Our Union Voice - Summer 2013 English

7/28/2019 Our Union Voice - Summer 2013 English

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PUBLICATIONS MAIL AGREEMENT NO. 40062596

RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES TO

PUBLIC SERVICE ALLIANCE OF CANADA

233 GILMOUR STREET

OTTAWA ON K2P OP1

40062596

Vol. 7, N 2 Summer 2013

PSAC took thisto court and WON!

WhenGina Martin-Ivierefused to dodangerous work,

the employerretaliated.

Photo : Cezary Gesikowski


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2 I Our Union Voice I Summer 2013

EDITORIAL

Photo:CezaryGesikowski

A message from the PSAC National President

What happened to the idea ofworking together?

IN THIS ISSUE

PSAC campaigns & wins ............................................................... 3

Bargaining updates

2013 PSAC National Health & Saety Conerence .....................4

Regional meetings Lets talk! ................................................... 6

WFA headline to come .................................................................. 7

Members have their say ............................................................... 8

Our Union Voice is a quarterly publication o the Public Service Alliance o Canada. Representing180,000 members, PSAC is one o Canadas largest unions and is afliated with the Canadian Labour

Congress and internationally to Public Services International and UNI Global Union.

Editor: Cezary Gesikowski

Editorial Board: Mariam Abou-Dib, Nicholas Galletti, Steve Jelly, Louise Laporte

Design, layout and production: Janet Jorgensen

Translation: PSAC Language Services

ISSN: 1718-8652

Public Service Alliance o Canada, 233 Gilmour Street, Ottawa ON K2P 0P1 613-560-4200

Ce journal est aussi disponible en ranais sous le titre Le Rassembleur.

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWSSign up at www.psac.com/signup to receive the latest

email news about collective bargaining and much more.

Vol. 7, N 2 Summer 2013

PSAC on the Internet Visit us or the latest news rom PSAC and

other noteworthy items we share on:

[email protected]/psac.nationalyoutube.com/user/psacapc

ickr.com/people/psac-apc

Keep in touch with Robyn Benson on:

acebook.com/RobynBensonPSACAFPCor on Twitter@BensonRobyn:twitter.com/BensonRobyn

Contact Chris Aylward, PSAC National Vice-

President on Twitter @ChrisAylwardVP: twitter.com/ChrisAylwardVP

Get the latest insights and opinions romPSAC leaders and join the conversation on

Headwinds. Visitwww.aec-cea.ca

PSAC members participatedin the cross-Canada regionalleadership meetings tobuild a sense o communitywithin the membership.

Photo:JeffreyVallis

So much o the work we do relies on a

healthy relationship between union and

management. And like any relationship,

ours needs to be built on trust, respect, and

a joint desire to build on what we have in

common and work through the things we

dont. Its not always easy, and thats why

there are so many rules designed to keep

the parties on track. Over the past year, the

labour movement has been under constant

attack because we are one o the very ew

voices let standing in opposition to what this

government is doing to our country and to al l

Canadians. The latest tactic, it seems, is to

simply throw the rule book away.

Im talking about what happened at the

FB bargaining table, and whats been

happening across the board to consultation

and inormation sharing. The FB group

hadnt even received a PIC report when the

government decided to table a fnal oer. It

arrived at my door in an envelope with a 48

hour deadline or response.

There are rules. We have a bargaining

team. They were elected to represent the

membership and they are the ones who

will determine whether or not an oer will

become a tentative agreement. Thats how we

do things around here.

It seems almost every week I get emails rom

members, Locals or elected ofcers asking

about some new process or measure that is

being implemented without consultation.

Things like the elimination o paper pay stubs,

a new policy on perormance management,

or moving to a system o pay in arrears.

Heres what you get when you dont talk to

the union: rumours, anxiety, grievances,

and eventually a complete breakdown in

the meaningul communication between the

parties that makes the whole system work.

Attacking the union, isolating our members,

and ensuring that everyone is kept in the

dark only works i we allow ourselves to be

marginalized. So I am asking you to take the

time to read this issue o Our Union Voice,

browse our website, ollow our social media

eeds, pay attention to your workplace noticeboards, and keep talking to each other

about the work that we do and the value o

your union card. We are all aected by the

governments attempts to push us aside, and

we must all reuse to be silenced.

Its your union. Join the conversation.

In Solidarity,

Robyn Benson, National President

Over the past year, the labour

movement has been under

constant attack because we

are one o the very ew voices

let standing in opposition

to what this government

is doing to our country

and to all Canadians.

ONTARIO

PRAIRIES


3/7

Summer 2013 I Our Union Voice I 3

BARGAINING

Win on alternation policy grievance

The PSAC won a signifcant victory in April 2013 beore the Public Service LabourRelations Board on a major issue in the Work Force Adjustment Appendix (WFAA).

The Board agreed with PSAC that Treasury Board is ultimately responsible to

ensure that departments are not violating the collective agreement.

The decision strengthens the obligations o the employer to establish an

eective alternation system. On June 15, 2012, the PSAC and PIPSC fled

policy grievances against Treasury Board with respect to the ailure o many

departments to abide by the alternation provisions in the WFAA. The grievance

also dealt with the ailure on the part o the employer as a whole to establish a

system that works across departments.

Treasury Board now has to step up to the plate and take responsibility on

the ailure o alternation, said Robyn Benson, National President o the PSAC.

They need to immediately ensure all departments respect the collective

agreement.

The PSAC is in discussions with the employer to discuss remedies related to

the Boards ruling. Visit http://ow.ly/kijNX to fnd out more about alternation.

Understanding EssentialServices Agreement (ESA)An ESA is a written agreement between the Union and the employer that

certain work duties are essential to the saety and security o the public and

must continue during a strike. ESAs are required by the Public Service Labour

Relations Act (PSLRA).

Beore 2005, the process captured by ESAs was known as designations. Back

then, a position containing an essential duty would be designated and the

employee had to perorm the ull range o duties, essential or not. Designations

were renegotiated with every round o collective bargaining and assigned to

people and positions. The ESAs are about essential services and duties, and

while amendments will be possible to the ESA, it will stay in place round ater

round.

I in doubt, work now and grieve later

The employer is responsible or notiying members who are in essential service

positions with the local union in attendance. I your supervisor orders you to

perorm non-essential duties, write down the date, time, managers name and

the duties perormed and provide this to your union representative immediately.

I your supervisor asks you to perorm the duties o an employee who is on

strike, decline. However, i you are ordered, ollow the steps above and grieve.

To fnd out more about essential services, visit the Essential Services Frequently

Asked Questions on our website: http://ow.ly/ksar4

PSAC wins legal case formember disciplined for raising

health and safety concernsIn a resounding victory for the PSAC, The Public Service Labour

Relations Board has ruled that Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA)

violated the Canada Labour Code when it retaliated against an

employee or raising health and saety concerns in the workplace.

Gina Martin-Ivie exercised her right to reuse dangerous work in 2005, motivated by a

concern that CBSA ailed to provide Border Services Ofcers at the Primary Inspection

line with timely access to reliable inormation on known armed and dangerous persons

they might encounter in the line o duty.

Ater the hearing into her work reusal CBSA commenced an investigation, allegedly into

a security breach. However, the Board ruled that the security breach investigation becamea vehicle to retaliate against Martin-Ivie or raising health and saety concerns in the workplace.

The Board ruled that regional management tainted the proessional standards investigation by

linking it to the exercise o Martin-Ivies right to reuse under the Code. The Board noted that

in doing so, CBSA representatives demonstrated an anti-union animus.

The Board urther ound that the Senior Investigator with Proessional Standards exceeded her

mandate when she too linked the investigation to the work reusal. Eventually, Ms Martin-Ivie

was subjected to a learning conversation. Again, the Board ound that this was a careully

chosen ruse and that this employer action was actually disciplinary in nature. Photo:CezaryGesikowski

Unions win fght or EI benefts

or workers aected by cutsThanks to interventions by the PSAC and other ederal unions, Treasury Boardhas fnally agreed that the Conservative governments job cuts qualiy as a

workorce reduction program, thereore allowing workers who have been

made surplus to be eligible or Employment Insurance (EI) benefts.

Beore the unions intervened, departments were issuing Records o Employment

to Service Canada that said that these workers had quit and they were then

disqualifed rom getting EI benefts.

While individual circumstances will vary, the change means that employees who

are made surplus opting under the Workorce Adjustment Agreement and

choose one o the options to leave the public service will not automatically be

denied access to EI, as they had in the past. The change is retroactive to April

2012. For more inormation, visit our website: http://ow.ly/kooZv

Bargaining UpdatesFB Group protests the lacko a contract since 2011On April 18, 2013, Public Service Alliance o Canada (PSAC) members

and Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) members protested the

lack o a air collective agreement since June 2011.

In December 2012, the Bargaining Team presented its case beore

the Public Interest Commission (PIC) and is still awaiting the PIC

report and recommendations. As soon as we receive the report,

updates will be posted to the FB bargaining page o the PSAC

website.

Many other ederal bargainingunits still awaiting a contractOther units currently in bargaining are: Technical Services (TC),

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA), Canadian Food Inspection Agency

(CFIA), Statistical Survey Operations (SSO), and Canada Post. For

bargaining updates, check out the Bargaining section o our website

at http://ow.ly/kqtBS and sign-up or email updates http://ow.ly/kqugK


4/7

Delegates voted for a number of

resolutions calling for measures toaddress mental health in the workplace.

4 I Our Union Voice I Summer 2013 Summer 2013 I Our Union Voice I 5

HEALTH & SAFETY

2013 PSAC National Health & Safety Conference

Mental Health at Work We Are All AffectedThe 2013 PSAC National Health and Safety Conference was held April 12 to 14,

2013 in Montral, Qubec. This years theme: Mental Health at Work We Are

All Affected continued where the last national health and safety conference left off.

Delegates from across Canada met to discuss important issues such as bullying,

harassment, mental health in the workplace,and disability management.

In the light o the current Conservative governments massive cuts to public services, the conerence was directly

tied to the PSACs We Are All Affected campaign. As the government continues along the path o deregulation

and contracting out it encourages lower standards and increasing oreign control o Canadians health, saety and

security. Deregulation also reduces employment levels and our health and saety rights in the workplace. As a result

o these changes we all lose due to lack o enorcement and undermining o public accountability.

PSAC is committed to fghting or healthy and sae workplace or our members, and a work environment

that is discrimination and harassment ree. Quality public services rely on strong regulations to ensure

that governments and employers meet their obligation to protect Canadian workers, their communities

and their amilies. The conerence provided an opportunity or the participants to help PSAC fght

or sae and healthy workplaces, a sae and healthy Canada and better employment conditions or

all workers.

Stphane Grenier, a retiredLt. Col. with the Canadian

Armed Forces, delivered apowerful and memorable

speech using the examplesof his own personal

struggles and the work

that we can do to supportpeople with mental health

disabilities in the workplace.

Charan Bhullar, UNE

delegate from BC asksa question during the

conference. Delegates hadmany opportunities to share

their experiences and ask

questions of the speakers.

Guest speaker Mary Anne Baynton,a well-known consultant andexpert on workplace mental health,

talked about the new NationalStandard on Psychological Health

and Safety in the Workplace.

Delegates participated in the conference plenary sess ions.

Delegates exchanged ideas and recommendations at

workshops and focus groups during the conference.

Chris Aylward, PSAC NEVP, spokeof the governments intention

to attack the RAND formula. Heexplained how this new government

attack on unions will impactdirectly the health and safety of

our workers across Canada.

For urther inormation

on the PSAC Health &

Saety conerence and

other important issues go

to http://ow.ly/lEgsr

For more inormation on

PSAC negotiated benefts

including sick leave and

disability insurance visit

http://ow.ly/lEGQx

PSAC National President Robyn Benson addressed

the conference delegates. Robyn spoke about theimportance of mental health in the workplace and how

health and safety activists can make a difference.

Delegates participated in workshops

and focus groups to learn more aboutmental health, disability management,

and bullying and harassment. Theyshared ideas on how we can work

together to take action on these issues.

Bob Jackson,PSAC BC REVP,chaired the

Conference.

Photos:Alain

Cossette


5/7

PRAIRIES

ONTARIO


PSAC CAMPAIGNS

Building the unionone member at

a time lets talk!As a union, we spend a lot o time bargaining,

working to make sure our members have

jobs in spite o government cuts to services,

dealing with and preventing health and saety

problems, representing our members against

unjust discipline, fghting or pay equity and

promoting human rights. And thats not all.

We are now undertaking an unprecedented member-to-member campaign. We want to hear rom every

member so that together we can make our union better.

Were going to listen to our members concerns about whats

happening in the workplace and learn about the things they care

about.

In April and May our union brought together local leaders all

across the country to help kick-start the one-to-one conversations

with members in our locals. We are distributing pledge cards

so we have your contact ino up to date and can stay in touch

on important issues. Were working together to build a sense o

community within the memberhip and make PSAC a stronger

and more dynamic orce or positive change in the workplace and

in our communities.

Our aim is to make these conversations a regular part o our

union activity. Havent been part o the conversation yet? Contact

your Local or your PSAC regional or Component ofce.

ONTARIO

BRITISH COLUMBIA

NORTH

NCR

ATLANTIC

QUBEC


6/7

Summer 2013 I Our Union Voice I 7The back page is a detachable poster.

WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT

Since April 2012, more than

21,600 PSAC members have

been handed aected notices

telling them they could lose

their jobs. Thanks to strong

job security provisions in the

Workorce Adjustment appendix

o collective agreements, a vast

majority of those affected

have been offered jobs or have

been able to use transitional

support measures to leave.

How WFA is working

It has been difcult to get detailed numbers

rom dierent departments and agencies, but

fgures released by Treasury Board or the

core public service or the period between

April 2012 just ater the 2012 ederal budget

was tabled and April 2013, shows how the

WFA is helping workers.

During that period, 30,000 ederalgovernment workers in the core public

service (the majority o which are PSAC

members) were handed aected notices.

As o April 2013 just under 20,000 o

those workers had been oered new jobs.

Another 5,782 had chosen to leave the

ederal government with the help o

transitional support measures, and,

in many cases, used the educational

allowance o up to $10,000 to help

upgrade their skills.

3,450 remain in aected status, many

o whom are awaiting the results odepartments SERLO (selection or layo

or retention) processes. Given current

trends, it is likely that a majority o those

will either receive job oers or choose

to leave the ederal government with the

help o transitional support measures.

Just 1,082 out o the 30,000 had opted to

stay on with priority status, hoping to

qualiy or another job within a year.

The outlook appears the same or aected

members at separate agencies such as Parks,

the Canada Revenue Agency and Agriculture

and Agri-ood Canada.

Improvements are still needed

Despite these successes, we have a lot o work

to do to ensure the employer is upholding its

obligations under the WFA appendix so that

it works as well as it can.

For example, between August and November

this year, we know that about 550 workers

who chose to stay on priority status could

move to unpaid layo priority status: that

will depend on whether they are able to fnd

a job beore their 12-month surplus period

runs out.

A big part o the problem has been the

employers reusal to set up a workable

system or acilitating alternation. It hasntbeen easy or opting members who want to

stay to fnd and move into positions in other

departments currently occupied by similarly

qualifed unaected members who would

like to take advantage o transitional support

to leave.

PSAC fled a grievance in June 2012, at a

time when there were widespread reports

o departmental reusals to even consider

alternation. At the time, very ew alternations

had taken place. Thanks to the collective

agreement, constant pressure rom the PSAC

and the fling o our grievance, the situation

has improved. To date, Treasury Boardreports that more than 1,400 alternations

have taken place, o which almost hal were

inter-departmental.

The PSAC has also worked to ensure that

laid o workers arent being disqualifed

rom collecting Employment Insurance

benefts. Beore the union intervened, many

members who were aected and opted to

leave were reporting that the employer had

indicated on their Record o Employment

that they were quitting rather than being

laid-o and voluntarily leaving because o

the cuts. Treasury Board has now instructed

departments to ensure that no longer happens.

Workplace stress andworkloads still on the rise

WFA may be helping aected members,

but the reality is that receiving an aected

letter and being orced to make difcult

choices about the uture is very stressul.

So is watching colleagues go through it, and

wondering who might be cut next.

Increased workloads or those let behind

have also been causing stress. In a recent

poll o our members, more than hal or

respondents said that in the last two years the

number o people employed in their section

had decreased, and 67 per cent said thatworkloads had increased.

WFA cant stop how cuts hurtservices and the economy

These cuts arent just hurting our members:

they are hurting the economy and the public

too.

For Canadians the cost o these cuts has been

on services, such as the loss o search and

rescue or those who live and work along

our coasts, the threat to sae ood, protection

o our environment and the dwindling

support or veterans and the unemployed.Our members know that the services theyve

been providing are important, and they are

worried about what it means when those are

cut or lost completely.

Even i the WFA has meant that most o

those members who received aected notices

have ound work or let with the help they

needed, thousands o meaningul and secure

jobs have been taken out o the economies o

towns and cities across the country.

PSAC is doing all it can to stop the cuts and

help our members through these difcult

times. Stay inormed by visiting us on our

web page or on Facebook.

Workforce Adjustment:

Hard won job security provisionsare helping our members

The strike thatwon job securityfor our membersIt wasnt until ater tens o

thousands o PSAC members went

on strike in 1991 that the employer

agreed to negotiate the job securityprovisions that laid the groundwork

or the protections we have in

todays collective agreements.

The Strike of 91 lasted 25

days until members were legislated

back to work. Besides orcing the

employer to take concerns about

job security seriously and restricting

wage controls, the strike also won

public support or our members.


7/7

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

68%

15%

10%

3%

2%

1

%

1%

7

6

5

4

3

2

1Job Security

Percentage

*Scale

42%

21%

24%

8%

3%

2%

1%

Gettingbetter wages,allowances& premiums

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

0 10 20 30 40 50Percentage

*Scale

65%

17%

10%

3%

2%

1%

1%

Goodpensionbenefits

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

Percentage

*Scale

32%

19%

25%

12%

7%

3%

3%

Gettingbetter extendedhealth & dentalbenefits

Percentage

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

*Scale

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

29%

17%

26%

15%

7%

4%

3%

Improvedhealth & safety

Percentage

7

6

5

4

3

2

1

*Scale

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

Earlier this year, PSAC hired Environics Research Ltd.

to call a random sample of about 1,800 membersasking them for their opinions on a wide range

of topics.

When asked about PSACs priorities, heres what they said.

Collective bargaining for better salaries and working

conditions:

79% top priority 18% medium priority 2% low priority

Working to preserve and improve programs that benefit all

Canadians like pensions, EI and public health care:


Pushing for labour and health and safety laws that would

better protect all Canadian workers, unionized

or not:


The poll results showed that the top three bargaining priorities

are job security, good pension benefits, and better wages,

allowances and premiums. Members also identified getting

better extended health and dental benefits and better leave

provisions, as well as improving health and safety as additional

priorities.

Sign up for PSAC e-news at www.psac.com/signup to find

out about future opportunities for members to express their

opinions and priorities for our union.

Members have their say about unionand bargaining priorities

*Scale is from 1 to 7 with 1 not important to 7 being extremely important.


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Our Union Voice - Summer 2013 English