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Union UpdateNovember 28 to December 9, 2005 In this issue:
To the PSAC family,The Holiday Season provides us time to reflect upon the gains born out of the struggles of the countless labour and community activists who preceded us. It is thanks to them that we can enjoy this Holiday which gives our generation of activists an opportunity to rest and regain our energies in order to continue our task of improving our working conditions and our society. We should also take the time to remember those less fortunate than ourselves who may not share the many benefits we enjoy. Through our thoughts and actions, we can help others in our communities to enjoy the benefits of solidarity which has united us, made us strong and moved our society forward. May this Holiday Season bring all of you a richly deserved time of rest and enjoyment in the company of those you love. Nycole Turmel, PSAC National President
Think, Ask, Vote…again!
It's that time again. As Canadians go back to the polls, barely 18 months after the last federal election, it's our opportunity to find out where the candidates and parties stand on the issues. For PSAC members, as well as all Canadians, it's another opportunity to make a difference by electing a government that will work for all its citizens. “Many of the parties are calling this an election of accountability,” says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. “For PSAC members, it's about government's accountability to its citizens to provide quality public services. It's about government's accountability to root out and redress discrimination. It's about government's accountability to help provide a better life for vulnerable citizens. It's about government's accountability to eliminate poverty in Canada and around the world.” Just where do the candidates and the parties stand on the issues? PSAC will be helping untangle the spin during the election and raising issues that don't always make the news. Information sheets, party positions and questions for candidates on issues such as proactive pay equity legislation, privatization of public services, restoring the surpluses to the federal superannuation plans, better whistleblowing protection and anti-strike breaker legislation are now available on the PSAC web site – www.psac-afpc.com . Making an informed choice when voting is one way to keep our democratic process healthy. Another way is to actively participate in the process. Join in activities being organized through PSAC Area Councils and Political Action Committees across the country. Check in with the nearest PSAC regional office to find out how you can take part.Bargaining Update
Public sector workers more generous than everPublic sector workers working for the federal government donated a record sum to charity in this year's United Way campaign. They contributed more than $14.6 million in their annual charity fundraising campaign. That amount is expected to reach $15 million when late donations are added. Reports indicate that almost 70,000 public sector workers and retirees participated in the campaign. In Ottawa , public sector workers contributed 46 per cent of all the money raised this year by the United Way campaign. It is even more in Gatineau , where public sector workers raised even greater proportion of funds raised for Centraide -- an estimated 57 per cent. This year's goal in the public sector workers' campaign was $14.2 million. Last year, they raised $13.8 million. Pension Grab: Pension trial bulletin no. 1 Government disputes admissibility of own documentsLawyers for the government are trying to block written evidence that would seriously weaken their case and cause serious delays in our lawsuit that's already into its sixth year. During the first phase of the trial, government lawyers asked the judge not to admit as evidence the 128 government documents we're submitting to the court, even though they concede to the authenticity of these documents. Instead, in an apparent effort to drag out the case for years, they want us to call the authors of all the 128 documents as witnesses during the trial. They also tried to muddy the issue by claiming the funds in the pension accounts were “notional” or imaginary and that words in the documents are “terms of art,” meaning that the word “fund,” for example, may mean two contradictory things between two government officials or experts. The 128 documents support our argument that plan members legitimately expect the government, as their employer and sole administrator of the pension plans, to act according to their best interests based on their trust and fiduciary obligations. The documents also show that the government instead used the surplus in the early 90s to pay down the national debt by using “opaque” and hidden accounting maneuvers, well knowing that doing so was questionable. They further demonstrate the government's wide discretionary powers to unilaterally seize the assets from the pension accounts. Most of the documents are statements, written by ministers and very high level government officials, on policies covering the pension plans, official statements to plan members (some in the form of information booklets), and briefings to decision makers, including memos to the president of Treasury Board and correspondence between Treasury Board and the Ministry of Finance. The documents also include copies of communications with then Deputy Minister of Finance David Dodge (currently Governor of the Bank of Canada) and then Assistant Deputy Minister of Finance Don Drummond (currently Executive Vice-President of TD Canada Trust), both arbitrarily declaring the federal government's entitlement to the entire surplus. They were eventually successful in overiding the concerns of more hesitant Treasury Board officials and "appropriated" the pension surplus through obscure accounting measures. Although not explicitly mentioned in court, it is a logical assumption that Dodge and Drummond acted with the full knowledge and concurrence of then Minister of Finance and current Prime Minister Paul Martin. This phase of the trial ended on Friday, Nov. 17, and it is expected that the judge will take several weeks to decide whether to admit the documents as evidence and to determine their purpose. It is also expected that the judge will schedule the continuation of the trial for spring of 2006. A man on a mission
Douglas Victor Janoff wrote Pink Blood: Homophobic Violence in Canada . It is the first-ever compilation of just about all the statistical data and scholarly theories available concerning crimes committed in Canada because of an irrational fear among some people. In many ways, the book raises the curtain to reveal a dark secret contradicting Canada 's reputation for tolerance. Janoff began the research for his book in 1995 after visiting a friend in a Vancouver hospital. His friend had been severely beaten by gay-bashers, and he was slowly recuperating from his many injuries. His book explores the ways violent crimes against gay people are investigated and recorded by the police, how perpetrators are prosecuted and how the media report those incidents. Janoff also studied the policies and programs that have succeeded – and failed – to address the crime of homophobic and transphobic violence. He does not see a conspiracy on the part of police services against gay people. For him, one of the reasons the police have been unable to meet demands for more sophisticated data analysis is the lack of adequate resources. He hopes that his book will help fill that void. Janoff works as a policy advisor with Health Canada . He is also on the board of the Canadian Antiviolence Project.Input Call – Review of the Travel Directive of the National Joint CommitteeThe NJC Travel Directive is now under review. All PSAC members who have experience with the Travel Directive are encouraged to provide their suggestions for proposed changes with a supporting rationale, to their Components at: http://www.psac-afpc.org/components/components-e.shtml or Regional Executive Vice-Presidents at http://www.psac-afpc.org/regions/regions-e.shtml by February 28, 2006 . PSAC members can also send their suggestions by mail to their Component or Regional Office.The PSAC will consolidate this input into a composite document for submission to the labour side of the NJC and then to the NJC itself. If you do not have access to the current NJC Travel Directive you can find it on the internet at |
The St. John's Area Council of the PSAC organized a Social Justice float for the Downtown St. John's Christmas Parade this year. This is the first year that a labour organization participated in the parade. The theme of the float was Make Poverty History, specifically focusing on the need to end child poverty in Canada and around the World. This event gathered well over 50,000 spectators. MPH bands and postcards were handed out to onlookers. 8 children from the Big Brother's / Big Sister's Association of St. John's eagerly volunteered to ride the float.
A PSAC member has been traveling across the country since last summer to promote his book and denounce the often unreported violence against gay men and women.