TC PIC brief and Outstanding Issues-Executive Summary

Link to documents -

http://www.psac.com/news/2012/bargaining/20121221b-e.shtml

Idle No More

 As you likely know, PSAC is supporting the Idle No More campaign. Here's a letter from Sister Benson -
http://www.psac.com/news/2012/messages/20121220-e.shtml

Locally, our Local and Area Council have lent support to a couple actions. Here is how you can get personally involved in Idle No More. We hope to see you out at some of these events.

All are on Friday, December 21, 2012:

10am-noon - Peaceful rally just west of Brocket 

12pm noon - Solidarity drum circle at Jim Hillyer's office 

Noon-4pm - Peaceful rally and detour near Cardston on Highway to Lethbridge

6pm - Flash mob drum circle and round dance at Park Place mall - Wear red, yellow, black or white and congregate in the hallways from Santa, to food court, to guest services desk. Wait for drumming and join the dance!

Also, take the time to educate yourself on the issues surrounding Idle No More.

http://idlenomore1.blogspot.ca/

Work Force Adjustment - information for you

In light of government austerity measures and further departmental transformation and adjustment (their words! not ours!), PSAC Local 30048 recommends members know their rights, options and obligations surrounding work force adjustment.

You have several sources for this information:

1. Your collective agreement - Look to the Appendices at the end.

2. The PSAC Work Force Adjustment site - http://www.psac.com/what/wfa/index-e.shtml

3. Your work force adjustment committee - At LRC, this is Dave Pearson, Sherry Hunt, Shannan Little and Michele Jackson.

4. Your local executive and stewards.

2012 National Day of Remembrance and Action

REVP Letter:

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Each year on December 6, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women, we honour the memory of the 14 young women at l'École Polytechnique de Montréal who were murdered in 1989 because they were women.

This year, the Conservative government dishonoured the legacy of these women, and the wishes of thousands more like them across the country, when they abolished the long gun registry and erased all of the existing records. In a press release the Conservative’s gloated about destroying the contents, saying the data can never be recovered.

At a time when we are still fighting to eliminate violence against women, the Harper Conservatives put an end to the service established to keep women safe. According to the Canadian Women's Foundation, 50 per cent of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of violence since the age of 16. Additionally, one woman is killed every six days by her intimate partner. The registry was designed to control this violence.

Even without it, however, we can move forward and work together to ensure that women in Canada are safe from violence. To do that, we must change attitudes and behaviours around violence towards women in our society. This includes non-physical violence, which can leave even deeper scars.

December 6 reminds us to do our part, each and every day, to ensure our community and our country is safe for all women and girls. Please see the attached list of December 6 events across the Prairies and participate in the one in your community.

In Solidarity,

Marianne Hladun Regional Executive Vice-President Public Service Alliance of Canada, Prairies Lethbridge Event: Candlelight vigil @ Lethbridge YWCA 7pm on Dec 6

Education Planning Meeting - Lethbridge

Education Planning Meeting - Lethbridge

11 December 2012

17h30 - 20h

Community Room, Lethbridge Regional Police Station, 135 – 1st Avenue South, Lethbridge

Sign-up Deadline: December 6, 2012

RO Contacts - Dolly Ablitt and Raj Hari

This Education Planning meeting is open to members in Lethbridge. Members in outlying areas will be able to give their input via a conference call and information about the call will be coming out shortly.

Please contact the Regional Office if you are interested in attending using the contact info provided below.

Judy Shannon, the Regional Education Officer for the Prairies will be facilitating this meeting. 

The PSAC Prairie Region Council Education Committee invites you to Come and Join Us

for a conversation about the 2013-2015 PSAC Prairie Region Education Plan

Date:              TUESDAY DECEMBER 11TH

Time:              5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., supper provided

Location:        Community Room, Lethbridge Regional Police Station, 135 – 1st Avenue South  Lethbridge, Alberta

Come out and meet other PSAC members and staff who share your

interest in the PSAC Prairie Region education program

Reimbursement for loss of salary and/or family care costs

will be provided (leave form and/or receipts required)

Please RSVP to the PSAC Calgary Regional Office.

Phone:  1-800-461-8914 by Thursday December 6th

Holiday Giving Project

Many of us from Local 30048 and several other community knitters and crocheters have been busy stitching up holiday gifts to donate to charity. Join us on Monday, December 3 at 6:30 pm at the Round Street Cafe to gather up our gifts.

Brand the Prairies Contest

The PSAC Prairie Region is looking for members with a knack for design, illustration or overall creativity to help design our regional identity.

Last year, all regions within the PSAC converted to the nationally-branded cogs to allow for a uniform identity and easy public recognition of our union. In the region, we'd like to complement it with an individual identity that represents our unique Prairie flair within the membership.

We'll be accepting submissions from members throughout November. The top designs will be featured on the regional website and the designers will each win a custom-branded PSAC Prairies t-shirt, stamped with their own design.

Please submit your design via e-mail (JPG or PDF) to Jeffrey Vallis or mail to "Brand the Prairies", 175 Hargrave Street, Suite 460, Winnipeg MB, R3C 3R8. Include the entry form below with your name, component/local, email, phone number, mailing address and preferred t-shirt size. Also, tell us a bit about your design.

When creating your logo, consider the colours, images, symbols and words that embody the Prairie Region and our members. Previously, the region has been identified with a grain elevator (see logo evolution below), but let's consider other options and explore the possibilities.

All designs submitted become the property of the PSAC Prairie Region and we reserve the right to alter the design to meet our needs.

Deadline for submissions is November 30, 2012.

November 21, 2012

TC bargaining team defends interests of members before the PIC

The TC bargaining team made its submissions on its outstanding bargaining proposals before a Public Interest Commission in Ottawa on November 13-15, 2012.

TC members underpaid

Your team told the Commission that TC members are already underpaid according to a joint pay study done by the Employer and the Union in 2007-2008, and shouldn’t be put in a worse economic situation because of the significant concession the Employer is demanding on cessation of severance pay for voluntary departures.

Proposal for new increments

The Team made the case for a new increment to be added to all steps on the wage grid in the TC collective agreement, pointing out that EGs make up a significant proportion of the bargaining unit and that EGs at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency – the closest and best comparator for that classification – achieved an additional increment in the first round of bargaining after the Agency was created about 13 years ago.

Recruitment and retention issues within specific groups in Transport Canada, Health Canada, Measurement Canada and HRSDC were also discussed, as well as proposals for a number of allowances, and the Union’s demand to roll the $2,000 allowance received by some Primary Products Inspectors into the wage rate for all PIs.

Outstanding proposals

As well, the Union addressed its remaining outstanding proposals, including acting pay, standby pay, travelling time, hours of work at Marine Security Operations Centres, and proposed changes to Appendix R.

Employer brief

Your bargaining team was shocked to hear in the Employer’s brief that since we reached impasse in bargaining last March, Treasury Board has rushed out and done two pay studies – unilaterally, not only without input from the Union, but without even telling us. These pay studies have a very small number of participants and compare wages at the 50^th percentile rather than the 75^th percentile.

Of course the result is that they show that the wage disparity for the TC Group isn’t as significant as found by the joint pay study, where the terms of reference were agreed upon by both parties. Treasury Board also said that it wants to neither lead nor lag the market in terms of wages and is happy to have employees paid either 10 per cent greater or 10 per cent less than comparator groups at the 50th percentile.

In other words, it doesn’t want to be the Employer of choice.  This is alarming, considering that TC members are highly skilled employees who shoulder the responsibility of enforcing the regulations put into place by government in order to protect the safety and security of Canadians, and our resources, our seas, skies and environment.

Articles 20, 43 and 45

In order to reduce the size of our package and to encourage the PIC to focus on our economic demands, the Union withdrew its proposals on Article 20 – Harassment; our demand in Article 43 – Family Related Responsibility Leave to move Compassionate Care Leave to a separate article; Article 45 – Maternity-Related Responsibility Leave; and our proposal for a new article on Pre-Retirement Leave.

The Employer came to the table with fewer proposals overall and withdrew its demand in Article 28 – Overtime, in which it was trying to limit to 50 kilometres the maximum 100-kilometre round trip mileage paid to employees who are called back to work on days off.

Recommendations

The PIC has 30 days from November 15, 2012, to issue its recommendations. At that time, the bargaining teams will have to consider whether the recommendations bring them close enough to a potential tentative agreement that they can return to the bargaining table.

Information

The TC bargaining team thanks you for your support and your patience during this difficult round of bargaining. 

Trans Day of Remembrance

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

November 20 is the annual Trans Day of Remembrance (TDOR), a day dedicated to transgender, transsexual, and two-spirit individuals who have been killed or have been victims of violent attacks based on anti-transgender hatred or prejudice.

As you may know, transition is process in which a gender-diverse individual changes their body and appearance (including hormone replacement therapy, sex reassignment surgery, and/or esthetic treatments) to harmonize with the gender/sex they feel themselves to be. But, regrettably, these individuals are being targeted.

Over the past decade, more than one trans-identified person per month has been attacked or killed. Additionally, a recent Ontario study of trans health showed that rates of suicide and attempted suicide are significantly higher in the trans-population, especially trans-youth. This is due to the social shame and isolation felt by those who express their gender in a “different” way.

Bill C-279 aims to provide protection for these individuals by proposing to recognize gender identity and gender expression as groups under Canada’s Criminal Code hate crimes section and provide trans individuals protection under the Canadian Human Rights Act. The Bill has passed second reading and it was referred to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. But Conservative MPs are hindering progress, obscuring the bill’s intent with fear mongering and blatant lies.

We can put an end to this by supporting gender diversity and expression. Write your MP to speak out against discrimination and violence targeted at the trans community and voice your support for Bill C-279. You can also participate in one of the TDOR events held across the Prairie Region.

• Calgary, Alberta
  Sunday, November 18, 2012, 2:00 p.m. (Doors open at 1:30 p.m.)
  The Old Y Centre for Community Organizations, 223 12 Ave. SW

• Edmonton, Alberta
  Saturday, November 17, 2012, 2:00 p.m.
  Mcdougal United Church, 10086-101 St.
  Contact: tdoredmonton@gmail.com

• Winnipeg, Manitoba
  Tuesday, November 20, 2012, 
6:00 – 7:00 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
  Circle of Life Thunderbird House, 715 Main St
  Light snacks, warm refreshments, gender-neutral washrooms, and ASL 
interpretation will be provided. 
This free, all ages, event will be located in an accessible, drug and 
alcohol free venue. Contact: info@rainbowresourcecentre.org
 or visit the Facebook event page.

• Regina, Saskatchewan
  Sunday, November 18, 2012, 1:30 - 5:30 p.m. (Vigil at 4:30 p.m.)
  St. James United Church, 4506 Sherwood Dr.
  Event will open with a reflective space with time for gathering
as community, followed by a video presentation of Trained in the Ways
 of Men, with discussion being facilitated by a panel of guest speakers.

In Solidarity,

Marianne Hladun
Regional Executive Vice-President
Public Service Alliance of Canada, Prairies

Reminder-Local30048 meeting

November 19 7-9pm
@ Lethbridge Research Centre Cafeteria Conference Room

Agenda:
Election of Officers
Bargaining Update

Please plan on attending!

Meeting with Marianne Hladun - cancelled!

The meeting with Marianne Hladun Tuesday, Nov. 13 has been cancelled.

Reminder Meet & Greet with Marianne Hladun

Tuesday Nov 13, 6-8:30pm
Round Street Cafe

All Lethbridge & Area PSAC members are welcome!

Education campaign the Minister for Status of Women Canada Rona Ambrose

From Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN)

On September 26, at the moment of the Motion 312 vote, we were astonished to notice
that the Minister responsible for the status of women, the Honorable Rona Ambrose, took
position to strike a committee that would have reviewed the fetus legal status in the light
of scientific advances. Without any doubt, this committee would have reopened the
abortion debate (despite the Conservative Party’s promise not to reopen it).

We believe that this stand requires Ms Ambrose to refresh her knowledge on the freedom
of choice issue, and on the importance of universal and free access to abortion for all
women – which is actually advocated by 75% of the Canadian population.

For the next 9 weeks, we invite you to send to the Minister an argument in favour of free
choice. You could formulate your own message, or use our new argument which we will
post every Monday on our website (www.fqpn.qc.ca). Send it by email, letter, Twitter,
Facebook, telephone, or other means. It has been proven that repetition is beneficial for
new learners.

It's a question of solidarity. One should furthermore know that aside from being
mandated to represent and defend the rights of women living in Canada, Rona Ambrose
has a number of other responsibilities, such as Public Works and Governmental Services.
We understand that it is quite difficult to reconcile family and work, and to remain up-todate with her other tasks. Let's support our Minister! Let's educate her! With a bit of
urging, Rona Ambrose will get a passing grade before the holidays. At least we hope so. If
not, we will have to regroup for the winter session.

To send along a pro-choice argument to the Minister for status of Women Canada,
download or copy-paste our weekly model, then you can:

 send her an email: Ambror@parl.gc.ca
 write to her (no stamp required):
    Room 163 East Block
    Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6
 phone her office: 1-613-996-9778
 post on her Facebook: http://www.facebook.com1ronaambrose
 Twitter: @MinRonaAmbrose

And do this over the next 9 weeks!

Special note: let us keep track of your initiatives: send us copies of your faxes, your
emails, your letters, and summaries of your phone messages at:

eduquonsambrose@fqpn.qc.ca or by Fax 514-866-1100.

This campaign is a result of a collaboration with
Centre de santé des femmes de Montréal, L’R des centres de femmes du Québec
Fédération des femmes du Québec and Relais-femmes.


Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances (FQPN)
110, rue Ste-Thérèse, bureau 405
Montréal (Québec)
H2Y 1E6
(514) 866-3721
info@fqpn.qc.ca

TC outstanding issues to come before PIC this week

November 10 , 2012

After a long wait, the TC Bargaining Team will appear before a Public Interest Commission (PIC) on November 13-15, 2012, to present our outstanding bargaining issues.

Treasury Board will do the same, and both parties will respond to each other's submissions.

This marks the first time PSAC will present to a Public Interest Commission under the Public Service Labour Relations Act, which came into effect in April, 2005.

The Public Interest Commission consists of a chairperson mutually agreed to by PSAC and Treasury Board, and two sidespersons, one representing each party. 

The Chair is arbitrator Vince Ready. Mr. Ready has mediated or arbitrated more than 7,000 labour and commercial disputes since opening his mediation and arbitration practice in 1982.

PSAC's sidesperson is Gary Cwitco, a former Director of Occupational Health and Safety with the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada, who has more than 30 years experience in all aspects of labour relations. Guy Lauzé is the Employer sidesperson.

Under the legislation, the PIC has 30 days to write a report making recommendations for a settlement. Although these recommendations are not binding, they are expected to carry significant weight with both parties.

Your bargaining Team has worked hard to achieve a negotiated settlement. We hope the recommendations of the PIC will lead to a return the bargaining table and result in a tentative agreement that will be brought to the members for a vote.

Meanwhile, it is important to be prepared for any eventuality. For this reason, PSAC will be coordinating strike training for TC members right across the country in the near future. Please continue to check this website for further updates.

Local 30048 Meeting - Election of Officers - Nov 19

November 19 7-9pm
@ Lethbridge Research Centre Cafeteria Conference Room

Agenda:
Election of Officers
Bargaining Update

Please plan on attending!

Supporting our Brothers!

Local 30048 supports our Brothers with their Movember fund-raising campaign.

Donate to the Lethbridge Research Centre Movember Team.
https://www.movember.com/ca/donate/payment/team_id/494473

And

Wear a button!

Buttons are available by donation from Jan or Ken or a member of the Executive Committee or Shop Steward.

Meet with Marianne Hladun - mark your calendar

Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President, Prairies, will be visiting Lethbridge on Tuesday, November 13. Marianne will be first giving a short presentation, followed by the opportunity for members to meet Marianne and discuss local issues.

When: Tuesday, November 13, 6-8:30pm
Where: Round Street Cafe, 427-5 St S, Lethbridge
Coffee, tea, juice and baked treats will be served.

This meeting will serve as the November Area Council meeting and is open to all Lethbridge and Area PSAC members.

Grievance Handling Course graduates

Congratulations to our latest graduates from the Grievance Handling course held October 27 & 28.
Stephanie Erb
Sherry Hunt
Shannan Little
Lyn Paterson
If you need advice on grievances, please talk to one of our graduates, a member of the local Executive or one of our Shop Stewards.

Remember, grievances enforce the power of our collective agreement. It's your right to grieve and PSAC's duty to police our collective agreement.

Area Council - Election of Officers

This Wednesday (Oct 24), please plan on attending the Lethbridge Area Council meeting for the election of officers. The Area Council meets one time per month and is composed of Lethbridge and Area PSAC members from all locals, including members from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada and CFIA, Revenue Canada, Service Canada, Border Services, etc.

Time: 6-8pm

Place: Lethbridge Police Station Community Room

Please let Dave Pearson know that you plan on attending at peardd@telusplanet.net.

A Woman's Place is in her Union - Workshop Nov. 24 - Calgary

The PSAC Prairie Region is pleased to offer a new union education event:

A Woman's Place is in her Union

During this one-day workshop participants will:

♀  discuss the history of women’s work and the labour movement

♀  celebrate the gains made in our journey towards equality

♀  develop strategies for the work still to be done

♀  make friends, create allies and build solidarity!

The workshop is open to PSAC women in the Prairie region. 

Space is limited so register early!  Preference will be given to 2012 Women at Work course applicants who were not able to participate in the course, and to women active in their Local Women’s committee, Component Women’s Committee, or a PSAC Regional Women’s Committee.

PSAC Calgary RO       

Telephone: (403) 270-6555          Toll-free: 1-800-461-8914

Reminder - Grievance Handling Course - Oct 27-28- Lethbridge

Wednesday, October 17 is the deadline to sign up for the Grievance Handling Course to be held Oct 27-28 in Lethbridge. 

RO Contact: Raj Hari - harir@psac.com 

This course will develop your knowledge and confidence in effectively solving problems at the workplace. You will learn how to systematically approach workplace issues and build your grievance handling skills, such as identifying problems, investigating concerns, and writing and presenting grievances. 

Register online: http://prairies.psac.com/education/events/grievance-handling-lethbridge

We are ALL affected - Community Spending Project Fact Sheet

This fact sheet has been sent to our local MLAs, MPs and City Council. It has also been sent to the Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Lethbridge BRZ and Economic Development Lethbridge. Feel free to print this off and distribute it to businesses, etc.

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.” 

Webinar-Speaking out on Cuts to Federal Public Services

Tuesday, October 9, 2012
6-7pm

PSAC members in the federal public service continue to deal with affected notices and the follow-out from ongoing cuts. Stewards play a crucial role in advising members of their rights regarding speaking out against the cuts to services and their jobs.

Link to it here-
http://us1.campaign-archive2.com/?u=781863db81c974cf297a8fa95&id=c1ab371369&e=a4032aa883

Political action required - Zellers, Public Child Care, Farm Worker Rights

PSAC Local 30048 encourages its members and the public to support three worthy campaigns that directly affect Lethbridge and our members.

1. Zellers
Our local Zellers will soon be closing. No Target store is scheduled to be opened. This limits shopping choice and puts valuable community members out of work. Further, all Zellers employees across Canada are losing their jobs and being asked to reapply to Target. Is this fair?
See www.targetfairness.ca and write to ask Target to keep our Zellers open.
Mr. Tony Fisher
President
Target Canada
5570 Explore Drive
Mississauga ON  L4W 5N1


2. Quality Public Early Childhood Education and Care
Public Interest Alberta is asking for support in their campaign. They are calling on the Alberta government to commit to accessible and affordable quality early childhood education and care. Visit http://pialberta.org/action-areas/childcare to share your voice.


3. Safety NOW for Alberta Agriculture Workers
Join UFCW in calling on the Alberta government to ensure that discrimination against Alberta Agriculture Workers is ended and to extend the Occupational Health and Safety Act to include workers in the agriculture industry. Send a message to Premier Redford at Safety NOW for Alberta Agriculture Workers.

National Day of Action Update

Advert in Lethbridge Herald, Sept 22, 2012

On Saturday, September 15, 2012, several Local 30048 members took to the streets of Lethbridge to hand out “We Are ALL Affected” postcards to homes in their respective neighborhoods and to engage small downtown business owners in discussions about the recent and ongoing cuts to the public service.  

We encouraged business owners to go to the weareallaffected.ca website and talk to their local MPs about how cuts are hurting Canadians - not only the workers directly affected, but also individuals seeking a range of government services.  

The effect of cuts will most certainly filter to local economies, as demonstrated by the $132,000 that was spent by Southern Alberta PSAC members in the Lethbridge area on this Saturday (see Local 30048 Notices - Community Spending Project for more details).  

Most business owners were receptive to our presence and our concerns, and some businesses very supportive (e.g., Round St Cafe, The Penny Coffee House, Pita Pit, Painted Cottage, Gentlemen Three Menswear, Tompkins Jewellers, The Shoe Tree and Naturistas).  

There were a few business owners that were less than receptive to the message that PSAC members were trying to impart.  In particular, the owner/manager of Bernard Callebaut Chocolates (also owns the Quiznos next door) was very clear in his message to us that the public service is overstaffed and should be cut, and was not concerned with losing valuable customers in Lethbridge due to cuts. He was clearly unsupportive and even offensive towards the public service, in the visiting member's opinion. He commented that in particular agriculture cuts would be a good place to start. We would ask that you consider this if you are a customer there.

Big Jim and The Twins

A group of PSAC activists also attended a couple of outdoor events this same weekend, Lethbridge’s “Take Back the Night” March as well as “Love N Records”, both of which were held in a Galt Gardens, sporting our “We Are ALL Affected” shirts and handing out postcards.  We were fortunate enough to have support by local musician John Greenshields of "Big Jim and the Twins" who wore one of our shirts during his concert in the park. 

The National Day of Action in Lethbridge was a successful event; members engaged other members by getting them involved in the Community Spending Project and by encouraging them to hand out postcards to businesses they frequent.  It is our hope that these efforts will raise awareness that We Are ALL Affected by the cuts to public services and programs.       

Grievance Handling Course Announced

Dates have been announced for a grievance handling course to be held in Lethbridge October 27-28. The sign up deadline is October 17. If you have interest in handling grievances and becoming a Shop Steward, please talk to a member of the local executive and sign up.

Details:
http://prairies.psac.com/education/events/grievance-handling-lethbridge

About the course:
This course will develop your knowledge and confidence in effectively solving problems at the workplace.  You will learn how to systematically approach workplace issues and build your grievance handling skills, such as identifying problems, investigating concerns, and writing and presenting grievances.

Local 30048 meeting - rescheduled

Because of the Lethbridge wildfires, we cancelled our September 10 meeting. Here is the rescheduled meeting notice.


Local 30048 Meeting
Sept 24, 2012
7:00 pm
Lethbridge Research Centre
Cafeteria Conference Room

Agenda:
PSAC National Day of Action Update
LRC Foodbank garden update
Budget allocation for political/social justice action 2012
Bargaining update
Education and courses

If you wish to add an agenda item, please contact Stephanie Erb at stephanieerb68@yahoo.ca by Sept 21/12
Please plan to attend.
Questions? Contact any current executive member (see PSAC board at LRC or website below)
Visit us at www.local30048.ca

PSAC National Day of Action 2012 - Saturday - what you can do! - Pizza Night

Please join us at Pop’s Pub South on the Sat, Sept 15 at 7pm for a casual get together to thank all of our volunteers that helped out with the National Day of Action campaigns, and get to know your fellow public servants.  Show up wearing a button and enjoy free pizza courtesy of the Lethbridge PSAC Area Council (buttons will be available at Pop’s too). This is for all PSAC Lethbridge Area Council members!

Please note this is the third part of our Lethbridge We are ALL Affected National Day of Action campaign. Please scroll down to see details of the other two campaigns (Buttons and Postcards AND Community Spending).

We strongly encourage participation in all actions from all Lethbridge Area Council PSAC members (from all components and locals). For more information, please email aglocal30048@gmail.com.

We are ALL Affected - Key Messages

·         We are all affected by government cutbacks because we all rely on services like food inspection, Old Age Security, environmental protection, preservation of parks and historic sites, search and rescue, assistance to veterans, support for our troops, border security and transportation safety.

·         Canadians find it harder to access the services they need and may not even realize that programs have been cut until after they are gone.

·         These job cuts are bad for our communities, our country and our economy. Workers and their families are forced to cut spending, small businesses lose customers and local economies suffer.

·         Public service workers are our families, friends, neighbours and customers.

PSAC National Day of Action 2012 - Saturday - what you can do! - Button and Postcard Campaign

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) has declared that Saturday, September 15^th 2012, be a “National Day of Action” for members and their allies from coast to coast to coast.

On the 15^th please wear a “We Are All affected” button in support of public services as you enjoy everything our city has to offer, whether it be shopping, dining out, or attending the “Love and Records” event in Galt Gardens. Let’s make a strong visual presence within our communities and make this campaign successful.

We are also looking for volunteers to help us hand deliver postcards to the public on Friday 14^th and Saturday 15^th, if you would like to lend a hand, please send an email to aglocal30048@gmail.com. This is for all Lethbridge Area Council PSAC members!

Buttons and postcards will be distributed at worksites prior to Friday.

PSAC National Day of Action 2012 - Saturday - what you can do! - Community Spending Campaign

PSAC National Day of Action 2012                                                                         

On Saturday, September 15, 2012 PSAC members across Canada will be demonstrating their support for public services and talking about how the cuts are affecting all Canadians. We’ll be talking about the impact on local economies and on services Canadians rely on. Join us in standing together for public services.

What are we doing?

Community Spending Project

The purpose of this project is to estimate the amount of money spent by PSAC members in our community on one typical Saturday. This is for all members of PSAC Lethbridge Area Council!

PSAC members will be asked to keep a rough tally of their and their family spending on Saturday, September 15, 2012.

·         What did you and your family do on Saturday?

·         How much did you spend?

·         What did you spend this money on?

·         Do you have a photo of yourself engaged in your Saturday activity or with a local merchant you supported?

For example:

On Saturday, PSAC member Suzie, went shopping and bought a pair of shoes from the Mall (value: $120). Later, Suzie, her husband and two children went out for dinner at a local restaurant (value: $60) and then went for a movie with popcorn and drinks (value: $50).

Once you have your information, please email it by Wednesday, September 19 to aglocal30048@gmail.com.

What will we do with this information?

We will compile this and use it to write letters to our local MPs, our Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Lethbridge, our local MLAs and City Council. We will also write a Letter to the Editor of the Lethbridge Herald. We will create an infographic possibly to be included in a forthcoming Lethbridge Herald.