Posted on

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.

Posted on

Treasury Board bargaining extended

bargainingudate

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.

 

Posted on

PSAC launches letter-writing campaign aimed at Trudeau

writetotrudeau

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.

Posted on

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.

 

Posted on

Hot Springs to Remain an Affordable National Treasure for All Canadians

HotSprings

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 2nd 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.

Posted on

Update: Employer Challenges PSAC and UNE Salary Protection Grievance Win

SalaryProtectionUpdate

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.

 

 

Posted on

UNE Welcomes New Members from Rouge National Urban Park

WelcomeRouge

The Union of National Employees is proud to welcome members from the newly created Local 00420 at Rouge National Urban Park in the Greater Toronto Area (Scarborough). The park is Canada’s first urban national park, officially created in May 2015.

Mary Anne Walker, regional vice-president for the Ontario region, recently chaired the local’s first annual general meeting in December.

“This is a unique attraction,” commented Walker. “Visitors don’t have to travel to the park; the park experience has been brought to the city. In addition to common Parks Canada practices such as ecosystem restoration and preservation, there are guided walks, species and ecosystem preservation, educational and special events – all nestled within the city.”

For more information, visit the website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/on/rouge/index.aspx and be sure to check out their twitter page for some truly stunning photos.

Twitter @RougePark – http://twitter.com/rougepark

Posted on

Phoenix taking its toll on workers at Miramichi pay centre

PhoenixToll

The Phoenix pay system debacle is being felt by public service workers across Canada, but nowhere more intensely than in the eye of the storm—the Miramichi pay centre.

That’s the message PSAC President Robyn Benson and Donna Lackie, President of the Government Services Union component, gave Minister Judy Foote at their August 19, meeting.

“Workers there, who are working long hours struggling to deliver pay, are carrying the weight of the entire public service on their shoulders,” says Lackie.

Pay centre workers tell their stories at a union town hall meeting

Members spoke about poor working conditions, lack of support resources, and problems with failing technology at a recent town hall meeting with Benson and Lackie. Compensation advisors are frustrated that they do not have the help they need to get all of the work done, while feeling a lot of stress because of the heavy workload and pressure to deal with more cases than they can handle.

“It’s heartbreaking to see someone at their wit’s end when they can’t do their job,” one worker said. “We used to be able to do our job and be confident in it and efficient.”

Another worker spoke about seeing “people crying at their desks, people calling in sick, and people crying in the bathrooms” because of the stress.

“You have a group of members that are working so hard to ensure that everybody gets paid and gets paid properly but they’re faced with a system that isn’t capable of doing it all,” said Benson.

The union is bringing the concerns voiced by the Miramichi workers directly to Deputy Minister Marie Lemay.

“Morale in Miramichi is at its absolute lowest,” said Lackie.

The union has asked the government to bring in mental health experts on site at the pay centre.

Miramichi workers’ messages to affected public service workers

Compensation advisors in Miramichi also had messages to share with other public service employees.

“Remember, the people that work at the pay centre are employees too. We also experience pay problems,” said one worker.

“Hang in there,” said another, “We are working as hard as we can. We are trying our best.”

PSAC tells Parliamentary committee about pay centre conditions

On July 28, Lackie testified before the House of Commons Committee on Government Operations and Estimates about the working conditions at the pay centre.

  • Most of the compensation advisors are recent hires and new to government.
  • Public service pay is complicated, involving 27 collective agreements and tens of thousands of rules.
  • Compensation staff were not given consistent or adequate training before the system went live.
  • Before Phoenix was rolled out, PSAC warned the department of problems and repeatedly asked that the project be slowed down.
  • When the system was rolled out, staff could not keep up with the files coming in while trying to fix the huge number of errors.
  • Throughout the training and testing, the compensation advisors could not rely on the technology, and had nowhere to go for answers to their questions.
  • However, the advisors have been very resourceful and creative, devising “work arounds” and sharing solutions to problems among their co-workers.
  • The union gets calls on a daily basis from “broken compensation advisors” who fear losing their jobs.
  • The workers are proud to work for the Government of Canada, but the pressure is becoming intolerable.
Posted on

UPDATE: OLG arbitration hearing will be rescheduled for Sept. 13

OLGPostponedUpdate

Unfortunately, the arbitration hearing scheduled for August 29 to hear the outstanding contract issues for Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation workers at Rideau Carleton Raceway in Ottawa will have to be rescheduled as the arbitrator was called away at the last minute.

The hearing has been rescheduled for Sept. 13, 2016.

On August 28, the arbitrator advised he was unable to attend due to unforeseen circumstances. He apologized to PSAC, acknowledging the issues are very important and members have already waited a long time for this hearing.

At the end of May, the union and the employer agreed to binding arbitration to resolve contract issues still in dispute after OLG locked out our members.

Posted on

Are you using your employer’s email system for union business?

EmployerEmail

As elected officers of the union, your communication with the union and with the members you represent is important and confidential. The first thing you should do – if you have not already – is secure a personal email for all union correspondence.

“But I mostly deal with members at work, so why can’t I just use my work email?”

While it may appear convenient, the email system at your work belongs to the employer. Under some circumstances, that means they can access your emails – even union-related – which can result in an embarrassing situation if confidentiality between you and your members is compromised.

There is also a greater chance for error. You could type someone’s name and press send to someone with the same name as a fellow member but accidentally send the email to management. Your contact list at work is different from your personal contact list.

A personal email address protects you and anyone with whom you discuss union business.

There are many providers of free email access and most sites that host them are not blocked by your employer’s network. If you have questions about where to sign up, please feel free to contact us at communications@une-sen.org. We’re here to help keep your union communications confidential.