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Great bargaining meetings and great pizza too!

Tons of Treasury Board and Parks Canada bargaining demands were received last Friday (which, incidentally, was the deadline for these things…)! Not only does this mean that our membership is clearly looking to play an active part in the collective bargaining process, but it also means that quite a few meetings were held to discuss bargaining demands.

For an inside look at what took place during those meetings, we reached out to a few local presidents to find out more.

In beautiful British Columbia, Local President Lise Tataryn said the discussions went very well.

“We talked about disability coverage, sick leave, extended health benefits,” said Tataryn. “It’s important to have those discussions.”

During the meeting, members of Local 20106 used the PSAC’s program of demands for Parks Canada to guide their discussions.

“We supported a few of the proposals in the program and put those forward,” added Tataryn.

Before letting us go, Tataryn mentioned that pizza and refreshments were used to lure members to the meeting. Yum! That said, she’s interested in getting other ideas on how to get members to union meetings.

Got an idea to share with Lise and the rest of us? Leave a comment below.

Over in Manitoba, Richard Landry of Local 50316 said his meeting required a bit more coordination because his members are spread out across 5 buildings – it’s also a composite Local that represents, among others, members at Statistics Canada, in passport offices and at Library and Archives Canada.

“We tried to make it as convenient as possible for everyone to attend the meeting,” said Landry.

On top of the classic pizza tactic used to draw members to the meeting, Landry said he also pinned posters to all the sites’ union boards and dropped off pamphlets on all the desks.

And what do discussions on collective bargaining look like in a composite local?

“Different sites have different priorities,” explained the local president. “For our site, one of the points that we were quite interested in was compensatory time.” Landry’s workplace often requires bursts of overtime – in fact, we caught up with him during a double-shift. Ouch!

Over and above the bargaining demands, this particular meeting led to some great discussions about engaging members.

“We had a great discussion about promoting the image of our Local in these sites,” explained Landry. “In the past, there had been a certain degree of negativity about the union.”

“We want to promote the union in a positive way. We want to build positive relationships with the members – instead of coming out of the blue with requests for their time whenever we have a meeting.”

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Last chance: Bargaining Conferences

Good news: if you want to attend your bargaining conference, there’s still time to put your name forward! The UNE has extended the application deadline to November 22 for Treasury Board and Parks Canada bargaining units.

You can put your name forward for consideration using our application form.

Very soon, our three national officers will review all applications and select delegates to the bargaining conference. Seeing as there is limited space, they will select members with the goal of ensuring women representation, geographic, occupational and equity group diversity.

If you have any questions, please consult our collective bargaining FAQ or email us at communications@une-sen.org.

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…for bargaining demands!

We don’t want to freak anyone out… but if your bargaining unit belongs to Treasury Board or Parks Canada, there’s less than a month to submit your bargaining demands!

We’ve extended the deadline for bargaining demands to November 15. Now it’s up to you to make your voices heard.

Once your Local has voted on bargaining demands, you can submit them online by clicking here. Each Local should attempt to submit 25 demands; it’s up to your members whether they wish to submit demands drawn directly from the PSAC’s program of demands or outside of its scope.

Additionally, if you’d like to be a delegate at your national bargaining conference, you must submit your name to us by November 15. You can also apply online via the PSAC to attend the conference as an equity or youth delegate – but the PSAC’s deadline is different; you must apply by November 1.  More details about this here.

Do you have any questions? Check out the bargaining section of our website for a complete guide to the bargaining process as well as frequently-asked questions.

If you have additional questions or haven’t received your PSAC program of demands, please email communications@une-sen.org.

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Let’s get ready to bargain!

As a union member, you’re empowered to make improvements to your workplace. That’s the power of collective bargaining!

That process is about to start for the Program Administration (PA), Operational Services (SV), Technical Services (TC) and Library and Education Services (EB) Treasury Board bargaining units and Parks Canada. The notice to bargain will be served in early spring 2014.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada has sent a Program of Demands to each Local; this document is meant to help you when engaging members in discussions about bargaining demands. Some of these demands come from unresolved concerns from the last round of bargaining – others reflect long-term goals of our union or issues that have emerged during the life of the current agreements.

So, now’s the time to get a few things done!

  1. There’s still time to make some bargaining demands. This is your chance to make things better for you and your colleagues. You can submit bargaining demands via our website by clicking here. The deadline for this is November 1, 2013.
  2. If you’re part of your Local’s executive, this would be a great time to schedule a Local meeting to discuss bargaining demands. Please keep in mind that each Local is restricted to a maximum of 25 demands.
  3. Stay tuned to our website for more bargaining news. In the coming weeks and months, we will provide you with information on the process that Locals and the UNE will follow to prepare for this critical set of negotiations.

The next round of bargaining will be the most important in our union’s history; your participation is vital to our success.

Doug Marshall
National President
Union of National Employees

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Group Grievance for SSO Field Interviewers

It is the union’s position that Statistical Survey Operations (SSO) Field Operations, Statistics Canada has violated the collective agreement by cancelling work normally performed by Field Interviewers and Senior Field Interviewers regarding the International Travel Survey.

This violates article 23 as well as any other related or relevant articles regarding
pay and benefits that are negatively affected by the loss of hours of work. This is also a
violation of the past practice that has existed for at least the past 3 years that employees are performing this work.

We have put together a group grievance form for you to download. Local Executive officers should simply print, have it signed and submit it to UNE before August 30th, 2013.

For more information, please contact your Labour Relations Officer:

Linda Koo
linda.koo@une-sen.org
613-560-2600
1-800-663-6685 ext. 2600

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Job action by Foreign Service Officers continues

Members of the FS group who belong to the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers (PAFSO) are in their fourth month of strike action.  PSAC members have traditionally been sent on temporary assignments overseas to replace FS workers who are on leave, or to assist in work surcharges over the summer months.  This practice has continued since the strike action began, and many of our members have questions about how the PAFSO strike affects their assignments.

The UNE and PSAC stand in solidarity with our Brothers and Sisters at PAFSO and ask our members to ensure that they do not perform the duties of striking workers.

The following information should help to answer some of your questions.  If you are a UNE member working abroad on a temporary assignment and are still unsure as to whether you are being asked to perform struck work, please contact UNE for assistance.

What this means for you

Current job action by PAFSO has important implications for labour relations across the federal public service in the short and long term. We are keen to ensure that our own union and our members provide as much support to PAFSO’s efforts as the law allows.

1. All members: We ask all UNE members to continue to show support for PAFSO members who are on strike and to respect the lawful job action process by not attempting to perform any of the duties of striking FS employees. If directed by your supervisor to do so, you should refer them to your department’s own Guide for Strike Preparation, which states clearly that “Employees in other bargaining units should not be asked to perform duties of employees on strike.” If your supervisor persists, please contact your labour relations officer, Andrée Lemire, for guidance.

2. Members assigned to FS positions: Substantive members of PSAC bargaining units currently assigned to or acting in an FS position are deemed under the Public Service Labour Relations Act to be members of the FS bargaining unit for the duration of their assignment and are therefore eligible to participate in job action. (The Public Service Labour Relations Board confirmed in its 2004 Potter decision that “you are what you do” is the overriding principle in determining an employee’s bargaining unit.) We urge all such members to follow job action instructions from PAFSO. This is true even if your union dues are still being directed to PSAC and UNE: there is often a lag within a department’s compensation services in updating membership lists (“check-off”) for unions and redirecting union dues appropriately, especially in departments like DFATD and CIC.

3. Members on short-term deployments doing FS work: Substantive members of PSAC bargaining units on short-term deployment (“temporary duty”) at missions abroad to provide surge capacity during peak season are performing FS work and deemed to be members of the FS bargaining unit for the duration of the deployment – even though they are not assigned to a specific FS position. This applies especially to employees deployed to CIC visa processing centres. You are eligible to participate in job action and we urge you to follow PAFSO’s instructions. No matter what your manager may say, you cannot be disciplined for participating in lawful job action where you are working in a bargaining unit that is in a legal strike position. Management is prohibited from using replacement workers from other unions to compensate for the absence of striking Foreign Service officers, and PAFSO has signaled its intention to pursue an unfair labour practice complaint in cases where managers seek to circumvent job action by obstructing unionized employees on short-term deployments from striking.

4. Members who withdraw services on PAFSO’s behalf: PAFSO has confirmed that it will reimburse 100% of net pay recovered by the employer as a result of your participation in service withdrawals – even if your salary scale (which is protected during your assignment to a FS position) exceeds FS rates of pay. Remember that the employer may only recover salary plus Foreign Service Directives (FSDs) 56 and 58, prorated to the exact number of days for which you withdrew service. This is confirmed in Treasury Board’s “Policy on Strikes” (http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12607). If you are on temporary duty and receiving FSD 8 (Short-Term Assignments outside Canada), the employer cannot withhold accommodation, flight, or per diem costs.

In closing, PAFSO wishes to thank all members for their continuing support and solidarity for our Foreign Service colleagues. Please contact your UNE labour relations officer should you have any questions concerning these or other implications of PAFSO job action for you and your work.

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Parks Canada Clawing Back Terminable Allowance

The Union was recently notified that the Parks Canada Agency clawed-back portions of the CS terminable allowance, as part of the retroactive payments related to the recently ratified collective agreement.  The Union’s position is that this action violates the negotiated agreement with the Agency.  Therefore, the PSAC, through Union of National Employees, has commenced a group grievance action.  To sign on to this grievance, you’ll need to complete the attached grievance form and accompanying form 19 – following the instructions contained therein.

Click here to download the form – then print, sign and send.

Once you have done so, please forward the grievance and Form 19 to the attention of Denis McCarthy at the following coordinates:

Denis McCarthy
Union of National Employees
150 Isabella Street, Suite 900
Ottawa, Ontario
K1V 1S7
denis.mccarthy@une-sen.org

* If you know of any former CS members who were employed by Parks Canada (on or after August 5 2011) and who are no longer employed by the Agency, we would appreciate if you would forward this message to them.

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Parks Canada and Union Sign Collective Agreement

The collective agreement is now online. You can download it by clicking here (but be warned, it’s a doozy of a file! It’s 10 MB!)

Representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Parks Canada signed the official version of the collective agreement, earlier today.

“Now that it’s signed, members will feel a lot better,” said Loretta Moar, a member on the bargaining team.  “It’s a great thing for the members. I’m ecstatic about it.”

In an email sent to all Parks Canada employees, the agency’s CEO, Alan Latourelle, remarked on both parties’ efforts in reaching an agreement.

“The collaborative attitude and ongoing working relationship between PSAC and the Agency made it possible to successfully negotiate this renewed collective,” wrote Latourelle.

For Moar, the signing of the agreement marks the end of months spent tirelessly working on behalf of our membership.

“It was a lot of hard work, long hours, a lot of travel… and a lot of restaurant food,” said Moar, laughing.

But all that time spent away from home was worth it, she said. Given the current political climate, the bargaining team did exceptionally well. Moar says she’s proud of the deal the bargaining team secured for our members.

“It was a goal of mine. To be a partner to that, it was a really great feeling.”

The Union of National Employees wishes to take this opportunity to congratulate and thank all bargaining team members for their great work. Among its UNE members were Céline Ahodekon, Benoit Dubeau, Mike LeBlanc, Kevin King, and Loretta Moar.

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SSO Bargaining Update

Last time we reported on bargaining at Statistical Survey Operations, the negotiations had reached an impasse. Since then, members have only become more passionate about having their issues addressed.

“The members are getting impatient and frustrated,” said Réjean Amyotte, a member of the bargaining team. “The more time goes by, the more solid we become.”

After the PSAC filed for arbitration, the employer filed almost 20 pages of objections. Their position is that many issues, including wage and scheduling rights, simply can’t be addressed in arbitration. In response, the Labour Board scheduled a hearing for the end of March to address the employer’s 131 objections.

“This delay is really starting to build solidarity.”

Members working for Statistical Survey Operations fall under two categories; those who go door to door conducting surveys and those who do it from a call centre. Both groups have filed for arbitration.

Last month, members at the regional office in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario, participated in lunch-hour pickets in the days leading up to the Labour Board hearing. Once the hearing started, members mobilized even more.

“On the first day that we picketed, I got a call from the assistant director asking what was going on,” said Amyotte. “So, we certainly have their attention.”

Among the demands is the issue of seniority; our members want the employer to recognize seniority when assigning work hours. As things stand currently, the employer has no obligation to provide a minimum amount of hours.

“During our discussions at the negotiating table, we always presented scenarios on how this could be put into practice,” said Géraldine Fortin, a member of the bargaining team for field employees.

“They make us talk, they make us talk – but they never come back with anything. We’re basically talking to ourselves – there’s no exchange.”

In a recent demonstration in Sherbrooke, Quebec, SSO members sported t-shirts with the slogan, “We believe in seniority”.

Fortin, who has been working for Statistical Survey Operations for 22 years, says she’s been promised the moon since Day 1, and she’s still waiting.

“Why do we stay there?” Fortin asked herself. “It’s not for the salary. It’s not for the work conditions – there aren’t any….”

“We stay there because of the contact with respondants. There’s a social side to our work that is very rewarding.”

For additional information, please consult the SSO bargaining section of the PSAC website.

Psst! If you go to our Flickr page, you’ll find a bunch of photos related to SSO Bargaining! Keep up the good fight!

**One last thing: A big thanks to Krystle Harvey from Local 00383 for some last-minute help with this article! 😉

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New collective agreement for members at Parks Canada

The members have spoken; Parks Canada employees have voted in favour of the tentative agreement that was presented to them.

Over the past few months, we’ve reported a few times on the collective bargaining process, the tentative agreement and the hard work of the bargaining team.

For Loretta Moar, a first-time member on the bargaining team, yesterday’s announcement was very happy news.

“When the announcement was made, I danced around my living room,” admitted Moar. “This is great. I’m glad the membership chose to ratify the agreement.”

The bargaining team’s hard work cannot be overlooked. They spent countless hours on the road, away from home, going from one Local to another to meet with members.

And while the traveling can be tiresome, Moar says it’s not all bad.

“It was nice to meet all the members in my region!”

National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy, who also works for the agency, says he’s very happy with the results and wished to extend his congratulations.

“The bargaining team worked extremely hard to ensure we got the best deal possible, given these uncertain economic times,” said Kennedy.

And for those of you who are curious about Mike LeBlanc’s cat…

“She’s very happy that her daddy is home and was super glad that the collective agreement has been ratified,” said LeBlanc. “It means daddy will be home more. Her tail is up and she is purring!”

Congratulations to our members – and here’s to the bargaining team getting some much deserved rest!

To find out more about the new collective agreement, click here.