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Treasury Board bargaining resumes amid delays and growing frustration

In the continued wake of the Phoenix pay system disaster, bargaining teams representing nearly 90,000 federal public service workers are back at the bargaining table with Treasury Board this week and next.

PSAC’s bargaining teams have been repeatedly disappointed by the continued lack of response and meaningful engagement by Treasury Board. In July, PSAC came to the table with clear proposals and a strong mandate to move forward. Unfortunately, the Government has yet to engage substantially with PSAC’s various proposals, and have not offered counter proposals.

“​It’s outrageous that our members have been waiting three years to get paid correctly under Phoenix—they shouldn’t have to also wait to get the fair working conditions they deserve,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National President. “They’re very frustrated at the lack of movement in almost six months since we first sat down to bargain with the Liberal government.”

From November 27 to 29 the negotiations will cover table-specific proposals for the four bargaining groups: Program & Administrative Services (PA), Technical Services (TC), Operations Services (SV), and Education & Library Science (EB); and issues common to all teams will be covered December 4 to 6.

“For these upcoming meetings, we’re demanding the government come to the table ready to make significant progress,” concluded Aylward.

 

Source: www.psacunion.ca

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An attack against Franco-Ontarians is an attack against all Francophones throughout the country

Despite stating the contrary during the electoral campaign, Doug Ford’s Conservative government has brushed aside the few, hard-won governmental services for which Franco-Ontarians struggled. The situation is shameful.

He seems annoyed and not the least ashamed of the outcry caused by the cutbacks. The best stance he has found is to blatantly state that he was misunderstood. All the while, he is disregarding the two fundamental objectives of the Official Languages Act, which are:

1. ‘’enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and
2. fostering full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.’’

The UNE, through its Francophone Committee, denounces this act which constitutes an attack on Francophones.

Long live French in Canada!

The UNE Francophone Committee

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Phoenix: Government To Correct Membership Dues Errors This Week

The Phoenix pay system will apply membership dues adjustments this fall. Letters to members with details about their specific dues’ situation are being sent out this month. On November 14, 2018 PSAC members will see the correct membership dues amount on their paycheques, and then they will find themselves in one of two categories:

You have overpaid membership dues and are owed a refund. PSAC will refund the total amount owed to you. You will receive the refund over 1 to 2 paycheques. Beginning in January 2019, your membership dues should be updated to the corrected rate.

You have been underpaying membership dues and are in arrears. PSAC will only recover up to 1 years’ worth of union dues and will not collect this in one large lump sum. The rate of recovery is always equal to the monthly amount of union dues a member would normally pay. These recovery payments will take place over several pay periods. For most of our members who owe less than $300, this shouldn’t take more than 2 to 3 months.

If you have concerns regarding arrears owed, please fill in this form to request additional information.

In solidarity,

The UNE National Office

 

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Health and Safety Challenges in Sick Buildings for ISC and CIRNAC

On October 31, 2018, UNE National President Kevin King attended a labour management meeting with Indigenous Services Canada (ISC) and Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs Canada (CIRNAC) along with other unions whose members work at Les Terrasses de la Chaudière in Gatineau, QC.

They discussed some pressing health and safety issues:

1. Floor related infractions (fire codes, water fountains); as outlined by ESDC’s Labour Program
2. Compliance with the Canada Labour Code – qualification of the person to report air quality;
3. Employer failed to provide information on a timely basis to the local Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) Committee.

On the 19th floor, there are currently 178 workspaces where the capacity for heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) is only 105. The employer is moving some employees to the 6th floor where there is a new HVAC system. Priority will be given to pregnant women and those with respiratory issues,

On the 6th floor of 15/25 Eddy, there are issues with windows, air quality and mold resulting in the need to move approximately 230 employees. There is also work needed to identify the root causes of headaches, nausea and other symptoms that a lot of employees on the same floor are experiencing. Investigations are underway to determine the cause.

The department is working with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) and Brookfield Global Integrated Solutions (BGIS) on a massive action plan and OHS inspection.

At the meeting, Kevin King voiced his extreme displeasure with the lack of plain language communication between the employer and its employees. He is very concerned about the available swing space compliance and proposed improved consultation with unions and employees to find solutions together.

“We are pushing for more consultation with building OHS committees involving several departments. The issue of sick buildings isn’t limited to these departments,” said King. “These workplaces should be safe enough not only to employ our members, but also house government daycare programs for children. We hope to schedule town hall meetings for all occupants of the building as well as their bargaining agents.”

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Recap of the 2018 UNE Occupational Health and Safety Conference

The UNE 2018 Occupational Health and Safety Conference was a huge success!

Delegates from coast to coast to coast gathered in the National Capital Region (NCR) from October 25-28 to learn about and discuss current health and safety issues. They had the opportunity to listen to insightful presentations by health and safety experts and had the chance to exchange and share their experiences by attending workshops and asking questions during the plenary sessions.

Mental health was at the heart of the Conference. Whether it was about awareness, psychosocial hazards, barriers, workplace programs, members of our Union family learned tools and strategies to tackle this issue, individually and as a Union team. Emotional exhaustion and burnout may still be taboo in some workplaces, but workers are becoming more vocal about it. Mental health is as important as physical health and employers, working in partnership with union representatives, ought to have mental health policies and support programs in place. The new legislation amending the Canada Labour Code (CLC) to address harassment and violence for federally regulated workers, also known as Bill C-65, was extensively discussed during the plenary sessions as well.

Mental Health and Wellness, Stress Management and New Member Integration Strategies, Knowing Your Rights and Responsibilities: The Canada Labour Code were some the topics of the workshops that took place on the second day of the Conference. Delegates also had the chance to attend a couple of mindful meditations sessions offered by UNE Regional Vice-President for Manitoba, Christopher Little-Gagné.

UNE National President Kevin King, who received the service award for long-term officers of the PSAC for 25 years of PSAC activism addressed the delegates and PSAC National President Chris Aylward delivered an inspiring speech reminding the audience of the importance of addressing mental health in the workplace.

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Response to Statistics Canada on Banking Information Data Collection

SSO Interviewers deserve better from Statistics Canada!

Following concerns expressed by the public over a pilot project run by Statistics Canada on banking information data collection, Chief Statistician of Canada Anil Arora made a statement yesterday responding to demands that the Privacy Commissioner of Canada to “take a deeper dive” into data mining of financial information.

The UNE/PSAC represents Statistical Survey Interviewers (SSO) who are responsible largely for telephone and field interviews that collect the raw data that is subsequently used to provide statistics on everything from literacy to consumer expenditures.

No amount of electronic mining of personal algorithms with respect to data collection can replace compassionate and professional skill sets that our members possess.

SSO Interviewers have been battling for months at the bargaining table with the employer to get a collective agreement that addresses long standing concerns of our hard-working members, including the acknowledgement of both modernization of the interviewer workforce and the effects of technological change.

Chief Statistician of Canada Anil Arora is claiming that his agency is “going above and beyond” when it comes to addressing privacy concerns by Canadians.

Mr. Arora should also consider “going above and beyond” in recognition of its dedicated workforce, amongst the regional office and field interviewers.

Interviewers provide a critical service for Canadians and that service needs to be both modernized and respected, both at work and at the bargaining table.

Kevin King

UNE National President

 

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2018 PSAC National Young Worker Forum

The Alliance Executive Committee (AEC) has approved a one-time National Young Worker Forum to be held in Ottawa from December 7 to 9, 2018.

This forum is an opportunity for a limited number of young workers (age 35 or under) to participate in a dynamic weekend of networking and planning for the 2019-2021 cycle. The goal is to focus on building more young worker committees, strengthening those that exist and having a plan for their ongoing success.

The objectives of the Forum are to:

  • Discuss, strategize and plan to grow strong and vibrant regional young worker committees;
  •  Network and share experiences and successes;
  • ldentify ways in which young workers can engage in PSAC issues and
    campaigns in the next cycle;
  • Build a network the supports young worker initiatives across the country;
  • ldentify tools and resources that will ensure success; and
  • Engage in workshops that challenge and inspire.

Young workers who are interested in attending the PSAC Young Workers Forum should contact their respective PSAC REVP’s office for more information on the selection process and deadline to apply.

In solidarity,

Chris Aylward
National President, PSAC

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CUPW Issues Strike Notices to Canada Post

Tuesday October 16 2018

If deals cannot be reached over the weekend, service will be disrupted as of next Monday

For Immediate Release

Ottawa – The Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW) today gave notices to Canada Post that job action will begin next week if agreements cannot be reached for the Urban Postal Operations and Rural and Suburban Mail Carriers (RSMC) bargaining units.

If job action is necessary, rotating strikes will begin at 12:01 am, Monday, October 22. Locations have yet to be determined.

“Our members gave us a clear mandate to take job action if Canada Post refused to address our major issues – health and safety, gender equality and preserving full-time, middle class jobs,” says Mike Palecek, CUPW National President. “Our goal is still negotiated settlements with no postal disruption. This week is Canada Post’s chance to make that happen.”

Key demands for postal workers during this round of bargaining are job security, an end to forced overtime and overburdening, better health and safety measures, service expansion and equality for RSMCs.

The working conditions of postal workers have deteriorated over the last decade in part because Canada Post has failed to properly address the massive increase in parcel volumes and the burden it has placed on members.

Canada Post also needs to address workplace injuries, which over the last two years, have increased by 43 percent. Today, the disabling injury rate for a letter carrier is eight times the average of the rest of the federal sector, which includes longshoring, mining, road transport and railways.

“A Crown Corporation should do better and can do better. Our members deserve better,” says Palecek.

Source: https://www.cupw.ca/en/cupw-issues-strike-notices-canada-post

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Phoenix: Years Of Membership Dues Errors To Be Corrected

The Phoenix pay system has been a disaster for our members. Members have been underpaid, overpaid and not paid at all. Learn more about what the union has been doing to get this fixed.

Not deducting union dues correctly is one more way that Phoenix has failed public sector workers. You can help us push the government to pay public sector workers correctly, every pay day.

For several years, the Phoenix payroll system has been incorrectly collecting membership dues from nearly 150,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. Thousands of federal public service workers have been overpaying or underpaying union dues.

In November, the government will finally be in a position to fix these Phoenix errors, and PSAC members will see the correct dues amount on their paycheques moving forward.

Read our most frequently asked questions.

A broken system

PSAC has a long-established system to determine the correct dues for each of its members. This information is updated monthly and sent to the government to be implemented, but due to Phoenix, the government has failed to process this information since March 2016.

This has affected thousands of workers, and particularly those that have undergone significant changes like members who have been promoted, changed positions, gone on parental leave, or retired.

A widespread problem

The Phoenix pay system’s failure to process membership dues correctly means that over 39,000 PSAC members are owed a refund. Current estimates state that nearly $2.6 million in membership dues will be refunded to our members.

Many more workers unfortunately, nearly 111,000, have been underpaying dues and will see recovery payments begin on November 14th. Thankfully, the majority of these workers owe less than $300 and PSAC has policies in place that ensure the amount will only be recovered in small payments over several pay periods. In addition, as a policy, PSAC does not retroactively collect more than 1 years’ worth of membership dues from their members – even if they owe more than this amount.

PSAC itself is owed nearly $20 million in membership dues needed to fund essential union services such as collective bargaining, legal representation, grievance support and training. We will not penalize our members for the government’s mistake in launching Phoenix. We do not expect to be able to collect everything we are owed from our members. We will pursue all legal avenues to recover money owed to us by the government, that we cannot collect from members.

What does this mean for PSAC members?

The Phoenix pay system will apply membership dues adjustments this fall. Letters to members with details about their specific dues’ situation will be sent out by the end of November. On November 14th, PSAC members will see the correct membership dues amount on their paycheques, and then they will find themselves in one of two categories:

You have overpaid your membership dues and are owed a refund.

PSAC will refund the total amount owed to you. You will receive the refund over 1 to 2 paycheques. Beginning in January 2019, your membership dues should be updated and collected at the new 2019 reduced rate.

You have been underpaying membership dues and are in arrears.

PSAC will only recover up to 1 years’ worth of union dues and we will not collect this in one large lump sum. The rate of recovery is always equal to the monthly amount of union dues a member would normally pay. These relatively small recovery payments will take place over several pay periods. For most of our members who owe less than $300, this shouldn’t take more than 2 to 3 months.

If you have concerns regarding arrears owed, please fill in this form to request additional information.

Source: http://psacunion.ca/dues

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October 4, 2018: Sisters in Spirit Vigils


This is an invitation to celebrate, honour and support Indigenous women, girls and their families on October 4 by attending or holding a Sisters In Spirit Vigil.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC) began drawing attention to the issue of violence against Indigenous women in 2005. They assembled a database on 582 missing and murdered women and girls. This year will be the 13th annual Sisters In Spirit Vigils across the country.

‘’Each year, family members, Indigenous community members, and supports gather on October 4th at Parliament Hill and across the country. We gather to honour our sisters and their families who have been impacted by violence.’’

A vigil can take many forms, from a moment of silence, to a rally, to a community feast. All that is important is that you take some time on or around October 4 to mark the day.

In response to numerous calls for action from organizations such as NWAC and the Canadian Feminist Alliance for International Action (FAFIA), the Government of Canada launched an entirely independent National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in September 2016.

PSAC also demands justice for Indigenous women and girls. “This government must ensure that the Inquiry leads to justice and healing for all affected by this ongoing tragedy,” said Magali Picard, PSAC National Executive Vice-President. “Indigenous women and girls, and their families, deserve answers. They deserve justice.’’

“Indigenous women are loved and valued. However, statistics on murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls show that they are in danger. How can we, as a society, keep them safe? Two questions from and Indigenous woman who spoke at a supportive gathering several years ago still resonate: “Will you hear me? Will you believe me?’’ declares UNE National Equity Representative for Aboriginal Peoples Ruby Langan.