Parks bargaining team tables wage proposal with Agency

Our bargaining team met with the Agency November 16 – 17.

We tabled a wage proposal that calls for annual increases of 3% in each year of a three-year agreement.

Other proposals tabled

Proposal to return Parks Canada to the National Joint Council
New language to enshrine Leave with Income Averaging, Self-Funded Leave, and Pre-Retirement Leave into the collective agreement.
New language regarding the Joint Learning Program.

Short term disability

Back in June, the Agency tabled a revised Short-Term Disability proposal to replace our current sick leave provisions. We rejected this proposal in June and it was not discussed during this round.

Upcoming bargaining dates

Negotiations are tentatively set to resume on January 30, 2017.

Our bargaining team thanks you for your ongoing patience and support.

2016/11/212016/12/06

PSAC continues to hold the government accountable on Phoenix

On November 16, the government provided an update on the Phoenix pay system. We learned that there are still a lot of problems to deal with.

“Our priority remains getting public service workers paid correctly and on-time. Unfortunately, there is still a lot of work to be done,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National Executive Vice-President. “The government should have listened to us from the beginning. We told them not to go ahead with the new pay system, but now, it’s time to move forward. We want to help the government fix Phoenix so that our members can be made whole.”

Public service workers waiting for changes

The government confirmed that it is two months – or 200,000 cases – behind in processing “pay transactions” under the new Phoenix pay system.

This means difficult financial consequences for some PSAC members.

“Pay transactions” refer to changes in an employee’s pay. This includes initiating pay for new hires, changing pay for promotions or leaves of absence, and final payments for employees leaving the public service.

No date for Phoenix fix

Lemay gave no date for when the system will be fixed, but said that “over the next several months, we will return to normal processing times.”

“PSAC is working with the government in every way we can to help fix Phoenix,” said Aylward.

Phoenix generated membership cards with incorrect surname

It has come to our attention that some of our members may have received a new membership card with an incorrect surname.

Typically, a new card is generated automatically when we receive an update to a member’s surname from the employer.

Updates produced by the new Phoenix system are received monthly along with union dues remittance information.

How to resolve issue

Review your last online Phoenix pay stub to ensure that the surname entered by your employer is correct.
If the surname appearing on your pay stub is incorrect, submit a Phoenix feedback form or call the call centre at 1-855-686-4729 to report the issue and to ensure a correction is made.
Once your employer makes the correction in the Phoenix pay system – and PSAC receives this new information – a new card with your correct surname will be generated and sent to you.

If you have questions, please contact PSAC Membership Administration Officer, Amélie Laviolette 613-560-2612 or Laviola@psac-afpc.com.

We apologize for this inconvenience.

2016/11/212016/11/21

PSAC celebrates adoption of trans rights law

PSAC is thrilled that the House of Commons adopted a bill that will enshrine trans rights into Canadian law. The bill was passed at Third Reading, but will still need to go through the Senate.

Bill C-16 adds gender identity and gender expression as prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act. It also adds gender identity and gender expression to the list of distinguishing characteristics of “identifiable groups” protected by the hate speech provisions in the Criminal Code.

Years in the making

This comes after years of similar legislation being introduced as private members’ bills by NDP Members of Parliament, which were then stalled or sabotaged by the Conservative-dominated Senate. Trans Canadians and allies have spent decades campaigning for federal human rights protection.

Trans rights now!

“Trans people deserve respect, equality and protection from discrimination and violence,” said National President Robyn Benson. “We are proud to stand for trans human rights and urge the Senate to adopt Bill C-16 as soon as possible.”

2016/11/102016/12/06

Treasury Board bargaining: PSAC requests mediation

tbmediation

Contract negotiations have been ongoing for 10 days. While some progress has been achieved, there are still important issues of fairness and improving public services for Canadians that are yet to be resolved.

PSAC has requested that a mediator be appointed and that talks resume within two weeks.

PSAC and the Employer returned to extended negotiations from November 1-9, after the Liberal government promised to bring a new mandate to the table.

“We’ve gone as far as we can. This government promised to respect public service workers and restore the integrity of the public services Canadians rely on. They have not yet delivered on that promise,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President.

2016/11/092016/11/21

Treasury Board bargaining extended

Bargaining with Treasury Board continues for the PA, SV, EB, FB and TC groups.

Our bargaining teams have been negotiating since last week, and the schedule for bargaining has been extended.

PSAC remains focused on negotiating a contract which reflects fairness for public service workers and respect for the vital work that they do in providing services to all Canadians.

2016/11/032016/11/21

PSAC launches letter-writing campaign aimed at Trudeau

The largest union representing federal public service workers is launching a letter campaign urging Prime Minister Trudeau to make good on his word.

When Trudeau was elected, he said he wanted to be a “partner” to public service workers and not an adversary.

One year later, thousands of public service workers are either not getting paid, or being paid improperly, thanks to the government’s mishandling of the Phoenix pay system. And more than 90,000 PSAC members have spent the last two years trying to negotiate a fair contract with Treasury Board, to no avail.

“This is about fairness and respect – and this is what was promised to public service workers by Mr. Trudeau,” said Robyn Benson, National President of PSAC.

PSAC members work hard to deliver quality public services to all Canadians, but the government needs to support these workers properly so they can do their jobs.

“Teachers in First Nations communities have fewer resources than their provincial counterparts. This is unfair to Indigenous children, who deserve a quality education,” said Benson. “Service Canada workers don’t have enough resources to process EI and disability claims in a timely manner, leading to lengthy wait times for Canadians who depend on these services. These are only two examples.”

Send a letter to Prime Minister Trudeau today, and tell him to make good on his word to support public services and the people who deliver them.

2016/10/272016/11/03

October 31st: PSAC members to send Liberal government a message

On October 31, PSAC members across the country will be reminding Prime Minister Trudeau to make good on his word to respect public services and the people who provide them.

“Last year, Mr. Trudeau wrote to all public service workers promising to treat them with respect and restore the cuts made by Stephen Harper,” said Robyn Benson, PSAC National President. “It has been a year since the election. The tone has changed, but it’s now time for action.”

Liberal government, Conservative agenda

Instead of moving forward in bargaining, the government has continued to push the Conservative agenda.

“Under the Liberals, Treasury Board has had five meetings with us, and almost a year to improve their offer to reflect Mr. Trudeau’s promise to show respect for the public service,” said Benson.

Haunted by Phoenix

As negotiations with Treasury Board for over 90,000 PSAC members remains unresolved, Phoenix continues to haunt public service workers. The pay system, launched in January of this year, is still causing problems for thousands.

The government had promised that by October 31, the 80,000 case backlog reported in June would be cleared. However, the government announced on October 19 that it would not meet this deadline.

In addition to this backlog, many more PSAC members have had pay problems since June that are also outstanding. The exact number is not clear, as the government has been unwilling to disclose this figure.

Public service workers deserve to be paid correctly and on time for the work that they do.

Come out on October 31

On October 31, join with other PSAC members across the country to deliver a strong message:

Dump the Conservative bargaining agenda
Start talking to us about real change for a better public service
Make good on your word – Canadians are counting on us

We encourage all PSAC members in the federal public service to participate. Please contact your local, or the closest PSAC regional office, to find out how you can participate.

2016/10/172016/10/17

You said you’d be different

trudeaudifferent

Justin Trudeau said he’d fix public services and repair the relationship with the workers who deliver them. Now is the time for action.

Visit http://psacunion.ca/makegoodonyourword to listen to the radio ad and download a shareable meme for your social media pages.

2016/09/022016/09/07

Hot Springs to Remain an Affordable National Treasure for All Canadians

Parks Canada has officially announced that it will no longer consider privatizing the operations of three of its most iconic attractions: The hot springs in areas around present town sites Banff, Jasper and Radium.

Parks employees and their union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Union of National Employees, campaigned and conducted town hall meetings in Jasper and Radium to bring awareness to both the public and the local business communities. Plans to continue those conversations – and expand them to Banff – were in the works prior to the announcement on September 2^nd by the federal minister responsible for Parks Canada, Catherine McKenna.

”After years of campaigning, this is a huge victory for the union, its members and the public,” said UNE National Vice-President Kevin King. “This government has made a very meaningful decision and should be commended for listening to the requests of the workers and the people who visit these very special attractions.”

Eddie Kennedy, National Advisor on Parks Canada, is also proud to share this great news with everyone:

“This decision was in no small part influenced by the countless union members who met with elected officials, the general public and with parks management in explaining why these iconic locations are better served by staying under the umbrella of Canada’s national parks network , within Parks Canada.”

More than 300,000 visitors soak up the heat from these pools each year. The cost is very affordable – less than $10 – to visit the springs. The threat of privatization meant that prices could have soared, leaving many Canadians unable to afford what has become a landmark destination.

This victory to end a third-party commercialization attempt was made possible by a team of dedicated workers and endless lobbying, most notably Eddie Kennedy, Jurgen Deagle, Jaison Van Tine and Michael Power, with support from UNE and the PSAC Prairies Region.

We only know of these places because of First Nations peoples. The Stoney Nakota, the Ktunaxa Kinbasket, the Shuswap Nations and the Mountain Metis were the original inhabitants of Banff, Radium and Jasper, prior to railroad construction and tourism.

These special places belong to the people of Canada and should be enjoyed by ongoing generations of all peoples, from Canada or elsewhere.

2016/09/01

Update: Employer Challenges PSAC and UNE Salary Protection Grievance Win

A long-awaited decision was handed down by the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) on July 4, 2016. It upheld the right to salary protection for members who transferred to the Department of Canadian Heritage from the National Capital Commission (NCC) in September 2013.

We now have confirmation that the employer has filed a judicial review of the decision before federal court. This is not an appeal, but rather the employer must prove that the PSLREB decision was unreasonable.

The PSAC will be fighting the judicial review and has retained the same legal counsel used to present the grievance. This win was especially important for defending the larger principle of salary protection for employees forced to change employer as a result of government restructuring.

In the meantime, the decision of the adjudicator stands, despite the review application. The PSAC will be working with UNE to ensure that affected members get answers to any questions they may have about the decision, the judicial review application and the implementation of salary protection.

The policy grievance, filed by the PSAC on December 12, 2013, involved 44 members who were transferred by government order and then told they would be paid under the Treasury Board’s classification system, meaning that they would see their salaries reduced by up to $12,000 per year.

The PSLREB decision gave affected employees entitlement to full salary protection under the PSAC and Treasury Board collective agreements effective from the date of transfer.