The Union of National Employees (UNE), in partnership with Environics Research, is conducting a short online survey in order to gauge the opinions of activists such as yourself on a variety of issues including the internal structure of UNE and the support activists receive from their Component.
For the purposes of this survey, the term internal structure refers to the National Executive, Regional Representatives and Human Rights Representatives.
In the coming days you should be receiving an invitation to complete the survey. The invitation will come from UNESurvey@environics.ca and will have the subject line “UNE wants your opinion/Le SEN veut connaître votre opinion”. If you do not receive the survey invitation, please check your junk or spam mail folder. Your opinion is important to us, so we hope you will complete the survey.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mark Pecek, UNE Trusteeship Assistant Administrator, at Mark.Pecek@une-sen.org.
In Solidarity,
Sharon DeSousa
Trustee, UNE National Executive Vice-President PSAC
The UNE held its Ontario Regional Seminar this past weekend and we were delighted to host so many energized members in a jam-packed three day event in Niagara Falls.
“This year’s Ontario Regional Seminar saw a high percentage of first-time attendees, many of whom were young women,” said Diane Levola, Deputy Trustee for Ontario. “I’m pleased that the seminar learning modules elicited encouraging levels of participant engagement and enthusiasm. I believe this is an indicator of a positive future for UNE.”
On Friday, the group heard from UNE Trustee and PSAC National Vice-President Sharon DeSousa, who shared an update on the trusteeship and answered questions about the coming months leading to the Triennial Convention. Then, it was time to get to work with sessions on Local Finance Training and Grievance Handling.
In the afternoon, Suzanne Boucher and Andria Meskauskas gave a presentation and answered questions about Convention and how to submit resolutions. Following that session, union veterans Michael Freeman and Phyllis Allen provided an update on current collective bargaining issues.
To cap the day off, Morgan Oddie, from the Ontario PSAC Regional Office, led an energetic presentation on mobilization and how members can prepare for possible strike mandates this year.
Saturday was all about “empowering the future of UNE” as members heard from former PSAC staffer Joanne Labine, who kept the team engaged for the entire day, speaking and discussing topics such as member engagement, education and many topics in the evolving landscape of human rights. You can download her presentation notes here.
On Sunday, it was back to training on Local Finances and Grievance Handling, followed by a discussion on human rights reconciliation.
Finally, congratulations to Lin Xi Yu, Local 00394 and Desiree Hickens, Local 00128, who were elected as Youth Delegates to Convention in Toronto this August.
As strike votes continue for more than 120,000 federal public service workers across the country, PSAC and the federal government have agreed to resume negotiations with the assistance of a third-party mediatior to reach a fair contract for workers. The Common Issues bargaining team will continue talks April 2-6, followed by the PA, SV, TC, EB teams April 11-14.
“For nearly two years, the government has dragged their feet and refused to sit down and meaningfully negotiate,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward. “That’s why we declared impasse at the table and launched strike votes – to give workers the power to put pressure on this government to reach a fair contract.”
PSAC launched strike votes in January after the government stalled talks for more than 18 months, and refused to negotiate decent wages that keep up with the rising cost of living and address other key issues, including better work-life balance, good, secure jobs and more inclusive workplaces.
Already, 30,000 PSAC members have registered for strike votes that are being held from February 22 to April 19.
“We expect Treasury Board to come back to the bargaining table with a real mandate that makes sure workers don’t continue to fall behind,” said Aylward. “There’s no doubt our goal is to reach a fair contract at the bargaining table, but this government has made it clear the way we’ll reach an agreement that supports workers is with a strong strike mandate from our members.”
PSAC has received the Public Interest Commission (PIC) report for the Education and Library Science (EB) group following hearings that wrapped up on December 13. Following the same pattern as the TC PIC report and the SV PIC report, the report unfortunately does not provide clear recommendations other than a return to the bargaining table.
Common issues affecting all tables are being considered jointly with the PA group. We expect the PA Public Interest Commission (PIC) report to be released soon.
In the meantime, strike votes continue across the country for more than 120,000 Treasury Board workers. We have seen how the government has dragged their feet at the table for more than 18 months, refusing to address any of our key issues while workers continue to fall behind the cost of living. A strong strike mandate from our membership is the best way to pressure the government to come back to the table with a real mandate to negotiate a fair collective agreement.
Your support is so important to our success as we fight for fair wages, better work-life balance, good, secure jobs and more inclusive workplaces.
Stay informed and engaged
Be prepared, get mobilized, stay engaged, and take action:
Black History Month is an opportunity to reflect on and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of Black leaders, workers, cultures and communities across Canada. Our labour movement has been shaped and fortified by the leadership of people of African and Caribbean descent, and we are proud to build and grow in solidarity together toward a more equitable future.
This Black History Month, PSAC invites you to register for a national virtual panel discussion on February 20, 2023 with Black leaders in Canada’s labour movement.
“Black History Month is about honouring Black excellence and the continued perseverance of leadership within our communities,” said Craig Reynolds, PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President, who will moderate the event.
“We have been at the forefront of the fight to end racism and discrimination, rallying for workers’ rights and transforming our labour movement into a powerful avenue for social change. Our accomplishments must be recognized, and our achievements celebrated.”
Join us to celebrate Black labour leaders in Canada. Learn about the victories and challenges faced by Black labour leaders, how they bring a more inclusive approach to labour’s agenda and are shifting the landscape towards a more equitable workplace and society for everyone.
“Black labour leaders are keeping the movement accountable to end discrimination and remove systemic barriers to make our workplaces more inclusive for everyone,” added Jan Simpson, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers, who will be part of the panel.
What: A virtual panel discussion to celebrate Black leadership in the Canadian labour movement
Who:
Craig Reynolds, Regional Executive Vice President for PSAC Ontario (moderator)
Jan Simpson, President, Canadian Union of Postal Workers
Jason MacLean, Secretary-Treasurer, National Union of Public and General Employees
Marc-Édouard Joubert, President, Regional Council, Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec
The panel will be offered in English and French with simultaneous interpretation. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email with more details about joining the panel.
The Parks Canada bargaining team met with the employer on January 17-19 to discuss non-monetary items and to table monetary proposals to improve working conditions for more than 5,000 Parks Canada members across the country.
The bargaining team reiterated key issues that matter to members – wages that keep up with soaring inflation, exploitation of workers through part-time and seasonal contracts, and an acknowledgement of the unique positions of park wardens as peace officers.
We need wages that keep up, because members are already falling behind
The current collective agreement that covers Parks Canada members expired in August 2021. This means that while inflation has skyrocketed, Parks Canada members have been struggling to keep up.
If you haven’t already, use our inflation calculator to assess the value of your real wage when adjusted for changes in consumer prices to understand why we’re fighting for fair wages that keep up with rising costs.
Highlights of the Parks monetary demands
Three years of increases that reflect real inflationary pressures on members in the hardest hit regions and the uncertainty of the year ahead
2021: 5.5%
2022: 8.5%
2023: 8%
Market Adjustments and Restructuring based on internal and external comparators (see Monetary Package for full details)
New allowances and improvements to existing allowances
A new physical fitness allowance of $600/year
A new term and seasonal employee housing allowance
A new proposal tying increases for existing allowances to future economic increases
Overuse of seasonal and part-time contracts is unacceptable
From coast to coast to coast, thousands of Parks Canada frontline workers contribute to the wellbeing of communities, natural spaces, waterways, and countless other environments that we all benefit from. Parks Canada is the only known federal law enforcement department or agency that employs peace officers on a seasonal basis.
Your bargaining team is fighting for fair contracts for more than half of Parks Canada workers who do not have full-time positions even when they’re required year-round. These workers deserve a fair contract.
The Parks Canada bargaining team will be meeting with the employer February 7-9 for the next bargaining session where we hope to make some progress on advancing the members’ demands. The team continues to show up for members at the table with comprehensive proposals while the employer, unfortunately, continues to drag their feet.
Following PSAC’s announcement, UNE wants to ensure that our members have the following information around strike training, strike action, as well as strike pay.
What was announced?
It’s important to know that we are not yet at strike action. What was announced today is a strike vote. This means that all UNE members who are covered by the Treasury Board collective agreements, will be able to vote on taking strike action in the coming months. This vote is crucially important and demonstrates to the employer that we are ready to fight for what we deserve.
Register now to take part in the strike vote. Once you’ve attended an info session, you have the whole voting period to submit your vote!
Where can I get more information about a potential strike?
We have been receiving many questions about strike action in the past weeks, and while we love hearing from you, we recognize that everyone is looking for information and the PSAC has put together an online strike course that answers most of your questions! Register here.
PSAC also has a strike manual that you can find here.
Furthermore, the PSAC has organized town halls that you can register to attend. Find the list here.
How much is strike pay?
PSAC pays members 75$ per day for each member who takes part in strike action.
Who do I contact for more information around strike?
Seeing as the entity responsible for bargaining is the PSAC, they are best placed to be able to answer your specific questions. The best course of action if you have outstanding questions if to contact your PSAC Regional Office.
Despite the recent update made by Minister Gould, the passport crisis is not over just yet. The minister acknowledged the commitment and professionalism of our hard-working members. We expect a spike in demand with the 10-year passport period ending with many waves of renewal submissions to come. The minister mentioned that our members have been working overtime to tackle the passport chaotic situation. They still do and this is not sustainable.
“For months, UNE has provided recommendations and best practices to ESDC about the overload our members and the department would experience,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC’s National Executive Vice-President. “The department did not prepare adequately, and our members had to face the crisis last year, but we continue to work with the employer to improve work conditions and services to Canadians.”
The department has hired a lot of new employees to prepare for the next influx of passport requests. Although ESDC hired intake personnel and changed its training curriculum to certify the Citizen Services Officer, it remains that only qualified Passport Officers can entitle all types of passports, including more complex files. As such, the “passport integrity”, mentioned by the minister, is still a big concern to the UNE.
It is thanks to the commitment and professionalism of our members that the backlog of passports is “virtually eliminated”, as stated by the minister.
UNE has continually raised concerns about low morale in the workplace, stress and mental health. Our members are as frustrated as the general public about wait times and we continue to work with the department on resolutions.
Finally, the minister briefly talked about looking at different new ways to deliver passports to Canadians. We are hopeful that any changes will involve consultation with the Union.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, you and other PSAC members have stepped up by helping Canadians when they needed it most — whether your work got done from home or the workplace.
But instead of showing their appreciation for workers at the bargaining table, all we’ve seen from Treasury Board is total disrespect and disregard for the issues that matter most to PSAC members.
We need to hold the line on fair wages that will prevent you from falling further behind as the cost of living increases. We believe in good, secure public service jobs, and an end to contracting out and privatization within the federal public service. We’re calling for solutions to harassment, discrimination and systemic racism in the workplace, so all workers feel safe on the job. And we’ll continue to fight to enshrine remote work and the right to disconnect in our collective agreements for better work-life balance.
Good wages. Protection from discrimination. Safe workplaces. Work-life balance. Is that too much to ask? We don’t think so.
Unfortunately, Treasury Board is hell-bent on pushing through serious concessions that impact your rights, including reducing job security and access to some leaves. And their insulting wage offer of 2.06% per year over four years is asking more than 120,000 hard-working PSAC members to take a big pay cut
To add insult to injury, the government imposed a flawed hybrid work plan on federal public service workers just days before the holidays, even though we’re negotiating remote work at the table and we’ve continued to serve Canadians effectively regardless of where the work gets done.
You deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. Treasury Board’s stalling tactics and demands for major concessions are unacceptable and are hurting our members and their families. That’s why we need your support.
Going on strike is never our first choice and it doesn’t mean we’ll automatically call one. But securing a strong strike mandate from our membership shows we’re willing to fight and will give us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement you deserve, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.
Together, we have the strength in numbers to fight for a contract that makes real gains for our members. This is our opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our workplaces, and we strongly urge you to vote in favour of a strike mandate. To give you as many opportunities as possible to participate in strike votes, we’ll be holding strike information sessions both in-person and virtually.
Your voting credentials will be sent to your personal, non-work email or by mail to your home address if we don’t have a personal email on file. You will need these credentials to register for a strike vote session. All virtual sessions are national votes, so you may register for any virtual session. If you haven’t received your voting credentials from PSAC via your personal, non-work email or mail, you may need to update your contact information before you can register to vote.
Thank you for your continued support.
In solidarity,
Chris Aylward National President Public Service Alliance of Canada
The 2023 lineup of UNE Regional Seminars is coming up fast! Are you registered? UNE Regional Seminars are an ideal place to learn about our union and the things we do.
These events are jam-packed with lectures and workshops to help you gain the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to represent our members. Regional seminars are also a great place to meet members just like you and forge long-lasting friendships.
We currently have five seminars scheduled over the next two months:
The Ontario seminar will be held in Niagara Falls February 9-12.
The NCR Combined seminar is for members of Ottawa-TB, Gatineau-TB, NCR-SE and Outside Canada. This seminar will be held February 16-19 in Gatineau.
If you are in the BC & Yukon Region, your seminar is scheduled for March 2-5 in Victoria.
The Manitoba seminar will be March 16-19 in Winnipeg.
Finally, the Alberta, NWT & Nunavut Region is holding its seminar in Yellowknife March 23-26.
