Category: Collective Bargaining

We knew this was coming: the government tabled a proposal, last week, that would see our sick leave slashed to just 5 days per year. And forget about banking those (in the unlikely event that you wouldn’t use all of them!).

“Instead of promoting a healthy workplace, the government is once again showing its disdain for its workers and for public services in general,” said PSAC National President Robyn Benson.

Strictly looking at this proposal from a policy perspective, we can see that it oozes of ideology over informed decision-making.

For one, as we keep reiterating, public servants’ use of sick leave is in line with the private sector. The parliamentary budget office recently reported that we use an average of 11.52 sick days per year; our counterparts in the private sector use an average of 11.3 sick days per year.

Paid sick leave is also incredibly important from a public health perspective. For proof, we needn’t look much further than the 2009 H1N1 scare. Xenia Scheil-Adlung and Lydia Sandner, of the World Health Organization, pointed to the following alarming statistics in their 2010 background paper on paid sick leave.

“In 2009, when the economic crisis and the H1N1 pandemic occurred simultaneously, an alarming number of employees without the possibility of taking paid sick leave days attended work while being sick. This allowed H1N1 to spread into the workplace causing infections of some 7 million co-workers in the USA alone. […] Fears of losing one’s job, restructuring, downsizing, and financial worries were identified as reasons for the dangerous and costly presence of the sick at work.”

The same report points out that working while sick leads to reduced productivity: “up to three times higher than loss of productivity due to sickness-related absence”.

A likely outcome of cutting sick days is a high degree of presenteeism: coming to work while sick. Other factors that have been found to lead to presenteeism include heavier workload and concerns about job security related to downsizing and restructuring; situations that are all-too common in this era of public sector job cuts.

At the end of the day, even guilt about missing work contributes to presenteeism. Even when employees have access to paid sick days, 28% of them still show up for work. Without sick days, that number spikes to 48%.

Another study, conducted just last year by University of Pittsburgh researchers, found that the 11.54% of influenza transmission was attributable to the workplace. Presenteeism accounted for 72% of the virus’ spread.

In that study, having access to paid sick days helped decrease the rate of transmission by 5.86% (bear in mind, Americans who have paid sick days don’t have many of them to begin with!). When researchers added an additional day or two, termed “flu days”, more employees stayed home. The rate of transmission decreased by 25.33% in workplaces given one flu day; 39.22% in workplaces given two days.

Over and above providing viruses with a larger breeding ground, presenteeism presents a very real life-and-death risk for individuals who have weakened immune systems, including pregnant women who risk more serious health problems to their unborn baby.

But you don’t need an impaired immune system to suffer the consequences of presenteeism.

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in the US also found that employees who have access to sick leave are 28% less likely to be injured in the workplace.

“Expanding sick leave programs might help businesses reduce the incidence of nonfatal occupational injuries,” the study concluded.

So, let’s just say that there’s a lot of evidence out there against Harper’s “go-to-work sick plan”. But then again, the Harper government’s never been one to be swayed by “facts” and “science”.

Sick leave is incredibly important. Let’s show our bargaining team some solidarity!

Members of the Union of National Employees at the National Arts Centre voted overwhelmingly in favour of a strike, yesterday. Our union hopes that this is the wake-up call that the NAC needs to iron out a fair deal for our members.

In a recent interview with the Ottawa Citizen, an NAC spokesperson said she is confident a strike can be avoided. However, in the event that our members walk off the job, they’d ensure the NAC remain open.

Our position? Good luck with that!

PSAC National Executive Vice-President for the NCR, Larry Rousseau, says the labour movement would mobilise to shut it down.

“Just watch us go,” Larry Rousseau told the Citizen. “We’re talking about the Public Service Alliance of Canada here. The labour movement will show up.”

There are two issues at the crux of this impasse: the employer isn’t budging on a fair wage increase and won’t extend reasonable job security provisions.

“The 70 members that we represent at the NAC have been more than patient with their employer. They keep being told there’s no money for a fair wage increase –yet this same employer just recently spent $90,000 to develop a new logo,” said UNE National President Doug Marshall.

Our union is hoping that the employer can work with us in good faith to come to an equitable deal. No one wants to strike, but we’re ready to support our members if that’s what it comes to.

The Local will be able to legally strike as of September 24. The UNE represents members who provide maintenance, cleaning, security and parking services at the NAC.

 

 

“I left that conference really impressed by our members’ passion and eagerness to get involved,” said National President Doug Marshall, referring to the recent Treasury Board bargaining conference.

“Our members weren’t afraid to step up to the plate,” added Marshall. “We have members at all level of the organization to thank for that; from local members who were involved in the bargaining process from the very beginning, to everyone who was present at the conference to cast a vote.”

By the end of the conference, four members were elected to the PA table, two to the EB table and one to the TC table.

Kate Hart, who is the UNE’s national equity representative for LGBT people, is one of the four members who was elected to the PA bargaining team during the conference. She admits, her stump speech was rather unconventional.

“You always get the three minutes to make your speech,” explained Hart.  “I decided to go for the laughs.”

She sums up her introduction as such:

“Hi. I’m Kate, I’m a trans woman and a lesbian – and I suspect my definition of ‘family’ is just a wee bit different from Tony Clements’.’”

Hart said the room erupted in laughter.

Another UNE member who scored a spot on the PA bargaining team is Natalie Rainville, a young worker from Quebec. She said she left Quebec with the intention of running for one of the coveted seats at the table.

“I thought, ‘I’m going for it’”, said Rainville. “Why not me, I’m going to try.”

While she’s never sat at a Treasury Board bargaining table, she’s got some solid bargaining experience; Rainville has twice been part of regional negotiations in the hotel sector.

“Why not put that experience at work for others?”

Looking at the 10-member bargaining team, Rainville says she can’t help but be blown away by the diversity around the table.

“There’s so much diversity, in terms of experience, age, equity members…,” she said, noting that another UNE member elected to the team, Stephane Allard, is also a young worker.  “There’s such a beautiful diversity that will really help us represent the entire membership.”

“And in terms of geography too!” exclaimed Kate Hart, who agreed with Rainville’s point. “There’s someone from every part of the country. And we have Geoff Ryan representing persons with disabilities. Equity groups, overall, have a good representation.”

Both women also said that the event was a great opportunity to meet members from other components and learn a great deal about what’s happening in other workplaces.

“I found that very valuable,” said Hart.

The conference hosted a number of speakers; many union leaders from outside the PSAC took the opportunity to express their unwavering solidarity. For Rainville, the outpouring of support and a great number of ideas have her fired up and ready to go.

“I really felt that members are determined to fight for what they have – to make no concessions,” she said. “It’s that kind of gusto that gave me a lot of pep. “

Congratulations are also due to Michael Freeman and Terrylynn Brandt who were elected to the EB team, which represents members who work in education, library science and educational support.

And some serious kudos go out to Suzanne Arsenault, who’s going to have some big shoes to fill at the TC table. During the conference, members took the opportunity to recognize the enormous contributions of Regional Vice-President Garry Larouche, of Ontario, who has participated on every single TC bargaining round since 1996!

(If you’re trying to think of a reference point, 1996 was when the Macarena was really cool…). That’s a long time, to say the least!