian Museum of Civilization and the War Museum had the highest attendance and brought in more revenue than any other museum or gallery in the National Capital Region last year. Meanwhile, workers’ salaries at the two museums are lower than all of the other federal museum workers in the Ottawa/Gatineau – in some cases 40 per cent lower.

“The mandate from our members is to close the wage gap and protect them against the threat of their jobs being contracted out,” says Maria Fitzpatrick, PSAC Vice-President for the National Capital Region. “As it stands, ticketing agents and several security guard positions, as well as cafeteria and boutique employee jobs have already been contracted out to private companies. Our workers are seeking some guarantee that they won’t lose their jobs, especially in the face of an economic recession.”

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PSAC members working at the airport vote in favour of strike action

VANCOUVER, Aug. 20 /CNW/ – A possible labour disruption could cause delays for travelers arriving or departing from Vancouver International Airport in the near future. Employees working for the Vancouver International Airport Authority (YVR), members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), have voted in favour of taking strike action, should it be necessary, in an effort to bring the Airport Authority back to the bargaining table with a meaningful mandate.

“We have one more meeting with a federal Conciliation Officer in an effort to avert a disruption in service, whether that be a strike or lockout.” says Kay Sinclair PSAC Regional Vice-President for BC. “Our first two days of meeting with the Conciliation Officer proved to be an exercise in futility and our members have no choice but to take this next step.”

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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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Vancouver – Negotiations between the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), bargaining agent for employees working for the Vancouver Airport Authority (YVR), and the Authority have broken off. The Union is seeking the assistance of a conciliation officer.

�We are asking for a meeting with a federal Conciliation Officer in an effort to avert job action, whether that be a strike or lockout.� says Kay Sinclair, PSAC Regional Vice-President for BC, �Our members have bargained in good faith, but YVR remains unwilling to discuss many significant issues, particularly flexible hours of work and a safe and secure pension plan. I find this disappointing coming from an employer that prides itself on its commitment to employee wellness.�

�Despite the fact the airport made a 12.6 million dollar profit in the first quarter of 2009, YVR has also threatened to roll back wages and benefits for some of our members.� adds Dave Clark, Union of Canadian Transportation Employees (UCTE) Local 20221 President, �PSAC members working at YVR will not stand for this – getting a third party involved is our only option.�

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VANCOUVER � John Gordon has been re-elected as the National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Gordon was first elected President in 2006 and had previously served as the union�s National Executive Vice-President since 2000. Gordon was re-elected National President at PSAC�s 15th National Triennial Convention in Vancouver, B.C.

�Over the last three years, PSAC has taken great strides to defend quality public services against the Harper government�s cynical and ideological cuts,� said Gordon. �Public services are the great equalizer � they improve Canadians� lives and help protect them against job losses and financial devastation. I am proud to work with PSAC to continue the struggle to protect public services, economic justice and human rights.�

Prior to his election as National Executive Vice-President, Gordon was the National President of the Union of Public Works Employees from 1982 to 1999. A PSAC activist since 1974, when he joined the federal public sector as a tradesperson with Public Works Canada, Gordon has held a variety of union positions in his Component.

Patty Ducharme re-elected VP

Delegates also re-elected Patty Ducharme as the union’s National Executive Vice-President for a second term. Prior to her election as National Vice-President in 2006, Ducharme was PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP) for British Columbia.

Prior to her election as REVP in 2000, Ducharme had worked as a customs inspector in British Columbia and served as First Vice-President of Branch 20040 of the Customs and Immigration Union (formerly known as CEUDA). She has been a PSAC activist for almost 25 years holding a number of union positions.

J�r�me Turcq was elected as the Alternate National Executive Vice-President. He is PSAC�s Regional Executive Vice-President for Quebec, a position he has held since 2000.

Vancouver � The Public Service Alliance of Canada announced today that it has filed a case with the Ontario Superior Court, challenging the constitutionality of the Expenditure Restraint Act and the Equitable Compensation Act for breaking collective agreements and denying women the right to pay equity in the federal public sector.

The 166,000-member union maintains that the Harper government attempted to hide its disrespect for workers’ and women’s rights by burying the two contentious laws deep in the Budget Implementation Act.

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Public access to medically necessary health care is a human right

The Public Service Alliance of Canada denounces the Alberta government for de-listing sex re-assignment surgery (SRS) from its provincial health plan and urges Health Minister Ron Liepert to reinstate funding immediately.

On Wednesday, transsexual people in Calgary and Edmonton simultaneously filed a series of human rights complaints against the Government of Alberta. They maintain that the Alberta government is discriminating against transsexual people by cutting off public funding for a medically necessary procedure.

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OTTAWA � The Public Service Alliance of Canada is thrilled with the results of a new study proving that public services make a significant contribution to Canadians� standard of living � worth at least 50 per cent of their income.

The study, released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, thoroughly debunks the notion that tax cuts put money in people�s pockets. In fact, authors Hugh Mackenzie and Richard Shillington prove that tax cuts actually take money away from most workers and would be better spent by investing in public services for Canadians.

�Quality public services improve Canadians� lives in so many immeasurable ways. But this new study demonstrates the fact that middle-income Canadian families benefit from public services that are worth about $41,000 per year � or 63 per cent of their income,� says John Gordon, PSAC�s National President.

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OTTAWA � A study released yesterday by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) (.pdf)� is sounding the alarm about the minority Conservative government�s Bill C-13.

C-13, the reincarnation of Bill C-39 (which died when the last Parliament was prorogued) represents a concerted attack on key pillars of the Canadian public system for managing and marketing grain, says the CCPA study called Threatened Harvest: Protecting Canada�s World-Class Grain System.

Measures in the bill propose to deregulate/privatize inward weighing and inspection services to the detriment of independent quality assurance and the long-term reputation for quality associated with the Canadian brand.

�Given the abundant evidence about the potentially devastating effects of rampant deregulation � whether we�re talking about food safety or financial markets � this hardly seems like the time to be dismantling a grain system that is the envy of the world,� says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union.

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OTTAWA � The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is congratulating Senators who are making the case that many of the non-budgetary changes in Bill C-10 should be carved out and debated separately.

�From the beginning, PSAC and its members have been trying to make the point with Parliamentarians that the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act is not a budgetary measure and should be withdrawn from Bill C-10,� says PSAC National President John Gordon.

�We also made the point that while the fast track process being used by the government to adopt Bill C-10 may be appropriate for the budgetary stimulus measures, it is completely inappropriate for other pieces of legislation affected by the bill.�

During second reading debate in the Senate last week, it was pointed out that only 27 of the 550-plus pages of the budget bill actually relate to the budget and economic stimulus measures. As one Senator noted, the Senate is being asked to make amendments to 42 acts of Parliament, many of which have no connection to the budget.

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NEW YORK�Representatives of women�s groups and labour unions gathered at the United Nations yesterday, to announce that they will be filing a complaint against the Harper government with the UN Commission on the Status of Women. The complaint condemns the Canadian government for rushing controversial pay equity legislation through Parliament, which will make it extremely difficult for women in the federal public sector to demand equal pay for work of equal value.

The �notice of communication� to the UN was signed by representatives of more than 40 organizations, including the Public Service Alliance of Canada, the Syndicat de la fonction publique du Qu�bec, the Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions and the Feminist Alliance for International Action.

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Ottawa � The 166,000-member Public Service Alliance of Canada made its submission to the Standing Committee on Finance today, criticizing the federal government for only allowing three days of debate on the far-reaching Budget Implementation Act, given its serious implications for workers’ and women’s rights.

In particular, PSAC’s submission highlights the following problematic features of the Act:

• The Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act would make it virtually impossible for women in the federal public sector to be paid equal pay for work of equal value. It uses pay equity as a bargaining chip during negotiations where the employer historically holds the balance of power. It bars unions from supporting members who want to make pay equity claims. Bill C-10 would do nothing to narrow the income gap between women and men in the federal public service.
• The wage roll-backs contained in the Expenditure Restraint Act would overturn collective agreements that were fairly negotiated. Bill C-10 undermines workers’ constitutional right to free collective bargaining.

�Government officials have admitted that there’s no proof that the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act will save the government any money. So why is it in the budget bill?� asked John Gordon, PSAC National President. �It won’t help the economy or save jobs. It will prevent women in the federal public sector from demanding equal pay for work of equal value. It has no place in the budget.�

PSAC is demanding that Parliament remove the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act from Bill C-10 and halt the wage roll-backs contained in the Expenditure Restraint Act.

Ottawa � The Public Service Alliance of Canada is encouraging opposition members to remove legislation from the budget bill that would prevent women in the federal public sector from demanding equal pay for work of equal value.

The 166,000-member union is concerned that the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act will remove women’s ability to file pay equity complaints, making the process even more difficult than the current complaints-based system.

The �pay equity� bill is part of the omnibus Budget Implementation Act (Bill C-10), which was tabled on February 7, 2009. PSAC refutes the notion that this legislation is �proactive,� given that it ignores the recommendations made in the well-respected 2004 report from the federal Task Force on Pay Equity. The union contends that the new scheme would make a bad system much worse, removing pay equity’s status as a human right and opening it up to market forces.

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Vancouver International Airport union demands independent inquiry into snow removal problems at YVR after learning new details concerning a jet crash in an early January snowstorm and damaged caused by plowed snow, while landing on runway that should have been closed; union releases crash photos

Vancouver � A union representing hundreds of workers at Vancouver International Airport is demanding an independent inquiry into snow removal problems at YVR after learning new details of a jet crash during a snowstorm in early January.

A Mexican-registered Cessna Citation 650 business jet with five people on board crashed off Runway 12 after landing in a snowstorm at Vancouver at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday January 4, collapsing its nose gear when it went through 18 inch deep plowed snow alongside the runway edge lights, according to a report from Transport Canada�s Civil Aviation Daily Occurrence Reporting System (CADORS).

But original YVR reports to the media said the nose gear �collapsed after landing� and did not mention that the nose gear was broken by the heavy, ploughed snow, says Stephen Dunsmore, Regional Vice-President Pacific of the Union of Canadian Transportation Employees � a component union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. The union is also releasing photos of the jet crash on the PSAC BC website at www.psacbc.com.

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