Posted on

Parks Canada: Negotiations progress gradually

This week, negotiations continued towards securing a new collective agreement for over 4,000 Parks Canada members. Bargaining teams from both sides met in Ottawa from April 30 to May 2.

PSAC’s Parks negotiating team saw some movement at the bargaining table, but in small increments. Although the employer did come to the table with more language in this round, they still showed reluctance to move on major items. Most of the negotiations this week focused on non-monetary articles.

Securing Phoenix protections

This week, our negotiating team tabled our Phoenix pay administration proposal, which includes language to secure interest on monies owed if the employer fails to pay employees on time. This provision also includes reimbursements for members who have to seek accounting and financial management services to remedy inaccurate income reporting. Also included are other provisions to protect employees such as deduction rules for overpayment and emergency salary advances. The employer has yet to respond to this proposal.

The importance of domestic violence leave

The highlight of the week was our presentation to the employer on the value of domestic violence leave. PSAC presented overwhelming research on what’s at stake for those experiencing domestic violence and how this impacts the workplace. Our team emphasized the importance of accommodations and the cost of doing nothing. The employer seemed receptive to this proposal, which resulted in a productive discussion.

No progress on key items

Discussions continued on other bargaining demands such as vacation leave, whistleblowing, the Joint Learning Program, designated paid holidays, vacation leave, injury on duty leave, and joining the National Joint Council. During this time our bargaining team secured minor improvements to harassment language and in the articles relating to the definition of family.

Bargaining team rejects clawbacks

Unfortunately, the employer continues to ask for concessions concerning seasonal employees. The employer wants to prorate the number of family-related days for seasonal employees which would ultimately reduce the amount of leave members would have access to. Our negotiation team firmly conveyed to the employer that we will not accept concessions.

Parks Canada negotiations are set to continue May 28 to 30.

Source: PSAC

Posted on

E-Petition to the Federal Government – Parks Canada and Historical and Cultural Artifacts

E-2048 (Canadian Heritage)

The Petition is open for signature until June 25, 2019, at 4:56 p.m. (EDT)

Whereas:

  • Parks Canada holds in stewardship a large collection of historical and cultural artifacts created by diverse communities across Canada;
  • Understanding these traditions is a key part of celebrating and continuing unique cultural, regional and ethnic identities, such as the Metis;
  • These collections have been maintained in regional centers (e.g. Winnipeg) so that they can be accessed by researchers, members of their originating communities, and local historic sites;
  • Plans to centralize all Parks Canada collections in Gatineau will prevent local scholars and community members from accessing, studying, or understanding their own past;
  • The removal of local history will irrevocably damage the diverse regional and cultural traditions that have created a multicultural Canada; and
  • The forcible removal of cultural property from the reach of Indigenous communities is an act of colonization which is wholly incompatible with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action.

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada and Kildonan-St Paul, call upon the Government of Canada to (a) commit to keeping all historical objects in their context so that they may be readily available to scholars, scientists, and the members of their originating communities; (b) cancel plans to centralize the historical artifacts and resources held by Parks Canada in one facility in Gatineau; and (c) commit to maintaining regional facilities for artifact storage and curation in Manitoba.

SIGN THE PETITION

 

Posted on

Parks National Bargaining Conference

PSAC’s Parks Canada met last week in Ottawa for a three-day bargaining conference. Members from across the country gathered from September 25 to 27 in order to prepare for upcoming negotiations for a new collective agreement.

Throughout the conference, the delegates:
• learned about the collective bargaining process,
• reviewed bargaining proposals and discuss priorities,
• developed mobilization strategies, and
• elected their bargaining team members.

The new bargaining team. First row, from left to right: Omar Murray (Local 40340 – Parks Canada – Saskatchewan South, SK); Loretta Moar (Local 50110 – Riding Mountain National Park, MB); Kassandra McKinnon (Local 90023 – Parks Canada Employees); Angela Decker (Local 90265 – Gros Morne National Park, NL); Birch Howard (alternate) (Local Y0104 – Kluane National Park, YT). Second row, from left to right: UCTE member Daniel Britton; UCTE member Réginal Bernatchez (alternate); Daniel Toutant (Local 10269 – Mauricie National Park and Forges du Saint-Maurice National Historic Site, QC); Marc Phillips (Local 70501 – Parks Canada Agency (Gatineau), NCR); André Miller (alternate) (Local 70501 – Parks Canada Agency (Gatineau), NCR); Mike LeBlanc (alternate) (Local 60284 – Kouchibouguac National Park, NB)

Parks Canada members signed their most recent agreement on May 31, 2018. The four-year collective agreement, which expired August 4, 2018, includes an updated definition of ‘family’, improved leave provisions, improved member protections, unchanged sick leave, and monetary compensation for members.

Stay up to date with bargaining news by visiting the PSAC Parks Canada bargaining webpage, or sign up to receive PSAC e-News.

Posted on

Park Wardens attending the 2018 Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial Service

First row from left to right: Kelly Forbes (Local 00041 – Bruce Peninsula); Anika Hodgson (Local 30116 – Elk Island); Sharon Woods (Local 20106 – Mount Revelstoke); Tanya Dowdall (Local 29266 – Pacific Rim); Courtney Bearinger (Local 30402 – Lake Louise)
Second row from left to right: Birch Howard (Local Y0104 – Kluane); Jonathan Jansen (Local 00238 – Georgian Bay); Erin Munk (Local 50110 – Riding Mountain); Jordan Morrison (Local 00041 – Bruce Peninsula)

Nine park wardens participated in the 2018 Canadian Police and Peace Officers Memorial Service on September 30. Sharon Woods, Tanya Dowdall, Courtney Bearinger, Kelly Forbes, Anika Hodgson, Birch Howard, Jonathan Jansen, Jordan Morrison and Erin Munk proudly marched and took part in the service on Parliament Hill to honour fallen police officers. UNE National President Kevin King also attended the service.

The last Sunday of September of every year was declared as the Police and Peace Officers’ National Memorial Day in 1998 by the Canadian Government.
Park Warden Sharon Woods read the names of the six fallen police officers who died in the line of duty, to be added to the memorial wall.

The UNE is proud to represent law enforcement personnel working at Parks Canada and for the Parliamentary Protective Services (PPS).

Posted on

Bargaining Demands Input Call for Parks Canada Agency

The next round of negotiations with the Employer to renew your collective agreement will be happening soon. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has the primary responsibility for collective bargaining, but before negotiations begin, the UNE is responsible for soliciting bargaining demands from its members.

This is your chance to have your say and address specific issues that require improvement in your collective agreement.

Key dates to keep in mind:

 

Posted on

Update on Parks Canada National Classification Review

Since 2007, the Union of National Employees has dedicated staff and resources to deal with approximately 2,750 grievances related to job content, job classification and acting pay for Parks Canada employees. These grievances are the result of generic job descriptions rolled out to workers since 1999. As our convention cycle nears its end this August, we are optimistic that after so many years, we will finally have closed or settled all cases. Below is a chart of the remaining groups being assessed.

If you have any questions about the progress of the project, please contact Michelle Brunet at 613-560-2680.

 

Group Total grievors Files being assessed Files at PSAC Files closed/settled
CVH Coordinator ll

PM-04

  

6

  

1

  

0

  

5

 
CVH Supervisory

PM-03, PM-02

  

15

  

0

  

1

  

14
Warden l

GT-03

  

9

  

0

  

0

  

9
Warden ll

GT-04

  

19

  

12

  

0

  

7
Res Con Specialist l

GT-05

  

1

  

0

  

0

  

1
Res Con Specialist ll

GT-06

  

1

  

0

  

0

  

1
Res Con Fire Specialist

GT-04

  

3

  

0

  

3

  

0
Heritage Presentation Specialist l

GT-03

  

2

 

 

  

0

 

  

0

  

2

 

Group Total grievors Files being assessed Files at PSAC Files closed/settled
Heritage Presentation Specialist ll

GT-04

  

3

  

0

  

0

 

  

3
Heritage Presentation Specialist lll

GT-05

  

3

  

1

 

  

0

  

2
Education Specialist

PM-05

  

1

 

  

0

  

0

  

1
Visitor Service

GS-MPS-04

  

32

  

2

  

0

  

30
Material Management

GS-STS-04

GS-STS-06

PG-01

PG-02

  

10

  

0

  

0

  

10
Information Technology

CS-01, CS-02

  

8

  

2

  

0

  

6
Information

Services

SI-01,SI-02,

SI-03, AS-02

  

9

  

2

  

1

  

6
Unique Work

DD-04, EG-03

EG-04, EG-05, EG-06

  

10

  

6

 

  

2

  

2

 

Posted on

Parks bargaining team tables wage proposal with Agency

parksbargainupdate

Our bargaining team met with the Agency November 16 – 17.

We tabled a wage proposal that calls for annual increases of 3% in each year of a three-year agreement.

Other proposals tabled

  • Proposal to return Parks Canada to the National Joint Council
  • New language to enshrine Leave with Income Averaging, Self-Funded Leave, and Pre-Retirement Leave into the collective agreement.
  • New language regarding the Joint Learning Program.

Short term disability

Back in June, the Agency tabled a revised Short-Term Disability proposal to replace our current sick leave provisions. We rejected this proposal in June and it was not discussed during this round.

Upcoming bargaining dates

Negotiations are tentatively set to resume on January 30, 2017.

Our bargaining team thanks you for your ongoing patience and support.

Posted on

Hot Springs to Remain an Affordable National Treasure for All Canadians

HotSprings

Parks Canada has officially announced that it will no longer consider privatizing the operations of three of its most iconic attractions: The hot springs in areas around present town sites Banff, Jasper and Radium.

Parks employees and their union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of National Employees, campaigned and conducted town hall meetings in Jasper and Radium to bring awareness to both the public and the local business communities. Plans to continue those conversations – and expand them to Banff – were in the works prior to the announcement on September 2nd by the federal minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna.

”After years of campaigning, this is a huge victory for the union, its members and the public,” said UNE National Vice-President Kevin King. “This government has made a very meaningful decision and should be commended for listening to the requests of the workers and the people who visit these very special attractions.”

Eddie Kennedy, National Advisor on Parks Canada, is also proud to share this great news with everyone:

“This decision was in no small part influenced by the countless union members who met with elected officials, the general public and with parks management in explaining why these iconic locations are better served by staying under the umbrella of Canada’s national parks network , within Parks Canada.”

More than 300,000 visitors soak up the heat from these pools each year. The cost is very affordable – less than $10 – to visit the springs. The threat of privatization meant that prices could have soared, leaving many Canadians unable to afford what has become a landmark destination.

This victory to end a third-party commercialization attempt was made possible by a team of dedicated workers and endless lobbying, most notably Eddie Kennedy, Jurgen Deagle, Jaison Van Tine and Michael Power, with support from UNE and the PSAC Prairies Region.

We only know of these places because of First Nations peoples. The Stoney Nakota, the Ktunaxa Kinbasket, the Shuswap Nations and the Mountain Metis were the original inhabitants of Banff, Radium and Jasper, prior to railroad construction and tourism.

These special places belong to the people of Canada and should be enjoyed by ongoing generations of all peoples, from Canada or elsewhere.

Posted on

UNE Welcomes New Members from Rouge National Urban Park

WelcomeRouge

The Union of National Employees is proud to welcome members from the newly created Local 00420 at Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area (Scarborough). The park is Canada’s first urban national park, officially created in May 2015.

Mary Anne Walker, regional vice-president for the Ontario region, recently chaired the local’s first annual general meeting in December.

“This is a unique attraction,” commented Walker. “Visitors don’t have to travel to the park; the park experience has been brought to the city. In addition to common Parks Canada practices such as ecosystem restoration and preservation, there are guided walks, species and ecosystem preservation, educational and special events – all nestled within the city.”

For more information, visit the website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/rouge/index.aspx and be sure to check out their twitter page for some truly stunning photos.

Twitter @RougePark – http://twitter.com/rougepark

Posted on

Parks bargaining team raises pay issues, rejects short term disability proposal

ParksBargainUpdate

Our Parks negotiating team met with the employer’s team on June 28 and 29, 2016.

We opened our discussions by expressing our dismay and anger toward the agency regarding the ongoing pay issues. We concluded our discussion by advising the agency that pay day should be not be a stressful event. Meanwhile, PSAC, along with other federal government unions representing thousands of federal government employees filed a Notice of Application with the Federal Court directing the Respondent to implement a pay administration system that meets its obligations under the FAA and the Directive on Terms and Conditions of Employment.

The agency tabled a revised short term disability proposal to replace our current sick leave provisions. Similar to the proposals tabled with other groups recently, the agency’s proposal would remove sick leave provisions from the current collective agreement and short term disability would be administered as an agency policy. Our negotiating team remains committed to resisting this concession and rejected the agency’s proposal.

Negotiations are set to resume on October 24-27 and November 14-17, 2016.

Our negotiating team thanks you for your ongoing patience and support.