Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

In Victoria this week it has been business as usual on the picket lines, members are continuing to slow down the trucks and one point management watching the picket line outnumbered the picketers! Media coverage has been great - click to read an article on the front page of the Times Colonist. After receiving an injunction barring them from impeding vehicles or workers at their usual location, members switched up their tactics a couple of times to keep Canada Post off guard. They are very appreciative of the support they have received from CUPW, other PSAC Locals and members, and other groups.

In Vancouver, members also switched tactics, picketing as usual in the morning, then moving to outlying areas in the afternoon. The theme of the week was “Union Solidarity” - UPCE members were joined on the line by Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Fed, members of the Telecommunications Workers Union (Telus) and other unions, and as always, members of CUPW. They also received a letter of support from the Teaching Support Staff Union (SFU) and members of the federal NDP caucus.

On Thursday, delegates to the BC Federation of Labour Convention, which is taking place in Vancouver, unanimously passed a resolution calling upon Canada Post to negotiate a fair and just collective agreement and calling on the federal government to keep our postal service universal and public. Several UPCE members were in the media section while the resolution was debated (it did not require much debate) and received a standing ovation from the delegates.

Convention delegates then marched to Library Square where they joined the striking workers, PSAC members from surrounding workplaces, and other supporters in Solidarity. Approximately 350 people listened to speeches and messages of support from UPCE Local President Sharon Tieman, CUPW member Ken Mooney, REVP BC Kay Sinclair, Bill Saunders, President of the Vancouver & District Labour Council, and Jim Sinclair, President of the BC Fed. There were several local media outlets covering the event.

Read on for some photos from Vancouver and a video from Victoria …

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Vancouver - Striking workers at Canada Post and their supporters are holding a rally between 12 and 1 PM today at Library Square in downtown Vancouver. The rally will mark their second week of job action and call for Canada Post to drop concession bargaining demands.

Approximately 125 PSAC members in Vancouver began strike action on November 17th to protest against Canada Post’s attempts to take away sick leave and family-related leave from this predominantly female group.

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Source: The Ottawa Citizen, November 26, page A1

A day after the Public Service Alliance of Canada announced a new federal contract that reflects the tough economic times, the union is giving no ground at Canada Post, where 2,100 of its members are on strike over sick leave.

Under a deal proposed by Canada Post, union members would get a new contract that includes a 10.5-per-cent wage increase over four years. But the workers walked out last week over a contentious proposal by Canada Post to roll back sick leave and eventually phase it out.

The union says Canada Post is trying to claw back health gains enshrined in previous agreements and members would not stand for it.

At a news conference yesterday, PSAC president John Gordon vowed the union will not be bullied into making concessions that, in the end, will give insurance companies the final say on the health of its members.

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Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada working at Canada Post are on strike to protect their hard-earned sick leaves and family related leave. They voted 88% in favour of strike action because they don’t want the new short term disability system that Canada Post is trying to impose on its employees.

The 100 members in Vancouver have been out on strike since Nov 17th with no immediate return to the table scheduled. In anticipation of a second week of picketing, the group is planning a noon hour rally to show Canada Post that their support and resolve is strong! Please come out and show your support and solidarity.

• When: Thursday November 27, 2008
• Time: 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
• Where: Library Square, Vancouver Library, Georgia & Homer
• Contact: Garry Fraser 604-317-4979

Thank you for your Solidarity and Support! “The longer the line, the shorter the strike!”

OTTAWA- Canada Post Corporation is misleading Canadians about the quality of mail delivery during the current strike by 2 000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

““We know that mail volumes are down and that there are delays as a result of this national strike,” said Lemelin. “That means people will be going elsewhere for postal services during the Christmas rush and Canada Post will be losing revenues.”

According to reports the union receives from strike locations in each province, CUPW truck drivers cross the picket lines very carefully and very deliberately and take the time to listen to information provided by the strikers.

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Canada Post Corporation is trying to deprive PSAC members of benefits that the majority of unionized workers in Canada are entitled to.  It is a fundamental issue which our members and all of the labour movement in Canada are ready to fight for.

Email your Member of Parliament today. Tell them you want Canada Post to take its short term disability system off the table in its negotiations with the PSAC.

We encourage you to use the PSAC template letter to write your MP, and ask them what they are doing about this situation.

In Victoria traffic was slower and Local Presidents Ian Wiggs (UNDE 21008) and Pete Wills (UEW 20076) brought financial donations to the UPCE 20104 strike fund.

In Vancouver members set up pickets early this morning and spirits were high. CUPW showed support and solidarity by taking their daily walk around the block at coffee - they were greeted with donuts. 13 Canada Post managers spent most of the day standing around doing nothing, staffing the doors and REVP Jeannie Baldwin visited the line and brought a message of solidarity from the Atlantic region.

Early this morning in Vancouver, after a very successful evening setting up a surprise picket line at the Richmond plant - the plant director had to come from home to manage the situation - UPCE members continued to picket outside the main depot. Despite the rain turnout was excellent, including one member who is eight months pregnant. Local President Sharon Tieman was interviewed by CKNW radio and Vice-President Neil Brown also spoke to the media. Once again CUPW members took their coffee break en masse and walked around the block in Solidarity and once again UPCE members cheered them on. In the early afternoon, BC Supreme Court issued an injunction barring members from impeding vehicles or workers at specific locations in the Lower Mainland. Members were disappointed with this decision, but vowed to continue to pressure Canada Post. The caucus met this afternoon to strategize, and we shall see what tomorrow brings.

In Victoria it rained as well but picketers were warmed by overwhelming support from CUPW members. Trucks, cars and cabs experienced hour-long delays leaving the processing plant.

Here are some some photos from Richmond and Vancouver …

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Please be advised that the BC Supreme Court has issued an injunction today. We are disappointed with this decision, however our recommendation and direction to striking members in Vancouver is to comply with the court order. We will be distributing copies of the order to picketers without delay.

If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact your Picket or Strike Captain, or a PSAC staff person.

On Tuesday, the strike made front page news in the Vancouver 24 Hours daily and Sharon Tieman, Local President, was quoted. Canada Post changed its strategy and picketers adapted theirs accordingly while morale remained high. On Wednesday morning at 8AM, PSAC members were joined en masse by approximately 300 Sisters and Brothers from CUPW, who “took a walk around the block”. Our members were hugely appreciative of this gesture and applauded them all the way. UPCE National President Richard DesLauriers is in Vancouver and also joined the picket line along with CUPW Local 864 President Robert Mulvin.

In Victoria, on Tuesday, really strong lines again received excellent support from the CUPW Executive who joined the picket. A unionized trades worker refused to cross the line to fix some issues inside the facility and told us he would return when the strike was over. There was support from a UVAE member as well. On Wednesday the weather remained cooperative while music and food was provided by the CUPW Local and enjoyed by one and all. As in Vancouver, large numbers of CUPW members walked the line in their show of support.

Read more some photos taken November 19 & video taken November 18 in Vancouver, click the thumbnails for a larger version …

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Over 80 members PSAC members, accompanied by music, set up picket lines early Monday morning at the Canada Post main depot in Vancouver to protest against the corporation’s efforts to impose a new short term disability system that was clearly rejected by almost 9 out of 10 of those employees.

In Victoria, members picketed at the mail processing plant on Glanford Avenue. Both picket lines recieved strong support from fellow CUPW Union members, spirits were high, and the weather was very cooperative. Visit the national website for a strike bulletin from coast to coast to coast.

Here are some photos from Vancouver (click on the thumbnails for a larger version) and a video from Victoria …

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As you may have heard, members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) who are employed at Canada Post and are members of Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE) Component walked out on strike across the country earlier today. They are facing an intransigent employer who is asking for significant concessions to their benefits which we have achieved in earlier rounds of negotiations.

Your PSAC Sisters and Brothers are in a fight for a fair and equitable collective agreement and need your support to achieve it.

Please contact your Regional Office to find out how you can support these striking workers. Members can join in solidarity on picket lines at the mail processing plant on Glanford Avenue in Victoria and in downtown Vancouver at the main depot on Georgia Street. The latest news and updates will be available here at the regional website.

Collectively, with your help, we will achieve a successful settlement.

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

OTTAWA –Canada Post has chosen to launch a media campaign rather than bargain directly and in good faith with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), says the union that represents 2,400 striking Canada Post employees.

“Canada Post has not had a face to face meeting with the PSAC bargaining team since November 7,” says John Gordon, PSAC National President. “The PSAC bargaining team is fully able and willing to negotiate a collective agreement, but they need to be provided with sufficient opportunity to do so”.

Canada Post, on the eve of a strike, knowing full well that the PSAC bargaining team was not immediately available,chose to provide a single copy of a last minute offer to a mediator yesterday evening.

Shortly after, a press release detailing the offer was posted on the CPC web site.

“This is simply another example of CPC’s blatant disregard for its employees and the requirement to bargain fairly” said Mr. Gordon.

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Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) set up picket lines early this morning at the Canada Post mail processing plants in Victoria and Vancouver to protest against the corporation’s efforts to impose a new short term disability system that was clearly rejected by almost 9 out of 10 of those employees.

“Our members voted 88% in favour of strike action because they don’t want the new short term disability system,” said PSAC National President, John Gordon. “They just want to protect the sick leaves and family leaves they have acquired in the past,” he added.

The collective agreement between PSAC and Canada Post expired on August 31, 2008. The union served the employer a notice to bargain on May 1, 2008, and the negotiations began on June 4, 2008.

In defence of the strike, Gordon explained that members have considered the strike option only because they have been pushed to the wall.

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Ottawa – Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) served a 72 hour strike notice yesterday to Canada Post Corporation to protest against the corporation’s efforts to impose a new short term disability system that was clearly rejected by almost 9 out of 10 of those employees.

“Our members voted 88% in favour of strike action because they don’t want the new short term disability system,” said PSAC National President, John Gordon. “They just want to protect the sick leaves and family leaves they have acquired in the past,” he added.

The strike will begin on Monday November 17 if negotiations remain at an impasse. The collective agreement between PSAC and Canada Post expired on August 31, 2008. The union served the employer a notice to bargain on May 1, 2008, and the negotiations began on June 4, 2008.

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OTTAWA — Canada Post Corporation (CPC) is trying to use the government’s Employment Insurance program to reduce its own costs, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — the union that represents about 2,400 CPC employees.

In current contract negotiations with PSAC, CPC has been attempting to implement a new short-term disability system that would rely on EI as a major part of a new and minimal short-term disability plan. The new system would require employees to apply for EI benefits in the event of extended illness, even in cases where employees have accumulated sick leave in the “bank.”

Employment insurance is there to protect workers who are laid off, especially in hard economic times like these, says PSAC National President John Gordon. “It’s not meant to be used to bail out profitable corporations like Canada Post.”

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Dear Member,

The bargaining team was hopeful that a return to the bargaining table November 6 and 7 would result in a tentative agreement. On November 6 we tabled a proposal that contained new compromises in an effort to reach a collective agreement.

CPC responded with a third offer that was virtually unchanged from their October 30 proposals.

On Job Security – article 28.01, CPC again confirmed that they are not prepared to continue the past practice whereby all current employees receive full job security at the date of contract signing. This refusal leaves anyone with less than 5 years of service with no surplus protection and even more vulnerable to layoffs.

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OTTAWA — Canada Post is resorting to unfair labour practices in its contract talks with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and the Union of Postal Communications Employees (UPCE), the union charges.

“Canada Post has issued misleading statements to its employees and is disregarding provisions of the Canada Labour Code,” says John Gordon, President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. PSAC is the bargaining agent representing the members of the component UPCE.

The misleading statements identified by Gordon appear in internal communications issued by the employer about a new short-term disability system that the corporation is trying to impose on its employees in order to replace existing sick leave and family leave provisions in the collective agreement.

On its internal website, which is accessible to all Canada Post employees, the employer indicates that changes to the sick leave and family leave provisions in the collective agreement will come into effect on January 1, 2010. This statement ignores the fact that these changes have not yet been negotiated with the union.

Canada Post’s proposed changes are highly controversial. Union members provided their bargaining team with an 88% strike mandate, largely based on their opposition to these leave proposals.

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Dear member,

In October, you turned out in record numbers to provide your bargaining team with a clear mandate.

CPC’s proposed rollbacks on job security, benefits and vacation entitlements were unacceptable. The wage offer was inadequate and the proposed sick leave scheme was deplorable.

With that strong mandate, your team immediately requested a return to the bargaining table. We did so with the expectation that CPC would meet again with the goal of achieving a fair collective agreement. Taken at face value, it seems that CPC made significant changes with a second offer. The truth of the matter is, while there have been some improvements on key issues - the sick leave proposal has only been tinkered with.

In tabling their second offer, CPC has attempted to buy your future in the coming collective agreement and for the foreseeable future in the cheapest way possible. In return for small lump sum payments, CPC wants to remove your right to manage your own health in consultation with your physician. They want a Manulife to intervene as the third party who gets to approve or deny your sick leave.

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Short-term disability plans and sick leave plans have a similar goal: each is a different kind of program that’s designed to offer employees insurance against the loss in income that would otherwise result from illness or injury.

• National website: Canada Post’s Short-term Disability Plan: The Numbers How much do you stand to lose?

We presently have a sick leave program that is broadly shared across federal public employers in Canada. Hundreds of federal employers have the same kind of sick leave that you currently have working at Canada Post. This sick leave program has a number of very good features:

• It provides you with 100% income support when you’re sick.
• There is no minimum threshold – if you’re sick for one day, you can use a sick day and you get one day’s pay
• You do not need to convince an external insurance company like Manulife that you are sick. You and your Doctor know your health best, and his or her note is what you need to take sick leave.

Short-term disability plans have a terrible acronym – STDs, but are not necessarily bad – some, in fact, provide excellent income support when someone is ill or injured. But other short-term disability programs provide poor income support. The devil is in the details.

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