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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.

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PSAC National President and UNE National President to visit the Passport processing Centre in Gatineau

UNE Local 70130 has invited PSAC National President Chris Aylward and UNE National President Kevin King to visit the Passport processing centre in Gatineau on December 20, 2018. 

They will be provided a tour of the workplace of approximately 500 UNE Passport Program members.

Since the Harper Government abolished Passport Canada, the Passport Program now falls under Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC). 

‘’Our Local is excited to welcome our leaders to see the important and distinct workthat our Passport members do ’’ says Local 70130 President Rose Touhey, who is also Assistant Regional Vice-President for Outside Canada.

UNE is proud of the incredible work performed by its dedicated Passport Program members!

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2019 Local Presidents’ Conference

Members of the UNE Family,

The UNE 2019 Local Presidents’ Conference is just a few short months away! Local Presidents are invited to join us in Gatineau, QC, from March 21 – 24 for an exciting chance to gather with other Union activists and discuss current issues facing our Union.

We ask that UNE Local Presidents register online by Friday, February 8, 2019.

Your Local’s participation is very important. If you are unable to attend, we encourage you to designate another member of your Local Executive to attend the Conference.

If you are unable to register, please contact Suzanne Boucher at 613-560-4359 or at suzanne.boucher@une-sen.org.

There will be more information circulated in the New Year, but don’t hesitate to check the UNE website over the next few months for the latest updates.

In solidarity,

Kevin King
UNE National President

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Treasury Board bargaining resumes amid delays and growing frustration

In the continued wake of the Phoenix pay system disaster, bargaining teams representing nearly 90,000 federal public service workers are back at the bargaining table with Treasury Board this week and next.

PSAC’s bargaining teams have been repeatedly disappointed by the continued lack of response and meaningful engagement by Treasury Board. In July, PSAC came to the table with clear proposals and a strong mandate to move forward. Unfortunately, the Government has yet to engage substantially with PSAC’s various proposals, and have not offered counter proposals.

“​It’s outrageous that our members have been waiting three years to get paid correctly under Phoenix—they shouldn’t have to also wait to get the fair working conditions they deserve,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National President. “They’re very frustrated at the lack of movement in almost six months since we first sat down to bargain with the Liberal government.”

From November 27 to 29 the negotiations will cover table-specific proposals for the four bargaining groups: Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB); and issues common to all teams will be covered December 4 to 6.

“For these upcoming meetings, we’re demanding the government come to the table ready to make significant progress,” concluded Aylward.

 

Source: www.psacunion.ca