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The Union of National Employees exits Administration

Under the leadership of the Union of National Employees (UNE) National President Alisha Campbell and with the support of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) Administrator John Gordon and Assistant Administrator Mark Pecek, UNE exits administration. 

Today marks the beginning of a new chapter for the Union and makes history in unionism and the Labour movement in Canada as the PSAC National Board of Directors voted the Union out of Administration.

For the first time in Canadian history a Black and Indigenous woman holds the office of National President of a union and a Black woman is the National Executive Vice President at the same time.

“I’m excited about the path set forward by our delegates at our 2023 UNE Convention when they elected a new National Executive to steer them out of Trusteeship and I am grateful for the support and guidance PSAC has provided us since October 2023” declared UNE National President Alisha Campbell.

UNE is one of fifteen components within PSAC and represents nearly 27,000 workers across the country and in embassies and consulates around the world. For more information, visit the UNE’s website. 

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UNE To Connect with Passport Officers Across Canada

February 22, 2024

UNE is proud to represent Passport Officers and the colossal work they do for Canadians each and every day. When the responsibility of the Passport Program was transferred to former Canada Immigration and Citizenship (CIC), now Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) in 2013, with service delivery to be delivered through the Employment and Social Development Canada’s Service Canada Initiative (ESDC), the employers claimed it was an efficient move to improve service delivery, but it has been anything but for our members. Eleven years on, Passport Officers continue to be lost in the shuffle and their work undervalued.  

Shawn Walker, UNE Regional Vice-President, Outside Canada, will visit Passport Offices across the country to connect with members and to better understand their concerns. Shawn has been a member of the Passport Program since 2007. With several years at the national processing service, a brief time at the Certificate of Identity Office, and 9 years as a Passport Officer providing in-person service at the Ottawa regional office, Shawn now works at IRCC for passport. Shawn has been a Local executive of UNE Local 70130 since 2009; he has been a regional officer of PSAC-NCR, and is a graduate of the Union Development Program (UDP).  

UNE wants to hear directly from the membership what workplace issues are at the forefront and how your union can help. The visits will take place in the Passport offices. UNE Passport members will also be able to meet and discuss with Shawn and the other UNE elected officers after work hours on the following dates:  

Atlantic Visits 

  • February 27: Visit of the St. John’s Passport Office with UNE Regional Vice-President Gail Budgell, Atlantic 
  • February 28: Visit of the Halifax Passport Office with Gail  
  • February 29: Visit of the Fredericton Passport Office with UNE ARVP Elyse Jones, Atlantic 

Prairies Visits 

  • March 12: Visit of the Regina’s Passport Office with UNE Regional Vice-President Gloria Pfeifer, Saskatchewan 
  • March 13: Visit of the Saskatoon Passport Office with Gloria 
  • March 14: Visit of the Calgary Passport Offices with Assistant Regional Vice-President Cookie Kerel, Alberta, N.W.T. and Nunavut 
  • March 15: Visit of the Edmonton Passport Office with Cookie 

If you have any questions regarding these visits, you can send Shawn an email. 

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Convention Day Three – Human Rights at the forefront on the Convention Floor!

August 24, 2023

After the first Credentials Committee report, delegates got right back to business with the Finance Committee. The following resolutions were presented, debated and voted on:

  • FIN 1 – Removal of UNE Local Financial Review or Audit for calendar year end
  • FIN 2 – Modification to Policy FIN 1

    Delegates listened to a fantastic panel monitored by the 2023 Convention Chair Sharon De Sousa on health and safety in the workplace with panelists Uppala Chandresekara, Director of Public Health at Toronto Public Health, Fatima Gardaad, National Coordinator on Anti-Racism and Human Rights at the Canadian Labour Congress, and Andrea Peart, National Health and Safety Officer with the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

It was back to Convention proceedings for the first part of the afternoon with the Bylaws & Constitution Resolutions Committee and the General Resolutions Committee. Four resolutions were debated and voted on:

  • CS 10 – Relocation of Full Time National President and Vice-President
  • CS 4 – Increase Number of Allotted Delegates to UNE Triennial Conventions
  • Amended CS 7 – Structural Review of UNE
  • GEN 17 – Search the Landfill

    GEN 17 was an emergency resolution about launching national Search the Landfill campaign by the UNE Human Rights Committee. As stated in the resolution’s rationale, “[i]ndigenous women and girls are not disposable and deserve dignity, and the families deserve closure.” The resolution passed unanimously.

The all-candidates debate took place in the second part of the afternoon to allow delegates to discover the respective candidates’ platforms for tomorrow’s national elections.

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SSO: Register for virtual townhall meetings about your new collective agreement

May 1, 2023

Now that Statistics Services Operations (SSO) members have formally signed a new collective bargaining agreement that is officially in effect as of the March 13 signing, we invite SSO members to attend townhall meetings to learn more about what is new in the agreement.  
 
You will have the opportunity to ask questions and raise concerns at these meetings.  

PSAC national negotiator Hassan Husseini will provide more information about specific new provisions included in the new agreement and update you on what to expect for the next round of negotiations that will begin by the end of this year. 
 
Please ensure that your contact information is up to date to receive all the latest bargaining updates as we gear up for the next round of negotiations.  

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Strike deadline announced for 155,000 PSAC members

April 17, 2023

More than 155,000 PSAC members working for Treasury Board and the Canada Revenue Agency will begin strike action on April 19 if a deal cannot be reached by 9 p.m. ET April 18 – setting the stage for one of the largest strikes in Canada’s history.

“We’ve made some progress at each of our four bargaining tables over the past two weeks, but we’re still too far apart on several key issues, including wages that keep up with the cost of living, job security and remote work language,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National President.   

“We’re committed to remaining at the table until a fair deal is reached for all our members – both for our 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency members who resume negotiations today, and our 120,000 Treasury Board members still at the table.” 

PSAC members have been without a contract since negotiations with the federal government began in June 2021, and last week, voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action. 

“These workers – like all workers – deserve fair wages and decent working conditions. Despite some progress at the bargaining table, our members are frustrated that while negotiations drag on, they continue to fall behind,” said Aylward. 

“We’ve already been at the table for nearly two years, and these workers can’t wait any longer. That’s why we’re setting a clock on this round of bargaining.” 

With so many federal public service workers potentially on strike as of April 19, Canadians can expect to see slowdowns or a complete shutdown of services nationwide, including a complete halt of the tax season, disruptions to employment insurance, immigration and passport applications; interruptions to supply chains and international trade at ports, harbours, and airports; and slowdowns at the border with administrative staff on strike.  

Source: Strike deadline announced for 155,000 PSAC members  | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

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Negotiations with federal government continue as a potential strike for 155,000 workers looms

April 14, 2023

Over the past two weeks our bargaining teams have been back at the table with the assistance of third-party mediators to secure a fair contract for workers.

This is a critical time in the bargaining process, and it’s encouraging that talks are continuing into the weekend. PSAC will be holding a press conference on Monday, April 17 at 9 a.m. ET to provide an update on the status of negotiations with Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency on behalf of more than 155,000 federal government workers.

Members can watch the livestream of the press conference on our PSAC national Facebook page, and we’ll continue to keep you up to date on the status of negotiations on our website, social media, and by email. 

Our priority remains to secure a fair contract for PSAC members that addresses our key issues, including decent wages that prevent workers from falling further behind, a more inclusive federal public service, remote work enshrined in our collective agreements, and good secure jobs.

More than 155,000 PSAC members across Treasury Board and Canada Revenue Agency are now in a legal strike position. A strike by PSAC’s federal public service workers would be the largest strike against a single employer in Canada’s history.

This is the government’s last opportunity to show workers the respect they deserve. Workers can’t wait, and we’re ready to take strike action.

Check your email regularly for more information about strike pay, PSAC’s picket line finder, and other strike-related information in the coming days as we prepare for potential strike action.

Visit our frequently asked questions for more information about strike action and strike pay. 

Source: Negotiations with federal government continue as a potential strike for 155,000 workers looms  | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

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Receive your strike pay via Interac e-transfer

April 12, 2023

Last weekend, members in the TB and CRA bargaining units received an email asking them to sign up to register for e-transfer for strike pay. Here’s what you should know about registering for Interact e-transfer. 

Q: I received an email with the subject line: Strike pay: sign up for e-transfer. Is this an official email from PSAC? 

Yes. This is an official email from PSAC, to ask you to register for strike pay to be transferred securely through e-transfer with your personal e-mail address. The email is unique to each member and linked to their individual PSAC ID. It cannot be forwarded to other members. 
 
Q: If I do not provide an e-mail address for an e-transfer, will I continue to receive strike pay? 
 
Yes, you will still receive strike pay. If we do not have your consent and preferred e-mail address, your strike pay will be processed by cheque and distributed to the PSAC region you are in to pay you when you are on the picket line with PSAC members.  

Q: I deleted the email by accident, what should I do? 
 
Nothing. If you received the email, that means you are already in our membership database, and we will be re-issuing the email on Thursday, April 13 for members who have not yet signed up.  
 
Q: I did not receive this email, what do I do? 

This means we may not have your personal e-mail address to communicate with you. You can add your email through PSAC’s member portal. You will not be able to use an email that was forwarded to you by another member because the original email is unique to each member and linked to their individual PSAC ID. 

Q: Can my regional office re-send the e-mail directly to me? 
 
Yes, Regional Office staff can re-send emails directly. We strongly encourage members to have updated contact information through the member portal.  

Visit our member portal to keep your contact information up to date.  

Q: What is strike pay? 

For more about Treasury Board bargaining and strike pay, check our FAQ about Treasury Board Bargaining.

Source: Receive your strike pay via Interac e-transfer | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

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120,000 Treasury Board members secure strike mandate

April 12, 2023

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has received a strike mandate from members in the Program and Administrative Services, Operational Services, Technical Services, and Education and Library Science bargaining groups, which collectively represent more than 120,000 federal government workers employed by Treasury Board.  

“The cost of living has hit highs we haven’t seen in 40 years, and people are struggling. Every day, we see that our dollar doesn’t go as far at the grocery store or at the gas pump,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “Today, PSAC members are sending a clear message that they won’t be taken for granted, they won’t fall further behind, and they’re ready to fight for better.” 

The strike mandate follows nationwide strike votes that took place from February 22 to April 11, and comes on the heels of the strike vote mandate announced last week for 35,000 PSAC-UTE members working at the Canada Revenue Agency. A strike by PSAC members working for the federal government would be the largest against any single employer in Canada’s history. 

“Our members won’t take the decision to strike lightly. They know that a strike will be difficult for them and for the Canadians who depend on the services they provide,” said Aylward. “But they’re exercising their bargaining power because they just can’t wait any longer. Their bills can’t wait. Their families can’t wait. None of us can.” 

PSAC is the largest federal union representing federal public service workers, including workers who got vital new financial aid programs like CERB and emergency business loans up and running for Canadians in record time during the pandemic. They’re also cleaners and cooks on military bases, clerks and maintenance workers, tradespeople, Coast Guard search and rescue teams, teachers, firefighters and the people Canadians rely on to help process employment insurance, passport applications and immigration documents.  

Negotiations between PSAC and Treasury Board began in June 2021, but reached impasse in May 2022. The two sides met again during mediation in September and Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings in December before a PIC report was issued in February with non-binding recommendations. 

Source: https://psacunion.ca/120000-treasury-board-members-secure-strike

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Update: Phoenix damages taxability and deadline to object

April 6, 2023

In 2020, PSAC negotiated Phoenix general damages for approximately 165,000 PSAC members to compensate for the stress, aggravation and pain and suffering they endured because of the broken pay system. 

Treasury Board treated Phoenix general damages as taxable income – deducting tax from the payment PSAC members received – but the Union maintains that these damages should be tax-free like just like other damages agreements.

Initially, despite numerous appeals by PSAC, Treasury Board and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) refused to revisit the taxability of Phoenix general damages. That has changed, however, and the Minister of National Revenue has agreed to PSAC’s request to put a test case before the Tax Court to determine this issue. The joint reference was filed last week.

In the event that the damages payments are declared non-taxable, the CRA can re-assess the taxes of impacted individuals that make a claim at that time and reimburse them. However, we cannot guarantee at this time that they will do so.

In order to guarantee your right to the reassessment, as we recommended in our previous updates, we urge all those who received general damages for Phoenix to file an objection before the end of April 2023. If for whatever reason you cannot do so in time, we will send further updates in May on how you can request an extension to the time period to object.

It is not possible to determine the length of time the Tax Court will take to render their decision, but PSAC will provide an update to all members as soon as possible. For future Phoenix updates make sure to subscribe to PSAC’s e-newsletter and visit psacunion.ca/phoenix. 

Source: https://psacunion.ca/update-phoenix-damages-taxability-and-deadline

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PSAC and SSO sign collective agreement

March 31, 2023

After more than two years of negotiations began for workers at Statistical Survey Operations (SSO), and five months since an arbitration victory, PSAC and the employer have signed a new contract including key gains for workers that we will continue to build on. 

The collective agreement for more than 1,300 federal public service workers was signed on March 13 and covers the period from 2018 to 2023, expiring on November 30, 2023. 

The new rates of pay, including the five per cent market adjustment, have already been processed and retroactive pay has been issued to members. The $500 implementation payment will be added to members’ March 29 pay. All other changes are effective as of the March 13 signing. 

This new collective agreement closes a long round of negotiations that took place during a merger of two SSO units (field and regional offices) as well as the transfer of senior interviewers into the core public administration. The new contract replaces two previous contracts for SSO members and ensures consistency with the terms and conditions of employment for all PSAC members at SSO. 

What’s next? 

With this new agreement, we will begin preparing for the next round of negotiations, which should begin by the end of 2023. 

Information on the input call and the national bargaining conference will be released soon. Keep your contact information up to date to receive all the latest bargaining updates. 

Source: PSAC and SSO sign collective agreement | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)