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Parks Canada: Wages and working conditions remain top concerns

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.  

Read the full PSAC Monetary Package 

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. 

Show your support online for your bargaining team 

Get involved! 

  • Member engagement is more important than ever. Fill out this survey and get involved at this critical time.  
  • Have questions about the bargaining process? Read our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) and get informed.  

What’s next? 

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. 

For questions about the bargaining process, contact your local PSAC regional office or Union of National Employees local.

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UNE Members at Treasury Board: Have questions about PSAC’s strike vote announcement?

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.

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Passport Program in 2023: Another busy Year ahead for UNE Members

January 26, 2023

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.

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We’re in this together: Strike votes for 120,000 PSAC members

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. 

That’s why we’ve made the difficult decision to hold strike votes for 120,000 hard-working federal public service workers in the Program and Administrative Services, Operational Services, Technical Services, and Education and Library Science bargaining groups from February 22 to April 19, 2023. 

Register to vote 

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.   

Register to vote 

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 

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Are you registered for your UNE Regional Seminar?

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.

Click here to register online for your Regional Seminar today!

If you have any questions, please contact us at events@une-sen.org.

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UNE Trusteeship Update

The Union of National Employees was placed in trusteeship by the PSAC National Board of Directors on October 21, 2022. Since then, several updates have been made to help the component progress on its journey out of trusteeship, with a goal of accomplishing this in time for next August when the Triennial Convention is scheduled.

UNE was placed in trusteeship due to governance issues and not for financial reasons. UNE currently finds itself in a very sound financial position. As a result, all elected officers were relieved of their positions and the membership will elect a new National Executive at the next Convention.

What does this mean for members of UNE?

For members looking for help, support and service levels remain unchanged, and every effort will be made to maintain business as usual. UNE staff and local officers remain available to provide assistance and support to the UNE membership. Elected officers have been replaced by Deputy Trustees who have been assigned to each region. The Deputy Trustees are here to support Locals with their work, including representing UNE on LMCC’s running general meetings, working on grievances and staffing complaints.

You can find each Deputy Trustee, their assigned region, and their contact information on the UNE website:

https://unesen.ca/who_we_are/regions/
  • Chris Little-Gagne = Ottawa/Gatineau
  • Diane Levola = Ontario
  • Yvon Beaudoin = Quebec
  • Geoff Ryan = Alberta/NWT/Nunavut
  • Gail Budgell = Atlantic
  • Gloria Pfeifer = Saskatchewan and Manitoba
  • Shirley Torres = British Columbia/Yukon

The trusteeship has not changed the roles and responsibilities of UNE locals or local officers. Members are expected to continue to contact their Locals as their first point of contact. They will then contact the assigned Deputy Trustee, as required.

Any questions about component business can be directed to the Deputy Trustees or UNE Staff.

Questions about Trusteeship should be directed to John Gordon, Administrator or Mark Pecek, Assistant Administrator.

In solidarity,

Sharon DeSousa

Trustee, Union of National Employees

PSAC National Executive Vice-President

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Trusteeship of the Union of National Employees

The PSAC National Board of Directors (NBoD) has placed the Union of National Employees (UNE) in trusteeship, effective October 24, 2022. The NBoD has appointed PSAC National Executive Vice-President Sharon DeSousa as Trustee of UNE.

Maintaining service and representation to UNE members remains our priority. UNE members should continue to contact their Local representative or their UNE National Labour Relations Officer for representation assistance. The operations of UNE shall continue during this period, and PSAC remains dedicated to working with UNE members and staff to uphold the responsibilities of UNE.

Further information will be shared as soon as possible.

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Global LGBTQI Perception Index

The Council for Global Equality have partnered with Franklin and Marshall College in Pennsylvania to launch the first ever global LGBTQI perception index, which is aiming to get a comparative sense of how LGBTQI people in different countries feel about their human rights and safety in their countries. They’ve received 165,000 responses so far, but have indicated to me that the responses from Canada are fairly low, with only about 1,800 Canadians responding. They’d like to increase that number and if you are able to share this out to your networks, that would be great. I did the survey and it really is only a few questions and doesn’t take more than a minute.

Chris Little-Gagné (he/him/il)
UNE National Equity Representative for 2SLGBTQ+

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PSAC files complaint as Treasury Board delays dental plan negotiations

August 12, 2022

PSAC has filed an unfair labour practice complaint against Treasury Board for refusing to begin talks to negotiate a new dental care plan for tens of thousands of federal public service workers.  

After surveying members, receiving thousands of responses, and preparing a package of proposals, PSAC has been pushing the government to come to the table to begin negotiations for the dental plan. However, Treasury Board continues to delay talks to address the important issues our members have identified with their current plan. 

PSAC negotiates changes to the dental plan separately from the regular collective bargaining process. This process is also different than the recently concluded negotiations for the Public Service Health Care Plan agreement. PSAC negotiates the dental plan independently of other federal public sector unions.   

Once talks begin, we will publish our proposals and update members as talks proceed. You can learn more about your current dental care plan and follow the latest on negotiations here.  

Source: PSAC files complaint as Treasury Board delays dental plan negotiations | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

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Multiculturalism Works

August 12, 2022

Op-ed

Canada is fortunate to have a population that is made up of numerous distinct ethnic and cultural groups. Since the 1970s the Canadian Government officially adopted the ideology of Multiculturalism because of its emphasis on the social importance of immigration.

In the early days of the promotion of Multiculturalism, the dominant culture was very intimidated by the influx of various ethnic and cultural groups. It was often said that “if you come to Canada, you should be forced to adopt the Canadian culture”. This confused me because I didn’t fully understand what exactly “Canadian culture” was? My Canadian friends identified as Italian, French, or even European. Should I be adopting one of these cultures to be considered Canadian? Should I be eating more poutine, or adopting the word “eh” into my vocabulary? I was already using a tuque and ordering a double, double from Timmy’s. I even bought a Two-Four from the beer store for the May 2/4 long weekend, but I was still not considered Canadian enough.

When local governments began promoting multicultural events in various cities, that is when I “came out of the closet” and openly practiced my ethnic culture. I was no longer afraid to be me. I did not have to be embarrassed about practicing my culture openly in public. I could freely wear my ethnic clothing, eat my ethnic food and observe my culture’s art and music being appreciated by all. It also gave me the opportunity to learn about and appreciate the food, art and music of other cultures. It made me a more aware and appreciative person. To me, appreciating the cultures of all communities is what made me a true Canadian.

Multiculturalism is intended to encourage the various cultures to thrive in our society. I believe that a true “melting pot” would only flourish in a society that shows respect and appreciation for all cultures within that community. Some people believe that the promotion of multiculturalism would promote tribalism…. It would cause people to only interact within their own communities. That is not true. People tend to be intimidated by what they don’t know or understand. When people don’t understand the language that you speak or the religion that you follow or the food that you eat, they tend not to make the effort to integrate. This gives rise to tensions between people of different cultural backgrounds. People are too afraid that multiculturalism would result in their culture being eroded. However, the more one is exposed to other cultures, the more comfortable one become with integrating.

I believe that there are a lot more advantages to Multiculturalism than most people realize. It promotes a higher level of tolerance towards minorities, which in turn leads to a more peaceful society. When we learn from different cultures, life becomes much more exciting. It helps us to be more respectful of others and appreciate the cultural values and social norms of all. Beyond the Food and the Festivals, interacting with people of various backgrounds helps us to breakdown the ethnic or social stereotypes that one may have previously adopted. This helps us to look at things from various points of view and to work collaboratively in diverse ethno-social groups. In a multicultural society one is exposed to new ways of doing things and a different perspective of looking at things. This could only benefit us as a society.

The most important benefit of Multiculturalism is that it promotes the adoption of social justice for all. On this Multiculturalism Day let us all celebrate the diversity of all the communities in Canada and to affirm our commitment to democracy, equality, and mutual respect to all cultures in our world.

Sam Padayachee
National Equity Representative for Racialized Members