September 2, 2008
The team has taken it as far as we could - so now it's up to you
Dear member,
We are committed to bargaining fairly and getting you the best deal that we can possibly achieve. To that end, the union tabled a comprehensive offer to settle on August 21, 2008. The employer then responded to us on August 27, 2008.
In tabling their response, CPC took an all or nothing approach. In fact they wrote: “no single item or group of items may be considered separately from the rest.” In other words, a package deal, take it or leave it.
Your team was clear - this offer is unacceptable. Despite our best efforts to take a reasonable approach to bargaining, it is further evidence that our proposals were not being taken seriously and, more importantly, that there was no recognition or respect shown for the contributions that you have made over the years.
The team has taken it as far as we could – so now it's up to you.
What follows is a detailed summary of the most recent offers tabled by your union and by the employer. The table below reflects the parties' positions as of August 29, 2008. This table is organized by theme.
You are encouraged to review it and to compare for yourself.
Requesting a strike mandate is serious business. But so is getting a decent collective agreement. Obviously we want to settle with the employer – but not at any cost.
Your employer needs to know what you think of their offer and we need to show Canada Post that we are willing to take action to defend our fundamental right to a fair workplace and to workplace respect.
Over the coming weeks, representatives from your bargaining team will be attending local strike vote meetings and will be available to answer your questions.
In solidarity,
Your bargaining team
Monetary
Article |
PSAC/UPCE |
CPC |
| Wage increase (AA) | Increase of 3% per year | Administrative categories: increase of between 1% and 1.25% per year, depending on classification; Technical categories: increase of between 1.75% and 2% per year, depending on classification |
| Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) (31) | COLA to be paid if inflation exceeds 8% cumulatively over 3 years | No specific response |
| Pay administration (31) | Maintain current entitlements | Incremental progression no longer automatic. They are to be based on performance appraisal: If appraisal = 1, no increment If appraisal = 2, one increment If appraisal = 3, two increments |
| Bilingual bonus (C) | Increase to $1200 per year | Refused proposed change |
| Child Care (H) | Increase funding for child care programs | Refused proposed change |
| Overtime meal allowance (26) | Increase to $10 meal allowance | Refused proposed change |
| Travel per diem (26) | Increase to $80 per diem and increase to Km rate | Refused proposed change |
| Individual Performance Incentive (K) | Maintain current entitlements | Increase to IPI |
Benefits and Pension
Article |
PSAC/UPCE |
CPC |
| Drug Plan | Maintain principle that no member should lose current entitlements | Introduce a new one-tier drug plan with reduced formulary - like CUPW. Drugs that are currently in tier 2 or 3 will require a form to be filled out by employee's doctors.1 |
| Vision and hearing benefits (37) | Increase to vision and hearing plans, including new entitlement for laser eye surgery | Conditional on accepting the new drug plan: Increases to vision and hearing plans, including new entitlement for laser eye surgery |
| Paramedical Benefits (O) | Increases to caps on paramedical benefits | Conditional on accepting the new drug plan: Increases to caps on paramedical benefits |
| Retiree Benefits (37) | Maintain current entitlements | Retirees to be eligible for benefits only after 15 years of service * |
Leave
Article |
PSAC/UPCE |
CPC |
| Sick leave (43) | Maintain current entitlements | Eliminate sick leave and replace it with a Short term disability program2 * |
| Family-related leave (42.11) | Maintain current entitlements and expand definition of family | Eliminate Family related leave and replace it with a Short term disability program2 |
| Vacation leave (40) | Maintain current entitlements | Eliminate the entitlement to 7th week of vacation leave after 28 years of service * |
| Leave for medical appointments (New) | Introduce leave with pay for members to attend medical or dental appointments | To be covered by Short Term Disability Program2 |
| Education leave (44) | Ensure that leave for educational purposes is not unreasonably denied | Refused proposed change |
| Bereavement leave (42.02) | 5 days of leave with an expanded definition of family | 4 days of leave - one day can be taken separately. No change to family definition |
| Pre-retirement leave (42.17) | Increased flexibility to take the time - and can be taken in blocks of one day | Leave can be taken in blocks of one day – no increased flexibility |
| Elder and child care without pay (42.14) | Allow members to take this unpaid leave not subject to operational requirements | Refused proposed change |
| Elder and child care without pay (42.14) | Employees can take blocks of 2 weeks for elder or child care | Employees can take blocks of 2 weeks for elder care only |
Job Security, Bargaining Unit Issues
Article |
PSAC/UPCE |
CPC |
| Job Security (28) | Job security to apply to all employees on the date of signing | Weakened job security: only applies to employees with five years of service and on strength in 2005 |
| Work in the Bargaining Unit (7) | Strengthened language - others not to perform PSAC/UPCE work and no contracting out | Refused proposed change |
| Group measurement and surveillance (New) | Limits to be placed on employer's ability to individually measure employees' work and surveil employees in the workplace. | Refused proposed change |
| Coop Program (New) | No Change | Introduce a coop program to employ students |
| Service Expansion and Innovation and Change Committee (M) | Improvements to funding and expansion of the committee's mandate | Refused proposed change |
Hours of Work, Overtime, Staffing
Article |
PSAC/UPCE |
CPC |
| Contact centre prep and wrap up time (25) | Contact centre employees to receive 10 minute paid prep time and 10 minute paid wrap up time where they do not have to take a call | Refused proposed change |
| Paid lunch (25) | Provide a paid half hour lunch period for all members | Refused proposed change |
| Scheduling at Contact Centres (25) | Alter scheduling and introduce a fair process for allotting overtime and extended hours | Reduce the length of the schedule to 7 days for part time term employees, 42 days for part-time indeterminate, and extend to 84 days for full time employees3 |
| Scheduling at Contact Centres (25) | Maintain current entitlements | Shorten the posting period for the schedule to 7 days |
| Surplus employee entitlements (28) | No employee to be denied ability to apply for a job because of an existing assignment | Refused proposed change |
| Term employee entitlements (27) | Terms to become permanent when in the same position for one year | Refused proposed change |
| Term employee entitlements (4) | No artificial break in service to deny term employees their entitlements | Refused proposed change |
| Overtime (26) | Pay for all time worked - overtime to kick in immediately when working overtime | Refused proposed change |
| Part time entitlements (4) | Part timers to get benefits in proportion to amount of hours worked or scheduled | Refused proposed change |
| Part time entitlements (25) | Pay at overtime rates when a part time employee's hours are changed less than a week before the shift | Pay at overtime rates when a part time employee's hours are changed less than 3 days before the shift |
| Part time entitlements (39) | Part timers to get benefits in proportion to amount of hours worked or scheduled | Part time employees to be paid no less than scheduled hours on a holiday |
Other
| Article | PSAC/UPCE | CPC |
| Grievance Procedure (19) | Simplified grievance language | Simplified grievance language |
List of Items that have been agreed to in principle4
Staffing (27) |
Employees to be notified when screened out of a competition |
|
Staffing (27) |
Employees to remain on transfer list for 2 years |
|
Shift Premiums (32) |
Increase of 20 cents to evening premium and 25 cents to night/weekend premium |
|
Pension |
Letter of understanding to give union more control over any surplus |
|
Dental fee guide (37) |
Updated fee guide, lagging behind by a year |
|
No Harassment (14) |
Improved anti-harassment language, including personal harassment |
|
NB: Any employer demand which is marked with an asterisk (*) includes provisions to grandfather current employees. E.g. employees that currently have 7 weeks of vacation would keep their 7 weeks. Any employee who doesn't yet have 7 weeks would never get it.
1 Drug Plan: the employer has proposed a new drug plan. It would be one-tier, instead of the current three-tiered system. The formulary would be greatly reduced from the current formulary. Drugs that are currently in tier 2 and 3 (reimbursed at 69% and 50%) would require extra forms to be filled out by the employee's doctor and may no longer be covered. The new formulary, like tier 1 of the current plan would be reimbursed at 80%. Grandfathering will occur only for employees who were prescribed a drug in 2008.
2 Short term disability plan: The employer has proposed the implementation of a plan to replace the current sick and family-related leave provisions in the collective agreement. The plan would include reducing the current 20 annual days of paid sick and family-related leave to 7 ‘personal days'. These days would not roll over, but would be paid out if unused.
3Scheduling changes: the employer has proposed a 7 day shift schedule posting period in contact centres. Also, they have proposed a significantly shorter schedule for part-time term employees (7 days), a shorter schedule for part-time indeterminate employees (42 days) and a longer schedule for full-time employees (84 days).
4While these have been agreed to in principle at the table, Canada Post has reserved the right to pull any agreements off the table if we don't come to a tentative agreement.
PSAC/UPCE at Canada Post
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Date Modified : 2008/09/02
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