RCMP category of employee project

PSAC-USGE’s position on the implementation of the RCMP Categories of Employees Project

It is no longer a secret that the RCMP management has recently chosen to adopt the Public Service Employee model for all RCMP civilian employees (i.e. Option 1) for the Categories of Employees Project.   While civilian members (CMs) have received responses from the Senior Executive Committee (SEC) regarding some of their questions and concerns, many are also looking for the union’s positions on their issues.

This is an initial attempt by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) and its component, the Union of Solicitor General Employees (USGE), to respond to these concerns.   The PSAC-USGE will regularly post information on the implementation of the COE project as we receive more questions and information.

To state our general position, the PSAC-USGE, as a union, is committed to fighting for the welfare and benefits of not just our members, but of workers in general. The benefits that we’ve gained through our negotiations have spilled over to benefit other non-member workers, mainly by setting precedents for workplace policy and practice and sometimes legislation. We also have a strong organizing program to ensure that as many workers as possible exercise their rights and have the necessary support to bargain collectively for their protection and benefits.   We also co-ordinate with other unions, both in the public and private sectors, in many campaigns to expand workers’ rights and benefits everywhere.   One of our basic philosophies is that our members benefit if all workers benefit.   This is another meaningful aspect of   the old labour movement slogan: “An injury to one is an injury to all.” This philosophy applies specifically to the situation of the CMs in the RCMP in this time of transition.    

Since the details of the implementation of the COE is still being worked out, it’s hard to get into specifics at this time, but we urge you to read the Q&A below to get a clearer idea of our position.  

1.            Q: What stance will the PSAC-USGE take with regard to protecting the benefits of CMs?

Without compromising the current benefits of our members, we stand firmly on the CMs’ side in protecting their rights, seniority and benefits in the implementation of the COE project.   It has always been the practice of our union to negotiate the best terms and conditions of employment possible, and we have been very successful over the years in playing the lead role in the public service.   It will be our stand during the transition process that no civilian member should lose any benefit, and we will endeavour to secure grandparenting protection for those CMs who are transferred to our bargaining units and have better benefits than current public service employees.   However, the union is only one side of the bargaining table.   The employer’s agreement to these terms must also be secured.   All CMs, whether they become our new members or not, can rest assured that they have PSAC-USGE as an ally.

2.            Q: How will the union do this?

The RCMP COE Project Team has established some working groups, including a Labour Relations Working Group that will ensure that employees’ concerns are taken into consideration and employee benefits will not be negatively affected overall. The PSAC-USGE sits on this committee whose prime objective is to ensure that employees rights, privileges and benefits will not be negatively affected by this transition.The union will add its voice to that of the Civilian Employees Working Group in calling for a guaranteed protection of CMs’ benefits and conditions.

3.            Q: Will our seniority be protected when CMs are converted to PSEs?

With respect to seniority for purposes of annual leave, sick leave, severance pay, pension, etc., the PSAC has been extremely successful in negotiating transition provisions that would allow for years of service to be counted with the new employer.   We are not expecting any particular road blocks in this area, but again, those particulars have to be negotiated between the parties.  

4.            Q: What’s the point of   joining the union when I probably won’t be able to exercise my right to strike because my position is designated an essential service?

The Public Service Staff Relations Act (PSSRA) dictates how the employer and the bargaining agents deal with designations in the event of a strike (i.e. essential services).   The positions are designated based on the content of the employees' work description and how that work affects/impacts the safety and security of the public.   Because the RCMP is a police organization and a lot of the work performed by our members directly impacts the safety and security of the public, there is a higher level of designated employees in this department as opposed to other departments in the federal public service.   It would be our intention to deal with designations of employees transferred to our bargaining units in the same manner as we deal with all other designations within that same unit.  

We’d also like to add that striking is an important bargaining leverage for workers and has been used throughout labour history to secure workplace gains that many, including non-unionized workers, take for granted today.   However, a strike is the last resort for unions.   There are other steps, such as conciliation and arbitration, which can be considered before strike action.   More importantly, it is the members who choose through a vote what action they will take to push their demands with the employer.   This goes for other actions and policies taken by the union.   Unions are democratic organizations run by its members.

5.            Q: What if I personally don’t want to join a union?   Will I be forced to join anyway?

The SEC has stated that the option not to be a member of a bargaining unit will remain open to those CMs who are non-SPS matched.   We understand that some CMs would prefer to take this option for a number of reasons, such as not wanting to pay union dues or not wanting to go on strike.   We’d like to suggest that there are some pervading misconceptions out there about unions and unionizing.   It will be difficult to address each of these misconceptions through this communiqué, but we will attempt to do so in the future as they come to our attention.  

For now, we’d like to ask CMs to consider the employees’ situation under the COE initiative.   We feel that Option 1 would serve the best interest of unionized members and fought hard to ensure that Option 1 will be chosen by management.   We were successful in this regard.   While many in the SRR program enjoyed some benefits, the SRR program is not designed to protect employees’ benefits through collective bargaining and a collective agreement.   Right now, CMs under the SRR program feel how tenuous their workplace conditions are with this conversion, while those represented by bargaining agents are secure in their positions.   This exemplifies one of the many advantages to being unionized.

6.            Q: What will be the union dues?

Just as the union is democratically run by its members, the workers, it’s activities are also financed by them through the payment of regular dues.  

In every union, it is customary to apportion dues between the Local Union and the National Union.   Because the USGE is a Component union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, our members' dues are split among the PSAC, USGE and Local/Sub-Local.   In general, dues comprise only a small percentage of members’ salaries. For more information on dues, visit the USGE Web site at www.usge-sesg.com .   Click on "Local Tool Box" where you will find a number of information articles, including dues, at your disposal.

7.            Q: I am proud to be a member of the RCMP, but being converted to a PSE takes that status away from me.

Public Service Employees, our members, are no less proud about their jobs and positions.   In fact, the latest Treasury Board Public Service Employee Survey (2002) show that 91 per cent of respondents are proud of the work carried out by their respective work units, and 95 per cent feel strongly committed to making their organization successful.

This pride stems from a deeply held conviction among our members to provide the best service to the public.   Our members also believe that their working conditions that affect workload, stress levels and morale, among other things, have a great impact on the quality of service to the public.   The PSAC-USGE has made great strides in ensuring that our members’ working conditions do not adversely affect the high quality of service to the public.

To illustrate our members’ high level of commitment to the public’s security and welfare, we’d like to recall the time about 80,000 members suspended their strike activity after the events of Sept. 11, 2001, due to a concern for maintaining public safety and security.