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FAQ about our PA group tentative agreement

When will we vote on the deal?

PSAC is currently preparing the ratification kits for the PA membership. These kits will explain the changes that were negotiated and why our PA Bargaining Team is recommending that members accept this tentative agreement. Information meetings will be held across the country so that PA members can hear from a Bargaining Team member and ask questions prior to casting their ballot on the tentative agreement. Given the size and diversity of the PA membership, the ratification vote process takes approximately six to eight weeks to conclude. Information on ratification meetings will be shared via the PSAC national and regional websites when it becomes available.

Ratification votes are being planned for the near future. Check the PSAC National Union’s website for planned dates and sign up for email updates to stay informed.

When will the deal come into effect?

If a majority of members vote “yes” in the ratification vote, PSAC will meet with the employer to sign your new collective agreement. With the exception of wages, which are retroactive, the new negotiated provisions come into effect on date of signing, unless otherwise specified.

Who will get back pay (retroactive pay) for the negotiated economic increases?

The new collective agreement is retroactive to June 20, 2014, expiring June 20, 2018. This means that you are entitled to back pay for the period of time you were employed and a PA member from June 20, 2014.

When can I expect the employer to pay the retroactive pay?

The employer has 150 days from the date of signing to implement the provisions of the new collective agreement, including adjusting rates of pay and issuing retroactive pay.

Who will get the signing bonus?

As part of your economic package for this tentative agreement, a $650 signing bonus will be given to any employee who is a member of the PA bargaining unit on the date of signing of the new agreement. The employer has 150 days after the date of signing to pay the bonus.

If I retired recently or left the PA bargaining unit, will I get the signing bonus?

Unfortunately, no. The signing bonus is only given to members of the unit who are employed in the PA bargaining unit on the date of signing.

If I am eligible for either the Compensation Advisor Allowance or the Correctional Service Specific Duty Allowance, will the increase be retroactive?

Increases to allowances are not retroactive. The employer has 150 days after the date of signing to implement the changes and issue payment of the allowances.

Source: www.psacunion.ca

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UNE Local Activist Award

At the Union of National Employees much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members who have made a significant contribution through union activism.

The Local Activist Award recognizes outstanding contributions made by a Local activist in their workplace to advance the interest of fellow members.

If your Local wishes to nominate a member, please refer to the criteria on the UNE website at http://en.une-sen.org/what_we_do/awards/HM_crit_e.pdf .  The application form can also be found on the UNE website at http://en.une-sen.org/what_we_do/awards/HM_app_e.pdf .   Please ensure that you follow the criteria carefully and complete the application form correctly.

The deadline for receipt of application is  April 1, 2017.  Should the recipient wish to receive his or her award at a UNE National function, please indicate clearly.

In solidarity,

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees, PSAC

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PSAC Life Membership

At the Union of National Employees, and at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada Life Membership award is the highest recognition that can be given to a member for outstanding service to the members of the PSAC.

Nominations may be made by the National Executive of this component or by the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s National Board of Directors.  Please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the work history, union activities and include dates on the application form. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website at http://psacunion.ca/eform/submit/life-member-nomination-form

The deadline for the submission of applications  to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.

In solidarity,

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees, PSAC

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2017 High School Scholarships

This letter serves as a reminder that all Union of National Employees High School Scholarship applications must be received by the National President no later than March 31, 2017.

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 correctly.

In Solidarity,

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees, PSAC

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PSAC Award of Merit for Members

Greetings,

At the Union of National Employees, and at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Award of Merit for members was established as an acceptable method to recognize members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada who have rendered service of the greatest distinction and of singular excellence in any field of endeavour, benefiting the PSAC or its members.

Applications for the Award of Merit may be sponsored by a Local, a Component or a member of the National Board of Directors. Please complete the application carefully. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website at http://psacunion.ca/eform/submit/psac-award-of-merit-for-members

The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.

In solidarity,

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees, PSAC

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PSAC Life Membership

Greetings,

At the Union of National Employees, and at the Public Service Alliance of Canada, much of what we do would not be possible without the tireless work of our many volunteers. That is why I am proud to take this opportunity to extend a sincere thanks to those members.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada Life Membership award is the highest recognition that can be given to a member for outstanding service to the members of the PSAC.

Nominations may be made by the National Executive of this component or by the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s National Board of Directors. Please complete the application form and enclose a complete service history of the individual. Please pay careful attention when completing the work history, union activities and include dates on the application form. The eligibility criteria and application form can be found on the PSAC website at http://psacunion.ca/eform/submit/life-member-nomination-form

The deadline for the submission of applications to be considered in any one calendar year is November 30th.

In solidarity,

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees, PSAC

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UPDATED – Tentative agreement reached for PA table

A tentative agreement between PSAC and Treasury Board has been reached for the PA table, covering over 68,000 federal public service workers. The deal includes significant breakthroughs on “common issues,” such as sick leave and workforce adjustment, the details of which were hammered out by the common issues committee earlier this week.

“I am proud of our negotiating teams for standing strong during these two long, difficult years at the table. A deal for our largest group, as well as agreements on key common issues, is a significant victory,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President. “I am equally proud of our members for their strength and solidarity. It is because of them that our teams were able to prevent the concessions on sick leave that the employer had been pushing for.”

Common issues need to be implemented at all tables

The issues agreed to between the employer and the common issues committee, composed of members from all five Treasury Board tables, will need to be accepted by each specific table. PA is the first table to formally accept the work of the common issues committee, which covers sick leave and the workforce adjustment appendix.

Sick leave

  • The sick leave articles of our collective agreements will remain unchanged.
  • The parties have negotiated a Memorandum of Agreement to establish a Task Force to develop recommendations on measures to improve employee wellness and reintegration of employees.
  • Any future enhancements to the regime would need to be negotiated and agreed to by both parties.
  • PSAC’s four principles are included in the MOA: sick leave provisions will be contained in the collective agreement, provide for wage replacement, protect and grandfather sick leave banks, and will not be administered by a third-party provider. Any enhanced sick leave regime shall contain, at minimum, these four principles.

Workforce adjustment appendix

  • What we achieved represents the most significant improvements in workforce adjustment since it was first signed as an appendix into PSAC collective agreements in 1998.
  • Changes will reduce involuntary layoffs by allowing volunteers to come forward to leave the public service during times of workforce adjustment.
  • Employees will now have up to fifteen months to find an alternation match.
  • More union involvement, ensuring employees have the right to union representation during the process.
  • Limits to contracting out.
  • Improvements to the monetary provisions, including the education allowance and transition support measures.

Monetary gains

The agreement with the PA table contains significant improvements to monetary compensation for members. This includes a wage increase and allowances for certain occupations, such as compensation advisors and employees of Correctional Service of Canada. The total compensation for all PA members amounts to a minimum increase of five and a half percent over the four years of the collective agreement, plus a $650 signing bonus.

The wage increase is 1.25 per cent for each year, plus a point five percent (0.5%) market adjustment for 2016.

Helping workers meet family demands

It has been agreed that a committee will be established to look at childcare needs. Better family leave, including provisions for extended family, have also been negotiated.

Other notable gains

The PA team has achieved improvements to working conditions for members working in call centres.

This agreement has language recognizing gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination.

The Memorandum of Understanding that established the task force on Mental Health in the workplace is also contained in this agreement. The mandate of the task force includes identifying ways to reduce and eliminate the stigma associated with mental health issues, improving communication on mental health challenges in the workplace, and implementing the National Standard of Canada for Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.  The MOU was agreed to earlier in the bargaining process, in 2015, and the task force has already been hard at work ever since.

Attachments:

PDF icon 20161217_barg_pa_ca_summary_table_bi.pdf

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International Migrants Day 

     

By Shirley Torres

The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed December 18 as International Migrant’s day in December 4, 2000. We dedicate the day to all the workers in the world who left their countries due to several reasons but mainly due to economic reasons. These workers were willing to relocate to any part of the world where they could earn better wages in order to provide for their loved ones.  They unselfishly accepted the fact that they were going to be separated and live far away from their families in hopes for a better and a brighter future. But, would there really be a better and a brighter future ahead?

They are the migrant workers. They encounter a lot of hardship, sacrifices and  challenges. Most often, they find themselves in a country that they know very little or nothing about at all. They end up immersed in a culture totally different from theirs and it takes a lot of time and effort and before they are able to adjust. A language barrier leading to misunderstanding and miscommunication often exists and can create tension and stress right away.

Migrant workers are quite vulnerable as they do not know local employment laws that protect their rights as workers. Some employers take advantage of this leading to lower wage rates, limited access to health care benefit or services and exploitation as well as physical, sexual or emotional abuse.

In Canada, migrant workers work primarily in the service sector. While they are able to live and work legally in Canada, limited funding is available for them to access services (such as free English classes and settlement support) that would enable them to integrate more successfully in the community.

This topic about migrants is dear to my heart because I come from a developing country where, due to poverty, many leave their homes, their families and their loved ones behind to be in any part of the world that offers  better means and resources to support them.  It is too sad that instead of achieving what they were aiming for, some of their hardships and sacrifices ended in tragedy because they were exploited and taken advantage of.

Today, I pay tribute to the millions of migrants in the world for their courage, sacrifices and of course their valuable contribution to their community, their society, their countries and the world.

I would like to pay tribute and remember in a special way a wife, a mother a daughter – a migrant worker. I dedicate this day to her. Please allow me to share her story.

Flor Contemplacion was a 42 year old Filipina housekeeper convicted by a Singaporean court of killing another Filipina housekeeper and the three year old Singaporean son of her employer on May 4th, 1991. After she confessed to the murders, it was later claimed that she made the confession under duress.

She was executed by hanging in March, 1995.

Click here to read her heartbreaking story.

It has been twenty one years since this tragedy and there are still other similar stories to tell. Let us all work together to ensure the protection of migrants’ rights and dignity by putting an end to the discrimination against them. Let us also raise awareness of their valuable contributions.

Shirley Torres is the UNE’s Regional Human Rights Representative for the British Columbia and Yukon region.

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Call for Nominations – Alberta, NWT and Nunavut Position of Assistant Vice-President

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are requesting nominations to fill the vacant position of Second Assistant VicePresident –Alberta, NWT and Nunavut which will become vacant next month. Please share this message among members of your Local.

Any member in good standing in the Alberta, NWT and Nunavut region can put his or her name forward for consideration.

In order to nominate a candidate or second a nomination, you must have been an accredited delegate from the AB, NWT and Nunavut Region at our last convention and continue to be a member in good standing. The same applies to voting privileges.

A list of accredited delegates and nomination form is attached for your information.

Delegates’ contact information will be provided to candidates upon request.

The form can be returned by mail, fax or email to the attention of Ateau Zola no later than 4 p.m. eastern daylight time on Wednesday, January 18, 2017.

900-150 Isabella Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 1V7
Fax: 613-560-4208
Email: ateau.zola@une-sen.org
Subject line: Nomination for Second Assistant Vice-President – AB, NWT and Nunavut.

Those who submit their names for nomination can send us a short biography (one page or less). This will be shared with voting delegates.

In Solidarity,
Doug Marshall,
National President

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Call for Nominations – Outside Canada Position of Second Assistant Vice-President

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

We are requesting nominations to fill the vacant position of Assistant Vice-President – Outside Canada. Please share this message among members of your Local.

Any member in good standing in the Outside Canada region can put his or her name forward for consideration.

In order to nominate a candidate or second a nomination, you must have been an accredited delegate from the Outside Canada Region at our last convention and continue to be a member in good standing. The same applies to voting privileges.

Please click here for the list of accredited delegates and nomination form.

Delegates’ contact information will be provided to candidates upon request.

The form can be returned by mail, fax or email to the attention of Ateau Zola no later than 4 p.m. eastern daylight time on Wednesday, January 18, 2017.

900-150 Isabella Street
Ottawa, ON K1S 1V7
Fax: 613-560-4208
Email: ateau.zola@une-sen.org
Subject line: Nomination for Second Assistant Vice-President – Outside Canada region.

Those who submit their names for nomination can send us a short biography (one page or less). This will be shared with voting delegates.

In Solidarity,

Doug Marshall,
National President