 |
Union UpdateJune 13 - 24, 2005 In this issue:
Jeannie Baldwin re-elected PSAC Regional Vice-President for AtlanticDelegates to the PSAC Atlantic regional convention have re-elected Jeannie Baldwin as their Regional Executive Vice-President for a three-year term. “I am looking forward to working with the members of the new PSAC regional council,” said Baldwin. “By recruiting new activists the PSAC will be able maintain its tradition of social involvement and its strong presence in the labour movement in the Atlantic,” she added. Baldwin was first elected as REVP on February 23, 2004 following the resignation of the former REVP. She became active in the union in the 1980s and started to take a leadership role as a result of the 1991 national strike. Over the years, she has held a range of local, regional and national positions. From 1993 to 1998 she was National Vice-President (Newfoundland & Labrador) in the Canada Employment and Immigration Union (CEIU). Between 1995 and 1998, she was the Labour Co-Chair of the Newfoundland and Labrador Joint Adjustment Committee. Just before her election as REVP, she held the positions of Vice-President and Steward in Local 80215 and was the PSAC's Maritimes Women's Director. Debbie Graham was elected as the alternate Regional Executive Vice-President for the Atlantic region. She would become the REVP in the event that Jeannie Baldwin could not complete her term of office. Graham is currently Regional Vice-President for the Union of National Defence Employees. The 215 delegates to the regional Atlantic convention met from June 2 to 5, 2005. The guest speaker at the convention was Stephen Lewis, the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on HIV/AIDS in Africa. Mr. Lewis congratulated the PSAC for its social justice commitment and for the creation of its Social Justice Fund. The PSAC represents 17,530 members, primarily in the federal public sector, organized into 166 locals in the Atlantic. Public Service Health Care Plan NegotiationsNegotiations for amending the PSHCP continued in Ottawa with two days of discussions. The biggest issue for the Bargaining Agents side remains the introduction of a Health Card. The parties are continuing with this discussion. Other major issues involve a package of proposals tabled earlier in the process which the parties are also continuing to discuss. Governance of the plan is an issue being raised by the Employer. Currently the PSHCP is administered by a Trust and the parties are exploring a not-for-profit corporation with similar responsibilities to those exercised by the Trust. In addition, an ongoing review committee is being considered in order to be more responsive to the need for changes, rather than a full scale negotiation process which happens every five or six years. The employer has identified their concern with the cost of the plan, both historically and on a “go forward” basis and they are seeking strategies which will provide for some cost certainty. Amendments to the current funding formula as well as the deductible amount and the 80% co-insurance amount are among the areas the employer is looking at. There were two days of negotiations in June and future meeting dates include four days in July. That should bring the process closer to completion. Bargaining Update
Human rights“We all have the right to the truth” – Maher ArarThe PSAC publicly called for the release of Maher Arar while he was in prison in Syria and supported his efforts to have the Canadian government establish a public inquiry. The PSAC has financially contributed to the Maher Arar Support Committee as well as to the Committee of Organizations and Allies of the Arar Commission and actively participates on a CLC working group in support of Maher Arar. We all have a right to know the truth about what happened to Maher Arar. Despite efforts by the government at the public inquiry to limit what we will know, Maher Arar’s on-going courage, commitment and perseverance to demand the truth on behalf of all Canadians is inspiring. Maher Arar addressed delegates at the CLC Human Rights Forum at the CLC Convention on Sunday June 12, 2005. For more information including ways in which you can support Maher Arar, you can read a background document produced by the Committee of Organizations Intervening at the Arar Commission at http://security.clc-ctc.ca/pdf/050428submission.pdf and visit the Maher Arar’s Web site www.maherarar.ca (Web site in English only). What happens when your job is threatened?The unthinkable has happened. After years of hard work and loyalty to the public service, you’re hearing that the employer is cutting its work force. You need to know what this means for you and what rights you have. PSAC has negotiated job security language into many of our collective agreements. As well, we have negotiated extensive procedures and protections where employment could be threatened in collective agreements. You can find the Work Force Adjustment Appendices on the PSAC website. Workers at Museum of Civilization vote in favour of strike
The 400 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) at the Canadian Museum of Civilization voted 88 per cent in favour of a strike, if negotiations with their employer do not produce a new agreement. “Our members have just issued a serious warning to the management of the museum,” explained Ed Cashman, the regional executive vice-president of the National Capital Region of the PSAC. “They want priority issues such as the use of contracting out to be resolved at the bargaining table. Moreover, we will resume negotiations on June 16, and we believe this overwhelming vote in favour of strike action will help us get our message across. “However, if we cannot come up with an agreement that not only protects the rights of employees but also the mandate entrusted to the Museum of Civilization to protect Canada’s heritage, we will then go ahead with strike action. Management of the Museum must show some flexibility if it wants to avoid having its operations disrupted in the upcoming weeks.” PSAC members work at the Museum of Civilization, at the new War Museum and also at the Children’s Museum and the Postal Museum. Their collective agreement expired on March 31. At a demonstration held last May 26 when the Pompeii exhibition was launched at the Canadian Museum of Civilization, union members revealed that the management of the museum has been sidestepping the mandate given to it by the Parliament of Canada and earmarking increasing funds to the privatization of its operations. Between 1999 and 2004, the funding set aside for external consultants and agency employees rose from $6.6 million to $11.6 million, an increase of 75%. PSAC members are responsible for setting up exhibitions, greeting visitors and handling security, administration and the maintenance of collection belonging to the Canadian people. Negotiations between the parties began in April 2005. PSAC members built and lighted the privatization volcano to protest plans for further privatization of services at the Canadian Museum of Civilization. The members held a demonstration to coincide with the opening of the Pompeii Exhibition at the Museum. Celebrate PRIDE!Pride events in June, July and August across Canada mark the anniversary of the Stonewall Riots which occurred in New York City in June of 1969. The Riots were the turning point in the increased resistance to oppression and harassment of Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender persons. A strong, diverse community of "Pride" has evolved since the riots and the PSAC is proud to be part of the continuing struggle. Since Stonewall, a number of gains, especially on the legal front, have been made including the inclusion of sexual orientation into the Canadian Human Rights Act in 1996 and several amendments to legislation giving same-sex couples the same benefits and obligations as common-law couples. All but one – marriage. The Public Service Alliance of Canada continues to strongly support the extension of access to marriage to same-sex couples. Across Canada, PSAC negotiators are becoming increasingly successful at ensuring that all negotiated benefits are available to same-sex couples. The PSAC also provides office space and other support to the Canadians for Equal Marriage coalition in Ottawa. Our Union has a long history of opposing all forms of discrimination be they in the workplace or in society as a whole. We are proud of our leadership role in advancing GLBT rights. The adoption of PSAC Policy 31 on Sexual Orientation in 1994 made us one of the first unions to recognize the links between the struggle for workers’ rights and GLBT rights. No-discrimination and harassment clauses and policies, benefits extended to same-sex partners, leave provisions such as birth, adoption or bereavement and the equivalent of marriage leave are included in our collective agreements. The first ever fully-funded PSAC Pride Conference was held in November 2003, in Montreal, providing GLBT members with a safe space to strategize, strengthen solidarity, and become activists and leaders in our union. Clearly there are still many challenges for our Union – from the struggle for social and political equality of GLBT persons, to the implementation of measures which make our union more inclusive. In the spirit of Stonewall, we must defend the hard-won rights of GLBT people and continue to work towards dignity and equality for all. Park wardens: Federal Court of Appeal supports PSAC’s positionThe Federal Court of Appeal recently ordered an appeals officer with Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) to review his decision regarding the definition of danger faced by PSAC members who work as federal park wardens. In February 2001, a Health and Safety Officer with the HRSDC Labour Program found that law-enforcement duties of park wardens place them at potential risk of grievous bodily harm or death. He ordered Parks Canada to take measures to protect park wardens and to suspend all activities that constituted these dangers. This decision had been overturned by an appeals officer in May 2002, saying that there was no evidence that danger, as defined in the Canada Labour Code, existed in performing law-enforcement duties. The Federal Court upheld this decision in October 2003, which PSAC subsequently appealed to the Federal Court of Appeal. The Court rendered a decision in favour of PSAC on Friday, May 6, 2005. “We have always maintained that park wardens are in danger when carrying out law-enforcement duties, which can entail dealing with individuals that may react violently,” says Patty Ducharme PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for British Columbia. “This latest decision by the Court forces the appeals officer to take another look at this issue and come up with some direction to protect wardens in their duties.”
|
