Treasury Board and other agencies changed their guidelines around the use of 699 leave — leave with pay for other reasons — in November, forcing federal public service workers to exhaust all of their paid leave before they can use 699 leave.
The changes disproportionately impact marginalized groups who have been the hardest hit by the pandemic, including women, racialized employees, workers with disabilities and public service workers with family obligations.
Parents who need to pull their sick kids out of school or daycare, or workers caring for elderly loved ones are now expected to use up their vacation and sick leave because of circumstances out of their control. And recent lockdowns in provinces across the country have made the crisis for workers even more difficult.
This violates both our members’ collective agreements and workers’ rights under the Canadian Human Rights Act. PSAC will also be filing a human rights complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Workers have a right to use 699 leave because we negotiated it into their collective agreements; it cannot be taken away arbitrarily by managers. Treasury Board’s changes are out of touch with the public health crisis facing Canadians and impacts the well-being of public service workers.
PSAC is committed to ensuring that all our members, and especially women, caregivers, racialized workers and workers with disabilities, continue to have the necessary support and leave with pay they need during the pandemic.
The 2020 UNE Triennial Convention has been rescheduled to July 12-16, 2021.
If you have already registered, you will be contacted with updated information as it becomes available. Please note the new deadlines below if your Local has not yet elected delegates, alternates or observers.
Locals are encouraged to hold elections through virtual membership meetings.
NEW DATE – March 12, 2021 is the deadline for resolutions, delegate registration and for your Local to be in conformance.
Make sure your Local is in Conformance You can only attend Convention if your Local is in conformance. For a complete list of documents needed from your Local, see the Convention section of the UNE website.
Elect Delegates and their Alternates Delegates and alternates are elected during general Local meetings. The number of delegates per Local is determined by the number of members in good standing six months before the start of Convention as per UNE Bylaw 6, Section 11:
Four to 100 members = one delegate;
One delegate for each 100 members or portion thereof to a maximum of five delegates for any given Local.
Observers Locals in conformance can also send observers to Convention at the Local’s expense. These members can attend Convention, but they cannot participate in debate or vote.
Submit Credential Forms Credential forms for each delegate, alternate and observer must be submitted to UNE. Credential forms for delegates and alternates must include a copy of the general Local meeting minutes showing the election of those members. The credentials forms are available for download on the Convention section of the UNE website.
Registration Deadline
To be recognized as a delegate to Convention, members must complete the online registration
and submit the following documents by March 12, 2021 at 4pm Eastern Standard Time:
Credential forms, including meeting minutes showing election of delegates and alternates;
Local financial documents in conformance with UNE Bylaws and Policies.
Members who miss the deadline will not be able to participate on Convention committees and are considered late delegates. Late delegates are seated at Convention by way of procedural motion during the early stages of the opening of our Convention.
Questions about Convention Logistics and Registration? We hope you will find all the answers on the Convention section of our website.
If you require additional information, please contact Suzanne Boucher, Convention Coordinator, at events@une-sen.org or at 613-560-4359 or 1-800-663-6685.
RESOLUTIONS
Option 1
Locals should appoint a Convention resolutions committee; these are normally made up of three to five members. Some Locals may prefer to appoint a committee for each resolution topic: constitution and bylaws, finance, and general resolutions. Your Local should issue a notice asking members to submit resolutions to your Convention resolutions committee. Allow plenty of time for the committee to prepare a report. Members of the committee should also be encouraged to submit their own resolutions. Each committee’s report and additional resolutions should be presented during a general membership meeting. This meeting should provide ample time to debate resolutions before members cast a vote.
Option 2
Any member in good standing can submit a resolution to Convention by having it co-signed by five other members in good standing.
Submit Your Resolution Online
You should submit your resolutions electronically on our website. Completing this process significantly reduces the time required to prepare resolutions for committee review in June. If you do not have internet access, you can submit your resolutions by mail or fax.
Submit Supporting Documentation
The resolutions you submit online must also be supported by hardcopy versions of either the signed minutes verifying that the resolution was adopted during a general membership meeting or the resolutions form co-signed by five other members in good standing. You can download the resolution template on our Convention page here.
Please send these hard copies to the attention of Ateau Zola by email at resolutions@une-sen.org.
You can also submit by fax at 613-560-5208, or by mail at: Union of National Employees 900-150 Isabella St. Ottawa, ON K1S 1V7.
Resolutions received after March 12, 2021 at 4pm Eastern Standard Time will be deemed late and will be dealt with after all other resolutions.
Questions about resolutions? Please contact Ateau Zola at resolutions@une-sen.org or at 613-560-4343 or 1-800-663-6685.
In Solidarity,
Kevin King National President Union of National Employees
PSAC and Treasury Board today signed new collective agreements for the Education and Library Sciences (EB) and Operations Services (SV) groups that were ratified by members on September 29 and October 5, respectively. The two bargaining units account for over 10,000 federal public service workers. PSAC has now signed collective agreements for around 120,000 federal public service workers.
Implementation period begins
The formal signing of the agreements today means that with the exception of monetary provisions, which are retroactive, new contract terms are in effect. Treasury Board now has 180 days to implement wage increases, wage adjustments and allowances. As explained in the contract ratification kits, in view of this extended implementation timeline which is normally 90 days, PSAC negotiated a $500 lump sum payment for members into these new contracts.
Members in the Parks and Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) groups also recently ratified their tentative agreements. PSAC is working with both agencies to finalize the text and pay grids of the new agreements and expects to sign the new deals in the coming weeks.
* * *
Please keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to continue receiving information about implementation of collective agreements and the Phoenix settlement.
In order to reduce the pressure on the Phoenix pay system and allow compensation advisors to focus on fixing outstanding pay issues, PSAC and Treasury Board have agreed to suspend the automatic cash-out of vacation and compensatory leave for public service workers until March 31, 2022.
In most cases, compensatory leave that is earned in a fiscal year and remains outstanding on September 30 of the following fiscal year is subject to an automatic cash-out provision.
The extended moratorium will prevent the normally automatic transactions from causing additional pay issues for members. Members will still be able to request a cash-out of their leave. PSAC is aware that many members value time off over money and when consulted by Treasury Board, we agreed to the change in policy. We believe this is a prudent decision, allowing members to use compensatory time over a longer period of time while alleviating some of the pressure around Phoenix pay-related matters.
The overtime articles in PSAC’s five Treasury Board collective agreements (PA, TC, EB, SV and FB groups) provide employees with the option for overtime to be paid by compensatory leave rather than pay in a fiscal year.
Where automatic cash-out provisions currently exist in the collective agreement, Treasury Board will be directing departments to suspend the automatic cash-out for all hours earned during the 2021/2022 fiscal year, unless the cash-out is specifically requested by the employee.
The next cash-out date of excess hours will follow the provisions stipulated in the relevant collective agreement.
Separately, the parties signed the protocol agreement on the negotiation of working conditions for civilian members in the RCMP who are slated to be deemed into PSAC bargaining units.
Implementation period begins for PA and TC groups
The formal signing of the agreements today means that with the exception of monetary provisions, which are retroactive, new contract terms are in effect. Treasury Board now has 180 days to implement wage increases, wage adjustments and allowances. As explained in the contract ratification kits, in view of this extended implementation timeline which is normally 90 days, PSAC negotiated a $500 lump sum payment for members into these new contracts.
PSAC expects Treasury Board to pay Phoenix general damages (i.e., the $2,500 lump sum) within the abovementioned 180-day collective agreement implementation period. Furthermore, information on how current and former members who have suffered severe losses due to the Phoenix pay system can claim additional compensation will be provided by Treasury Board in the coming months. We will continue pressing the government for an efficient implementation of this settlement.
Members in the Education and Library Science (EB), Operations Services (SV) and PSAC-UTE (Canada Revenue Agency) groups also recently ratified their tentative agreements. PSAC is working with Treasury Board to finalize the text and pay grids of the new agreements and expects to sign the new deals in the coming weeks.
Please keep your contact information up to date via the member portal to continue receiving information about implementation of collective agreements and the Phoenix settlement.
Please find below an important Executive Office communique from the PSAC National President regarding Suspension of Timelines, COVID-19 Protocol and Election of Delegates and Alternates.
In a victory for members at Parks Canada, PSAC has reached a tentative agreement that includes a competitive economic increase, greater parity with the core public service, no concessions, and improved working conditions and job security.
Members at Parks Canada will also be awarded the Phoenix damages settlement to compensate for the pain and suffering caused by the broken pay system. Please read the following updatewhich provides greater detail on the general Phoenix compensation portion of the settlement, as well as the expansion of the claims process for out-of-pocket expenses and for those who suffered major losses because of Phoenix.
Annual wage settlement & shift premiums
PSAC’s bargaining team successfully secured fair wage increases averaging at 2.11% per year. Parks Canada members would receive the following wage increases:
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
2.8%
2.2%
1.35%
In addition, shift premiums for employees working between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. will increase from $2.00/hour to $2.25/hour (12.5% increase).
Catch up adjustments to Core Public Administration
Members in the following groups and sub-groups will receive wage adjustments to catch them up to their counterparts in the core public administration. Adjustments will be applied in Year 3 of the collective agreement:
AR (all levels)
GL-PIP-12
EG (all levels)
GL-MDO-03
FI (all levels)
GL-MDO-05
HR (all levels)
GL-MDO-12
BI-03
GL-MOC-11
CO-01 to CO-04
GL-MOC-08
EL-06 to EL-09
GL-PCF-11
GL-COI-09
GL-PCF-14
GL-COI-14
GL-PIP-12
GL-EIM-12
GL-MDO-03
GL-ELE-01
GL-MDO-05
GL-ELE-06
GL-MDO-12
GL-ELE-14
GL-MOC-11
GL-MAM-13
GL-MOC-08
GL-MAN-07
GL-PCF-11
GL-MAN-08
GL-PCF-14
GL-MAN-13
GL-PIP-12
GL-MDO-03
GL-PRW-07
GL-MDO-05
GL-PRW-08
GL-MDO-12
GL-PRW-13
GL-MOC-11
GL-VHE-13
GL-MOC-08
GS-02
GL-PCF-11
GS-11
GL-PCF-14
HP-03
Lump sums and allowances
A one-time payment of $500 in recognition of the extended collective agreement implementation deadline and an additional $50 for every subsequent 90-day delay.
Effective 180 days following the signature of the agreement, Enforcement Officers at the GT-04 and GT-05 levels will receive an increase to their existing annual allowance from $3,000 to $3,534.
Improved and expanded retention allowance for CR-05, AS-01, AS-02, AS-03 or AS-04 Compensation Advisors working in pay pods under the banner of the Public Service and Procurement Canada Pay Centre (PSPC) to $3,500 per year.
Renewal of $2,500 allowance for AS-01, AS-02 & AS-03 Compensation Advisors working at the Agency.
Extension of temporary incentives for AS-01, AS-02 and AS-03 Compensation Advisors, providing a one-time $4,000 payment and double overtime. This existing provision will apply until September 1st, 2020.
New allowance of $1.00 per hour for Dog Handling.
Other improvements
Significant improvements to Workforce Adjustment (WFA):
Inclusion of seniority in the Voluntary Departure Process, ensuring that selections will be done on the basis of seniority.
Requirement to have joint Workforce Adjustment committees.
Expanded definition of alternation, allowing surplus employees to alternate into an indeterminate position within the Agency.
Increase to the Education Allowance from $15,000 to $17,000 for indeterminate employees who are laid off during workforce adjustment process.
Memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached between the parties agreeing on the value of returning to full membership of the National Joint Council (NJC). Creation of a union-management sub-committee that will discuss Parks Canada’s assessment of its policies related to the NJC and the feasibility of a full and expedited return to the NJC. This work will be completed prior to the next round of bargaining.
Improvements to parental & maternity leave:
Updated language to match the new legislation including a new extended leave option and the sharing of parental leave.
Expanded supplementary allowance for every week an employee is on extended or shared parental leave.
Additional weeks for parents covered under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, when both parents work in the public service.
Better language on return to work following a maternity or parental leave, giving more flexibility to parents who wish to change positions within the federal public service.
New language specifying that employees may take their parental leave in two periods subject to employer discretion.
Increase in maternity related reassignment or leave qualification from 52 to 78 weeks following the birth of a child.
New provision providing access to ten days of paid domestic violence leave.
MOU establishing of a joint committee to review the use of Indigenous languages in the Agency, examine Indigenous language skills in the performance of employee duties, and consider the advantages that Indigenous language speakers bring to the Agency.
MOU regarding Mental Health in the Workplace.
Recognition that all provisions in the collective agreement referencing a gender are meant for all employees, regardless of gender identity.
Expansion of scope for the following Leave improvements now inclusive of a person who stands in place of a relative for:
Leave without pay for the care of the family
Bereavement leave
Leave with pay for family-related responsibilities (now also inclusive of stepchild)
New MOU providing up to $150,000 to fund a one-year joint learning program pilot project (MOU will be outside the collective agreement).
Improvements to travel time to pay for up to five hours compensation for any stopovers. Increase of travelling cap to 15 hours from 12 hours.
An increase in meal allowance for overtime from $10 to $12.
Updated and improved language to match the new legislation on Compassionate Care and Caregiving Leave.
New language specifying employee’s right to access official copy of an investigation report (Article 17 – No Discrimination & Sexual Harassment).
Better language to allow the use of employer facilities for union activities.
Deletion of MOU on Supporting Employee Wellness. As a result, sick leave will remain untouched.
Full text and next steps
We will share the final text and full details of the tentative agreement as soon as it becomes available. Shortly thereafter, members at Parks Canada will be invited to participate in online ratification votes. Details about the votes will be shared as soon as possible.
Your bargaining team unanimously recommends the ratification of the tentative agreement.
To ensure that you receive all updates and can participate in the ratification process, please ensure that you have either updated your contact information on PSAC’s member portal, or that you create an account if you have not done so already.
Bargaining team:
Angela Decker
Daniel Toutant
Daniel Britton
Kassandra McKinnon
Marc Phillips
Omar Murray
Birch Howard
Negotiator: Ashley Bickerton Research Officer: Maxime Thibault-Gingras
The federal Treasury Board’s activity-based working (ABW) strategy will prove to be problematic given public health directives to stop the spread of COVID-19. Without assigned seating, as conceptualized by ABW, thousands of workers will be forced to share desks and surfaces, thereby risking exposure. Yet, instead of slowing down its implementation, the government is speeding up the transition to AWB, which will have dangerous repercussions for the health and safety of PSAC members.
The Treasury Board Secretariat has demonstrated a dismissive attitude towards legitimate health and safety concerns by suggesting that workers clean their own desks and make reservations through an already failing reservation system.
ABW also presents special challenges for vulnerable workers and these must be addressed. Decisions on ABW made prior to the global pandemic must be reconsidered and the federal government should show the same adaptability that federal public service employees have shown throughout the last months.
PSAC supports safety protocols for workers to the same level of precaution as we would want at schools, with assigned seating being significantly safer than variable seating. Accelerating the shift to activity-based working will increase the risk to PSAC members, their family and their communities.
PSAC is asking the employer to:
stop the proposal to accelerate activity-based working and prioritize assigned seating for the duration of the pandemic and beyond;
hire indeterminate, well-trained staff to clean and disinfect offices rather than relying on workers cleaning inconsistently without sufficient training;
apply an equity lens to managing the return to work of those employees who have been working from home especially given that women, racialized and Indigenous people and lower-income households have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19;
allow workers living with an immunocompromised individual to continue to work remotely to minimize the exposure within their household until a vaccine becomes available;
ensure all spaces are accessible;
establish alternatives for those with accessibility needs to assist with cleaning spaces.
All federal bargaining agents are collaborating to get the government to address these issues on ABW. PSAC will keep working to protect the health and safety of its members throughout this pandemic and as many of us gradually return to work, in some capacity.
The PA, TC, EB and SV groups as well as PSAC-UTE have now reached tentative agreements with their employers, and PSAC members will now have the opportunity to vote on their new collective agreements. PSAC has organized ratification votes between August 24 and September 29 in each PSAC region to allow you to cast your ballot. See below to sign up for the ratification vote webinar that is most convenient for you.
In order to be eligible to vote you must:
1. have received your personal identification number by e-mail
2. ensure you are a member in good standing (MIGS)
3. attend a 15-minute webinar session
Step 1: Receive your Personal Identification Number (PIN)
For those PSAC members for whom we have no personal email, we will send a letter in the mail containing your PIN to your home address two weeks before the beginning of the voting period. If we have a non-employer, personal e-mail address on file, we will instead send you an email with your PIN two days before the start of the voting period.
Please take a moment to update your contact information and provide us with your personal, non-work email address. You can update your contact information online by logging into the PSAC member portal or create an account if you don’t already have one.
If you have not received your PIN after the voting period begins, please check your junk e-mail folder and if it is not found there contact your PSAC Regional Office.
Step 2: Ensure you are a member in good standing (MIGS)
In some situations, PSAC members cease being members in good standing (MIGS) and lose the right to participate in ratification votes. To confirm your status, please contact your PSAC component.
If you are on extended leave
If you are on extended leave (e.g., long term disability, maternity or parental leave) and therefore not a member in good standing (MIGS), you can make a request to remain in good standing to the National President via this online form. This will allow you to participate in the ratification vote.
If you have not signed a union card or are unsure that it has been processed
If you are unsure that you have previously signed a card or are unsure that it has been processed, simply fill out a new card online.
Even if you are already a member in good standing, please take a moment to give us your personal, non-work email address. You can update your contact information online right now.
In order to ensure that members are fully informed prior to casting their ballot, the PSAC constitution requires all members to attend an information session before they vote. These sessions will be held by webinar in each region and will allow members to ask questions regarding the content of the tentative agreement. Attendance will be tracked and only those who registered and attended the full presentation will have their member profile updated on the e-voting system, enabling them to vote.
Find your PSAC region below to register for the webinar. Your PSAC ID is required to register for the webinar. It is listed in the top right corner of your voter package for easy reference or you can contact your PSAC Regional Office to obtain it.
Ratification vote webinar schedules for your PSAC region
We strongly recommend joining via browser or the GoToWebinar app (iPhone, Android) as this allows us to automatically track your attendance. If you wish to join by phone, you can have your participation counted by briefly joining the webinar via browser or the app and retrieving an audio PIN using the control panel. You can then log off the online webinar to continue listening by calling in by phone and have your participation counted.
If you will be joining by phone and are unable to retrieve an audio PIN through the app or browser, please note that your attendance will not be automatically registered. Therefore, you must inform your PSAC Regional Office of your presence on the webinar. Instructions on how to do so will be provided during the webinar. If we do not have a record of your attendance, your vote will not be counted.
Requests for accommodation
If you require any accommodation to be able to participate fully in the webinars (such as ASL interpretation), please contact your PSAC Regional Office as soon as possible.
Technical notes
Please join the webinar a few minutes early to make sure you are able to log-in and address any technical problems in advance.
The webinar may not work on all tablets.
Step 4: How to Vote
As a PSAC member working for Treasury Board, you will have the opportunity to vote on the tentative agreement with your employer from:
August 24 to September 29, 2020
You can vote on the tentative agreement by telephone or online. As stated above, you must attend an information session before voting.
Using the PIN that was sent to you by e-mail or mail, you can vote any time from August 24 at 8:00 a.m. (EST) until September 29 at 12 p.m. (EST) after you have attended a webinar outlined in Step 3.
The phone number and website for voting will be provided to you during the webinar.
Please be aware that if you should be interrupted while voting, you may re-access the voting system to complete your voting.
This vote is by secret ballot. How you vote is entirely confidential.
