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Union UpdateApril 2007
Second PSAC PRIDE CONFERENCE: A successMore than one hundred PSAC members met in Vancouver from March 30 to April 1 for the second PSAC Pride Conference. The delegates were active in electing their representatives to the PSAC Equal Opportunity Committee (EOC), debating resolutions, and during the workshops, discussing and creating an action plan. Overall, it was a very successful conference. The new representatives of the GLBT community on the EOC are Denis Roy, (Atlantic) and Sharleen Patterson, (North). The alternate representatives are Carol-Anne Grenier, (NCR), Carolyn Moffat, (NCR), Julian Wilson, (NCR) and Toufic El-Daher, (Québec). The delegates also discussed and adopted a series of resolutions to make the PSAC a more inclusive union and to encourage the labour movement to play a more active role in the defense of GLBT rights. At the opening of the Conference, aboriginal elder leader Phillipa Ryan said that the theme of the conference, “Include and be included”, calls upon each of us to participate in deciding how we will live, heal and work together. By doing so, she explained, we will work towards eliminating exploitation and oppression. Ryan believes that a society is not a democracy when anyone is oppressed because of race, gender or gender identity, religion, class or sexual orientation. She said that our society may have a legal system, but we don't have a justice system. John Gordon, the PSAC National President, was one of the guest speakers at the conference. He thanked the participants for their help in making the PSAC a more progressive and inclusive union and he listed some of the progress achieved by PSAC to better reflect the realities of the GLBT communities. In spite of a long list of accomplishments in recent years, Gordon believes that we still have a long way to go and that we must continue the fight to make GLBT rights a priority at the bargaining table, in our union programs, and in our political action campaigns. During the second day of the conference, some delegates took part in a demonstration in Vancouver to protest the closing by the federal Conservative government of the offices of the Status of Women in Vancouver as well as in other cities across the country. In closing the Conference, the co-chairs, Ed Cashman and Kay Sinclair, congratulated the participants for their commitment to the democratic process and urged them to go back to their communities and continue the work started during the week-end. Picture: Vancouver demo Conservative budget doesn't make country fairer, safer or betterIn spite of its claims, the latest Conservative budget is not making Canada better or safer, nor will it make it fairer. “The federal budget proposes to establish a $25-million office to foster public-private partnerships (P3s), when what Canadians need and deserve are quality public services that are publicly funded and delivered,” said PSAC National President John Gordon. The budget calls for $1.26 billion over 7 years in a national fund for unspecified public-private partnerships, as well as $2.1 billion for gateways and border crossings, including the new Windsor-Detroit access which is already earmarked as a P3 initiative. “Despite the Conservative budget's praise for P3s in other countries, experience actually shows that public-private partnerships are less accountable and produce higher long-term costs,” Gordon said. “If our tax dollars are paying for this country's infrastructure, then we should own it. P3s are simply a way to guarantee corporate profits at taxpayers' expense.” The Conservative budget also sets the stage to put the health and safety of Canadians in jeopardy through deregulation. Government regulations set the terms and the extent to which the safety of the public is protected, whether it is food and drug safety, the environment, transportation or public health. “Canadians expect a government that supports strong regulations and effective enforcement,” Gordon said. “The Conservative budget sends the opposite message. Public safety now takes a back seat to economic competitiveness.” The Conservative budget also fails to address Canada's social infrastructure. The budget provides a mere $250 million to the provinces for the creation of child care spaces, instead of the $1.2 billion that was part of the signed agreements negotiated by the Liberals and repudiated by the Conservatives. Celebrate Earth Day – April 22, 2007This year, on April 22, over 500 million people in more than 100 countries will be celebrating International Earth Day. Some 6 million Canadians will participate in Earth Day events. Earth Day is celebrated in schools, community groups, youth groups, unions, and environmental organizations. Labour has played an historic role in environmental justice. For more than a century, workers have struggled against polluting substances in the workplace. These same substances also damage the natural environment and the health of communities. Labour is leading the demand that industry change to cleaner production processes and cleaner sources of energy – even though this will involve major changes in Canadian industry. Union activists can promote climate change action in the workplaces by discussing with management various environmental initiatives including training workers in conservation and energy efficiency, putting energy conservation programs into practice, reducing waste and promoting recycling initiatives in the workplace. Make Earth Day a day to raise the consciousness of every citizen around the world on environmental issues critical to the survival of our planet. Visit the PSAC Web Site for additional information on Earth Day. NATIONAL DAY OF MOURNINGOn April 28, 2007, PSAC members will join with our sisters and brothers in all communities across the country to observe the National Day of Mourning in order to remember our fellow workers who have been killed or injured in the workplace. It has been over 20 years since the Canadian Labour movement established the National Day of Mourning, and yet workers in Canada are being killed and injured in Canada at an ever increasing rate. MOURN THE DEADAccording to a research paper published in December 2006 by the Centre for the Study of Living Standards, data collected by the Association of Workers' Compensation Boards of Canada indicated that in 2005 there were 1,097 workplace fatalities in Canada, up from the 758 workplace deaths recorded in 1993. As Canadians work on average 230 days per year, this means that there were nearly five work-related deaths per work day in this country. Despite these horrific statistics, governments in Canada are systematically weakening health and safety laws, through deregulation activities, and refusing to provide the tools to enforce existing health and safety laws. DAY OF MOURNING ACTIVITIESOn April 28th, PSAC members should observe a minute of silence in our workplaces at 11:00 A.M. to remember these brothers and sisters. Members should also ensure that employers have lowered the Canadian flag at the worksite to half mast. PSAC members are also encouraged to participate in local ‘Day of Mourning' observances organized in their communities by their local Labour Councils, Federations of Labour and/or Locals. Bargaining UpdateParks CanadaPSAC served notice to bargain with the Parks Canada Agency on April 5, 2007, the earliest possible legal date to serve the notice – four months before the expiry date of the collective agreement. Members of PSAC's negotiating team for the Parks Canada bargaining unit met from March 5 to 8 in Ottawa, their first meeting since their election at the National Bargaining Conference in early February. The team worked on finalizing the demands package and establishing bargaining priorities. Team members also spent time considering bargaining demands from an equity perspective. The next step in the bargaining process is to exchange demands with the employer, which will take place electronically on May 3. The demands will also be posted on the PSAC web site shortly after the exchange. The first meetings will take place from May 24 and 25 to review the demands, provide clarification and answer questions. Negotiations will continue the week of June 18th. Notices to bargain were also served to:
Tentative agreements were reached with the Natsejeekeh Treatment Centre (NWT), Halifax Regional Municipality, Canadian Corps of Commissionaires in Victoria & The Island and in Yukon, Hay River Health & Social Services Authority (NWT). PSAC Rates - Meal & Incidental allowancesEffective: April 01, 2007
Kilometric ratesThe rates payable in cents per kilometre for authorized official use of private cars within and outside the headquarters area during the calendar year are shown below:
Notes:
PLEASE NOTE: These rates may not be in accordance with NJC rates |
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