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Union Update
July 12 - 23,
2004
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In this issue:
PSAC
talking to Members of Parliament about bargaining
The PSAC wasted no time alerting
politicians to the possibility of federal public sector strikes
as early as August. The day after the federal election, Nycole Turmel
wrote to each of the leaders of the parties in the House of Commons
asking to meet with them to discuss a number of key issues, particularly
collective bargaining.
On July 15th, President
Turmel met the entire New Democratic Party caucus. She advised the
MPs that PSAC members at Treasury Board and the major Agencies have
given their union strong strike mandates and that time is running
out before these strikes take place. The meeting provided an opportunity
to give some background on the lack of progress to date in negotiations
with our federal employers. She noted that the Liberal government
must stop delaying the process and start to bargain seriously if
strikes are to be averted. REVP (Atlantic) Jeannie
Baldwin, in Ottawa for the Parks Canada Conciliation Board, also
attended the briefing with the NDP caucus. She is meeting with individual
MPs in the Atlantic region, from all parties, on the impending strike
by our Parks members, and the state of bargaining for other federal
public sector bargaining groups. REVPs in other regions are also
initiating lobbying action that will continue over the summer months.
NDP leader Jack Layton is concerned
about the Liberal and Conservative focus on privatization and wants
to work with the union in this regard. He reiterated the NDP's commitment
to defending public services and supporting our members.
PSAC is preparing to
intensify its lobbying and political action activities. One of the
first goals will be to put pressure on the government to reach fair
settlements.
Miners
at BHP join PSAC
Workers at Ekati Diamond Mines became
members of the PSAC on June 30, after the Canada Industrial Relations
Board approved the transfer of bargaining rights to the union.
The transfer of certificate
as bargaining agent from the BHP Employees Association (BHPEA) to
the PSAC was the result of an initiative by Ekati workers to find
a strong national union that could help them represent their interest.
The PSAC worked closely with the BHPEA for more than a year to bring
about the transfer. The PSAC is now preparing
to negotiate a collective agreement for the workers at the mine.
Ekati miners attended the PSAC Health and Safety Conference in
March 2004 just before they officially became PSAC members.
PSAC rallies at site of Acadian festivities
Parks workers in Nova Scotia rallied
on July 12 in front of Grand Pré National Historic Site and
the riding office of Member of Parliament Scott Brison to bring
attention to an impending strike that may disrupt the 400th Anniversary
of Acadia celebrations.
The festivities are being
held throughout the summer mainly in the Atlantic region, and the
Public Service Alliance of Canada, the union representing the Parks
workers, warns that without an immediate settlement to their contract
talks with Parks Canada, they will be forced to strike during the
internationally promoted events. "Hundreds of thousands
of people from all over the world are expected to attend Le Congrès
mondial acadien at Grand-Pré and numerous other events centered
around national parks and historic sites in Atlantic Canada and
Quebec ," said PSAC National President Nycole Turmel, who spoke
in front of Brison's office. "Our union and our members want to
avoid any disruptions to the anniversary celebrations. That is why
we are urging the government and Parks Canada to give their negotiators
a responsible mandate and present it to our negotiation team during
this week's Conciliation Board hearing." The union rallied in
front of the MP's office because his riding will be one among many
that will be severely affected by a strike at Parks Canada. Le Congrès
mondial acadien will be held from July 31 to August 15 in Nova Scotia,
where about 500 members of the union work, including in the Grand
Pré historic site and the Cape Breton Highlands National
Park. A high-profile mass will also be held on the closing day of
the Congrès, on Aug. 15, with archbishops from across Atlantic
Canada attending. The PSAC has been negotiating
with Parks Canada since October 2003 and began Conciliation Board
hearings on July 12 as a last-ditch effort to come to a settlement.
A report on the Conciliation Board hearing is provided under the
bargaining update section of this publication. "Our members do not want
to strike and want to avoid any disruption to the Acadian Anniversary
festivities," Turmel reiterated. "But the employer is forcing our
hand. This isn't about the union refusing to accept the employer's
offer. The employer has not made any significant or reasonable offer."
Bargaining
Update
Conciliation Board for
CRA has chair, hearing dates
The Conciliation Board for CRA will
be chaired by Thomas Kuttner, who was named by the Public Service
Staff Relations Board after PSAC and CRA's representatives were
unable to agree on a chairperson. The union and the employer will
be making their presentations to the Conciliation Board from Saturday,
August 7, to Tuesday, August 10, inclusive .
Parks Canada Agency
flops at conciliation board
In an unprecedented move by any negotiating
party, the employer came before the conciliation board without a
written submission of its proposals and declined to make a presentation
on its pay position. At the end of the week of hearings, the employer
made a last-minute wage increase offer of 2.25%, 2% and 1.5% in
each year during the life of the collective agreement.
The union rejected the
offer, which was well below the pattern of increases in other collective
agreements in the public service. The employer also offered a 3%
adjustment to address a 20-per-cent wage gap that was identified
in a study supported by Treasury Board and the PSAC. The wage gap
is among Parks workers in certain classifications and their counterparts
in the private and public sectors. The union also rejected this
offer for its extreme inadequacy. As of the writing of
this publication, PSAC was still waiting for the conciliation board
to table its report, which is expected by August 10. Seven days
after the submission of the Board's report without the parties coming
to a settlement, in other words by August 17, the union will be
in a legal position to strike. Canada Post's position
includes rollbacks
The first negotiation sessions with
Canada Post were held from July 14 to July 16, 2004. On the second
and third day, the parties exchanged bargaining proposals, provided
brief explanations and answered some questions regarding their respective
proposals. Finally, the parties started to address "administrative"
and/or "housekeeping" issues. It is clear the employer's position
includes some rollbacks, including the elimination of accumulation
of severance pay for our members; amendments to the current language
to allow the use of Canada Post employees outside our bargaining
unit to fill vacancies of less than three (3) months; and the hiring
of Co-Op students for a duration of four (4) months which would
reduce opportunities for our members. Additional dates for bargaining
have been scheduled in July, August and September.
Coming
soon: Call-out for delegates to PSAC National Women's Conference
A call-out inviting interested PSAC
members to apply to attend the next National Women's Con- ference
will appear in the Union Update and on the PSAC Web site in August.
The conference is slated to take place from February 17 to 20, 2005,
at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Vancouver. Watch for details in the
coming issues of the Union Update.
Regional Women's Conferences
to take place in September and November are being organized across
the country. Contact your regional office for more information.
Tribunal
chairperson resigns but the work goes on
The chairperson of the
Human Rights Tribunal hearing PSAC's pay equity complaint against
Canada Post has resigned from the Tribunal. No reasons for his resignation
have been given. Nevertheless, the work of the Tribunal will continue
and the remaining two members are finalizing the written decision
in the case. In other news, Canada
Post had been relying on a Tribunal decision in a pay equity case
involving Air Canada. Canada Post has been arguing that, for the
purposes of pay equity, PSAC could not look at male-dominated groups
for comparison purposes if they were in another bargaining unit.
In other words, PSAC could not compare the work of PSAC/UPCE members
at Canada Post with that performed by the male-dominated bargaining
unit represented by CUPW. The Federal Court of
Appeal has now ruled that the decision by the Tribunal in the Air
Canada case was wrong. As a result, Canada Post's argument is on
shaky ground. The parties are to file their final submissions on
the impact of the Federal Court ruling with the Tribunal in August.
It is possible that these developments
may slow down the process somewhat but the union remains hopeful
that the Tribunal's decision will be released sometime this fall.
Once the decision is released, it
will be reviewed by the union and the employer and either party
may seek a review of the decision by the Federal Court (Trial Division).
Deadline
reminder
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 http://www.psac.com/what/benefits/scholarships-e.shtml
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