Canada Employment and Immigration Union

Ratification Poster

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PSAC disappointed with Ontario Court of Appeal's decision in pension surplus case

 

PSAC has received a decision from the Ontario Court of Appeal on our case against the federal government over its expropriation of $28 billion from the federal superannuation fund.

Unfortunately, Justices Laskin, Gillese and Juriansz denied our appeal. They confirmed a 2007 Superior Court of Justice Decision which dismissed our claims that the government breached the trust of plan members, violating its fiduciary duty and not meeting its obligations.

At issue was the fact that the federal government raided a $28 billion surplus from the public service, RCMP and Canadian Forces pension plans after passing legislation that restructured the way the plans are managed.

The Court of Appeal found that the federal government did have the discretion to remove the surplus funds, even if it resulted in higher pension contributions for plan members.

PSAC is in the midst of reviewing the decision in order to determine the next course of action.

 

Go to PSAC link for details !

 

http://www.psac-afpc.org/news/2010/issues/20101008-e.shtml

CRA-UTE Bargaining Information

Hyperlinks to CRA-UTE Information:

http://www.psac-afpc.org/documents/bargaining/cra_ratkit_oct2010-e.pdf

Let hope our bargaining team get something similar or better from Treasury Board during this earlier bargaining process

http://www.psac-afpc.org/bargaining/units/treasury_board/index-e.shtml

Bargaining Demands

The PA collective agreement expires in June 2011 and the PSAC has issued a call for Locals to submit bargaining demands to their component.

For more information on the process, please visit the CEIU website at http://ceiu-seic.ca and look for the caption "PSAC issues call for bargaining demands".

Needless to say, your input will be greatly appreciated.

Please forward demands to a member of the executive.

In Solidarity

Tentative Agreement Information

PA Group:

EN:

http://www.psac.com/news/2008/bargaining/200811_tentative_pa-e.shtml

FR:

http://www.psac.com/news/2008/bargaining/200811_tentative_pa-f.shtml

Everything you need to know about the
Treasury Board tentative

agreements

Have questions about the Treasury Board
tentative agreements for the

PA, SV, FB, and EB groups? Want the
latest on the TC group? This is the

page for you!

Here are answers to some Frequently
Asked Questions related to the

recent negotiations with Treasury Board
and the impact of the

government's economic and fiscal update
on our collective bargaining.

We will be updating this page
regularly, so check it often! If you

have any specific questions which
aren't covered here, please email

nego@psac.com.

At the moment, we are getting hundreds
of emails every day, and are not

able to answer every individual request
for information. We encourage

you to check this page on a regular
basis; we will add Qs & As as they

come up, so that all members can
benefit from the information. 

Stay tuned!

EB & PA Group General questions EB
& PA Group

Q: Who is getting the $4,000 lump sum
payment?

A: Every person who is a member of the
PA or the EB bargaining unit on

December 15, 2008.

Q: Do I get the lump sum if I am only
in an acting position in the PA

or EB group?

A: You get the money if you have been
in an acting position in either

the PA or EB group for more than four
months on December 15, 2008. You

do not get it if your substantive
position is in another bargaining unit

and you have been acting in the PA or
EB unit for less than four

months.

Q: Do I get the lump sum if I'm a
casual employee?

A: No.

Q: Do I get the lump sum if I am acting
in a position outside the PA or

EB bargaining unit, but my substantive
position is a PA or EB position?

A: You get the lump sum if you have
been acting outside the PA or EB

bargaining unit for less than four
months on December 15, 2008, but you

do not get it if you have been acting
outside of the PA or EB bargaining

unit for more than four months.

Q: If I have been acting outside of the
PA or EB bargaining unit for

more than four months and am therefore
currently ineligible to receive

the lump sum, can I return to my
substantive position in the PA or EB

bargaining units on December 15 so that
I don't miss out?

A: If you believe that it is
financially more beneficial to you to

receive the lump sum than to stay in
your acting position, you can

certainly ask to be returned to your
substantive position by or on

December 15, 2008. However, there is no
guarantee that the employer

will allow your request, especially if
you want to then go back to your

acting position again. Treasury Board
is leaving it to individual

departments to make these decisions on
a case by case basis, so the best

advice we can give is go ahead and ask
if that is what you want to do.

Q: My substantive position is in the PA
or EB group, but I am on leave

without pay right now. Will I still get
the lump sum?

A: You still get the lump sum if you
are on leave, either with or

without pay, because you are still a
member of the PA or EB bargaining

unit.

Q: Is the lump sum pensionable?

A: Yes

Q: Is the lump sum subject to tax?

A: Yes

Q: When will I get paid the $4,000?

A: Within 150 days of the signing of
the collective agreement.

Q: Why am I getting $4,000 ?

A: The PSAC agreed to withdraw a pay
equity complaint in exchange for

two things: a lump sum payment of
$4,000 for every member of the PA and

EB groups and a Memorandum Of
Understanding on classification reform,

which is to be included in the
collective agreement. You can find more

information about pay equity,
classification and the new agreement on

the PSAC website.

Q: Are retirees eligible to receive the
$4000 lump sum?

A: No, retirees are not eligible to
receive the $4000 lump sum. This

lump sum is not a pay equity payment;
it is a lump sum payment to

members on strength in the PA and EB
groups on December 15, 2008.

Treasury Board Tables a Final Offer

URGENT:

Please Read Attached.

Download tb_press_release_2008_11_18.pdf

Bargaining Talking Points

Download bargaining_and_election_points_2008_09.doc

Bargaining and the Upcoming Election

Message points on the federal election and bargaining

1. PSAC members in the federal public sector need to make the connection between bargaining and the federal election. They are electing their employer, as well as a government.

This federal election is absolutely critical for PSAC members and for federal public services. And this is not an overstatement, by any means.

Stephen Harper’s Conservatives are committed to the ideology of smaller government, cuts in programs and the contracting out, privatization or elimination of the services our members provide.

PSAC members working in the federal public service must remember that they’re not just electing a government, they’re electing their employer.

How that employer behaves at the bargaining table, how the employer treats our members in the work place on everything from job security to health and safety to balancing work and family life, all depends on the government they elect.

2. PSAC will continue to bargain during the election.

Negotiations with Treasury Board for the PA, SV, FB and EB units are continuing in September and October. Mediation dates for the TC unit are being confirmed. Mediation begins for our Parks unit on September 29 and our CFIA team returns to the bargaining table at the end of September. There are no legal restrictions that prevent Treasury Board and other Agency employers from bargaining during an election period. The only action that is prohibited during the election period is conducting a strike.

The union also intends to continue its negotiation of Essential Services Agreements, including hearings before the Public Service Labour Relations Board, during the election period. There is no legal restriction that prevents the Board from continuing this work during a federal election.

3. PSAC members need to take action.

Each PSAC region has an election plan to work with candidates who support federal public services and other related activities. Members should contact the nearest PSAC regional office to find out what is being organized.

Every PSAC member should be finding out where the candidates in their riding stand on our issues.

Members need to know where the candidates stand on issues that have a direct impact on their salaries and working conditions.

Ask the candidates: will you and your party make a commitment to:

• stop the contracting-out and privatization of federal public services;

• negotiate fair salary increases that reflect broader wage settlement trends and increases in the cost of living and achieve wage parity with other unionized public and private sector employees;

• eliminate regional rates of pay; and

• take PSAC members’ bargaining demands and negotiations seriously.

Candidates who are prepared to support and defend federal public services deserve our members’ support and their active help in getting them into Parliament.

Finally, every member needs to get out and vote for candidates who support PSAC members and the public services they provide and encourage family, friends and neighbours to do so as well.

4. This election has a direct impact on bargaining and our members’ future.

Prime Minister Harper has been claiming that a dysfunctional Parliament forced him to call an early election. After more than a year of enduring this government's dysfunctional approach to negotiations, a federal election gives PSAC members the opportunity to find a government with a more productive take on bargaining and to make a real change at the bargaining table. 

For the sake of our collective agreements - and the future of federal public services - we need to make the most of this opportunity.

Members have to ask themselves: what kind of country do they want and what kind of employer do they want.

If they care about the services they provide, if they care about the future of their communities, if they care about having a job, they can’t afford to ignore this election.