CFIA rejects PIC recommendations

CFIA bargaining got off to a rocky start this week, with the Employer bargaining team flatly rejecting almost every single recommendation made by the Public Interest Commission.

In the first session of negotiations since the PIC released its report last July, CFIA gave a mind-numbing presentation on why it could not agree to even the most modest of the PIC’s recommendations. 

“This is more than disappointing,” said Bob Kingston, President of Agriculture Union.

“This round of bargaining with CFIA has been a unique experience with respect to its lack of meaningful discussion and progress. In my 29 years of being involved in collective bargaining, I’ve never seen anything like it.  CFIA’s inability to have a rational discussion on the issues before us has not changed one bit.”

The PSAC bargaining team endorsed the report of the Public Interest Commission immediately after it was issued, and called on the Agency to return to the bargaining table and use the recommendations as a guideline to a negotiated settlement.

The impartial Chairperson of the PIC made several recommendations that validated many of the Union’s proposals, including accumulating overtime over the course of a work week, increased and more flexible wash-up time for meat inspectors, and a reduction of the work week to 37.5 hours from 40 for the small number of GL/GS workers employed by CFIA.

Any provision not found in collective agreements in the Core Public Administration (CPA) was dismissed by the Agency as precedent-setting. But it then rejected language recommended by the PIC that does exist elsewhere in the CPA on the grounds that it is a separate agency.

“We are insulted by CFIA’s condescending attitude toward its dedicated, hard-working employees,” said PSAC team member Raphael Tarasco, Third National Vice-President  for Agriculture Union. “We should not be second-class to the rest of the public service.”

“We now have no choice but to advance the schedule for strike training. We encourage all members to sign up.”

Please stay tuned for further developments as your team continues to meet the employer this week. 

http://psacunion.ca/cfia-rejects-pic-recommendations

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CFIA still “analyzing” PIC recommendations

CFIA has rebuffed PSAC's invitation to return to the bargaining table in September, saying it is “now in the process of analyzing the PIC recommendations” and will let the union know when it has finally has a handle on what the report says.

The Public Interest Commission released its report on July 25, 2013, after a long delay during which the impartial chair attempted without success to restore a consensus on the three-person panel.

The PSAC bargaining team met by conference call to review the recommendations the following day, and immediately sent CFIA's negotiator a note advising that it is prepared to return to the bargaining table using the PIC report as a roadmap to a settlement. The union also proposed a selection of bargaining dates in September.

“Even if CFIA still needs time to analyze the report, it's bizarre that they cannot plan a return to the bargaining table several weeks in advance,” said Chris Aylward, National Executive Vice-President of PSAC.

In a postscript to the report, Arbitrator Lorne Slotnick wrote that he and the two sidespersons, one representing the union and the other representing CFIA, had reached a consensus on the recommendations last March. The PIC itself was convened in February.

The union sidesperson then asked for time to consider whether he would make additional recommendations. Ultimately he decided against doing so in order to order to preserve the consensus.

But the CFIA sidesperson then reneged on three important recommendations to which he had previously agreed:

• that the work week for GL/GS employees be reduced to 37.5 hours from 40;
• that overtime should be accumulated over the course of the week and employees paid for each total period of 15 minutes of overtime worked; and
• that wash-up time for meat inspectors should be increased with more flexibility in accessing that wash-up time.

According to the legislation that provides for a Public Interest Commission, if there is no consensus, the recommendations of the majority, or failing that, of the impartial chairperson, are the report of the PIC.

Your bargaining team will continue to press CFIA to return to the table within a reasonable period of time and work toward a negotiated settlement based on the official recommendations of the PIC.

http://www.psac.com/news/2013/bargaining/20130812c-e.shtml

CFIA PIC Tables Recommendations; Validates Union Demands

PSAC is calling on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to return to the bargaining table, after the Public Interest Commission (PIC) tabled its recommendations last week.

“The PIC report amply demonstrates that many of the demands of our bargaining team are justified,” said Chris Aylward, National Executive Vice-President of PSAC.

“It's time for CFIA to return to the bargaining table and enter into serious negotiations for a new Collective Agreement, using the PIC recommendations as a roadmap for a settlement,” added Bob Kingston, President of Agriculture Union.

The PIC recommended the concession on severance pay that has been accepted by other bargaining units, with the pattern settlement of 1.75%, 1.5% and 2% in a three-year Collective Agreement, along with other language changes that constitute the pattern. These include an increase in bereavement leave, more flexibility in accessing family-related leave, the restoration of sick leave credits to term employees who are rehired within a year of completing their appointment, and cumulative service for term employees for the purpose of moving to the next step on the pay grid.

But the PIC also made several other recommendations that include improvements sought by the Union. Among these are:

• The 40-hour work week for the GL/GS classifications is an anomaly and should be reduced to 37.5 hours with no reduction in pay
• Employees should be able to accumulate all overtime worked over the course of a week. (Such overtime to be paid for each 15-minute total period of accumulated overtime worked.)
• Seniority should be the determining factor in granting vacation in the event of a conflict with the interests of other employees
• Employees should be reimbursed for any medical certificate required by the Employer, to a maximum of $35.
• Employees should be required to give 5 days' advance notice for volunteer and personal leave, down from 10 days.
• Wash-up time for meat inspectors should be increased to 15 minutes per day from 10 minutes and such wash-up time may be used either at the end of the day, or at the meal break, or a combination of both.
• AS-2 and AS-3 Compensation Advisors should receive an annual retention allowance of $2,000, effective January 1, 2012.
• Wages for the SI Group shall be adjusted to the SI level at Parks Canada retroactive to the start of the Collective Agreement, before general economic increases are applied.
• A 2% increase should be added to the maximum salary increment to FI-01 to FI-04 classifications to match that of the same classification at Treasury Board should be implemented retroactive to the start of the Collective Agreement; albeit with corresponding reductions to Transition Allowances.

Unfortunately, not all of the recommendations are unanimous.

The Public Interest Commission consists of a neutral chairperson and a sidesperson appointed by each of the PSAC and the CFIA. The sidesperson for the CFIA dissented on three of the major recommendations: the reduction in the workweek for GL/GS employees; the accumulation of overtime throughout the week to reach the 15-minute threshold; and the increase in wash-up time for meat inspectors, along with the ability to use that wash-up time prior to meal breaks.

A consensus on the recommendations had initially been reached by the PIC; the Union sidesperson considered a dissent on some issues that were not recommended, but ultimately decided to sign the agreed-upon report. The fact that the CFIA sidesperson later decided to renege on some of his recommendations was the key cause of the long delay in receiving the PIC report, which was expected as early as mid-March.

Although there was no consensus on three of the recommendations, the legislation that provides for the establishment of Public Interest Commissions says that if there is not unanimity, the report of the impartial Chairperson is the report of the PIC.

Your Bargaining Team thanks you for your patience and your continued support as we try to reach a negotiated settlement with CFIA. While the PIC report validates many of our proposals, the recommendations are not binding. We need the help of all members at CFIA to encourage the Employer to get back to the table and bargain seriously so that we can bring back a tentative agreement to be voted on as soon as possible.

http://www.psac-afpc.com/news/2013/bargaining/20130731-e.shtml

CFIA bargaining team continues to await PIC report

Patience. That’s the watchword for your CFIA bargaining team as we continue to wait for the release of recommendations from the Public Interest Commission (PIC) held in Ottawa in mid-February.

Like negotiations with many other PSAC bargaining units and the federal government or its agencies, bargaining with CFIA has been frustratingly slow and marked by continual delays on the part of the Employer.

PSAC applied for a PIC after the Employer unilaterally broke off negotiations in April, 2012. The Employer’s bargaining team applied for mediation at essentially the same time. After mediation attempts in January failed, both sides presented their positions on outstanding issues to the Public Interest Commission. (See: PSAC brief to Public Interest Commission[21MB, 210pp PDF]) The PIC consists of an independent chairperson mutually agreed upon by the parties, and a sidesperson representing each party.

Normally the PIC has 30 days to write its recommendations to the Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB), but the independent chairperson sought agreement from the parties for additional time. The PSAC sidesperson has now been advised that it is likely that the PSLRB will release the report by September.

The recommendations of the PIC are not binding on the parties, but it is expected that they will carry considerable weight as the parties try to achieve a negotiated settlement.

Your Bargaining Team thanks you for your support and is looking forward to a return to the bargaining table. Please continue to check this website for further developments.

Date Modified : 2013/07/18

http://psac-afpc.com/news/2013/bargaining/20130717-e.shtml?l=1

No assurance of food safety and security without adequate resources, Kingston tells Senate Committee

National President Bob Kingston has told a Senate Committee studying proposed legislation that there can be no assurance of food safety and security without the human and financial resources needed to protect consumers.

Kingston testified October 2 before the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture and Forestry. The Committee is examining Bill S-11, the so-called Safe Food for Canadians Act. The proposed legislation was quietly introduced in the Senate by the Harper government just as Parliament adjourned for the summer break.

Once enacted, Bill S-11 would create a broad-based law covering all ‘food’, replacing the current Fish Inspection Act, Meat Inspection Act and Canada Agricultural Products Act. The government is touting a provision that would see an assessment of the resources allocated to food safety once every five years. It also claims imported food will become safer because importers will be required to obtain a license from the CFIA.

Unfortunately, Kingston noted, Bill S-11 continues the wrongheaded reliance on industry self-policing without providing CFIA with the resources to ensure compliance.

Kingston’s appearance before the Committee coincided with the rapidly-spreading XL Foods E.coli crisis. He drew parallels to the tragic 2008 Maple Leaf Foods listeriosis outbreak that claimed the lives of 23 Canadians.

 “Without a commitment on the part of the government to ensure adequate resources are available Canadians cannot expect improvements in food safety outcomes from this Bill alone,” he told the Senators.

“Too often budget has been the main determining factor in the design and/or delivery of CFIA’s inspection and food safety program, exposing Canadians to higher risk than should be the case.

“If we are not careful, the successful enactment of Bill S-11, as well as CFIA’s new Inspection Modernization initiative could fall victim to these pressures as did the Compliance Verification System, or CVS, before them.”

Budgetary restraints and a lack of inspectors to backfill positions mean few have received CVS training more than four years after its introduction, Kingston said. He noted that only a small portion of inspectors at the XL Foods plant were fully trained in CVS.

The government’s point-man on Bill S-11, Senator Don Plett, is on the record as saying the CFIA now has enough inspectors to meet its mandate. Yet, as Kingston pointed out, the Conservatives have yet to back up that assertion with hard facts.

In her report following the Maple Leaf outbreak, Sheila Weatherill urged an independent audit of inspection resources. However, the CFIA itself chose to examine only processed meat inspection, ignoring such crucial areas as fish, produce and beef inspection. Yet even that limited review saw the Agency move to hire 170 new inspectors.

“I hazard to guess that if the CFIA did a similar review of its other inspections programs like fish and meat hygiene slaughter, they would find that a similar upward adjustment is required to adequately deliver those programs,” Kingston said. “I urge the committee to amend this bill to make such a review mandatory.

“I also note that an amendment has been put forward by the government, but it does not require a resource audit of CFIA until five years after this bill becomes law.  That’s like crossing your fingers and hoping nothing bad happens for five years.  We already know CFIA has a problem.  Don’t wait for another outbreak before addressing it.” 

Staff reductions will make food system unsafe: union - Western Producer

Posted May. 4th, 2012 by Barry Wilson

The impact of $56 million in federal budget cuts on the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and food safety continues to fuel a war of conflicting claims in Ottawa.


Last week, Public Service Alliance of Canada union president Bob Kingston said announced cuts will make the Canadian food system less safe, creating a system of “cross your fingers” and hope for the best.


Agriculture minister Gerry Ritz fired back that the issue is saving money by finding efficiencies in CFIA. 


“We would never put food safety at risk.”


And while it would not make a senior official available to respond to union charges, CFIA issued a statement insisting it is “strengthening its approach” to food inspection. 


“The bottom line is clear — protecting the safety of the Canadian food supply remains the agency’s top priority.”


At an April 24 news conference, Kingston offered a far different version of the impact of changes at CFIA.


Citing comments made by operations vice-president Stephen Baker at private meetings with employees to explain the changes, he said the future includes:


• the end of pre-clearing imported meat before it gets to the border

• a major revamp of inspecting product labels

• a new inspection system that “will radically alter the way in which we actually do verification and compliance and enforcement activities in the inspection space”


In answer to a question about the impact of a 10 percent CFIA budget cut and claims that front-line inspectors will not be affected, the union says Baker replied: “I don’t know how you can take 10 percent of your budget and not deal with the front line.”


Kingston said the clear message from agency executives is that while some front-line inspectors will remain, they will not be experts in the commodity they are inspecting but rather generalists whose main job will be to review company records of what they have done and decide whether they followed the rules.


“With fewer resources and inspection staff, CFIA is being forced to water down food safety inspection and introduce more industry self-regulation,” he told the Parliament Hill news conference.


In its statement, CFIA said the end of pre-clearance for imported meat is part of an “inspector modernization” plan. 


“The CFIA is planning to supplement traditional inspection methods that focus on the processing environment and the end product with more sophisticated science and risk-based approaches in order to verify that industry’s controls are effective and that industry is producing safe food on an ongoing basis,” it said.


During a news conference, Ritz said changes at the agency are meant to move it from the world of paper records to an electronic information technology age.


Meanwhile, CFIA announced on its website last week that within two years it will be closing three prairie quarantine stations that it says are no longer used — at Monchy, Sask., Coutts, Alta., and Nisku, Alta.


It said services will not be affected and no inspector positions will be eliminated.

http://www.producer.com/2012/05/staff-reductions-will-make-food-system-unsafe-union%E2%80%A9/

CFIA - one of the NCR's top employers

The CFIA has been selected as one of the National Capital Region's (NCR) top employers for the fourth year in a row. 

http://www.canadastop100.com/ottawa/

Highlights.  Mediacorp editors have confirmed that this employer:

• unique head office that features a variety of onsite amenities including a fully-equipped fitness facility, employee lounge, quiet room for meditation and religious observance and onsite cafeteria (with healthy and special diet menus)
• encourages ongoing employee development with subsidies for tuition and professional accreditation, a range of in-house and online training initiatives, formal mentoring program and career planning services
• supports employees who are new mothers with generous maternity and parental leave top-up payments (to 93% of salary for 52 weeks) and parental top-up for new fathers and adoptive parents (to 93% of salary or 35 weeks)
• helps employees balance work and their personal life with alternative work arrangements including flexible hours, telecommuting, formal earned days-off program and shortened and compressed work week options
• encourages employees to save for the future with contributions to a defined benefit pension plan

What do you think?

PSAC demands rights, CFIA threatens layoffs

30 Jan 2012

"Our bargaining team endured a very frustrating round of negotiations with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency during the week of January 21-26, 2012."

"We were essentially told that allowing inspectors to wash up on company time would disrupt the productivity of the “customers” – the slaughter and processing operations – along the entire food chain from eggs to meat, and cause the Canadian economy to grind to a halt."

See more here - http://www.psac-afpc.org/news/2012/bargaining/20120130-e.shtml

For general updates on CFIA bargaining, bookmark this site - 

http://www.psac-afpc.org/bargaining/units/agencies_other_fed/cfia/index-e.cfm

Randy Olynyk graciously attended our Local meeting on January 30. If you have any questions or comments about CFIA bargaining, please send him an email.