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Tentative agreement reached for Parks Canada members

In a victory for members at Parks Canada, PSAC has reached a tentative agreement that includes a competitive economic increase, greater parity with the core public service, no concessions, and improved working conditions and job security.  

Members at Parks Canada will also be awarded the Phoenix damages settlement to compensate for the pain and suffering caused by the broken pay system. Please read the following update which provides greater detail on the general Phoenix compensation portion of the settlement, as well as the expansion of the claims process for out-of-pocket expenses and for those who suffered major losses because of Phoenix.  

Annual wage settlement & shift premiums 

PSAC’s bargaining team successfully secured fair wage increases averaging at 2.11% per year. Parks Canada members would receive the following wage increases:  

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 
2.8% 2.2% 1.35% 

In addition, shift premiums for employees working between 5 p.m. and 6 a.m. will increase from $2.00/hour to $2.25/hour (12.5% increase). 

Catch up adjustments to Core Public Administration 

Members in the following groups and sub-groups will receive wage adjustments to catch them up to their counterparts in the core public administration. Adjustments will be applied in Year 3 of the collective agreement:  

AR (all levels) GL-PIP-12  
EG (all levels) GL-MDO-03 
FI (all levels) GL-MDO-05 
HR (all levels) GL-MDO-12  
BI-03  GL-MOC-11 
CO-01 to CO-04  GL-MOC-08  
EL-06 to EL-09  GL-PCF-11 
GL-COI-09 GL-PCF-14  
GL-COI-14 GL-PIP-12  
GL-EIM-12 GL-MDO-03 
GL-ELE-01 GL-MDO-05 
GL-ELE-06  GL-MDO-12  
GL-ELE-14  GL-MOC-11 
GL-MAM-13  GL-MOC-08  
GL-MAN-07  GL-PCF-11 
GL-MAN-08 GL-PCF-14  
GL-MAN-13  GL-PIP-12  
GL-MDO-03 GL-PRW-07  
GL-MDO-05 GL-PRW-08  
GL-MDO-12  GL-PRW-13  
GL-MOC-11 GL-VHE-13  
GL-MOC-08  GS-02  
GL-PCF-11 GS-11  
GL-PCF-14  HP-03 

Lump sums and allowances  

  • A one-time payment of $500 in recognition of the extended collective agreement implementation deadline and an additional $50 for every subsequent 90-day delay. 
  • Effective 180 days following the signature of the agreement, Enforcement Officers at the GT-04 and GT-05 levels will receive an increase to their existing annual allowance from $3,000 to $3,534. 
  • Improved and expanded retention allowance for CR-05, AS-01, AS-02, AS-03 or AS-04 Compensation Advisors working in pay pods under the banner of the Public Service and Procurement Canada Pay Centre (PSPC) to $3,500 per year. 
  • Renewal of $2,500 allowance for AS-01, AS-02 & AS-03 Compensation Advisors working at the Agency.  
  • Extension of temporary incentives for AS-01, AS-02 and AS-03 Compensation Advisors, providing a one-time $4,000 payment and double overtime. This existing provision will apply until September 1st, 2020. 
  • New allowance of $1.00 per hour for Dog Handling.  

Other improvements  

  • Significant improvements to Workforce Adjustment (WFA):
    1. Inclusion of seniority in the Voluntary Departure Process, ensuring that selections will be done on the basis of seniority.
    2. Requirement to have joint Workforce Adjustment committees.
    3. Expanded definition of alternation, allowing surplus employees to alternate into an indeterminate position within the Agency.
    4. Increase to the Education Allowance from $15,000 to $17,000 for indeterminate employees who are laid off during workforce adjustment process.
  • Memorandum of understanding (MOU) reached between the parties agreeing on the value of returning to full membership of the National Joint Council (NJC). Creation of a union-management sub-committee that will discuss Parks Canada’s assessment of its policies related to the NJC and the feasibility of a full and expedited return to the NJC. This work will be completed prior to the next round of bargaining.
  • Improvements to parental & maternity leave:
    1. Updated language to match the new legislation including a new extended leave option and the sharing of parental leave.
    2. Expanded supplementary allowance for every week an employee is on extended or shared parental leave.
    3. Additional weeks for parents covered under the Quebec Parental Insurance Plan, when both parents work in the public service.
    4. Better language on return to work following a maternity or parental leave, giving more flexibility to parents who wish to change positions within the federal public service.
    5. New language specifying that employees may take their parental leave in two periods subject to employer discretion.
  • Increase in maternity related reassignment or leave qualification from 52 to 78 weeks following the birth of a child.
  • New provision providing access to ten days of paid domestic violence leave.
  • MOU establishing of a joint committee to review the use of Indigenous languages in the Agency, examine Indigenous language skills in the performance of employee duties, and consider the advantages that Indigenous language speakers bring to the Agency.
  • MOU regarding Mental Health in the Workplace.
  • Recognition that all provisions in the collective agreement referencing a gender are meant for all employees, regardless of gender identity.
  • Expansion of scope for the following Leave improvements now inclusive of a person who stands in place of a relative for:
    • Leave without pay for the care of the family
    • Bereavement leave
    • Leave with pay for family-related responsibilities (now also inclusive of stepchild)
  • New MOU providing up to $150,000 to fund a one-year joint learning program pilot project (MOU will be outside the collective agreement).
  • Improvements to travel time to pay for up to five hours compensation for any stopovers. Increase of travelling cap to 15 hours from 12 hours.
  • An increase in meal allowance for overtime from $10 to $12.
  • Updated and improved language to match the new legislation on Compassionate Care and Caregiving Leave.
  • New language specifying employee’s right to access official copy of an investigation report (Article 17 – No Discrimination & Sexual Harassment).
  • Better language to allow the use of employer facilities for union activities.
  • Deletion of MOU on Supporting Employee Wellness. As a result, sick leave will remain untouched.

Full text and next steps 

We will share the final text and full details of the tentative agreement as soon as it becomes available. Shortly thereafter, members at Parks Canada will be invited to participate in online ratification votes. Details about the votes will be shared as soon as possible.  

Your bargaining team unanimously recommends the ratification of the tentative agreement.   

To ensure that you receive all updates and can participate in the ratification process, please ensure that you have either updated your contact information on PSAC’s member portal, or that you create an account if you have not done so already.  

Bargaining team: 

  • Angela Decker
  • Daniel Toutant
  • Daniel Britton
  • Kassandra McKinnon
  • Marc Phillips
  • Omar Murray
  • Birch Howard

Negotiator: Ashley Bickerton  
Research Officer: Maxime Thibault-Gingras  

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Parks Canada resumes bargaining August 24

Following the successful conclusion of bargaining for several Treasury Board bargaining groups, the Parks Canada bargaining team will be returning to the table to negotiate with agency representatives from August 24 to 28.

The union is committed to making progress on the following:

  • parity with the core public service;
  • a competitive wage increase;
  • fair compensation for Park Wardens;
  • work life balance initiatives, such as improved maternity and parental leave;
  • fairness for seasonal and term workers.

Stay tuned for updates

PSAC will provide updates on talks as appropriate. Please ensure that you have either updated your contact information on PSAC’s member portal, or that you create an account if you have not done so already.

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Clarification on the Phoenix Damages

UNE has been given clarification from PSAC with respect to the PSAC Communications re: Phoenix-related damages.

1. The ratification process for Treasury Board (TBS) units had two conditions. One, that we arrive at a tentative agreement at PA and two, that the agreement would be ratified by the PSAC which occurred when the NBOD ratified the damages agreement on July 3, 2020.

2. Parallel agreements will need to be concluded for the following units under TBS control. There has been a commitment by TBS to fund these agreements:

Separate Agencies

  • Parks Canada Agency
  • Statistical Survey Operations (SSO) (Regional Offices/Field Survey Interviewers)
  • Office of the Auditor General of Canada (OAG)
  • Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI)
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) (Administrative and Foreign Service/Administrative Support)

3. The following groups will need to be settled/bargained for separately. These groups are outside of TBS control:

Parliamentary Precinct or Crown Corporations

  • Library of Parliament
  • House of Commons
  • Senate
  • Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)
  • National Battlefields Commission (NBC)

The details of the memorandum agreement with respect to all aspects of Phoenix damages will be relayed by PSAC Communications.

 

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Public Interest Commission report ties Parks Canada workers’ fate to PA group

An uneventful Public Interest Commission (PIC) report has intertwined the fate of 5,800 Parks Canada workers with PSAC’s largest bargaining unit – the PA group.

The recently published report unfortunately made little to no recommendations, instead it draws a parallel between the Parks bargaining table and PSAC’s PA bargaining table. The report quotes directly from the PA PIC report, and states that without the major common issues being resolved, such as Phoenix compensation and higher wage increases, the parties will find it difficult to reach a tentative agreement.  

PSAC is disappointed that the PIC did not explicitly make specific recommendations on key Parks issues such as:

  • parity with the core public service;
  • Phoenix pay protections and remedies;
  • a competitive wage increase;
  • fair compensation for Park Wardens;
  • work life balance initiatives, such as improved maternity and parental leave;
  • protections in the workplace; and
  • fairness for seasonal and term workers.

However, the PIC did acknowledge the struggle Parks Canada workers have had in achieving parity with the core public service since Parks was made a separate agency nearly 20 years ago. The report suggests parity with the core is an issue that will need to be addressed if the Parks Canada Agency hopes to reach an agreement with Parks members.

Next steps

Although National President Chris Aylward has authorized strike votes for the Parks bargaining unit, all strike votes are currently suspended until March 30. At that time the union will re-evaluate whether to continue the suspension or resume the strike votes. 

Despite the suspension of votes, PSAC will continue to bargain for all units currently in negotiations.

We will be updating our national and regional websites, social media, as well as sending information by email as the situation develops. We encourage all our members to check these resources regularly and subscribe to our mailing list.

Source: http://psacunion.ca/public-interest-commission-report-ties-parks

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Parks Canada workers to join over 100,000 PSAC members in strike votes

March 11, 2020

National President Chris Aylward has authorized strike votes for members of the Parks Canada bargaining unit. Parks members will have the opportunity to join 90,000 Treasury Board bargaining members to vote at strike meetings to be held from March 16 to May 7. Strike votes for the 27,000 members of the Canada Revenue Agency bargaining unit are already underway.

A strong strike mandate from members will force the Parks Canada Agency to come back to the bargaining table with a new mandate so that your Parks bargaining team can get a fair settlement quickly.

In the coming weeks members will receive notices of strike vote meetings via email and through your locals and regional offices. The information will also be posted on the front page of the national website, as well on PSAC regional websites.

Source: PSAC

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Treasury Board bargaining telephone town halls

Telephone town halls with PSAC members in the PA, SV, TC and EB groups will be held on March 9 and 10. Each call is 30 minutes long and will focus on bargaining and upcoming strike votes.

List of regional telephone town hall

March 9

  • Atlantic (English): 6pm EDT
  • Ontario (English): 7pm EDT
  • Prairies-NWT (English): 8pm EDT

March 10

  • Atlantic-Quebec-NCR-Ontario (French): 7pm EDT
  • NCR-Quebec-Nunavut (English): 8pm EDT
  • BC-Yukon (English): 9pm EDT

You can participate by calling one of the following numbers at the date and time you wish to participate.

English calls: 1-877-229-8493; PIN to join the call – 112560

French calls: 1-877-255-5810; PIN to join the call – 118363

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Strike votes for Treasury Board bargaining units begin March 16

PSAC National President Chris Aylward has authorized strike votes for members of the PA, SV, TC and EB bargaining units following the release of the Public Interest Commission (PIC) report last week.

More than 90,000 members of the four bargaining units will have an opportunity to vote at strike meetings to be held from March 16 to May 7, 2020. Strike votes for the 27,000 members of the Canada Revenue Agency bargaining unit are already underway.

“PSAC bargaining teams need a strong strike mandate from members to force Treasury Board to come back to the bargaining table with a new mandate so that we can get a fair settlement quickly,” said Aylward.

Aylward noted that the Public Interest Commission (PIC) report on common issues made it clear that to reach a deal the government will need to offer PSAC members more Phoenix compensation and a wage increase in line with the cost of living. The report also highlighted the need to address compensation gaps and recruitment/retention challenges for those groups that are underpaid relative to comparable groups inside or outside the federal public sector.

The government’s current offer falls short on all fronts. They have yet to table wage increases that would ensure rises in the cost of living are met, and their Phoenix compensation proposal remains meagre and unequal across the public service.

“The threat of a strike will give the employer the nudge it needs to avoid more disruption during their minority government,” said Aylward.

“That’s why we urge all PSAC members to vote yes.”

In the coming weeks members will receive notices of strike vote meetings via email and through your locals and regional offices. The information will also be posted on the front page of the national website, as well on PSAC regional websites.

Please check out the following link if you would like more information on strike votes and strike action. We’ll be adding more information in the days ahead to answer a wide range of questions so make sure to check back.

 

Source: http://psacunion.ca/strike-votes-treasury-board-bargaining-units-begin

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One year later, Parks Canada claims it still has no mandate to bargain

February 7, 2020

The Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearing for Parks Canada bargaining took place January 27 to 28, with mediation January 29 to 30. Your Parks bargaining team came to the PIC ready to resolve outstanding issues, yet the Parks Canada Agency came to the hearing singing the same old tune.

Read the PSAC’s PIC brief and the employer’s PIC brief

After a solid year of bargaining, the employer still hasn’t tabled a formal pay proposal, neither has it taken a position on implementation, Work Force Adjustment (WFA) or Phoenix. The agency continues to claim it doesn’t have a mandate from Treasury Board despite the fact that Parks Canada members have been working without a contract since August 2018.

Limited progress

The Parks bargaining team was able to make limited progress on a few items in mediation. They achieved a letter of understanding (LOU) for a Joint Learning Program (JLP) pilot project with money attached. They also got the employer to drop concessions on hours of work, overtime, callback and reporting. Concessions for seasonal and term workers remain outstanding.

Future bargaining

As the employer seems unwilling to bargain in a meaningful manner, no further meeting dates have been set. PSAC expects the PIC report in the upcoming weeks. Stay tuned for further updates that will detail the report’s recommendations.

Will we strike?

Your bargaining team continues to seek parity and fairness, improved work-life balance, increased job security and fair compensation for all Parks Canada workers, and they will not concede to anything less. Our expectation is that the employer will get a revised mandate in the near future that brings both parties closer together, but each time they squander an opportunity to negotiate, it seems unlikely this will happen without increased pressure.

If PSAC and the employer are still unable to reach an agreement after the PIC report is issued, members will have the opportunity to join Canada Revenue Agency workers and take a strike vote. History has taught us that the best way to avoid strikes is to prepare for one. A strong strike mandate from our members often persuades the employer to come back to the table with a better offer.

In order to reach the fair deal that our members deserve, PSAC will continue to mobilize its membership through increased workplace action, up to and including a strike, until a fair settlement is reached.

Attachments:

Source: PSAC Website

 

 

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Black History Month – Celebrating our Members: Celine Ahodekon

February 7, 2020

Celine works for Parks Canada at the Fort Langley National Historic Site as a heritage presenter, telling visitors about our shared history – something she is very passionate about.

Celine has been very active within her component and local and has held many positions, including serving on the Parks Canada bargaining team and as the equity representative for racialized members for the Union of National Employees (UNE). She sat on the organizing committee of PSAC BC’s first ever conference for racially visible members. Celine is also involved in her local PSAC BC Area Council and Human Rights Committee, where she is currently busy helping to organize a Black History Month celebration in Abbotsford, BC.

We asked Celine why she felt Black History Month was important and she explained: “We still have much more work to do in order to create a society where everyone feels equal. Having Black History Month is one way to remember, teach and learn about Black people’s contributions to the economy, politics and social life in Canada.”

Source: PSAC Website

 

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Parks Members Head to Public Interest Commission This Week

January 27, 2020

Parks Canada bargaining team members will head to their Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings January 27, 28 and 30 in Ottawa. Parks members are one of nine PSAC bargaining units who are moving through the PIC process as negotiations reached an impasse last July.

During the hearings, PSAC will present our proposals for a fair and progressive collective agreement for Parks Canada workers, which includes:

  • A competitive wage increase
  • Introduce protections to guard against the impacts of Phoenix
  • Improvements to leave provisions, work-life balance, parity with the core public service, and improvements for seasonal workers
  • Access to domestic violence leave
  • Measures to achieve pay parity for Park Wardens and Park Warden Supervisors
  • An Indigenous language allowance
  • The creation of a joint committee on child care
  • A plan to further increase parity for Parks Canada by joining the National Joint Council

Watch members of the Parks negotiating team discuss the important issues on the table

What is a Public Interest Commission (PIC)?

Under the law that governs contract negotiations in the federal public service, once impasse is reached at the bargaining table, a PIC is established to help the parties reach an agreement.

The PIC is a panel of three people – a chairperson appointed by the Labour Board and nominees appointed by the union and management. The union and the employer submit briefs and explain their positions on the outstanding issues at a hearing with the PIC. The PIC then issues a report with recommendations for settlement. The recommendations are not binding. Once the PIC releases its reports for the various PSAC units, the union’s respective bargaining teams will meet to discuss the recommendations.

Stay up to date!

It’s important that all Parks Canada workers are receiving the latest bargaining news especially at this critical time in the process. You can help spread the word by:

Source: PSAC