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Phoenix Pay System and Grievances

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What PSAC is doing

The PSAC is taking a number of high level steps to push for the earliest possible fixes to the problems at the Phoenix Pay System:

  • Regular meetings with Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) management
  • Letter-writing campaign to PSPC Minister Judy Foote proposing high level intervention from the government to fix the problems
  • Filing a policy grievance to address the problems with training, workload and other adverse impacts on the compensation workers in Miramichi
  • Filing an unfair labour practice complaint with the labour relations board with respect to the new system’s failure to pay employees on time and accurately

What Members should do

By following these steps, most employees will have their issues resolved more quickly than going through the departmental grievance process.

  1. Contact your manager to confirm your paperwork was sent to the Pay Centre. If it was not, acquire the paperwork to request a salary advance and follow up with your manager to send the paperwork. It is also important that you advise your human resources department right away.
  2. If the paperwork was sent, call the Pay Centre at 1-855-686-4729 to speak to an agent about your file.
  3. If the compensation advisor doesn’t follow up within three days or you are unsatisfied with their response, contact the Client Satisfaction Bureau.
  4. Send us an email at info@une-sen.org so that we can work together with the employer and make certain our members are being paid. Please have members email details of their issue, their PRI number and a short statement indicating they consent to the union sharing their information with PSPC.

 Specific hardship cases

The Pay Centre is experiencing a particularly high level of problems processing pay for more vulnerable employees, such as those on gradual return to work from Sun Life due to disability, those on maternity and parental leave, and new hires. In these cases, grievances should be actively considered for any member who suffers serious financial damages.

If you believe a member needs to file such a grievance, please contact your UNE regional team.

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UNE Staffing Announcement and Reassignment of Labour Relations Officer Employer Groups

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Greetings,

I wish to inform you that Manon Desormeaux will soon be taking her maternity leave. I know that you will join me in wishing her and her husband the best, with their new addition.

In anticipation of Manon’s departure, the Component conducted a staffing action and we are delighted to report that Marco Dufour has joined our staff as a Labour Relations Officer. Marco comes to us from the Viamonde School Board where he held a senior labour relations position. Prior to that, he was a Senior Labour Relations Advisor, for 16 years with the Union des Artistes.

Marco will be assigned to Manon’s Employer Groups and he will assume the responsibility for any outstanding cases on a way-forward basis. We hope to make the transition as seamless as possible.

The updated Labour Relations Officers’ assignments can be found at http://en.une-sen.org/who_we_are/lro/

I appreciate your understanding, patience and cooperation, during this period of transition.

Thank you.

Franco Picciano
Coordinator, Member Representation
Union of National Employees

 

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National Aboriginal Day

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National Aboriginal Day is on June 21. You are invited!

Contributed by Ruby Langan, Genevieve Babineau and Sandra Ahenakew

We are three Aboriginal peoples in Canada – the First Nations, Inuit and Métis. We each have our own distinct heritage, language, cultural practices and spiritual beliefs. National Aboriginal Day is a day set aside to celebrate Canada’s Aboriginal peoples. The Union of National Employees has many aboriginal members in workplaces across Canada.

June 21 is the day of the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. For centuries, many of the first inhabitants would celebrate the arrival of warm weather on this day. National Indian Brotherhood (now the Assembly of First Nations) called for June 21 to be National Aboriginal Solidarity Day. Canada’s Governor General proclaimed it the first National Aboriginal Day in 1996.

We welcome you to join local community events to honour, celebrate and learn about Canada’s original peoples. Check your local newspaper or the Aboriginal Friendship Centre for events near you. Come and join the fun. Eat, learn, play, volunteer, be entertained and get involved. This is your invitation.

National Aboriginal Day events across Canada are listed at the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada website:

http://www.aadnc-aandc.gc.ca/eng/1100100013322/1100100013323

Ruby Langan, Genevieve Babineau and Sandra Ahenakew are UNE Aboriginal equity representatives.

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Update on Phoenix Pay Centre Problems – Fix the System Now!

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Back in March, the union published an article about the Phoenix Pay System coming online. We expected there to be glitches, but the response from members has been overwhelming – the system does not work.

We have been contacted by many UNE members who have had problems with their pay cheques. Some have not been paid in months while others have seen their problems fixed temporarily, only to have the issues resurface a few pay periods later.

Yesterday, the government announced it will set up a satellite pay centre in Gatineau to reduce the backlog of requests currently in the queue. But that’s still not enough. Public servants have the right to be paid. Canadians have long been attracted to careers in the government because of the reliability of a steady pay cheque, but that no longer exists with the flawed Phoenix pay system.

So it’s time for you to have your say. Tell Judy Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement to Fix Phoenix now.

Click here to have your say and send a letter to Ms. Foote, your MP and PSAC President Robyn Benson.

We will continue to forward your problems to Public Service and Procurement Canada.

Please continue to  share your experiences with us. Did a problem with your pay occur? Did you resolve it yourself? Was the process an ordeal? Send us an email at info@une-sen.org so that we can work together with the employer and make certain our members are being paid.

 

 

 

 

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UNE Members See Roles Expanding on Parliament Hill

Scanners

When you visit Parliament Hill, either for a tour or to take part in committee meetings, your first point of contact is someone called a security scanner. Much like you encounter at the airport, this person plays a vital role by scanning briefcases and backpacks and waving a wand to ensure the security of all visitors. Scanners are members of the Union of National Employees and they are on the verge of playing an even more important role in increased security measures on the Hill.

Effective July 11, 2016, scanners will be replacing the existing RCMP officers, taking on the responsibilities of additional physical and electronic searches of vehicles entering Parliament Hill. They are trained to use sophisticated electronic technology including x-ray and explosive material detection in vehicles and of their occupants. The additional work for scanners will entail incorporating a 24-7-365 shift operation. As a result, there will be an increase from 44 members in 2015 to approximately 130 members by the time the vehicle scanning facility conversion is implemented in July 2016. Training and hiring of new employees is ongoing.

In 2018, Parliamentary Protective Services is planning to open its Visitor Welcoming Centre (VWC), which will become the primary controlled access point to Parliament Hill for all visitors and employees. UNE members, the scanners, will be an integral part of the VWC when it opens.

“This is yet another example of UNE members performing important, meaningful work,” said UNE president Doug Marshall. “The scanners have proven over the years that they are capable professionals and these new changes show the employer’s confidence that they are ready to take on additional roles and responsibilities.”

Are you a UNE member who wants to share a story about your workplace? We want to hear and share with the rest of the membership. Please contact Greg McNamara, Communications & Research Officer at greg.mcnamara@une-sen.org.

 

 

 

 

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New federal pay equity law one step closer

A House of Commons Special Committee on Pay Equity is recommending a new proactive federal law for public and private sector workers.

“We are very pleased with the Committee’s report – It’s Time to Act  recommending the government accept the overall direction of the 2004 Federal Pay Equity Task Force report and adopt the majority of its recommendations,” said PSAC national president Robyn Benson.

The Committee recognized the current law isn’t working for either employees or employers. It also recognized the role of unions in the pay equity process.

In her presentation to the Special Committee, Benson highlighted PSAC’s almost 40-year history of successful pay equity complaints in spite of long delays and stubborn resistance by employers. The recent victory for members at Statistical Survey Operations took almost 15 years to achieve.

“We urge the government to move quickly to consult with unions and other stakeholders in order to introduce the new law before the 18-month period recommended by the committee has passed,” added Benson.

Key recommendations

The Committee recommends that a new federal pay equity law:

  • apply to all unionized, non-unionized, full-time, part-time, casual, seasonal and temporary employees
  • apply to federal public service, Crown corporations, all federal-regulated companies with 15 employees or more and companies participating in the Federal Contractors Program
  • set a deadline to have pay equity plans in place within three years of the law coming into force
  • include mandatory reviews to ensure pay equity is being maintained

Create a specialized Pay Equity Commission and Tribunal

The Committee also recommends the creation of a distinct Pay Equity Commission and a Pay Equity Tribunal with both bodies having the jurisdiction, authority, expertise and resources to carry out their responsibilities. The new Tribunal would be given clear and broad enforcement authority including the ability to award costs.

Equity groups

One Task Force report recommendation the Committee did not deal with is the inclusion of other equity groups in the legislation. The Committee has recommended Statistics Canada allocate additional resources to collecting better data and analysis to determine the factors of the gender wage gap.

Repeal the law that applies to the federal public service

The Committee recommends the government repeal the Public Sector Equitable Compensation Act (PSECA).

“There is no need to wait to implement this recommendation. We urge the government to introduce legislation to repeal PSECA early in the fall session,” concluded Benson.

Introduced by the Conservatives in 2009, PSECA barred federal public sector employees and their unions from filing pay equity complaints with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. The committee report noted that none of the witnesses spoke in favour of keeping this law in place.

Source: PSAC

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June 8th Day of Action – Is Your Local Ready?

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By now, you have heard that PSAC and other federal public service unions are calling on all members to help send a message to the Liberals by participating in a national action day on June 8th.

So what does your local have planned?

Visit our website here and leave a comment – we want to know. Tell us what you have planned for your local and we will share it on social media.  If you have a page set up, let us know and we will post links. We also hope you will send us photos of members in action!

If you haven’t already, click here to download a customizable PDF that you can use as a poster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Members at Museum of Nature ratify new collective agreement

MuseumNatureRatify

The members of PSAC Local 70395 recently voted in favour of the agreement negotiated with the Canadian Museum of Nature. The Local had been in negotiations for the last 2 years.

Highlights of the four-year contract, which expires June 14, 2018, include:

  • a 1% wage increase per year,
  • an increase in standby pay, and
  • a change in the definition of part-time employees.

Just as importantly, the Local was able to achieve its bargaining mandate of no concessions in the collective agreement / bargaining process.

“Reaching an agreement was a long process and the negotiation team worked hard to protect and improve our collective agreement,” said Local President Roger Bull. “We offer them sincere thanks for their efforts on behalf of all members.”

Local 70395 represents approximately 100 workers employed by the Canadian Museum of Nature in Gatineau and Ottawa. They work in the areas of administration, advancement, collections, experience and education, facilities, finance, human resources, IT, marketing and media relations protection services, research and visitor services.

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Ontario Regional Seminar

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Your regional seminar is fast approaching and it’s the best place to learn about our union and the many things we do.

This event is jam-packed with lectures and workshops to help you gain the knowledge and confidence you’ll need to help our members. It’s also a great place to meet active members just like you and forge long-lasting friendships.

For a sneak-peek at what else we have in store for you, check out the agenda.

Participants should arrive between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. on Friday, August 19, 2016 to register. You should select representatives from your Local to attend the seminar. The Union of National Employees will fund two delegates per Local as well as one youth:

  1. One delegate should be the local president or designate.
  2. The second delegate should be a member who has not previously attended a UNE conference or seminar.
  3. One delegate from each local should be a youth delegate. (A youth delegate is defined as a member who will be 35 years or younger on December 31, 2017.)

During the seminar, youth delegates will elect two of their peers to represent them as delegates to our 2017 convention.

You must register by Friday, July 8, 2016. Unfortunately, we cannot consider late registrations.

Should you have any questions, please contact Suzanne Boucher at: suzanne.boucher@une-sen.org.

In solidarity,

Your regional team:

Mary Anne Walker, Regional Vice-President, Ontario
Diane Levola, Assistant Regional Vice-President, Ontario
Andrew Shaver, Assistant Regional Vice-President, Ontario
Craig Reynolds, Assistant Regional Vice-President, Ontario
Sandy Bello, Regional Representative for Human Rights, Ontario