DATE : May 17, 2013
PRIORITY : For your Information
TO : National Board of Directors and Branch Contacts

Sisters and Brothers:

Did you know…

What’s already been agreed to for employees working in other Federal Law enforcement and related agencies?

Some examples:

Parole Officers: A 5.5% increment on top of annual wage increases.

Corrections Canada: Paid Meal period. Clothing allowance for non-uniformed officers.

RCMP (officers are non-union): Paid Meal period. Clothing allowance for non-uniformed officers.

Firefighters: A 4.75% increase in salary on top of annual wage increases.

Pension Reform (not subject to collective agreement) – Corrections and RCMP workers are all subject to a pension regime that provides for retirement after 25 years without penalty.

Also other federal employers have agreed to rights for part-time employees, and many adhere to the Treasury Board telework policy.

To date, CBSA and Treasury Board have agreed to none of these things. None can be found in their final offer to us.

We do not have a Public Interest Commission recommendation, and we do not have Essential Services Agreements in place. It is taking time to get an agreement, but we are not alone. Union members in the TC, CX and FS bargaining units, along with workers at CFIA and CRA, are without a new contract. In fact, Corrections workers have been almost 3 years without a new collective agreement, and have yet to go to a Public Interest Commission. We remain ready to negotiate. But we deserve a fair contract that moves us towards parity with employees working for law enforcement agencies elsewhere in the federal public service.

If you have any questions, contact a member of our Bargaining Team, your Shop Steward, a member of your Branch Executive, or go to www.ciu-sdi.ca

In Solidarity,

André Beaulieu
Youth Representative

PRINT-FRIENDLY PDF FORMAT

DATE : May 8, 2013
PRIORITY : For your Information
TO : National Board of Directors

Sisters and Brothers:

PSAC has announced the upcoming 2013 National Equity Conferences which will be held November 18 to 22, 2013 in Toronto, Ontario, under the theme “Equity groups are all affected”.

Attached is the call-out letter which includes details of the conference as well as the link to complete the registration form on-line on PSAC’s website:
http://psac.com/conferences/2013/equity/home-e.shtml

Please note: the deadline for applications and resolutions is June 7, 2013.

In Solidarity,

Karen Church
Equal Opportunity Representative

PRINT-FRIENDLY PDF FORMAT

FROM : Ottawa, ON
DATE : May 07, 2013
PRIORITY : For Immediate Release

Last week CBSA and Treasury Board attempted to bypass the collective bargaining process by dropping off an offer via envelope at the PSAC office in Ottawa on Monday, and by communicating certain elements of the offer to union members that night. PSAC responded by stating clearly that all discussion regarding negotiations and offers must happen first and foremost at the bargaining table with our elected negotiating team. On Thursday Treasury Board consented to returning to the table and on Monday our Team met with representatives for CBSA and Treasury Board. Management did not have their full bargaining team present. We met with them until well after midnight on Tuesday morning.

At the table management reviewed its initial final offer with us. After discussion over the course of the day and into the night, the employer made modifications to its offer. To view a complete copy of the employer’s offer, go to: http://www.psac-afpc.org/documents/bargaining/fb_employer_offer_may6_2013-en.pdf. Treasury Board/CBSA’s offer includes the end of severance for the purposes of voluntary termination, the elimination of the Telework Committee appendix agreed to for Trade Compliance employees, and a new appendix concerning the arming initiative that removes employee protections agreed to in the last round of bargaining and effectively removes any serious consultation between the union and employer concerning selection of employees for firearm training.

In tandem with this the government has increased our out-of-pocket contributions to our pension plan (while other federal enforcement workers are afforded a superior, ‘25 and out’ pension scheme), employees hired as of January 1 will now have to work longer to access pension benefits, CBSA is in the process of cutting 1,300 positions, has begun replacing officers at airports with machines and has refused to agree to reintroduce telework practices for Trade Compliance employees. CBSA has imposed name tags on uniformed officers, despite the health and safety concerns raised by the union.

In exchange for all of this Treasury Board/CBSA are offering a 1.75% increase in 2011, 1.5% in 2012 and a 2% increase in 2013. There is a one-time, lump-sum payment of $2000.00 for those employees with firearm certification and who work in positions requiring the use of a duty firearm for the performance of their duties, or who meet these criteria by 2016. There are improvements to bereavement and family-related leave that reflect what was agreed to for other groups. The offer expands seniority rights.

While the expansion of seniority rights represents progress, the fact is that this offer does very little to bring us closer to the terms and conditions of employment of employees working for other federal law enforcement agencies. There is nothing in the employer’s offer that provides for a paid meal period or pension reform consistent with what is provided Corrections workers and the RCMP. What’s more many other groups that have reached settlement with the Treasury Board have seen improvements beyond the wage pattern contained in this offer. For example, Parole Officers received a new increment worth 5.5% in their settlement, Firefighters an increase worth 4.75% – both on top of the wage increases contained in the offer made to the FB group. With respect wages, while many have received more, no group has received less than the wage increases contained in CBSA/Treasury Board’s offer for us. Also issues specific to nonuniformed employees such as telework and clothing allowance remain unaddressed. Treasury Board’s contract offer does not contain language addressing issues related to part-time employees.

We do not have a recommendation yet from the Public Interest Commission. Our Essential Services Agreements are not yet finalized. The offer presented by CBSA/Treasury Board on Monday is inferior to a number of other settlements reached in the federal public service, and removes some of the protections agreed to in the last round of bargaining. Given these facts, our National Bargaining Team, after having consulted with the CIU Executive and CIU National Board of Directors last week, unanimously indicated on Monday night that we are prepared to negotiate, but that we are not prepared to accept Treasury Board’s current offer. Over the coming days additional information will be posted on the PSAC and CIU websites, and general membership meetings are being scheduled across the country. We will be sure to update as things progress.

If you have any questions, contact a member of our Bargaining Team, your Shop Steward, a member of your Branch Executive, or go to www.psac-afpc.com.

PSAC Members at CBSA
United for a Fair Workplace

-30-

The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents Canada’s Front-Line Customs and Immigration Officers. CIU also represents Investigation, Intelligence and Trade Customs Officers, Immigration Inland Enforcement and Hearings Officers, as well as all support staff – all of whom work at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

PRINT-FRIENDLY PDF FORMAT

FROM : Ottawa, ON
DATE : April 30, 2013 [Updated]
PRIORITY : For Immediate Release

[Update, May 3rd, 2013] Our FB bargaining team will be meeting Treasury Board/CBSA’s bargaining team in Ottawa on Monday. We will be sure to update as things progress. Be sure to check the FB Bargaining section regularly for updates.

[Update, May 1st, 2013] Our FB Bargaining Team has contacted Treasury Board and has proposed that the negotiating teams be reconvened at the bargaining table next week to review and discuss Treasury Board’s offer for the FB group. We’ll be sure to update as things progress.

This past Friday Treasury Board contacted our union and indicated that it had an offer for settlement that it wished to present. Both PSAC and CIU indicated that offers should be made at the bargaining table, with the parties’ negotiating teams, and that the union was prepared to set dates to meet and hear what CBSA/Treasury Board had to say. Treasury Board responded to this invitation to set dates and return to the bargaining table by dropping off its offer in an envelope at the PSAC office in Ottawa on Monday afternoon and contacting the union membership directly with “highlights” of its offer on Monday night. We
believe that this may constitute bargaining in bad faith and are consulting our legal counsel to determine next steps.

In the interim, our bargaining team will again be contacting management to set dates to meet and review CBSA/Treasury Board’s offer. Of course, the highlights contained in CBSA’s communications do not tell the whole story about the contents of the offer. To provide but one example, it would appear that – unlike our current agreement – any protections provided in the context of the arming initiative are to be subject to “operational requirements as determined by the employer” (i.e. at the discretion of CBSA management). Having said that, our Team will be seeking clarification from CBSA’s team on all matters in dispute
between the parties, including those contained in management’s offer. But out of respect for the collective bargaining process, we will be seeking that clarification at the bargaining table, with the bargaining teams.

We have not received a recommendation from the Public Interest Commission at this point. We will be sure to update as things progress.

If you have any questions, contact a member of our Bargaining Team, your Shop Steward, a member of your Branch Executive, or go to www.psac-afpc.com.

PSAC Members at CBSA
United for a Fair Workplace

-30-

The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents Canada’s Front-Line Customs and Immigration Officers. CIU also represents Investigation, Intelligence and Trade Customs Officers, Immigration Inland Enforcement and Hearings Officers, as well as all support staff – all of whom work at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

PRINT-FRIENDLY PDF FORMAT

Despite the fact that we have not yet received a recommendation from the Public Interest Commission, Treasury Board on Monday took the unusual step of delivering a proposed offer to the union for the FB group via envelope.

Our bargaining team is in the process of contacting Treasury Board to set a date for the bargaining teams to meet so that Treasury Board might properly present and explain its proposal at the bargaining table. We’ll be sure to update once a date has been set to meet with the employer.

If you have any questions, contact a member of our Bargaining Team, your Shop Steward, a member of your Branch Executive, or go to www.psac-afpc.com.

PSAC Members at CBSA
United for a Fair Workplace

-30-

The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents Canada’s Front-Line Customs and Immigration Officers. CIU also represents Investigation, Intelligence and Trade Customs Officers, Immigration Inland Enforcement and Hearings Officers, as well as all support staff – all of whom work at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

PSAC and CIU protest lack of Border Services Contract since 2011.

On April 18, 2013, Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) members and Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) National Board of Directors protested for the lack of Border Services Contract since June 2011.
The demo took place in front of the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) Headquarters in Ottawa.

Jean-Pierre Fortin, CIU National President, declared that Border Services deserve the same as other federal law enforcement workers. He was also unequivocal: ” Without a contract and without parity with other law enforcement organizations, the summer at the borders could be long and hot.”

See pictures :

2013.04.18 – FB Group demo at CBSA Headquarters in Ottawa

As per the Public Service Labour Relations Act, our Bargaining Team presented our case before the Public Interest Commission (PIC) in December.

Given the number of issues outstanding between the parties, the Chair of the Public Interest Commission asked later in December for an extension beyond the timeline prescribed under the legislation. Both parties consented to this extension.

It is at the Chair’s discretion to take the time he needs to write the recommendation. Once we receive PIC’s recommendation from the Labour Board we will be sure to post on our website, and our bargaining team will meet to discuss once it is released to review the recommendation and determine next steps.

For a copy of the brief that we submitted to the Board, go to:
http://psac.com/documents/bargaining/fb_brief_december6_2012-en.pdf.

If you have any questions, contact a member of our Bargaining Team, your Shop Steward, a member of your Branch Executive, or go to www.psac-afpc.com.

PSAC Members at CBSA
United for a Fair Workplace

-30-

The Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), which represents Canada’s Front-Line Customs and Immigration Officers. CIU also represents Investigation, Intelligence and Trade Customs Officers, Immigration Inland Enforcement and Hearings Officers, as well as all support staff – all of whom work at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA).

PRINT-FRIENDLY PDF FORMAT