Stop the CBC Smackdown!

An absurd choice is no choice for Canadians

Public sector union launches social media campaign against federal cuts

Would you rather eat rancid meat or drink contaminated water?

ThirdChoice.ca says forcing Canadians to choose between a strong economy and strong public services is just as absurd

A new social media campaign kicks off today, highlighting the absurdity of being forced to choose between no deficit and strong public services. With ThirdChoice.ca, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is calling on Canadians to demand a third choice.

The Thirdchoice.ca campaign features a Facebook page where Canadians will have to opportunity learn more about the issues surrounding the impact of cuts to public service and participate in the discussion.

The tagline? An absurd choice is no choice for Canadians.

The star of the show? A giant squirrel, disrupting services in a government office.

“The government is asking people to choose between a strong economy and strong public services,” says PSAC National President John Gordon. “This is absurd: Canadians want both. With this campaign we’re hoping to highlight that absurdity and inspire Canadians to demand a better choice.”

PSAC is also asking Canadians show their support through a visual charter that will record their collective desire for a third choice. The campaign encourages them to submit photos representing the number “3” on the Facebook page.

“We all depend on public services. They protect our health and safety, the environment, and contribute to local economies,” says Gordon. “ThirdChoice.ca is all about having a conversation with Canadians about the impact of public service cuts – something the government is avoiding.”

Want to get involved?

• Visit ThirdChoice.ca
• Follow PSAC on Twitter. Share your #absurdchoice
• Watch Giant squirrel causes chaos in office!
• Submit your call for a #thirdchoice on Facebook and Twitter

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

December 3 marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The theme for 2011 is Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development. According to the United Nations, persons with disabilities make up an estimated 15 percent of the world’s population; one-fifth of that number, between 110-190 million globally, experience significant challenges.

HRSDC has an Office for Disability Issues, with a mandate that includes reaching out to Canadians to engage citizens on disability issues. Through increasing awareness we can create citizen consensus for full participation of people with disabilities in Canadian society. Service Canada embraces this mandate through consideration of individual abilities in hiring practices, as well as in our face-to-face service to Canadians.

Recognizing the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is one way we can promote understanding of disability issues. For additional information, please visit the links below.

United Nations

Service Canada – Services for People with Disabilities

A great message from a member of our local....

TC Bargaining Communique

November 24, 2011

Your TC Bargaining Team met with Treasury Board on November 15-17, 2011.  We are reporting some progress, although many issues still need to be discussed. 

We had a productive discussion on several outstanding issues:

• PSAC proposals
• Employer proposals

Appendix C – Offshore Fishery Surveillance Officers

The Employer has clarified and modified its proposal to amend this Appendix to provide for a separate category of mid-shore surveillance officers. Your team members have spoken with FSOs and will continue to seek advice from locals/members affected by this proposal before negotiations resume in December.

Appendix I – Sea Lamprey Control Centre

After extensive consultation with the Local Union affected by the changes the Employer has proposed for this Appendix, we are optimistic that we are close to agreement on new language.

Appendix P – Civil Aviation Safety Inspectors

The Employer is seeking clarification of language in this Appendix with respect to eligibility for terminable allowances. We had a good discussion on this issue and hope to reach agreement on amended language at our next session.

Article 25 – Hours of Work

After several counter-proposals by both sides, we are getting closer to agreeing on a modified Article.

New Article – Membership Fees

We have signed off language that provides for the Employer to reimburse employees for membership and registration fees to organizations and governing bodies when payment of such fees is a requirement for the continuation of the performance of the duties of the employee's position. This new article resulted from Treasury Board's plan to rescind its policy on membership fees.

Economic Package

Your Bargaining Team is working diligently to finalize our wage proposal for presentation to the Employer.

Bargaining Resumes December 13, 2011

Your Bargaining Team will be returning to the table on Dec. 13th, 14th and 15th, 2011. Meanwhile, Team members are looking forward to being invited to AGMs and other Local membership meetings, town hall meetings, and other information sessions so that we can have a face-to-face dialogue with you about bargaining issues.

Information

Please stay tuned for further developments.  For ongoing updates, visit: www.psac-afpc.com/tcgroup

Questions?

tc-bargaining-negociations@psac-afpc.com

Thank you for your support. 

In Solidarity,

YOUR BARGAINING TEAM

Atlantic
Dana Bailey
Keith Parsons

Quebec 
Patrice Robin

National Capital Region
Pat St-Georges

Ontario 
Amy Campbell
Garry Larouche

Prairies
June Winger

British Columbia 
Jack Gale
Tom Hopkins

PSAC Staff
Julie Chiasson, PSAC Research Officer
Gail Lem, PSAC Negotiator

Information on Food Alerts

http://www.foodsafetyfirst.ca/

This is a great site for information on food alerts for both Canada and the USA. For instance, did you know there was a recent recall on ready-to-eat products from Costco due to Listeria?

And who is one of the Food Safety First members? You are! P.S.A.C. is a proud sponsor of this campaign.

About FoodSafetyFirst.ca

FoodSafetyFirst.ca is a network of thousands of Canadians who are concerned about the safety of our food.

In this age of global trade and factory produced food, and in the wake of the Maple Leaf Foods tragedy that left 22 dead and dozens ill, FoodSafetyFirst.ca advocates more and better government inspection and less industry self-policing when it comes to food safety.

The FoodSafetyFirst.ca network takes action in favour of better food safety protections and to expose the murky world of food safety policy-making that for too long has been influenced by the food industry at the expense of consumers and safety.

Workplace Survey - impact of cuts

This survey will inform the union what is happening in your workplace due to government cuts. Print this one off or obtain one from your Local Executive.

Workplace survey

No Concessions Stickers

Members of your Local Executive will be handing out these stickers. Please display yours.

No Concessions Sticker

Have Your Say! (and have a chance at winning an ipad)

To complete the Our Union, Our Power survey and contribute your thoughts, ideas and feedback to the Members’ Plan, visit http://app.fluidsurveys.com/s/ourunionourpower/

Ag Local 30048 Bargaining Team Support Banner

Banner signed by T.C. group members from Local 30048 in support of our bargaining team.

Ag Local 30048 Bargaining Team Support Banner

Local 30048 Selection of Union Appointed Committee Members

12 September 2011

There are workplace committees such as Health and Safety Committee and Union/Management Consultation Committee which by legislation or collective agreement give the Union the right to appoint members.  For local workplace committees it is the responsibility of the locally elected executive to select these committee members.  It is important for all appointed committee members to understand their role and responsibilities as a representative of the Union.  The best way to gain this understanding is through union participation and ongoing education and training.

The first step for any local member wanting to serve as a committee member should be to approach the Local Union Executive expressing their interest.  The duties and required training will be outlined to each member.  Through discussions it will be determined if the member meets the requirements and expectations of the Union.

Requirements for the Health and Safety Committee

1. Be a member in good standing
2. Interest in addressing Health and Safety issues in the workplace as a Union representative.
3. Have completed or will complete the following education courses:
1. TUBS (Talking Union Basics)
2. PSAC Health and Safety Course
3. Core OHS courses required by employer

Requirements for the Union Management Consultation Committee

1. Be a member in good standing
2. Interest in representing union members through consultation with the employer on workplace issues.
3. Have completed or will complete the following PSAC education courses:
1. TUBS (Talking Union Basics)
2. Advanced Steward
3. Facing Management

Agriculture Union 2011 Convention

By Lorna Selinger
September 2011

Agriculture Union delegates left our Fifteenth Triennial Convention in Vancouver on August 19 ready to confront a majority Conservative government intent on cutting both quality public services and the jobs of the men and women who provide them.

A number of new faces were elected to both the National Executive and National Council. At the Executive level, Fabian Murphy was elected our new First National Executive Vice-President of the Agriculture Union. He had previously served as Fourth National Executive Vice-President since 2008 and Regional Vice-President for our Eastern Atlantic members from 2002 to 2008.

Our new Second National Executive Vice-President is Glenn Miller, formerly Regional Vice-President for our members in southwestern Ontario. Raphaël Tarasco was elected Third National Executive Vice-President. He had served as Regional Vice-President for our members in the Western Quebec Region since 2002. And Meraiah Krebs, now Fourth National Executive Vice-President, moves up from the national Council post of National Director for our members employed by the Canada School of Public Service and the Public Service Commission.

The complete National Executive (with short biography) and National Council can be found on the Agriculture Union website.

Delegates also adopted a realistic budget for the 2012-2014 period based on a conservative estimate of 8,500 members throughout the period. While our current membership is 9,300, members are all too aware that the Harper Conservatives are intent on slashing public service jobs in the name of ‘deficit fighting’.

Over the past three years, our union has aggressively conducted two of the most extensive and effective campaigns in the history of the PSAC and its Component unions: Food Safety First and GrainAction. As a result, the Agriculture Union moved to the centre of the public and media debate around both the food safety issue and the future role of the Canadian Grain Commission in supporting an orderly market for producers and consumers. However, such campaigns cost money. In recognition of this, Convention delegates authorized the creation of a new budgetary line item for political action and increased the percentage dues for the first time in almost a decade to ensure the Agriculture Union has the financial means to continue to defend the job security of our members. (More details regarding the percentage dues increase will be posted on our Web site next week.)

The Convention also addressed the issue of a proposed PSAC Supplemental Pension Plan for elected officers. After extensive debate, our Convention delegates voted overwhelmingly to have our union participate in this plan.

No less important were delegates’ overwhelming support for the reaffirmation of PSAC’s ‘no concession’ bargaining policy in the next round of negotiations and agreeing to have alternate members of the National Council come to its first post-Convention meeting in order to learn and understand better that governing body.

Alberta Federation of Labour Women's Committee Report to PSAC Local 30048

By Sherry Hunt


Item 1:  Commemorative/Fundraiser Brunch:  “Mourn, Remember . . . Live For Change”
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women (Declared in 1991 by the Federal Gov’t and is the Anniversary of the Montreal Massacre)
Murrieta’s On Whyte Ave Edmonton, AB
10:30am -1:00pm
2 Speakers:
1) Janice Papin, relative of Georgina Papin (One of the Aboriginal women, R. Picton was convicted of murdering.)
2) PSAC REVP Robyn Benson
Tickets will be $85 split 50/50 between cost of brunch and Charity
Charity:  Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters (ACWS) and will be earmarked to go to Women at Risk, particularly Aboriginal women who suffer violence at much higher rates than others. In the south Pincher Creek has one of these shelters.
Door Prizes are donated by the various Locals and Unions represented.
Seating will be randomly mixed to Facilitate networking.

Item 2: “Project 2012”
-Celebrating the 100 year anniversary of the formation of the AFL ( in Lethbridge!!!) and the Labour movement in Alberta.
-Working with “The Alberta Labour History Institute: (ALHI)
    AFL is planning the release of a book, several pamphlets, Poster series, an oral history of the Alberta Labour movement, several public and museum displays, Maria Dunn Concert tour (she can be booked by individual locals to play events, the tour is already paid for by the AFLProject 2012 funds), etc the list goes on and they are looking for more ideas. The AFL and the ALHI would like to see locals all over Alberta plan their own celebrations of their areas labour history.
    One AFL event will be a huge union “banner and regalia display” at Fort Edmonton on the 16 of June. ALL LOCALS AND UNIONS ARE INVITED AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND (and display their banner at the Fort in the big hall).
    The AFL Women’s Committee will be participating on one of the “Streets” in the fort. In order to do this w e will have to dress in “period costume” for the street we are on.  We will probably be doing the suffragettes movement (this was the suggestion from the President of the AFL Gil McGowan).  All Women’s Committees in the Province are invited to join us. As well, we will be joining in the “Banner Display” with our own AFL Women’s Committee banner.
    We may also create a “booklet” celebrating women in the Union Movement over the past 100 years but more planning must go into this.
    We were all asked to go back to our Locals and to our local women’s committees and ask if/what their plans were for the 2012 celebrations and what various Women’s committees would like to see us do for 2012.

Item 3: 2011-2012 Action Plan
Next meeting we will be establishing our Action Plan for the next two years, we wanted to go back to our locals and various women’s committee’s and ask our sisters what they would like to see us work on. 
So far our plans include: 
-The Dec 4 Brunch.
-The 2012 Celebration.
-Lobby Day (after the next election) 
-AFL school caucuses 
-CUPW EQUINOX in Jasper (retreat for women to be held after the AFL schools, invite extended by our CUPW Edmonton Sisters).

 What else as we move through 2012 and into 2013? Send suggestions to Sherry Hunt (Sherry.Hunt@agr.gc.ca).