PSAC members vote to strike
Almost 100,000 Public Service Alliance of Canada members, employed
by the federal government, are one step closer to taking action
up to and including a strike in order to achieve new collective
agreements.
The federal public sector workers have voted in favour of strike
action; 72% of the Program and Administrative Services Group (Table
1), 83% of the Operational Group (Table 2) and 72% of the Technical
Services Group (Table 3) have said yes to a strike.
For Nycole Turmel, PSAC national president, this vote is a strong
message to Treasury Board. "Our members rejected the Treasury
Board's only wage offer along with the proposed rollbacks of existing
benefits," said Turmel.
"We have been bargaining since last September with an employer
who kept coming to the table without a mandate," explains Turmel.
"Finally, last February, Treasury Board offered 1.75%, 1.25% and
1.25% over a three-year agreement. If the union wanted any other
improvements, they would be deducted from the wage offer."
The negotiating sessions which took place in February and early
March were held with the assistance of Conciliation Officers.
The union will now be taking the next step which is to request
the establishment of Conciliation Boards who will hear presentations
from both parties.
Turmel also decried the fact that Treasury Board is prepared
to deal much more generously with senior executives than with
the front-line workers who are actually providing the services.
On top of the 2.5% increase senior executives received in April
2003, 93% of these executives received generous performance bonuses
for 2002-03.
The union's Treasury Board members join a total of 30,000 PSAC
members at the Canada Revenue Agency and the Canadian Food Inspection
Agency who have already given their negotiating team strong strike
mandates. Workers at Parks Canada, who are currently voting, are
expected to follow suit.
"All of our members are responding to the uncertain climate
in which they are working," suggests Turmel. "The Martin government's
program review could result in cuts to public services. Our members
are concerned about the level and quality of services they will
be able to provide, the impact of increased workloads on service
delivery and possible job cuts."
B.C. settlement a labour victory
During a massive May Day protest against the Campbell
government, PSAC activists lent their support to B.C. health care
workers..
For the first time in recent memory, the labour movement has
forced a government to fundamentally alter the terms of back to
work legislation.
In the face of escalating opposition, mass rallies and workers
walking off the job in support of striking health care workers,
the B.C. government was forced to amend Bill 37; appalling legislation
that would have implemented a retroactive wage cut, and severe
lay offs for the province's health care workers.
In defying the back to work legislation, the
B.C. Hospital Employees' Union (CUPE) had the support of the B.C.
Federation of Labour and many affiliates, including the PSAC.
On Friday, April 30, PSAC members in a number of locations were
off the job. On May Day, PSAC members were out in force at rallies
in Vancouver and across the province. And over the weekend our
leadership at National and Regional levels pledged continuing
support to HEU.
That support included a commitment to close a number of federal
worksites on Tuesday May 4, as part of labour's strategy of escalating
and rotating walkouts.
Mounting public opposition and the threat of impending job action
forced the Campbell government to blink. Late Sunday evening an
agreement was reached to change key parts of Bill 37. HEU won
a cap on further contracting out, which is now limited to 600
full time positions. The wage rollbacks will not be retroactive,
and the threat of fines and discipline has been dropped.
Defying legislation is never easy, but the B.C. labour movement
has shown that it can be done, and that unjust laws can be changed.
While this is a clear victory for the labour movement, the job
is far from complete.
Gordon Campbell has had his day, and the people of British Columbia,
including 15,000 PSAC members, will complete the job, and send
his government--and any other party contemplating an attack on
working people--a strong message during the next provincial election
in 2005.
UPCE in bargaining mode
PSAC members working at Canada Post held a National Bargaining
Conference in Ottawa from April 18 to 23, 2004. The negotiating
team prepared a final package of proposals which will be submitted
to the membership before being presented to Canada Post. There
will be several meetings across the country where the members
will have a chance to vote on the bargaining proposals. It is
expected that the meetings will be held between May 17 and June
4, 2004 . Members are encouraged to attend these meetings to discuss
the bargaining proposals and to provide feedback to the negotiating
team.
During the meetings, the members will also be asked for suggestions
for a theme for this round of negotiations. The theme that was
used at the last round of negotiations was "UPCE Together
for a fair & equitable agreement".
They will also be seeking suggestions on mobilization activities.
UPCE also held four regional bargaining conferences in February
and March, 2004 to elect members of the National Bargaining Team.
The members elected were: Atlantic Region Sandra Dalley
(Fredericton), Western Region Shelley MacKintosh
(Edmonton), Ontario Region - Victoria Hill (Toronto) and
Quebec Region - Christine Dutka (Montreal).
CFIA Sign Writing Contest
The PSAC members working at CFIA submitted many entries to the
Sign Writing Contest organized by their bargaining team. The members
were asked to write a message they would like the employer to
see on a sign if there were a strike.
The bargaining team members reviewed all the submissions and
decided that the prize is going to Marjorie Taylor, Vice-President
of Local 80003, from Centreville, Nova Scotia. She submitted the
slogan:
How safe is your food? 1% safe!
The slogan refers to the 1% salary increase offered by the employer.
As the first prize winner, Marjorie Taylor will receive an Agriculture
Union jacket. PSAC members working at CFIA voted 89% in favour
of a strike. The conciliation process with an officer has not
produced much progress and the PSAC is now going to the next step:
a conciliation board.
Revised scholarship program takes off
In early 2004, the Public Service Alliance of Canada revised
the PSAC Scholarship Program.
The PSAC Scholarship Program is offering the
following 12 scholarships to PSAC members and their children for
2004:
one $4,000 Groulx-PSAC National Scholarship;
two $3,000 Groulx-PSAC National Scholarships;
the J.R. (Joe) Power $2,000 Scholarship;
one $1,000 PSAC National Scholarship;
one $1,000 scholarship for each region (Atlantic, Quebec, National
Capital Region, Ontario, Prairies, British Columbia and the North).
Awarding of the scholarships is based on a 1,200 word essay,
scholastic achievement, and community and union involvement. The
subject of the essay is determined in January of each year. The
topic for the 2004 essay is "Why should the unions be interested
in the issue of globalization?" Three out of the eight $1,000
scholarships will be awarded to PSAC members (if applications
are received) who are returning to university, college or an institute
of higher learning on a full-time basis.
The deadline for applications is Aug. 15, 2004. Applications
should be mailed or faxed to:
Public Service Alliance of Canada, Attn: Scholarship Committee,
233 Gilmour Street, Suite 904, Ottawa Ontario K2P 0P1
FAX: (613) 236-1654
For more information on eligibility and criteria, please visit
our Web site at www.psac.com .
Demonstration at the National Gallery
Over 115 people held a demonstration in front of the National
Gallery of Canada in Ottawa on April 28 to protest against the
dismissal of two members of PSAC/National Component Local 70397.
The PSAC bargaining team is deeply concerned about the two dismissals
and the employer's recent comment that they cannot guarantee that
there will be no lay-offs. Job security is still an issue at bargaining
as are wage increases. The PSAC filed grievances against the two
dismissals.
Meanwhile there are still some major issues remaining in the
negotiations between PSAC and the NGC: wages, vacation, personal
and volunteer leaves, job security, no discrimination / no harassment,
pay administration, on-call employees, like the Social Justice
Fund and whistleblowing.
The numbers keep going up
The number of workplace deaths has been steadily increasing
every year, with 953 workers dead in the year 2003 alone. As illustrated
in this board displayed at the Day of Mourning activity at Vincent
Massey Park in Ottawa on April 28, 2004, more than 16,000 Canadians
died because of their workplace in the last 20 years. Over two
hundred people gathered in Vincent Massey Park to celebrate the
memory of their sisters and brothers who died in their places
of work. Several such gatherings were held in many cities across
Canada for the Day of Mourning. Labour leaders believe that despite
the recent passing of the Westray Bill, a law holding employers
accountable under the Criminal Code for workplace safety, governments
must pass more stringent regulations to ensure that Canadians
do not die because of their work.
Fighting for public services
The PSAC has joined forces with other Canadian unions to fight
for public services in Columbia and in Canada. Six public sector
trade unionists and activists from Colombia will participate in
events organized by CUPE, CUPW and the PSAC in both the Atlantic
and Western regions of Canada, May 6-21, 2004. Funded in part
by the PSAC Social Justice Fund, the Front Line Tour will provide
opportunities for Colombian trade unionists and activists to engage
in discussions with PSAC, CUPW and CUPE members about their struggles
to stop the privatization of public services and the impact of
privatization to date on workers, services and communities in
Colombia.
For details about the Front Line Tour, please visit the PSAC
web site at www.psac.com
PSAC's casual day on May 28
Once again, the PSAC is supporting the annual Huntington Society
Dress Down Day.
Members of Parliament get better treatment
Members of PSAC are entitled to the same improvements to their
health care plan as those extended to Members of Parliament through
Bill C-24, according to PSAC National Executive Vice-President,
John Gordon, who appeared before the Standing Senate Committee
on Social Affairs, Science and Technology.
Bill C-24 allows MPs who cease to be Members after age 50 but
before age 55 to participate in the Public Service Health Care
Plan (PSHCP), the Pensioners Dental Services Plan (PDSP) and the
Public Service Management Insurance Plan (PSMIP).
According to Gordon, this legislation gives MPs preferential
treatment, because they will be receiving benefits greater than
those received by workers in the federal public service, most
of whom are represented by PSAC.
Gordon concluded his presentation by asking Senators to take
the steps necessary to ensure that Bill C-24 applies equally to
all federal employees.
