Top Stories – Page 57

2015/10/282015/10/28

In case you missed it – SSO National Bargaining Conference

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The collective agreements for SSO regional office interviewers and field survey interviewers expired November 30, 2014 and PSAC served notice to bargain on March 31st, 2015. In preparation for bargaining, PSAC will hold a national Bargaining Conference in Ottawa. The Conference provides and important opportunity to discuss bargaining demands and strategy for the coming round of negotiations.

Key Details about the Conference

Date: January 9-10, 2016

1 delegate per local for locals with fewer than 50 members.
2 delegates per local for locals with 50 or more members.
3 delegates per local for locals with 100 or more members.

For a copy of the callout letter, please click here. Notwithstanding this letter, the following applies:

The list of delegates’ names and contact information must be received by the UNE National Office no later than November 19, 2015. Please send your list by email to Emily.Gault-Due@une-sen.org.

For a copy of the callout letter, please click here. Notwithstanding this letter, the following applies:

Delegates to the bargaining conference must be elected at a Local meeting, held in accordance with UNE bylaws and policies. Because of the short notice that was received for the conference, I realize that it may be difficult to provide the required 30 days’ notice to members. Therefore, on an exceptional basis, Locals must provide members at least 21 days’ notice of the meeting.

There is also a separate process for equity members to apply individually. For more information, please click here. http://psacunion.ca/psac-equity-activists-women-and-young-workers

Thank you for your cooperation.

Doug Marshall
National President

2015/10/02

Liberal youth job creation‎ will lead to unfair working conditions

LibUnfair

The Liberal party’s promise to promote and protect Canada’s national parks falls short of what is needed particularly because it encompasses a proposal to create 5,000 youth jobs at the expense of secure and stable employment at Parks Canada.

The Liberals have indicated that they will address staff shortages by hiring young workers as guides, interpreters and in other positions at Parks Canada instead of creating regular employment opportunities.

“We are concerned that this approach will lead to unfair working conditions for younger workers, and it does not constitute real and meaningful reinvestment in our national parks,” said Doug Marshall, president of the Union of National Employees, a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Students who are employed by Parks Canada are paid separate and inferior wages under the Federal Student Work Experience Program. In the name of gaining work experience they are paid less than the workers they replace yet they perform the same work as regular employees.

Job creation is not about trading one type of job for another. Good jobs for young workers should not be created at the expense of workers already employed.

PSAC calls on the Liberal Party to create good jobs for young workers that are stable, paid a fair rate and provide career opportunities but not at the expense of the current workforce at Parks Canada.

2015/09/302015/10/01

CCPA Study Tells Canadians What the Union Has Been Saying All Along About Health & Safety

CCPAStudy

A new study from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives entitled Waiting to Happen: Why we need major changes to the health and safety regime in federally regulated workplaces reveals that the health and safety of over a million workers in the federal government and other federally-regulated workplaces is at risk.

“This study confirms that our members – and the Canadians to whom they provide services – are at risk,” said UNE President Doug Marshall. “There are several recommendations, including repealing the 2013 changes to the Canadian Labour Code that the government snuck into their omnibus bill C-4. These are changes that need to happen and on October 19^th, we need to make sure the government we elect will follow the recommendations in order to improve the health and safety of workers and the well-being of Canadians.”

The study reveals some disturbing numbers about health and safety in workplaces:

In 10 years the number of health and safety inspectors on the job has dropped by over 50 per cent.
From 151 inspectors in 2005, figures obtained by PSAC show no more than 67 working as of April, 2015.
Between 2002 and 2013, 684 employees died as a result of workplace injury.
There were nearly 21,000 disabling injuries in the federally regulated sector in 2012 alone.

The study concludes with several recommendations to restore and improve the health and safety regulation of businesses and employers under federal jurisdiction, including:

Repealing the 2013 changes to the Canada Labour Code and increasing inspector staffing levels;
Conducting regular field inspections, particularly in high-risk workplaces;
Improving data collecting and making it more transparent;
Developing a strategy for workplace safety on First Nations reserves;
Reinstating fire inspectors; and
Covering all Parliament Hill employees under federal health and safety regulation.

Click here to download and share a copy of the full CCPA report: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/reports/waiting-happen

With files from www.psacunion.ca

2015/09/292015/10/01

Honouring our heroes

Last Sunday, hundreds gathered on Parliament Hill to pay their respect to the men and women of law enforcement who lost their lives during the course of duty.

The memorial serves as an opportunity to say thanks to the countless police and peace officers who regularly put their lives at risk in the name of public safety.

In our national parks, that responsibility falls on park wardens.

“Our national parks are breathtaking places,” said Eddie Kennedy, national advisor on Parks Canada. “But they come with their share of hazards. Our visitors owe a great debt to the wardens who keep our parks safe.”

Kennedy was in Ottawa last Sunday to represent our union during the ceremony and was accompanied by UNE national president Doug Marshall and national vice-president Kevin King.

Each year, the Union of National Employees and the Parks Canada Enforcement Branch collaborate to send park wardens to represent their comrades during the memorial. This year, the participants were David Pemberton, Jay Leopkey, Jonathan Jansen, Lucas Burnside, Michael Misskey, Nathan Byington, Patrick Latreille and Sharon Woods.

The Union of National Employees wishes to recognize all our brave park wardens for their important public service.

2015/09/282015/09/28

PSAC launches second phase of Vote to Stop the Cuts campaign

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The Public Service Alliance of Canada is today launching the second phase of its Vote to Stop the Cuts campaign.

The campaign provides key information about the Harper Conservatives’ cuts to public services and encourages Canadians to take this into account when voting on October 19^th.

Vote to Stop the Cuts phase two will include a new video encouraging Canadians to vote on October 19, transit and newspaper ads as well as web and social media content.

Since coming into power, the Harper Conservatives have cut more than $14.5 billion a year from public services.

Phase 1 of the Vote to Stop the Cuts campaign garnered widespread media attention as well as engagement on social media. The first campaign video was viewed over 4.1 million times across social media platforms, the campaign content was liked, shared or commented on 226,000 times on Facebook and the campaign website received 436,000 hits.

“We believe our message is resonating with Canadians as we provide facts about the many essential public services that have been threatened by the reckless cuts made by the Harper Conservative government, without regard for the safety and welfare of millions of Canadians,” said Robyn Benson, National President of PSAC.

“Our members are on the front lines and see how frustrated Canadians are – waiting weeks to receive Employment Insurance cheques, or finding they can’t qualify. They are trying to ensure that Canada’s food is safe, that veterans are cared for and that our borders are secure,” said Benson. “But government departments have been stripped bare and workers are struggling to maintain crucial services under very difficult circumstances,” concluded Benson.

For more information on the campaign, visit votetostopthecuts.ca.

2015/09/24

Voting 101 – It’s easy and more important than ever!

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As October 19^th draws closer, the Union of National Employees wants to remind you that your vote in the upcoming election will make a difference.

The Harper Government’s Fair Elections Act makes it more difficult to vote, but we all know that election day is around the corner and the tools you will find on the Elections Canada website make it easier than ever.

Make sure you are registered to vote.

This is the first step in your vote preparation and you can do it online right now. Head over to https://ereg.elections.ca/CWelcome.aspx?lang=e and click Start. The process takes less than a couple of minutes and will ensure you are registered to vote. At the end, the system will tell you where to go to vote.

Vote on or before October 19^th.

There are many ways to vote – You can vote today or on October 19^th. Check out this link for more details: http://www.elections.ca/content2.aspx?section=vote&document=index&lang=e

While we are bombarded with pre-election news and storylines, the most important thing to remember is to not be overwhelmed – and remember – Your Vote = Your Future.

Together, we can elect a government that respects all Canadians.

2015/09/232015/09/24

Harper Conservatives target pensions again

The Federal Government is in the process of drafting legislation representing an unprecedented attack on the retirement security of all Canadians. If the Conservatives are re-elected and push through this legislation, the defined benefit pension plans of federally-regulated workers will be at risk of being converted to target plans with lower pension benefits for both retirees and active employees.

Significant incentives would be provided to employers to get rid of the much better defined benefit plans and convert these to targeted pension plans. This will be at the expense of stable retirement income that workers have already paid for through their pension contributions.

What are target pension plans?

Reduce pension benefits for both contributing employees and pensioners
No guarantee the promised benefit will be maintained in retirement
Risk is completely shifted from governments and corporations to vulnerable employees

Background

In 2014, the government announced a rushed consultation process on target benefit pension plans for federally-regulated workers
In the 2015, the government tabled a budget saying they are “assessing” voluntary target benefit options” for Crown Corporations.
Any proposed change would require the amendment of federal pension laws.

What has the PSAC done?

The PSAC presented a submission during the consultation process opposing this type of these types of pension arrangements.

Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) initiatives

Emergency resolution

At the CLC Triennial Convention in 2014, an emergency resolution was tabled calling unions to defend workers and pensioners against any and all attacks to pensions,

“Retirement Security for Everyone” Campaign

PSAC continues to support the CLC “Retirement Security for Everyone” campaign as the most effective means of securing the future retirement incomes of working Canadians.

A solution to a problem that doesn’t exist

Current federal pension legislation and regulations already protect the pension benefits of plan members and retirees from being reduced. The funding status of defined benefit pension plans is improving significantly with improving investment returns and gradual increases in long-term interest rates.
For example, the defined benefit pension plan for Air Canada reported for 2013 a solvency deficiency of $3.7 billion. However, in January of 2014, Air Canada had announced the complete elimination of the pension solvency deficiency.

Is the Federal Public Service Pension Plan the next “target”?

The introduction of target pension plans in the federal sector opens the door to other legislative changes and puts all defined benefit pension plans at risk.

2015/09/23

2016 High School Scholarships

HSBursaries

At the Union of National Employees, we believe that no one should be stripped of the chance to reach their full potential because of the increasingly unaffordable cost of post-secondary education. That is why our members are proud to offer several scholarships to promising students.

The High School Scholarship program awards ten scholarships in the amount of $1,000 – one from each region – to students in their last year of high school who are about to pursue post-secondary education.

These scholarships are designed to highlight union principles, as well as promote our union and the labour movement in a positive way. The scholarships aim to create awareness of our union within high schools and provide financial assistance to worthy students. This initiative will encourage youth to become more involved in union and social justice activities.

The criteria for the High School Scholarship program can be found on our website, at http://en.une-sen.org/what_we_do/hea/hs_scholarship_crit_e.pdf and the application form can also be found on our website, at http://en.une-sen.org/what_we_do/hea/hs_scholarship_app.pdf . Please ensure that you follow the criteria and complete the application form carefully. The deadline for High School Scholarship applications is March 31, 2016.

2015/08/20

We Will NOT Be Intimidated: Know Your Rights

SocialMediaRights2

This week, some federal government departments began distributing memos to employees urging them to avoid using social media during the election. The Union of National Employees believes this is an attempt to silence Canadian citizens’ freedom of expression.

“People need to be aware of the potential consequences when sharing their views on social media. But the law does not allow the employer to prohibit all employees from expressing their opinions when they are not at work,” said UNE president Doug Marshall.

As the memos roll out, the best thing you can do is be informed – and not just by the employer. The PSAC website has some very helpful information when it comes expressing political opinions on social media. We encourage you to read the information provided in the links below.

If you have any questions about possible discipline, please contact your local union representative.

2015/08/122015/08/12

August 12 is International Youth Day

YouthDay

If you knew me at all, you would have never thought that I would be active in the union. When I started working I was young, naïve and not at all educated on the worker’s movement. All that I knew about it was that my parents were part of unions and they went on strike a handful of times.

BUT WHY?

Why choose to stop getting paid? It prevented us from taking that great trip down the Oregon Coast when I was eleven because the strike meant no spending money: no drives to the beach, no volleyball in the sand, no maple walnut flavoured ice cream cones. When I started working for the government, I figured I would stay away from union activity. Members get so angry and riled up; I didn’t see what the fuss was about. We have everything that we could want or need in our workplace. Little did I know that if we didn’t fight for what we have and more, it wouldn’t just be the one time I’d be missing out on the Oregon Coast, it could be many more times.

I was dragged to my first local annual general meeting in the Spring of 2009. I only went because I was social and wanted to attend with my friend – I thought maybe we’ll become closer friends after this. But I got involved – my first union event ever – and I was voted in as Treasurer. I joined the local for my own selfish reasons – I had just graduated University and I wanted to keep using my brain and perhaps this would fill up my resume a little bit more.

December 6, 2009. I turned 23 that day. I was one of three young workers at the National Component’s BC/Yukon Regional Conference. At the 2008 National Component Triennial Convention, a resolution was passed to have two young workers from each region attend the 2011 Triennial Convention and every one after that. There were only three of us: one wanted to go but didn’t think that she would be in the government much longer. Another wanted to go but only if she was extended because she was a term employee. Then there was me – I was thinking “what was I going to be doing that night for my 23rd birthday?”

I was an indeterminate, so my peers agreed it only made sense that I would get one of the seats. I remember heading home feeling awful. Here were two young women who wanted so badly to be involved in these events and they had graciously agreed that I should have one of the seats. In August 2011, I was the only of the three young workers to make it to the convention. I knew that I would have to be the voice for BC/Yukon young workers and bring the enthusiasm that the other two displayed in 2009. In a sense, I wanted to make them proud to have had confidence in me at convention.

Fast forward seven years… now I am the President of that same local and the 2^nd Assistant Regional Vice President BC/Yukon for the Union of National Employees (UNE). A few things have changed since that 23 year old rookie at a union conference. I cannot believe that she and I are the same girl. Was I wrong about my preconceived notions about the union? Yes! Being active has taught me about so many important things about the worker’s movement and employee rights. Most importantly, we are not fighting for just ourselves but for all workers. I couldn’t be more proud to be part of – and active – in a labour union that has made so many strides forward in the right direction and continues to do so.

As a young worker and a young adult, I believe that we have a stronger voice than ever. Our more mature activists have extended their arms to help guide us in the right direction by sharing knowledge and advice. I am thankful and proud that UNE has been a pioneer in the young workers’ movement. At the 2011 Convention, our caucus consisted of 6 young workers. We were all new and unsure what to do with our time. Last year, our caucus consisted of over 30 young workers with an additional six of us as moderators. Young workers are notoriously shy when it comes to being active but UNE has made it so much easier to have our voices heard and help us grow as activists. Social media has also allowed the voice of the youth to be heard. It’s the new way of speaking up. Social media can allow a certain anonymity and this fosters individuals to voice their opinions and thoughts without fear of reprisal. I know now that we DON’T have everything that we could ever want in the workplace. We still have the working poor. We need to be their voices as well as our own.

This year marks the fourth year that the government has discussed and proposed an anti-union legislation, Bill C-377. Unions are already regulated and held accountable by the membership. Bill C-59 is a bill to ‘balance the budget’ by proposing changes to federal civil servants’ sick leave provisions. This Bill will not only negatively affect civil servants but it could also become the standard for both public and private sectors. We don’t want our gains to be taken away from us. So, thank you for making it an easy decision to stay active in the union. Thank you for inspiring me to get others involved in our message. Thank you for allowing us to stand tall and in solidarity towards one common goal.

Getting involved in the union was the last thing that I ever wanted to do, but I’m so glad that I did.

Daphne Ho is the UNE’s Assistant Regional Vice President for the BC & Yukon Region.