Category: SSO

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.  

• May 7 12:30 p.m. EST  
• May 9 11:00 a.m. EST 
• May 11 7:00 p.m. EST  

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.  

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. 

• 2018-2023 PSAC-SSO collective agreement and pay grids

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)

February 28, 2022

The Statistics Survey Operations (SSO) bargaining team made progress on several proposals during talks with the employer February 15-17.  

There are several key bargaining issues still outstanding, including job security, hours of work, overtime pay, allowances, leave, general economic increases, and market adjustments. Our team is calling on the employer to respect the important work of SSO members by providing fair wage increases and improved terms and conditions. 

As always, the team remains firmly committed to achieving wage parity for SSO workers in line with other federal employees in the core public administration.  

Our team remains hopeful that we can continue to make meaningful progress during our upcoming sessions. If we hit a stalemate with the employer at the table, our team will file for arbitration. If we are forced to move to arbitration, the union and employer will each appoint a person to represent their interests on an arbitration board, along with an independent third person to act as the chairperson. Each party will make its case to the arbitration board, who will consider the submissions and make decisions about the outstanding demands and issue a report. Those decisions are final and binding and will form part of the new collective agreement.  

Our next bargaining session is scheduled from March 1-3. 

Source: SSO Bargaining: Standing strong for a fair deal  | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

January 5, 2022

The Statistics Survey Operations (SSO) bargaining team made progress during negotiations in December, even though the employer did not bring outstanding proposals to the table. The team was disappointed that the employer did not table their monetary proposals, which would have enabled the parties to move through this round of bargaining more quickly and arrive at a long overdue agreement.

However, positive movement on several issues was an encouraging sign and the employer has committed to bringing all outstanding monetary items to the table in mid-February.

The SSO bargaining team continues to push for significant improvements in working conditions and work hours, including:

• Wage parity with the core public service
• An allowance to fully cover personal expenses when working remotely
• Better job security, and a fair and transparent process around the assignment of work hours
• Improved maternity and parental leave benefits
• Improved shift premiums for evenings and weekends
• Improvements to sick leave, family leave, vacation leave and compassionate care leave

A detailed update on the state of bargaining will be shared with PSAC members at upcoming info sessions. More information to come on the dates and times of these local meetings.

Source: SSO bargaining: Moving forward together | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

February 19, 2021

PSAC’s Statistical Survey Operations bargaining team will be holding online bargaining information sessions across the country to bring members up to speed on the issues at the table.  

Negotiations between PSAC (Regional Offices and Field Units at SSO) and the employer kicked off in early December, with bargaining continuing January 27-28. New dates have also been set for the first week of March. 

Negotiations were delayed in part due to the pandemic and the lengthy hiring process of a new employer negotiator.  

During the information sessions, SSO members will have the opportunity to discuss the bargaining proposals put forward by both PSAC and the employer.  

PSAC’s core bargaining demands include: 

• Better job security, hours of work and schedules; 
• Improved maternity and parental leave benefits; 
• Greater protections against harassment and abuse of authority; 
• 10 paid days of domestic violence leave; 
• Improved shift premiums for evenings and weekend; 
• Leave improvements for sick leave, family leave, vacation leave and compassionate care and caregiving leave. 

Discussions continue on these and other proposals as the negotiation process gets underway. 
 
PSAC proposals:

• R.O. Interviewers
• Field Survey Interviewers

Employer proposals:

• R.O. Interviewers
• Field Survey Interviewers

Online information sessions

PSAC national negotiator Hassan Husseini is working with bargaining team members across Canada to organize the online bargaining information sessions over the next few weeks. Please stay tuned for announcements from your local about upcoming meetings in your region.  

We encourage you to make every effort to attend and stay informed about the issues at stake.  

Source: SSO bargaining: Online information sessions available, new bargaining dates set | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

Ottawa, ON – The Statistical Survey Operations (SSO) Regional Office and Field Interviewer teams met for three days to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly as they prepare to head to the bargaining table in (MONTH). Their current agreement expired in 2018 and UNE members are eager to get back to the table and negotiate a fair deal.

UNE National President Kevin King addressed the members:

“Our members at SSO do important, not-for-profit work that is a benefit to all Canadians. And yet, they remain underappreciated by the employer. This needs to change. We are proud to support these two bargaining units and hope that UNE can enforce a fair and just agreement.”

The SSO National Bargaining Conference was an opportunity for members to discuss the intent and prioritize demands submitted by workers from across the country.

Congratulations to the following delegates, elected to the SSO (RO & FI) Bargaining Teams:

Regional Offices
Edmonton	Yun-Csang Ghimn
Winnipeg	Donna Fidelak
Sturgeon Falls	Michelle Rivet
Sherbrooke	Alice Vallée
Halifax	Neville David
Alternate #1	Anna Goldfeld
Alternate #2	Imane Meddah
Alternate #3	Helen Anderson

Field Interviewers
At Large #1	Phyllis Allen
At Large #2	Elyse Jones
Western	Linda Woods
Central (ON & NCR)	Shelly Daudlin
Eastern (QC & ATL)	Claude-André Leduc
Alternate #1	Kelly Marshall
Alternate #2	Joanne Bekker
Alternate #3	Nilesh Patel