Author Archives: Pierre St-Jacques

The fight for equitable retirement benefits for FB members

PSAC and the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU) have been advocating for over a decade for equitable retirement benefits for CBSA law enforcement personnel working at the Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA). In the last round of bargaining, FB members won a commitment from Treasury Board to support this – it’s time the government follows through.

Almost all law enforcement and public safety workers — both provincially and municipally — receive “25 and out” early retirement benefits, with very few exceptions. This includes firefighters, air traffic controllers, RCMP constables, operational employees of the Correctional Service of Canada, and more.

Allowing CBSA law enforcement officers to access the same early retirement benefits would allow our members to retire with dignity after 25 years of service, without any penalties.

CBSA law enforcement personnel work in demanding and physically challenging roles, and face similar physical demands and risks, yet are not afforded the same retirement benefits as their counterparts in other law enforcement agencies.

Instead, many older employees are given limited duties as they near retirement, as firearm and use of force certification become more difficult.

Without the prospect of fair retirement benefits, it can be challenging for CBSA to attract and retain talented workers at a time when the agency is already short-staffed.

It’s time the Treasury Board did the right thing and implemented pension reform.

Providing equitable and early retirement benefits will not only improve the overall well-being and job satisfaction of PSAC-CIU members working at CBSA, but also ensure a sustainable workforce by improving recruitment and retention.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

PSAC statement on federal budget 2024

As Canadians grapple with an affordability crisis, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) welcomes strong support for those most impacted – especially young workers – with major investments in housing, post-secondary education, and a National Food Plan for students.

“We’re pleased to see measures in the budget that will support the important work of more than 34,000 PSAC members working in the post-secondary sector,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “But as Canadians continue to struggle to make ends meet, we need to put workers and their families first by supporting strong, stable public services when they need them most.”

However, PSAC is concerned about the plan to cut 5,000 federal public service jobs through attrition. When the $15 billion in spending cuts were announced last year, Treasury Board President Anita Anand promised Canadians public service workers wouldn’t be asked to do more with less and that there would be no job losses.

“The public service is only now recovering from the deep cuts of the Harper era, and as our population grows, we need to continue investing in public services to meet the growing needs of Canadians,” said Aylward. “Investing in public services is the best way to avoid long wait times for Canadians at airports and at the border, for passport renewals and employment insurance applications.”

As the pandemic proved, strong public services are critical to see us through difficult times, and Canada needs to continue to build on that investment to be ready for the next crisis. A strong federal public service anchors Canada’s middle class and helps our economy weather the impacts of inflation.

No commitment to equitable retirement

As more than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers take strike votes across the country, PSAC is disappointed that the commitment to provide CBSA law enforcement personnel and firefighters at the Department of National Defence with equitable retirement benefits has gone unfulfilled.

PSAC would also like to have seen more investment to address the ongoing Phoenix pay disaster, strengthening Canada’s Employment Insurance system and stronger tax fairness policies to make large corporations and the wealthiest Canadians pay their fair share.

The original version of this article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining: Team makes presentation to Public Interest Commission hearing — Download our brief

The FB bargaining team presented PSAC’s arguments for fair wages that are aligned with other law enforcement agencies across the country, stronger job security, access to telework, new protections for our jobs and equitable retirement at the first of two Public Interest Commission hearing dates April 10.

The team also made the case that there are serious problems with harassment, staffing, and recruitment and retention issues at CBSA that need to be addressed.

Next steps

The employer will present their case to the commission at the next meeting, scheduled for April 22.  The PIC board will then provide a non-binding recommendation based on the hearings.  While the legislation provides for the PIC to issue its recommendation within 30 days of the hearing, the chair may extend that timeline.

Strike vote April 10 to May 15

Our bargaining team is determined to reach a fair contract, one that protects our hard-fought gains and provides new rights and protections for over 9,000 members in the FB group. We deserve to be treated with respect.

PSAC and CIU are conducting a nationwide strike vote for the FB group April 10 to May 15, ramping up the pressure on CBSA in advance of the release of the PIC report.

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining graphics

To support your FB bargaining team members, we encourage you to download and use your team’s virtual background for all your work meetings and swap out your social media profile picture.

I support my bargaining team

I’m voting yes to strike

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.

FB bargaining: We’ve waited long enough; strike votes begin April 10

Our members at Canada Border Services Agency have waited long enough. You’ve been without a collective agreement since 2022 as you’ve seen your wages stall and the cost of living rise. Yet CBSA still isn’t prepared to negotiate an agreement that protects our members, and continues to demand concessions at the bargaining table.

That’s why PSAC and CIU will be conducting a nationwide strike vote for the FB group April 10 to May 15, ramping up the pressure on CBSA in advance of our Public Interest Commission (PIC) hearings later this month.

Strike vote information

Our FB bargaining team is committed to reaching a fair contract that protects our hard-fought gains in previous rounds of bargaining and provides new rights and protections for our more than 9,000 PSAC-CIU members.  Over the past two years of negotiations, our team has fought for wage parity with the broader law enforcement community, stronger job security, access to telework, and protections around contracting out – but CBSA management continues to insist on concessions.

While strike votes are underway, Public Interest Commission hearings will take place April 10 and 22 with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board, where PSAC and CBSA will outline our positions on the outstanding issues, and the PIC will issue a report with non-binding recommendations for reaching a settlement.

If you vote in favour of a strike mandate, PSAC will be in a legal strike position seven days after the PIC releases its recommendations.

We saw what we could achieve last round when we came together – by bringing international borders to a standstill August 6, 2021 through work-to-rule action, we secured important gains for our members, without concessions.

We strongly urge you to vote in favour of a strike mandate to once again show CBSA management that we are prepared to take job action to reach a fair deal at the bargaining table.

We’ve also made it clear that if this government is serious about achieving a new collective agreement, Treasury Board President Anita Anand must honour the commitment made during the last round of bargaining and make equitable 25-and-out retirement a reality for FB members. Law enforcement personnel at CBSA deserve the same treatment and retirement benefits as their counterparts in other law enforcement agencies.

To give you as many opportunities as possible to participate in the vote, we’ll be holding strike sessions virtually with national sessions open to everyone.

Your voting credentials will be sent to your personal, non-work email or by mail to your home address if we don’t have a personal email on file. You will need these credentials to register for a strike vote session.

If you haven’t received your voting credentials by email or regular mail, you may need to update your contact information before you can register to vote.

In Solidarity,

Chris Aylward
PSAC national president

Mark Weber
CIU national president

This article was first posted on the PSAC website.