RALLY
Parliament Hill, Ottawa
December 4, 2017
12-1 PM
MP Romeo Saganash tabled Bill C-262 to ensure that the laws of Canada respect the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. A second reading in the House of Commons is scheduled for December 5, 2017.
With your voice and collaboration, Canada will honour Indigenous human rights and pass Bill C-262.
For more information, visit www.adoptandimplement.com.
#UNDRIP #TRC #RECONCILIATION #WaterIsLife
Our bargaining team held three days of bargaining with SSO during the week of November 20. We focused on our key bargaining issues: hours of work, job security and term employment. We did this with the support of our members across the country.
We thank regional office interviewers who wore stickers in the workplace and to field interviewers who sent us their stickers to highlight these problems. We posted the stickers in our bargaining room and the employer’s team had an opportunity to see the real magnitude of job precarity faced by our members.
We tabled proposals which seek to resolve the challenges faced by our members due to the precarious working conditions maintained by SSO.
Our proposals include:
We are pleased that during the week we came to agreement with SSO on some issues. We have expanded the definition of family, added gender identity and gender expression as grounds for protection against discrimination, improved bereavement leave, and maintained existing maternity and parental leave benefits.
We will be back at the bargaining table December 12 to 14. More updates to follow.
This summer the PSAC became aware that SSO’s pay equity settlement calculations failed to include paid leaves, overtimes rates, full compensation for designated paid holidays and other forms of compensation. After numerous members filed appeals stating that they believed there was an error in the calculations of their payments, the PSAC and SSO began discussions in an effort to resolve this dispute. Unfortunately, these discussions have not been able to resolve the pay equity dispute affecting between 20,000 and 25,000 current and former members who worked for SSO between 1985 and 2013.
While the purpose of the pay equity settlement was to remedy a long-standing discriminatory wage rate, SSO is unwilling to pay their female dominated workforce what the PSAC feels they are entitled to in the settlement. Rest assured, the PSAC will continue to fight for pay equity and is committed to standing up for members and former members. As a result, the PSAC will be taking this dispute to an independent 3rd party for a final and binding decision. Our members and former members have waited long enough for their discriminatory wage rate to be adjusted and deserve to be appropriately compensated.
In the meantime, Statistics Canada will continue to gather information and process payments. Once a decision has been reached, we will communicate the outcome to all those affected.
Elections took place today, on this fourth day of the UNE 2017 convention. Here are the results of those elections:
| National Positions | |
| National President | Kevin King |
| National Executive Vice-President | Andrew Shaver |
| National Vice-President for Human Rights | Daniel Toutant |
| Assistant National Vice-President for Human Rights | Kate Hart |
| Alberta, N.W.T. and Nunavut | |
| Regional Vice-President | Jaison Van Tine |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Geoff Ryan |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Drew Davidson |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Danielle Palmer |
| Atlantic | |
| Regional Vice-President | Mike Leblanc |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President (NB-PEI) | Brian Morrissey |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President (NL) | Angela Decker |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President (NS) | Matthew Cook |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Helen Zebedee |
| British Columbia and Yukon | |
| Regional Vice-President | Shirley Torres |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Brian Bakker |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Linda Woods |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Jennifer Chieh Ho |
| Manitoba | |
| Regional Vice-President | Christopher Little-Gagné |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Loretta Moar |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Martin Kaminski |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Jacqueline Nanali |
| NCR-Separate Employers | |
| Regional Vice-President | Patrice Rémillard |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | André Miller |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Mylène Séguin |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Evelyn Beckert |
| NCR-Treasury Board-Gatineau | |
| Regional Vice-President | Cindy D’Alessio |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Steve Racicot |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Éric Poitras |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Sandrine Oka |
| NCR-Treasury Board-Ottawa | |
| Regional Vice-President | June Dale |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Clara Noble |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Carla Ross |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Janet Connor |
| Ontario | |
| Regional Vice-President | Mary Anne Walker |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Diane Levola |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Craig Reynolds |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Sandy Bello |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Navnita Richardson |
| Outside Canada | |
| Regional Vice-President | Karl Lafrenière |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Rose Touhey |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Isabelle Beaudoin |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Behiye Cinkilic |
| Quebec | |
| Regional Vice-President | Yvon Beaudoin |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Yann Boudreau |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Étienne Mathieu |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Carole Maillet |
| Saskatchewan | |
| Regional Vice-President | Sandra Ahenakew |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Janette Husak |
| Assistant Regional Vice-President | Gloria Pfeifer |
| Regional Representative for Human Rights | Joyce Romanchuk |
The new collective agreements for three of the Treasury Board units are now available:
Source: http://psacunion.ca/tb-collective-agreements-now-posted
It has recently come to the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s attention that Statistical Survey Operation (SSO)’s pay equity settlement calculations fail to include paid leaves, overtime rates, full compensation for designated paid holidays and other forms of compensation. Rest assured, PSAC will be challenging SSO’s application of the Memorandum of Agreement, as we do not believe it is in keeping with the pay equity agreement reached between the PSAC and SSO.
We recommend that members and former members affected file an appeal as soon as possible in order to adhere to the 120-day timeline specified in the settlement. PSAC is not able to file these appeals on your behalf. Each member or former member must file an individual appeal.
PSAC’s legal counsel has recommended using the following template language for appeals:
“I believe there has been an error in the calculation of my payment pursuant to the settlement agreement between PSAC and SSO. In particular, the calculation fails to include paid leave, overtime rates, full compensation for designated paid holidays, and other forms of compensation during the relevant period of time.”
PSAC recommends that members and former members affected adhere to the timelines and process specified in the appeals process outlined in the attached letter. Please pass this message along to members and former members who could be affected.
Your appeal should be sent to statcan.ssopayequityoesequitesalariale.statcan@canada.ca, with a copy to classification@psac-afpc.com
If you have questions please contact classification@psac-afpc.com.
Source: http://psacunion.ca/revised-update-sso-pay-equity-settlement
June 21 is the day set aside to celebrate the Indigenous peoples of Canada. This year, 2017, marks the country’s 150th birthday. The birthday celebration conversation has non-Indigenous celebrants voicing pride in good fortune gained through hard work. This Indigenous non-celebrant voices sorrow that generations of my ancestors have been brutalized for 150 years by this country’s laws. Today. Still. Many Indigenous communities have no safe water to drink nor bathe in. Our Indigenous schools are not funded to the same level as provincial schools. Our families are still being destroyed and our children are still living in poverty. Facts. Many self-medicate to manage the painful legacy inflicted upon them. I am not celebrating 150 years of this.
It hurts to learn the facts and the history and how it impacts us and our children. We need to find the way forward, in a good way. Do you know the facts and history and impacts? Do you want this country to be celebrated, for its equality, honour, human rights? Would you learn and share your knowledge? Would you change laws? Would you create better laws? Would you change attitudes? Would you support making National Aboriginal Day a national holiday? It would be one amazing step to honouring the original inhabitants of this land.
All my relations,
Ruby Langan
National Equity Representative for Aboriginal Peoples
After much delay on the part of the employer, Treasury Board and PSAC have finally signed collective agreements for the PA, EB, TC and SV bargaining units on June 14, 2017. This is the result of significant pressure from our union.
These agreements, which cover over 85,000 workers in the federal public service, were ratified by the membership in April. Since then, PSAC had been pushing the employer to sign the agreements.
Last week, due to the excessive delay, PSAC National President Robyn Benson sent a letter to the Prime Minister. She expressed her disappointment and urged him to compel Treasury Board to set a date for signing.
PSAC also told Treasury Board that further delays would result in an unfair labour practice (ULP) complaint being filed with the labour board.
Source: www.psacunion.ca
Robyn Benson, National President of PSAC, has written to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, asking him to address the delay on the government’s part in signing four collective agreements.
“I believe that your promise to treat public servants with respect must be demonstrated beyond simple words,” said Benson in her letter to the Prime Minister. “I urge you to compel Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat to set a fixed date for the signing of all the ratified agreements within the coming weeks.”
These agreements cover the working conditions of over 85,000 PSAC members who work in the federal public services.
The complete text of the letter can be found here.
Source: http://psacunion.ca/psac-takes-treasury-board-collective-agreement
On May 24, 2017, a judicial review of the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board’s (PSLREB) decision on salary protection was rejected before a Federal Court of Appeal. The decision of the adjudicator stands and affected employees are officially entitled to full salary protection under the PSAC and Treasury board collective agreements.
A long-awaited decision was handed down by the PSLREB on July 4, 2016. It upheld the right to salary protection for members who transferred to the Department of Canadian Heritage from the National Capital Commission (NCC) in September 2013.
“We are very pleased that the Federal Court of Appeal has decided in favour of our members,” said UNE national president Doug Marshall. “Our members waited a long time for the PSLREB’s decision and now that the appeal is out of the way, employees have closure on this grievance.”
The policy grievance, filed by the PSAC on December 12, 2013, involved 44 members who were transferred by government order. Although the collective agreement provided that their wage rates would be protected upon transfer, the employer instituted a pay system that froze wages for up to three years, capped at $12,000 over the reclassified salary. After the three years, all employees faced a drop in salary.
For more information, you can read our previous articles on the grievance.