As labour activists, perhaps our most important work revolves around workplace safety. Each year, far too many workers succumb to fatal injuries or occupational diseases.
Unfortunately for many Albertan families, 2013 was a disastrous year for workplace fatalities. According to the Calgary Herald, occupational diseases nearly doubled, accounting for the dramatic increase.
Alberta’s booming industries come with a heavy share of health hazards: 99 workers lost their lives in 2013 due to lung diseases. For coal workers, black lung disease is a common culprit. Other workers who are exposed to asbestos run a great risk of developing asbesotis and mesothelioma.
But you don’t have to work in a coal mine to come into contact with hazardous materials.
“Our members still work in government buildings that have elements of asbestos,” explained Regional Vice-President Kevin King. “There’s a ban in Saskatchewan, but they still exist in federal buildings in Alberta.”
And of course, many of our members work outdoors, in national parks and historic sites across the country. King says outdoor elements bring their own hazards into the mix.
“Inside national parks, we have issues with how trees are felled. We also have issues with respect to the operation of chainsaws and other equipment.”
Given how badly Parks Canada was hit during the 2012 cuts, King is worried about how a lack of resources could affect the basic maintenance of potentially dangerous equipment.
“We’re still expected to serve members of the public, but by and large, it’s questionable whether there’s enough time to perform maintenance on these things.”
The recent changes to the Canada Labour Code are also top of mind for the union leader. As you may recall, Bill C-4 robbed health and safety inspectors of their enforcement powers and handed them over to the minister of labour.
The government maintains that health and safety officers will continue to enforce the Canada Labour Code.
“There’s no enforcement until there’s an incident,” explained King.
“It seems to me that it’s changed. And we’ve gone backwards a generation or two.
We don’t want to freak anyone out… but if your bargaining unit belongs to Treasury Board or Parks Canada, there’s less than a month to submit your bargaining demands!
We’ve extended the deadline for bargaining demands to November 15. Now it’s up to you to make your voices heard.
Once your Local has voted on bargaining demands, you can submit them online by clicking here. Each Local should attempt to submit 25 demands; it’s up to your members whether they wish to submit demands drawn directly from the PSAC’s program of demands or outside of its scope.
Additionally, if you’d like to be a delegate at your national bargaining conference, you must submit your name to us by November 15. You can also apply online via the PSAC to attend the conference as an equity or youth delegate – but the PSAC’s deadline is different; you must apply by November 1. More details about this here.
Do you have any questions? Check out the bargaining section of our website for a complete guide to the bargaining process as well as frequently-asked questions.
If you have additional questions or haven’t received your PSAC program of demands, please email communications@une-sen.org.
Did you know the Union of National Employees represents members who work in law enforcement? Our national parks are kept safe thanks in part to the hard work of our park wardens.
“These men and women face unique challenges in the workplace,” said National President Doug Marshall. “It’s important to recognize the risks they take in keeping families safe when they visit our national treasures. It’s important to say thanks.”
From hungry bears to disorderly campers, park wardens are often put in harm’s way due to the very nature of their work.
Last weekend, Marshall was in attendance during the Canadian Police and Peace Officer’s annual memorial service. The service pays tribute to those killed in the line of duty – it’s also a great opportunity to say thanks to the men and women of law enforcement.
Each year, the Union of National Employees and the Parks Canada Enforcement Branch collaborate to send ten park wardens to represent their comrades during the memorial. This year, the participants were Lisa Babineau, Douglas Campbell, Nicholas Cotter, Jonathan Hopkins, Eric Jensen, Richard Lamy, Adam Macpherson, Shaun McKenzie, Michael Misskey and Roger Steadman.
The Union of National Employees wishes to recognize all our brave park wardens for their important public service.
Photo credit: Nicholas Cotter. Published with permission from Parks Canada.
As a union member, you’re empowered to make improvements to your workplace. That’s the power of collective bargaining!
That process is about to start for the Program Administration (PA), Operational Services (SV), Technical Services (TC) and Library and Education Services (EB) Treasury Board bargaining units and Parks Canada. The notice to bargain will be served in early spring 2014.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada has sent a Program of Demands to each Local; this document is meant to help you when engaging members in discussions about bargaining demands. Some of these demands come from unresolved concerns from the last round of bargaining – others reflect long-term goals of our union or issues that have emerged during the life of the current agreements.
So, now’s the time to get a few things done!
There’s still time to make some bargaining demands. This is your chance to make things better for you and your colleagues. You can submit bargaining demands via our website by clicking here. The deadline for this is November 1, 2013.
If you’re part of your Local’s executive, this would be a great time to schedule a Local meeting to discuss bargaining demands. Please keep in mind that each Local is restricted to a maximum of 25 demands.
Stay tuned to our website for more bargaining news. In the coming weeks and months, we will provide you with information on the process that Locals and the UNE will follow to prepare for this critical set of negotiations.
The next round of bargaining will be the most important in our union’s history; your participation is vital to our success.
Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees
The Union was recently notified that the Parks Canada Agency clawed-back portions of the CS terminable allowance, as part of the retroactive payments related to the recently ratified collective agreement. The Union’s position is that this action violates the negotiated agreement with the Agency. Therefore, the PSAC, through Union of National Employees, has commenced a group grievance action. To sign on to this grievance, you’ll need to complete the attached grievance form and accompanying form 19 – following the instructions contained therein.
Once you have done so, please forward the grievance and Form 19 to the attention of Denis McCarthy at the following coordinates:
Denis McCarthy
Union of National Employees
150 Isabella Street, Suite 900
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 1S7 denis.mccarthy@une-sen.org
* If you know of any former CS members who were employed by Parks Canada (on or after August 5 2011) and who are no longer employed by the Agency, we would appreciate if you would forward this message to them.
The collective agreement is now online. You can download it by clicking here (but be warned, it’s a doozy of a file! It’s 10 MB!)
Representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Parks Canada signed the official version of the collective agreement, earlier today.
“Now that it’s signed, members will feel a lot better,” said Loretta Moar, a member on the bargaining team. “It’s a great thing for the members. I’m ecstatic about it.”
In an email sent to all Parks Canada employees, the agency’s CEO, Alan Latourelle, remarked on both parties’ efforts in reaching an agreement.
“The collaborative attitude and ongoing working relationship between PSAC and the Agency made it possible to successfully negotiate this renewed collective,” wrote Latourelle.
For Moar, the signing of the agreement marks the end of months spent tirelessly working on behalf of our membership.
“It was a lot of hard work, long hours, a lot of travel… and a lot of restaurant food,” said Moar, laughing.
But all that time spent away from home was worth it, she said. Given the current political climate, the bargaining team did exceptionally well. Moar says she’s proud of the deal the bargaining team secured for our members.
“It was a goal of mine. To be a partner to that, it was a really great feeling.”
The Union of National Employees wishes to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all bargaining team members for their great work. Among its UNE members were Céline Ahodekon, Benoit Dubeau, Mike LeBlanc, Kevin King, and Loretta Moar.
For Loretta Moar, a first-time member on the bargaining team, yesterday’s announcement was very happy news.
“When the announcement was made, I danced around my living room,” admitted Moar. “This is great. I’m glad the membership chose to ratify the agreement.”
The bargaining team’s hard work cannot be overlooked. They spent countless hours on the road, away from home, going from one Local to another to meet with members.
And while the traveling can be tiresome, Moar says it’s not all bad.
“It was nice to meet all the members in my region!”
National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy, who also works for the agency, says he’s very happy with the results and wished to extend his congratulations.
“The bargaining team worked extremely hard to ensure we got the best deal possible, given these uncertain economic times,” said Kennedy.
“She’s very happy that her daddy is home and was super glad that the collective agreement has been ratified,” said LeBlanc. “It means daddy will be home more. Her tail is up and she is purring!”
Congratulations to our members – and here’s to the bargaining team getting some much deserved rest!
To find out more about the new collective agreement, click here.
It’s been a few weeks since our members on the Parks Canada bargaining team began meeting with members all across the country to explain the tentative agreement before them. Dozens of Locals have already cast their vote.
“This is what it’s all about,” said Mike LeBlanc, a UNE member on the bargaining team. “It’s entirely up to the members – it’s entirely democratic.”
Over the past three weeks, LeBlanc has been to Kejimkujik National Park, the Halifax service centre, Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, Prince Edward Island National Park, Fundy National Park and Kouchibouguac National Park. Next week, he will be visiting three sites in Newfoundland.
LeBlanc says the reception has been really positive. Most members are very happy with the many gains proposed; some are concerned about trading the accumulation of severance pay in order to get them.
“I basically explain to our members that we can negotiate with it now, or we can have it taken away from us in the legislature later,” said LeBlanc. “If we go back to the bargaining table, the government is still going to push for severance.”
Over in Quebec, meetings are also going very well. Benoit Dubeau, another member of the bargaining team, met with members in Shawinigan last week, including Local President Daniel Toutant.
“The members listened very attentively to Brother Dubeau’s explanations,” said Toutant. “We even took the opportunity to sign up a few Rands.” Take note: that’s a great idea because members need to have a signed union card in order to vote.
“The members seemed to be really happy with the answers they received.”
Heading west a little further, Sister Loretta Moar has been meeting with members in Ontario and Manitoba. So far, she’s met with office staff in Thunder Bay, conservation members in Nipigon and members working at Pukaskwa National Park in Marathon, Ontario as well as those working at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.
“The meetings so far have been very good,” said Moar. She added that most questions have centered around the severance package and payout options.
“There have been no negative comments about any portion of the tentative agreement,” said Moar.
And finally, we’re hoping Brother Kevin King has been travelling with some very warm long johns because he’s been visiting some very cold places. Earlier last week, we posted a photo of King knee-deep in the snow in Inuvik. If you don’t know where Inuvik is, it’s about a 53-hour drive north of Vancouver, in the Northwest Territories… it’s very very north!
King also visited the members in Banff earlier this month. “I spoke for about five minutes, and then answered questions for the next 25.”
His experience echoes that of other bargaining team members. “About 80% of the questions centered on the end of accumulation of severance.”
Brother King later attended meetings with members at Jasper and participated in the recent town hall against the privatization of the Canadian Rockies’ hot springs. More recently, King has been meeting with members in British Columbia along with a fellow member of the bargaining committee, Sister Céline Ahodékon.
By now, some readers might be exhausted just reading about all this travelling! The members of the bargaining team worked very hard to get to a monumental tentative agreement – and their hard work continues until they reach an agreement.
Brother LeBlanc said that while he really enjoys meeting members, he finds the travelling very tiresome.
“You’re away from home a lot. You’re staying in hotel rooms, eating at restaurants, spending a lot of time in airports or driving alone… it’s boring,” explained LeBlanc. “After a while, you almost go nuts,” he added, joking that he’s been talking out loud to himself a lot lately.
But LeBlanc says there are a few things that keep him going, such as the strong support he receives from his wife, Bernadette.
“She’s awesome! Without her support and understanding, I wouldn’t be able to be as involved as I am,” said LeBlanc with a smile. Even apart, the couple finds ways to keep in touch.
“We talk using Yahoo video, we play scrabble online together.”
However, LeBlanc says his cat, Belle, isn’t as supportive. “She isn’t supportive at all. She hates seeing the suitcase,” explained LeBlanc. “And when I finally get home, she ignores me for a few days.”
But despite the many days away from home and a grumpy cat that harbors a grudge, LeBlanc says getting a heartfelt ‘thank you’ makes it all worth it.
“At one meeting, as everyone was rushing to leave to avoid the bad weather, I noticed an older gentleman who seemed to be hanging around,” said LeBlanc. “He came up to me and said ‘I know it’s not easy work. You’ve been here a few times talking about bargaining and I want to thank you for your work because you guys don’t get thanked very often.’”
So, please, let’s all make an important mental note to thank our bargaining committee members. They work tirelessly on behalf of our members and they deserve our heartfelt thanks.
You can share your thanks right now! Please leave a comment in the box below.
With the Conservatives in charge, our country is turning into a giant auction where even our best-kept treasures are being put up for sale. Yes, that’s right; even the Canadian Rockies aren’t safe. Earlier last year, Parks Canada announced its plans to privatize the operations of three of its most iconic attractions: the hot springs in Banff, Jasper and Radium.
Last week, our members met with the local community in Jasper to find out what they thought of commercializing the hot springs — a consultation the government failed to do. Under privatization, the union expects an increase in fees or a decrease in the standards of service. That’s what happens when you take a national treasure and reduce it to a giant money-making machine.
“We opened up the floor for people to comment and ask questions,” said Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President of the PSAC’s Prairie Region. “It was an opportunity to see if what we were thinking was accurate.”
According to Hladun, the Jasperites’ opinions were absolutely in sync with our own. Many were concerned the hot springs would turn into a playground for the elite, with spa pricing making it harder for working-class Canadians to afford.
“Fifty years ago last August, we celebrated our honeymoon at the Miette hot springs [in Jasper],” said one resident. “The reason we celebrated there was because it was the most reasonable place we could find after going to university.”
“We stayed at the cabin with the tent tops… but unfortunately they had bunk beds,” she added to much laughter from the crowd at the meeting.
The woman also expressed her concern that the commercialization of the hot springs will prevent future generations from enjoying the hot springs as her family did.
Recently, her daughter got engaged while walking along the trails surrounding the Miette hot springs.
“We love the hot springs,” she said. “It’s turned out to be a wonderful place for us.”
Help us stop the privatization of our national treasures. It only takes a few seconds to send an email to your MP using the PSAC Prairies website.
It seems that the Harper government isn’t done attacking our members. Last Sunday, some contentious changes to our nation’s employment insurance took effect.
The Canadian Press reports that the unemployed will “face stricter, more complex rules for keeping their benefits.” These changes will be especially detrimental to many of our members whose work is seasonal.
According to Service Canada, frequent claimants (those who have had three or more claims or who have received over 60 weeks in benefits over the past five years) may be forced to accept up to a 30% wage cut.
“I’m very worried about our members at Parks Canada. Last year, the Harper government cut the hours and seasons for many of our members. Now, with these changes to EI, they’re kicking them while they’re down,” said National President Doug Marshall.
Marshall isn’t alone in his concern. The Globe and Mail recently reported that Atlantic Premiers also believe that these changes are an attack on season workers:
“The people who they most seem to be targeting are actually people who are in seasonal jobs. Like, that is not an abuse. That is part of rural culture of Canada,” [Nova Scotia’s NDP Premier Darrell] Dexter said. “If they see that as a problem then they essentially see the culture of rural Canada as a problem.”
Regional Assistant Vice-President Mike LeBlanc protested the changes to EI last Friday along with President of Local 60284 Rhéal Vautour. LeBlanc said the very frigid weather didn’t deter more than 400 people from protesting Conservative MP Robert Goguen’s office.
“EI has always been there for me, but it won’t be there anymore because I’ll be deemed a repeat user,” said LeBlanc who works as a seasonal worker in New Brunswick.
“I want to work. I don’t want to be on EI, but there’s no work,” added LeBlanc. “And now we’re going to get hit hard by changes to the very social safety net that’s supposed to keep us afloat.”
LeBlanc said he’s concerned about what this means for Atlantic Canada. New Brunswick’s unemployment rate recently surged to 11.6% in October. In Miramichi, the unemployment rate hovered near 20% last April.
LeBlanc also fears the change to EI may force many New Brunswickers to look elsewhere for work.
“We want to live in New Brunswick. We love our province.”
Rhéal Vautour and Mike LeBlanc at the "scrap the EI changes" rally in front of Conservative MP Robert Goguen's office in Moncton.
