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Union UpdateMay 17-28, 2004 Acrobat format In this issue:
PSAC asks Staff Relations Board to set up Conciliation BoardsWhen bargaining breaks down, the designation process must be completed before a union can ask the Public Service Staff Relations Board to set up a Conciliation Board. Designations at Treasury Board Tables 1, 2 and 3, the Canada Revenue Agency, Parks Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have now all been finalized. PSAC filed a request on June 7th to have Conciliation Boards established for Tables 1, 2, 3. The union filed a similar request for the Canada Revenue Agency bargaining unit on May 11th and for the Parks Canada unit on April 23. Conciliation Board hearings will be scheduled once the parties name their representatives on each of these Boards and agreement is reached on the naming of a chairperson for each Board. If the parties can't agree on chairpersons, the PSSRB will appoint one where necessary. Only after the Conciliation Boards have issued their reports will any of the bargaining units be in a legal strike position. How do I know if I'm designated? Management has an obligation to inform you formally if your position is designated. If your position has been designated, you will receive a Form 13. The Public Service Staff Relations Board issues all Form 13s. They are then sent to the respective employer for distribution. If you do not receive a Form 13, your position is not designated. Managers are responsible for giving out the Forms to the affected employees. When this happens, a union representative will likely be present. All three of you must sign the registry form. If a union representative is not there when you receive the Form, the designation is still valid as long as you are given the official Form 13. Keep in mind that you must receive an original copy of Form 13. If you work for Treasury Board, CRA, Parks Canada or CFIA and your position is designated, you will be expected to perform your regular duties in the event of a strike at your workplace. However, designated members also have a significant role to play during a strike. Stay tuned to an upcoming issue of Union Update to find out more. Visit the PSAC website – for updates on the progress of the Conciliation Board process and for questions and answers about designations. CEUDA's anger spreads over the bridgePSAC members working at Canada Border Services Agency slowed down the traffic on the Ambassador bridge between Windsor and Detroit on Friday May 28. Hundreds of trucks and cars were delayed coming into Canada. The workers held the demonstration to get the new classification they have been promised four years ago when additional functions were added to their duties. Those workers were showing their anger because in 2000, the government changed the law and some Customs Officers were given the powers and obligations of peace officers under the Criminal Code. That meant they now have a responsibility to enforce the provisions of the Criminal Code. It also means a significantly higher level of risk and danger on the job. But the government still refuses to recognize in the classification system these extra duties and responsibilities.
Even the largest trucks had to stop because of the demonstration on the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor.
Conciliation not a great show at the National Arts CentreThe PSAC and the National Arts Centre met with the assistance of Conciliation Officer Thomas Dinan for a full day on June 7 and the morning of June 8, 2004, for workers in Property Management, Parking and Security. Some issues were resolved, but the parties remain far apart on some of the more contentious demands. The Conciliation Officer decided late in the morning of June 8 that settlement is not possible at this time. The Conciliation Officer has advised the parties that he will stay on the file and will work with them as a mediator beyond June 29 to assist us in reaching a settlement. The 21-day countdown to legal strike will begin on June 30, 2004. These members voted 100% in favour of a strike last May. Same scenario for Ushers and Tour Guides After five days of collective bargaining, the PSAC bargaining team for the Ushers and Tour Guides at the NAC also reached impasse on May 27. The PSAC has applied for a conciliation officer to assist the parties in resolving the dispute. The parties were able to sign off a number of articles dealing with administrative or editorial matters. However, the NAC failed to respond in any substantive way to the priority issues raised by the union. These priority issues include union proposals for maternity and parental top up, the right to represent members during their probationary period, and various forms of leave, including leave with pay in the event of illness in the family. The union and the Employer did not discuss monetary issues, as we were unable to get past these other priorities. The members met on June 3 to discuss the current negotiations and mobilization efforts needed to lead to a strike vote. The NAC is in for a hot summer. In addition to conciliation for these two groups of NAC workers, the Employer is also bargaining with the NAC Orchestra. Deadline reminder
PSAC VictoryMore than 100 workers at Georgian Down's Racetrack in Innissil, north of Toronto, have voted to join the PSAC.
The organizing process for these new PSAC members was lengthy and difficult. The first vote was held May 6, 2003 but the results were not in favour of the union. This year, however, our efforts finally paid off and Georgian Down's Racetrack employees decided to join the PSAC. Several unfair labour practice complaints lodged against the employer after seven labour-friendly employees were laid off are still before the courts. The bargaining unit includes race track and kitchen staff, waiters and waitresses as well as betting window tellers. PSAC Members and the Fight Against Avian FluThe time has come for management at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) to recognize, at the bargaining table, the outstanding work done by its employees in the fight against the Avian flu. In an open letter to the media, Yves Ducharme, president of the Agriculture Component, describes the harsh working conditions under which PSAC members are working to combat this disaster which struck in BC's Fraser River Valley. “…up to 12 hours a day, 7 days a week. All are required to receive strong anti-viral medication as well as flu shots… The poultry barns are hot and humid and the workers have to wear full-body bio-secure suits and face masks. They are constantly exposed to animal death and the stench of decomposing carcasses.” According to Ducharme, the open letter will make Canadians aware of the essential role played by PSAC members in our country's health protection system. It is important for the public to know that, for all intents and purposes, the Agency has rolled back its employees' wages. Ducharme indicated that CFIA management has rejected virtually every union demand and offered a 1% annual increase, over three years. This offer in no way compensates for the negative impact of inflation on the livelihood of these workers. The Agriculture Union president hopes that the CFIA will soon realize that the time has come for management to change its attitude towards employees. Find the complete text of the letter on the PSAC Website PSAC sets a precedent in QuebecPSAC has brought together 1,300 student employees of the Université du Québec à Montréal under one sole bargaining unit. During meetings held March 30 and April 7, 96% of voters favoured union certification and chose to join the PSAC.
According to Local president Marie-Hélène Laurence, this constitutes a major victory. Not only does it set a precedent within the Quebec labour movement, it also provides these workers with a collective bargaining structure.
Management of UQAM will now be forced to recognize that student employees are serious about bargaining collectively, added Ms. Laurence. “Student employees have just taken a concrete and positive step towards improving their working conditions,” concluded Ms. Laurence. Ride for the moneyEven if they are very
busy with their work, the members of PSAC Union of Taxation employees
Local 00012 in Belleville found some time to raise money for the
Heart and Stroke Foundation. On Friday May 13, they went for a ride
on the Foundation's big bike in order to raise money. Notice
they are all wearing strike alert buttons!
Members of UTE local 00012 who raised money for the Heart and Stroke Foundation while wearing the Strike Alert button Salaries: Our demands are reasonable.A salary increase of 5% would help public sector workers catch up with their sisters and brothers in the private sector according to a review of the latest economic data on the Canadian economy. For instance, between 1991 and 2003, PSAC members working under the Treasury Board received salary increases totaling 18%, or an average of 1.5% per year. During the same period, Canadian workers in the private sectors were given salary increases of 26.5%, or 2.2% a year. During that same period, Members of Parliament were, to say the least, very generous to themselves. In 1991, a backbencher was receiving a total of $91,700 in salary and benefits. The same backbencher was receiving a total of $139,200 in 2003, an increase of more than 50% in the 12-year period, or 4.1% a year. In March 2004, our elected officials quickly passed a bill allowing MPs and senators who retire after age 50 but before age 55 to take advantage of various insurance plans, including the health and dental insurance plans. Meanwhile, retired PSAC members and other federal workers are prohibited from participating in the public service health care and dental plans unless they are receiving a benefit under the Public Service Superannuation Act. If we look at the salaries workers received between 1990 and 2002, it is easy to see that public sector workers are lagging behind. A private-sector worker who earned $32,000 in 1990 was earning $41,573 in 2002. A PSAC Treasury Board member in Table 1 earning $32,000 in 1990 was being paid only $38,222 twelve years later; a difference of more than $3,350 or close to 9% when compared to increases received by private-sector workers. Moreover, the private-sector employee earned a cumulative total of $474,714 from 1990 to 2002, but the Table 1 member received $443,977. We also have to keep in mind that one of the first things Paul Martin did when he became prime minister was to grant wage increases of more than 25% to the ministerial executive assistants, boosting their salaries from $114,500 to $147,300, an increase of $32,000. At the same time, his government froze hiring and reclassifications in the federal Public Service. In addition, the federal government significantly upgraded the Performance Management Program to give more bonuses to senior executives who only partially achieved their objectives. The change in the program allowed the government to give performance bonuses to more than 90% of its senior executives. |
The
applications for this year's PSAC scholarship Program must be postmarked
no later than August 15, 2004. The Program is offering 12 scholarships
to PSAC members and their children for 2004. For details, visit
Georgian
Down's Racetrack employees, Marilyn Weichel and Wanda Newlove, are
thrilled to be PSAC members. 