Author: Greg McNamara

The Union of National Employees is deeply saddened to share the passing of our powerful and beloved sister, Beverly Denaise Brown. Her absence has been felt profoundly across the UNE and PSAC families.

Bev was a tireless leader who dedicated herself wholeheartedly to advocating for workers. She was a long-serving and influential voice within the PSAC-NCR Racialized Members Action Committee and held several positions within the PSAC-NCR Council. Within UNE, she served with distinction as President of Local 70181, Assistant Regional Vice-President from 2017 to 2022, and Regional Vice-President in 2025. She was also a key leader during the 2023 PSAC strike, where her commitment, strength, and clarity of purpose inspired many.

Bev loved being part of her union. She believed deeply in union principles and championed equity long before it became common practice, helping to advance Treasury Board’s Embracing Change equity initiatives more than 25 years ago. Her passion for justice extended far beyond the labour movement. Bev was a dedicated volunteer in her community and gave her time generously to events like Bluesfest and Jazzfest—always offering her energy, kindness, and unwavering sense of service.

She will be dearly missed and mourned by many. We are forever grateful for her leadership, her contributions, and the lasting impact she made on our union and the broader community.

Our hearts are with all who knew and loved her.

You can find Beverly’s obituary and digital guestbook here:

https://beechwoodottawa.ca/en/services/beverly-denaise-brown

The Union of National Employees (UNE) was placed under trusteeship by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) National Board of Directors on October 24, 2025 in accordance with the PSAC Constitution and Regulations. 

The Board has appointed PSAC National Executive Vice-President, Alex Silas as Trustee, and Dominic Lavoie as Administrator to manage UNE’s day-to-day operations. Together, they are assessing the current situation and will determine the appropriate steps to move forward. 

Impact on UNE Members 

Support and service to members will be a high priority, and UNE staff and Local officers are available to provide assistance and representation. 

During the trusteeship period, no national and regional elected component officers may hold office or may represent themselves as UNE officers. Local leadership remains in place and continues its work on behalf of the membership.  

Regional Deputy Trustees have been appointed by the Trustee to support the Trustee and Administrator in rebuilding the Component and ensuring continuity of service and accountability to UNE members. Deputy Trustees are not a replacement for the UNE National Executive, nor are they a decision-making body.  

Deputy Trustees are responsible for supporting Locals in their ongoing work, including participation in LMCCs, conducting general meetings, and managing grievances and staffing complaints. 

Gail Budgell — Atlantic 

Éric Drouin — Quebec 

Michelle Woods — Ontario 

Cindy D’Alessio — NCR – TB (Ottawa TB, Gatineau TB, Outside Canada) 

Jean-Michel Lavergne — NCR – Separate Employers 

Gloria Pfeifer — Saskatchewan / Manitoba 

Geoff Ryan — Alberta / NWT / Nunavut 

Jonathan Jeet — BC / Yukon 

On an as-needed basis, assistant deputy trustees may also be appointed to assist the work of the deputy trustee.  

The roles and responsibilities of UNE Locals and Local officers remain unchanged. Members should continue to contact their Local as the first point of contact.  

Questions regarding component business should be directed to UNE staff or the Deputy Trustees. 

Questions related to the trusteeship should be directed to Alex Silas, Trustee.  

In solidarity, 

Alex Silas 

UNE Trustee 

PSAC NEVP 

PSAC is concerned the federal government may be preparing to claw back the hard-earned retirement benefits federal public service workers rely on.  

Under the “Equitable Public Sector Retirement Benefits” section of the 2025 budget, the government suggests that federal public service workers are “overcontributing” to their federal pension plans and the Canada or Quebec Pension Plans (CPP/QPP). The government aims to correct the issue, promising this will save money both for the government and federal workers.

But this language hints that they plan to reduce pension plan benefits for workers to compensate for recent changes to CPP and QPP. Any proposal that reduces the value of members’ pensions – while framing it as a cost saving for workers – is unacceptable.  

The federal government has already betrayed the trust of workers who contribute to the Public Service Pension Plan. Last year, the Liberal government raided $1.9 billion from pension plan, transferring the funds into the government’s own coffers. That decision directly undermined the retirement security of federal public service workers and set a dangerous precedent for treating the pension plan as a government piggy bank. 

Combined with massive job cuts and sweeping changes to federal labour legislation included in this budget, the pension change is yet another red flag about how this government intends to treat its workers. PSAC will fight any attempt to undermine workers’ rights — including any move that threatens the financial security of our members in retirement. 

Pensions are a core part of our members’ compensation – paid for and earned over a lifetime of service. Any change to pension benefits must be transparent, and should be brought to the unions at the bargaining table – not slipped into the budget as an accounting exercise. 

Prime Minister Carney’s government still has an opportunity to show leadership by protecting and strengthening the pensions workers depend on – not weakening them. 

PSAC is seeking immediate clarification from the federal government on the intent and impact of the pension language in Budget 2025. We will update members as soon as more information becomes available. 

As the Carney government moves ahead with plans to slash potentially tens of thousands of federal public service jobs, new polling by the Public Service Alliance of Canada shows that people in Canada are concerned about the impact of cuts on already strained public services and want to talk to humans — not chatbots — when accessing federal benefits.

Conducted by Crestview Strategy in September, the national survey of 2,000 adults reveals that a clear majority of respondents (51%) oppose widespread layoffs of tens of thousands of federal public service workers. When asked about the government’s planned 15% cuts to most federal departments, respondents were far more likely to express concern (45%) than optimism (19%) about the impact on services and jobs. Instead, most respondents (60%) want the government to prioritize addressing the cost of living.

“People don’t want reckless cuts to the services they rely on — they want a government focused on making life more affordable,” said PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa. “This polling confirms what we’ve been hearing for months: people see the strain on public services every day, and they know cuts will only make life harder for everyone.”

When asked why they were concerned about the impact of government’s spending cuts, respondents listed reduced access to public services and longer wait times (33%), potential job losses and increased unemployment (30%), and concerns about the quality and efficiency of public services (16%) as their top three concerns. A majority also agreed that departments delivering essential frontline services — such as public health (66%), food inspection (61%), passports and benefits (61%), environmental protections (51%), tax administration (55%) and national parks (50%)— should be protected from cuts.

These attitudes reflect a broader sense that federal public services are not bloated, but rather understaffed and strained, an assessment with which a majority of respondents agreed.

Key findings: 

• Inflation dominates public concern: 60% said bringing down the cost of food and essentials should be the federal government’s top priority compared to just 28% who prioritized reduced government spending. 
   
• Concern outweighs optimism: More than 45% of respondents were concerned about the impact of budget cuts on public services, compared to just 19% who were optimistic. Younger respondents between the ages of 18–34 were most concerned (54%) about spending cuts. 
   
• Public services seen as strained: 64% agreed federal public services are strained and backlogged, and 48% said frontline services are understaffed. 
   
• Trust in human workers: 56% preferred a human case manager to handle taxes, benefits, and pensions rather than artificial intelligence. 

“The takeaway here is clear: the vast majority of people trust and support public service workers,” said DeSousa. “They see the value of what our members do every day, and they don’t want the government to make services worse by cutting corners or public service jobs.” 

The study’s findings are based on an online survey with a sample of 2,000 Canadian adults. A combination of quotas and weights were applied to ensure a sample that is representative of the population based on census data for age, region, and gender. The survey was in the field from September 14–18, 2025.  A comparable probability sample has a margin of error of ±2.2% at a 95% confidence level. 

Over the past several months, PSAC has heard from many members who have raised concerns about the level of representation and support they have received from the Union of National Employees (UNE). 

PSAC’s National Board of Directors (NBoD) takes these concerns very seriously. This week, the NBoD voted to place the Union of National Employees (UNE) under trusteeship, effective October 24, 2025.  

During the period of trusteeship, the UNE Bylaws are suspended. This means that all elected officers of UNE – the National President, National Executive Vice-President, the National Executive members, Regional Teams, and Human Rights Committee – are vacated. However, local executives remain in their positions.  

PSAC’s NBoD has appointed a Trustee and an Administrator to oversee the operations of UNE, and they will report to PSAC’s National President and to the NBoD.   

The Trustee will assume the responsibilities normally carried out by the elected officers and will work with UNE staff to restore the component’s capacity.  

UNE members should continue to contact their local representative or their UNE National Labour Relations Officer for representation assistance. The component’s operations will continue during this period and PSAC is dedicated to assisting UNE members and staff through this transition. 

Supporting UNE’s more than 27,000 members remains PSAC’s top priority. We are working to ensure UNE members receive the strong, effective representation they deserve. 

Dear Passport Members,

The recently announced workforce cuts have directly impacted UNE membership. Many of you are facing uncertainty, reduced opportunities, and unfair treatment. You are not alone.

📞 Please join us for a Passport National Call

🗓️ Tuesday, September 23, 2025
💻 ZOOM LINK: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/69416573656?pwd=BogiVcZJOHawEeStB5PO1vOD5slmPU.1

Passcode:450141

To protect your rights and hold the employer accountable, UNE is filing a group grievance on behalf of all affected Passport members. By standing together, we amplify our voices and strengthen our case.

🖊️ We are inviting you to sign on to this grievance.
✅ Your participation ensures your concerns are formally represented and that management hears us loud and clear.

👉 Visit the Passport Corner for the latest updates and the link to sign on to the grievance.

📩 If you have questions or need support before signing, please contact your Local President or email us at PPT@une-sen.org.

🤝 In solidarity,