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Regional Seminar – Saskatchewan and Manitoba

The Manitoba and Saskatchewan Regional Teams invite you to participate in the Regional Seminar scheduled to take place at the Delta Regina Hotel on May 3 – 5, 2019.

This event will offer presentations and workshop training that will give you the knowledge and confidence to help your members. It’s also a great place to meet active members just like you and forge long-lasting friendships.

For a sneak-peek at what else we have in store for you, check out the seminar agenda.

The Union of National Employees will fund the following delegates per local:

  • A Local President or designate should be one of the delegates;
  • A member who has not previously attended a seminar should be given priority;
  • Locals will elect a youth delegate to attend the regional seminar (age 35 or younger as of December 31, 2020).

Locals are required to encourage the participation of equity members. Locals may send additional members at their own expense.

For information on travel, accommodation, accessibility and assistance for persons with disabilities, please consult the cheat sheet.

You must register by Friday, April 19, 2019. Unfortunately, we will not consider late registrations.

Should you have any questions about the Seminar please contact suzanne.boucher@une-sen.org.

Delegates to the Regional Seminar should arrive for Registration at 7:00p.m. Friday evening, May 3, 2019. Accommodations will be arranged for delegates to spend two nights at the Delta Regina Hotel for the Friday, and Saturday night of the Seminar as activities are scheduled to take place into the evenings. The Seminar ends on Sunday, May 5 at 1:00p.m.

Click here to register online.

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Local Presidents’ Conference – That’s a Wrap

The UNE would like to thank all 180 members who came out for this years’ UNE Local Presidents’ Conference.

Over the weekend, participants heard from an impressive lineup of guest speakers, engaged in panel discussions and gathered together in employer and regional caucuses.

On Friday, Maple Creek Saskatchewan’s Omar Murray gave a powerful review of the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919. CLC’s Larry Rousseau then fired the group up even more before they headed out in bus loads to the Prime Minister’s Office with messages of support for our bargaining teams, dismay at the Phoenix debacle and solidarity with Indigenous Canadians cheering on Bill C-262.

Upon return from the rally, the crowd heard from NDP Member of Parliament, Ms. Ruth Ellen Brosseau who spoke of her rise in politics and how she challenges the current Liberal government. Then it was off to workshops within employer groups before ending a busy first full day.

Saturday kicked off with regional caucuses and then a presentation by Mr. Alexandre St-Jean from the Office of the Ombudsman, Ethics and Conflict Resolution at Treasury Board. A panel discussion on Duty to Accommodate with UNE National Labour Relations Officers then capped off the morning.

In the afternoon, participants worked in smaller groups to learn about challenges, experiences and tools available to them as Local Presidents.

Sunday morning, attendees heard from the five National Equity Representatives for Human Rights on their personal experiences and the importance of inclusion at the local, regional and national levels.

UNE National President Kevin King closed out the conference.

Resources from the Conference are available on the UNE website at www.une-sen.org/events/conferences.

The component now turns its event focus to a series of Regional Seminars and the upcoming Women’s Conference scheduled for September 10-12, 2019.

 

Resources:

Winnipeg General Strike CBC Documentary (English only)
https://youtu.be/V1_oKcXn8vs

E-Petition for Parks Canada Historical Artifacts – https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2048

Ms. Ruth Ellen Brosseau,  MP for Berthier-Maskinongé (Quebec)
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Parliamentarians/en/members/Ruth-Ellen-Brosseau(71357)

Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President, CLC
http://canadianlabour.ca/about-clc/our-officers/larry-rousseau-executive-vice-president

Photos from the Conference are available on the UNE Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/Union.NE.Syndicat.EN/

And Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/une.sen/

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Racial Discrimination: a Deadly Poison

By Ralph Daguilh

Hello fellow activists!

March 21 is the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination. These past few days, I could not help but think about what March 21 means to racialized people. I thought about the xenophobic comments and policies of the President of USA – I reflected on the ways African French soccer players were discriminated and undervalued during last year’s World Cup. I even thought about the backlash that Naomi Osaka suffered when she won against Serena Williams – Anyway, my list is endless….

Racial discrimination is very much alive in our communities and workplaces. I am frustrated that racial discrimination is very subtle and can’t always be proven. The victim suffers in silence! Racial discrimination destroys the victim’s wellbeing and empowers the perpetrator – it is a silent killer and can have long lasting impacts on the victim and entourage!

In 2014, I witnessed with agony and tears my dear friend, John, a racialized person, experiencing racial discrimination. He was well trained to do the job shortly after he started working in his department. John successfully competed for a position; therefore, he should have gotten the job. Surprisingly, it never happened. The position was given to somebody else and John was left with no true explanation! Our local got involved with no success because management had already made their decision. John filed a grievance but lost because it was said “there is no evidence to prove that he was racially discriminated against”. I am still puzzled until today! Did my friend not get the position because of his skin colour? his accent? Or his religion? Even though the case happened a while ago, I still think of the emotional impacts the whole situation had on John, his family and friends. John must work two jobs to support his family. Therefore, not only has he less time to spent with his family, but he also must share his energy and skills between two Jobs.

It hurts a lot to be discriminated against – I am sure my friend John is not the only one to experience that.

The worst part is the victims of discrimination still have to find the courage and the energy, 5 days a week, to smile at their coworkers, and continue to provide the highest possible quality of service.

Racial discrimination is a poison: it diminishes individuals, perpetuates inequality, feeds anger, hatred, bitterness and violence. It can also lead to all kind of sickness and mental illness.

For my friend, after 5 years of patiently waiting for an opportunity to arise in his department, he decided to create his own. Slowly but surely, he took online courses to better himself and his education. Today he has his degree and more!

However, this is not the best way of dealing with racial discrimination, my friend chose that way because he has a very young family to feed and a mortgage to pay. When face with racial discrimination, stay focused, gather strength from your family, friends and allies and fight back!

I know, together, we can do it! The road to win a fight against racial discrimination is not an easy one. It is like climbing a tall mountain. The top seems unreachable. However, never give up, never give in and never stay silent!

Survey shows that racialized people are hired for entry level positions despite their qualifications and education; 80% of them remain at that entry level until they retire. They are underused. Racialized members represent numbers or quota to be filled by the employer.

My friends, racial discrimination will not disappear overnight. In my opinion, the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination should be an every day talk. The fight against racism and all forms of discrimination is a mainstay of peace and social cohesion, especially in our increasingly diverse communities and workplaces. Let’s learn to live and work together!

Ralph Daguilh
Alternate to the UNE National Equity Representative for Racially Visible People

Sources:

http://www.un.org/en/events/racialdiscriminationday/background.shtml

https://gryphlife.uoguelph.ca/event/87491

https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000247565_eng

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International Women’s Day, March 8 – #BalanceforBetter

March 8 is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is #BalanceforBetter, promoting a more gender-balanced world, where women’s actions and accomplishments are valued and recognized.

Canada is far from being from a gender-balanced society. However, there have been a few improvements for the past few years. In the federal public sector, the current government has put a large emphasis on gender equality. Part of the new Department for Women and Gender Equality’s mandate, whose workers are UNE members, is the “government-wide implementation of Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+)”. It is going to take years before the various federal departments fully adopt that public policy approach and before we can observe the impact of GBA+.

A lot of work remains to be done at the community level as well, where women can thrive both economically and in leadership positions. A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) focuses on gender gaps in Canada’s 26 most populated cities. Based on four criteria, “economic security”, “education”, “health”, “leadership” and “security”, they ranked the cities where a lot of UNE members live and work. The top 3 cities where the gender gap is the lowest are:

1. Kingston, ON
2. St. John’s, NL
3. Victoria, BC

The Labour movement also needs to reflect on the reality of a persistent gender gap in leadership roles. As part of promoting leadership roles for women within our Union, UNE delegates voted on an important resolution at the 2017 Triennial Convention. The first UNE Women’s Conference will be organized in the fall of 2019. UNE female activists will gather to share ideas and experiences, and learn from each other to develop Union leadership skills.

Together, in our roles as Union activists, UNE members continue to contribute to building inclusive communities and are promoting gender equality.

There are many Labour events on March 8. Take part in an International Women’s Day event in your community!

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Phoenix: PSAC escalates pressure on government with buildings shutdown

This morning, over 500 PSAC members rallied and blocked entry into two major federal government buildings in Ottawa as they expressed their mounting frustrations with Phoenix and urged the Trudeau government for more action.

“We have told this government that if they do not make more progress in paying our members correctly, and compensate them for the massive impacts of this disaster, that we would escalate our actions. That’s why we’re here today.” said PSAC President Chris Aylward.

“Federal Public Service workers have been showing up to work every day, delivering the services Canadians rely on, despite the mess Phoenix has created in their lives. Our members have been paying for the government’s mistakes for years. It’s time for the government to start paying them back.”

The union is calling on the government to remedy the situation by:

  • Paying damages to all public service workers for the great financial and emotional hardship they have endured
  • Providing the additional staffing and training needed to:
  • assist members at the Client Contact Centre and the Public Service Pay Centre;
  • reduce Phoenix cases by ensuring HR data is entered on time;
  • eliminate the backlog of Phoenix cases, including implementing collective agreements and delivering retroactive pay
  • Delivering a clear and accountable timeline to stabilize Phoenix, eliminate the backlog, and transition to a new pay system

Damning figures from the recent Public Service Employee Survey provided overwhelming support for the union’s demands.

“To add insult to injury, while our members continue to wait to be paid correct, this government has also delayed delivering a fair deal for over 100,000 PSAC members at the bargaining table. We won’t allow this government to keep taking our members for granted.”

Source: PSAC

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SSO victory: Arbitration panel awards 4% market adjustment

On 15 February 2019, an Arbitration Board issued its final, binding decision on outstanding issues pertaining to negotiations for the Regional Offices (RO) and Field Interviewers (FI) bargaining units of Statistical Survey Operations (SSO).

Two important gains were awarded by the Board:

  1. New language in Article 2 (Definitions) requiring the employer to provide, in a letter to employees, an explanation for changes to an employee’s Average Work Week (AWW); and
  2. In addition to the 1.25% annual economic increase for the four year collective agreement, there is now a 4% market adjustment applicable to all rates of pay, effective December 1, 2016, and applied prior to the 1.25% economic increase for that year.

The Board granted the employer 120 days—i.e., until June 16—to implement the retroactive pay and 4% market adjustment for all members of both bargaining units.

The arbitration award lists all items settled by the parties prior to the hearing under Annex A. The award states that “all items, whether agreed to by the parties or awarded by the board, are effective the date of the award unless specified otherwise.” In other words, the terms of new collective agreement are in full effect as of February 15, 2019.

PSAC is now working with the employer to proofread all changes in the new agreement prior to signing and distributing it to members.

Download the arbitration decision ⬇

Background

After two years of negotiations with SSO, the union and employer reached impasse and filed for arbitration. On January 29-30, 2019, an arbitration hearing was held in Ottawa and on February 15, 2019, the Board issued its award.

As this new agreement is retroactive to a four year period that ended on November 30, 2018, PSAC is already in the process of initiating a new round of bargaining. More information on this will be provided soon; please sign up for SSO bargaining updates here.

Source: PSAC 

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We Don’t Say…

The UNE Human Rights Committee is proud to launch its series of “We Don’t Say” photos with messages from members highlighting language that marginalizes the five UNE equity groups: LGBTQ2+ people, women, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and racialized persons. The committee was inspired by the Duke University students’ “You Don’t Say” campaign that gained popularity on Twitter. Since its debut in 2015, other university student associations have also jumped on board.

Kate Hart, UNE Assistant National Vice-President for Human Rights, brought the project to the attention of the UNE Human Rights Committee. “This campaign is great for UNE members because it is so inclusive,” said Hart. “Our proud union members have taken the opportunity to be featured in this project and we were pleasantly surprised by how many people wanted to participate. We also learned a great deal about each other because many voiced issues that were dear to them – issues such as suicide, racism and mental health. There are words related to these that feed stigmas or offend us or hurt us emotionally. Our hope is that the photos and their messages will help us educate one another.”

The photos will be posted on social media platforms including Instagram, Twitter and Facebook every month. We encourage you to share them with your family, friends and colleagues.

For more information, contact the UNE Human Rights Committee.

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Appointments by the Prime Minister in the Public Service: The Game of Musical Chairs

UNE National President Kevin King made the following statement:

Last week, the Prime Minister appointed former Deputy Minister of Public Services and Procurement (PSPC) Marie Lemay to the Privy Council Office. She was in charge of overlooking the implementation of Phoenix.

Bill Matthews is replacing her, effective January 28, 2019. Let’s hope that the new Deputy Minister will be more responsive and proactive regarding the Phoenix fiasco file.

When poorly performing bureaucrats get promoted instead of discharged for incompetence or incapacity, it is beyond the comprehension of federal public servants who perform publicly funded services for the benefit of Canadians.

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Statement from UNE National President Kevin King following Cabinet Shuffle

UNE congratulates both Jane Philpott and Seamus O’Regan on their respective appointments in today’s federal cabinet shuffle.

Minister Philpott, who has been vice-chair of the Treasury Board cabinet committee, will have to restore collective bargaining negotiations and show commitment with respect to the next generation of the pay system for federal employees after the Phoenix fiasco.

Minister O’Regan is appointed to Indigenous Services Canada (ISC), which is a new federal department. We hope the minister will be able to address the serious occupational health and safety issues that our members are facing on a daily basis in their workplace.

UNE looks forward to working with both Minister Philpott and Minister O’Regan.

Kevin King
UNE National President


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Callout for PSAC Awards

At the Union of National Employees, and at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members who have made a significant contribution through union activism.

PSAC LIFE MEMBERSHIP

The Public Service Alliance of Canada Life Membership award is the highest recognition that can be given to a member for outstanding service to the members of the PSAC.

Nominations may be made by the National Executive of this component or by the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s National Board of Directors. Please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the work history, union activities and include dates on the application form. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website. The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.

PSAC AWARD OF MERIT FOR MEMBERS

The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Award of Merit for members was established as an acceptable method to recognize members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada who have rendered service of the greatest distinction and of singular excellence in any field of endeavour, benefiting the PSAC or its members.

Applications for the Award of Merit may be sponsored by a Local, a Component or a member of the National Board of Directors. Please complete the application carefully. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website. The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.

PSAC PINS AND CERTIFICATES FOR YEARS OF SERVICE

The Public Service Alliance of Canada has a tradition of honouring long-term officers of the PSAC with service pins and certificates. These pins and certificates can be awarded to those with 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service.

If your Local wishes to nominate a member, please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the period of service section of the form. The eligibility criteria and application forms can be found on the PSAC website.

Nominations must be submitted no later than January 25, 2019.