Technicial Services (TC) Group Update

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Technicial Services (TC) Group Update


TC Agreement Signed ! The new TC Collective Agreement is finally in effect. It was formally signed by PSAC and Treasury Board on October 18, 2013. Treasury Board now has up to 150 days to implement the changes to the Collective Agreement, including adjusting rates of pay and issuing retroactive pay. In addition, TC members have six months to decide whether to cash out all or part of your accumulated severance pay or to leave it with Treasury Board until retirement or resignation. Please refer to the FAQs on Severance on this website. Members are encouraged to seek the advice of a financial adviser. The TC Bargaining Team thanks all TC members for your support and patience during this long and difficult round of bargaining. __________________________________________________ The Signing of the TC Contract Delayed by Treasury Board: http://psacunion.ca/treasury-board-delays-signing-new-tc-collective-agreement ______________________________________________________ Treasury Board delays signing of new TC collective agreement Treasury Board informed PSAC late last week that it would be unable to honour its commitment to sign the new Collective Agreement before October 1st, 2013, citing “procedural issues.” The parties had made plans to formally sign the collective agreement on September 30th, bringing its new provisions into effect. Although wage increases and allowances are retroactive, most other provisions of any new agreement are not effective until the date of signing. PSAC held ratification votes from mid-August until September 19, 2013, to ensure that the Union would be in a position to sign the agreement by September 30th or earlier. Treasury Board is now targeting mid-October for the formal signing. Meanwhile, PSAC has been working hard to ensure that TC members being transferred to the First Nations Health Authority in B.C. effective October 1, 2013, would be entitled to the provisions of the new agreement. Those assurances were received from the FNHA on September 30. ____________________________________________________

TC Group Members Petition - Right to Choose The legislation governing PSAC-Treasury Board bargaining (i.e., Public Service Labour Relations Act) provides for a choice of dispute resolution. Bargaining agents must notify the PSLRB of the process they have chosen - either arbitration or conciliation - prior to the beginning of negotiations if there is a desire to change the dispute settlement route. Currently, all TB bargaining units remain on the conciliation with the right to strike route as outlined in Regulation 15A, paragraph 3.11. The petition relating to the right to vote for the dispute settlement route for will not result in a change in the dispute settlement route from conciliation with the right to strike to arbitration but if 10% of the TC membership population sign the petition, the PSAC will be required to hold a vote of the affected membership to determine the dispute settlement route for the next round of collective bargaining. The signed petitions will need to be turned in by Tuesday, October 15. To sign the petition, visit Rhonda on the 16th Floor or print the attached document, sign and send to Rhonda. If you decide to print, you are also invited to have others in your section sign before submitting. For questions or to submit a completed petition to Rhonda, please contact her using her personal email address: jubenilee@eastlink.ca click here to download file Atlantic TC Ratification and Strike Vote Schedule After more than two years of protracted and often difficult negotiations, the TC Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. Find your ratification kit and much more information here. Find a ratification and strike vote meeting in your area below Nova Scotia Halifax, NS, September 5, 2013, 5:00 p.m.– 8:00 p.m., H & R Military Family Resource Centre – Windsor Park, 6393 Homefire Crescent, Building 106, Piers Blvd. (Details) Greenwood, NS, September 4, 2013, 4:00 p.m.- 6:00 p.m., 14 Wing Greenwood - Birch Hall Centre (Details) Kentville, NS, September 4, 2013, 12:00 p.m. - 1 p.m., Annapolis Valley Labour Council office, 362 Main Street (Details) NS Conference Call, September 5, 2013, 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (Details) Dartmouth, NS, September 10, 2013, 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., Holiday Inn Harbourview – Hawthorne and Sullivan Rooms, 101 Wyse Road (Details) ------ August 2, 2013 TC Bargaining Team Reaches Tentative Agreement Ratification Kit Questions and answers on severance After more than two years of protracted and often difficult negotiations, the TC Bargaining Team has reached a tentative agreement with Treasury Board. The Memorandum of Settlement was signed at 4:20 AM on August 1st, after a marathon 18-hour bargaining session. If ratified by the membership, the new Collective Agreement will be retroactive to June 22, 2011, and will expire on June 21, 2014. The tentative agreement contains the so-called “pattern settlement” first signed by the PA, SV and EB bargaining units in September, 2010, but with many other improvements to operational issues and some breakthrough language. The “pattern settlement” includes retroactive wage adjustments of 1.75 per cent, 1.5 per cent and 2 per cent as well as improvements to bereavement leave and family-related leave, and restoration of sick leave credits to term employees who have been rehired with a break in service of less than one year. Service of term employees will also be cumulative for the purpose of increments on the wage grid. The pattern also includes the elimination of severance pay for retirement and resignation. There are no other concessions in the tentative agreement. Other economic improvements include: An annual allowance of 1.5 per cent for employees in all EG classification levels A roll-in to base salary of all terminable allowances currently paid to TI employees in the marine, aviation and rail safety modes New terminable allowances under Appendix P New terminable allowances for EG-6 and EG-7 and GT-6 trough GT-8 employees working in shore-based positions at the Canadian Coast Guard The removal of the 8-hour cap on call back and an annual allowance of $5,000 for EG employees working as Laboratory and X-Ray Technologists at the Norway House and Percy E. Moore federal hospitals in Manitoba Among other improvements: For the first time in a federal public service Collective Agreement, transgendered employees are explicitly protected from discrimination and harassment The cap on Travel Status Leave is increased to 45 hours of time off, up from 37.5 hours, in recognition of more than 100 nights away from an employee’s home, up from 80 nights Employees in the Sea Lamprey Control Unit are no longer excluded from the provisions of the Travel Status Leave article A new article reimbursing employees for licensing and certifications required for an employee’s job Appendix R has been expanded to include maintenance crew on National Aerial Surveillance Program aircraft The TC Bargaining Team is extremely disappointed that Treasury Board has refused to recognize retention and recruitment issues for Technical Inspectors at Measurement Canada and in the Labour Program at HRSDC. The Team is equally disappointed that increases in pay and allowances for Technical Inspectors at Transport Canada still do not bring these employees to wage parity with their comparators. PSAC will continue to work towards the goal of equal pay for work of equal value for employees of the federal government. HIGHLIGHTS OF THE TENTATIVE AGREEMENT: Wage Increases and other economic improvements: PSAC has achieved the following salary increases for the TC bargaining unit: 1.75% retroactive to June 22, 2011 1.50% retroactive to June 22, 2012 2.00% retroactive to June 22, 2013 EG Rates of Pay Annual allowance of the value of 1.5% of base pay to all EG classifications effective June 22, 2013, after the economic increase is applied Marine, Aviation and Rail Safety – Technical Inspectors Roll-in of 100% of the respective terminable allowances into wage rates effective June 22, 2013, prior to the economic increase (except TI-6 Marine – 75% roll-in) New terminable allowances under Appendix P, effective June 22, 2013 for all three modes EG members working as Laboratory and X-Ray Technologists at Norway House and Percy E. Moore Hospitals Annual allowance of $5,000 Removal of 8-hour cap on call-back Canadian Coast Guard Shore-based EG-6, EG-7 and GT-6 though GT-8 positions Recruitment and retention allowance effective June 22, 2013 Changes to severance on retirement and resignation Severance entitlements for retirement and resignation will cease to accumulate starting on the date of signing of the collective agreement. TC indeterminate employees will have three options to cash-out of accumulated voluntary severance calculated at the rate of one week of pay for each year of continuous employment up to a maximum of 30 years of continuous employment, with the cash out for partial years of service prorated. This voluntary severance cash-out extends to term employees who would not normally receive severance at the end of their terms. Under this agreement, term employees with at least one year of employment will receive a one-time cash out of one week for each year of continuous employment. Currently, there is no voluntary severance for employees who resign before 10 years of continuous employment and only ½ week pay for each year of service for those who have more than 10 years of service. Under this agreement, the voluntary severance cash-out is at one week of pay per year of continuous employment for all employees in the TC bargaining unit. Members have three options to cash out: Immediately cash out their severance at their substantive position rate of pay. Retain the accumulated weeks of severance with a payout on termination or retirement at their exit rate of pay. Cash out some of their severance (a “round” number of weeks) at their substantive position rate of pay, with the remainder to be paid upon termination or retirement at their exit rate of pay. Protection of Severance for Involuntary Departure The accumulation of severance entitlements will continue for cases of lay-off, death, termination on probation, and termination for reasons of incapacity or incompetence. Enhanced severance pay in situations of lay off PSAC has achieved an amendment to the collective agreement that enhances the severance pay entitlement in situations of lay-off that improves with seniority. Employees with less than 10 years of continuous employment will still get 2 weeks of severance pay for the first year of continuous employment plus one week for each year of service thereafter. Employees with more than 10 years of continuous employment will get 3 weeks of severance pay for the first year of continuous employment instead of the current 2 weeks plus one week for each year of continuous employment thereafter. Employees with more than 20 years of continuous employment will get 4 weeks of severance pay for the first year of continuous employment instead of the current 2 weeks plus one week for each year of continuous employment thereafter. Better protections for term employees PSAC has achieved increments based on cumulative service for term employees. Term employees will now have their unused sick leave credits reinstated if they are rehired within one year of a specified year of employment. Term employees with at least one year of service will also benefit from the severance payout described above. Bereavement leave Bereavement leave entitlement is improved to period of 7 consecutive calendar days instead of 5 calendar days. Family-related Responsibility Leave More flexibility for leave with pay for family related responsibilities to allow 7.5 hours for situations such as attending school functions and appointments with financial or legal representatives. No Discrimination The parties have agreed that gender identity and expression will be prohibited grounds of discrimination. This is breakthrough language: if ratified, the TC collective agreement will be the first in the federal public service to explicitly protect transgendered employees from discrimination and harassment in the workplace. Travel Status Leave Another breakthrough: The cap on Travel Status Leave is increased to a maximum of 45 hours in a fiscal year, up from 37.5 hours. Employees are currently credited with 7.5 hours off with pay for the first 20 nights away from their permanent residence to a maximum of 80 nights. That maximum has been increased to 100 nights. In addition, employees in the Sea Lamprey Control Group are no longer excluded from the provisions of Article 34 when they are working under Appendix I. Sea Lamprey Control Unit – Appendix I There is a new definition of when the Appendix applies to employees in the Sea Lamprey Control Unit – “during the defined field season, except when their work day begins and ends within the headquarters area.” In addition, compensatory leave taken in lieu of overtime is no longer restricted to the end of the defined field season, but at times convenient to both the employee and the Employer. Seasonal employees also have the option of remaining on strength until they have exhausted such compensatory leave, or they may carry over such leave in accordance with Article 28.02 (d). Canadian Forces Service Recognition for Vacation Credits Effective April 1, 2012, members with prior service in the Canadian Forces have that service recognized for the purpose of calculation of vacation credits. Since PSAC signed a Memorandum of Understanding last year, this provision is already in effect. ------ The Essential Services Agreement (ESA) for the TC Bargaining Unit is finally completed After many years and a very lengthy and complex consultation process, the PSAC and Treasury Board signed off on an agreement at the end of June. Essential services are the services, facilities, or activities that the Government of Canada would continue to provide in the event of a strike. These essential services are those deemed necessary for safety or security of the public. While the Employer determines the level of service that will be provided, the Union negotiates with the Employer on the types of positions, specific positions, and the number of positions required for providing the services. Since the new labour relations legislation, the Public Service Labour Relations Act, came into force, the Union has had to negotiate new essential services agreements with the Employer for all of our bargaining units in the federal government and its separate agencies). ESAs must be reached before a bargaining unit can strike. Once finalized, ESAs are binding through successive rounds of collective bargaining unless the Union or the Employer seeks an amendment. The PSAC has signed individual Memoranda of Understanding with each government department employing TC members, and a copy of that information has been shared with the respective Components. Members are encouraged to contact their locals if they have any specific questions regarding their own workplace. Message from President to TC Members (Jan 17/13): I recently participated on a teleconference led by Regional Representative, Alex Stuit from the PSAC Halifax Regional Office. As mentioned in the news update below, the Public Interest Commission (PIC) has released its report and I was advised that they are siding with the TC Bargaining Team which is a positive outcome. The TC Bargaining Team is in the process of further analysing the report and determining what the next steps will be. In the near future, there will be a Town Hall session for members of the group to be held at the Holiday Inn Harbourview; I will send the details as soon as I receive them. January 14, 2013 Public Interest Commission (PIC) releases TC recommendations The Public Interest Commission (PIC) has released the TC report and recommendations, following the November 13-15 hearings. The TC bargaining team is now in the process of analyzing this report and determining next steps, namely whether the recommendations will lead to a return to the bargaining table, or if the team will ask members for a strike mandate. Meanwhile, it is important to be prepared for any eventuality. For this reason, PSAC will be coordinating strike training for TC members across the country in the near future. Members should refer to their regional offices for further instructions on planned mobilization strategies. We thank you for your support and your patience during this difficult round of bargaining. Please continue to check this website for any further developments. To: PSAC Local Presidents/Members/Activists From: Alex Stuit, Regional Representative, PSAC Halifax Regional Office Tel: (902) 443-3541; Email stuita@psac.com Locals are invited to contact me to begin to organize opportunities for TC Bargaining Team members to speak at regional meetings: Town Halls, AGMs, Council Meetings, etc.; TB Components will be provided this information as well so they may encourage their TC members to attend as well PSAC Halifax RO will be offering strike training for January 2013; once posters are received please post in your workplaces (should be done in such a way that it is very visible in the workplace). Next monthly mobilization event will be in support of the TC Team being in the Public Interest Commission (PIC): The date will be November 14 th at noon: Team has asked that a large demo be organized at the location of the PIC for all PSAC members in the NCR; this should be communicated/announced at the September 15th We Are All Affected Day of Action. TC members across the country should send in their supportive messages; pictures, etc. to Julie Chiasson by November 8th . INFORMATION · Negotiations Update o Dates for Public Interest Commission (PIC): November 12 – 16 (with exception of Thursday am) o Briefing will be provided in advance of the PIC dates (approximately week of Oct. 22nd) o once the PIC is complete, the Board has 30 days to report · ESAs o aiming to finalize by the time we reach PIC dates · Communications o update required to webpage updates ongoing (will be updating pay proposal and Appendix P) o By mid-October, negotiator will have information posted highlighting all outstanding issues. · Mobilization o “What can the members do” list: Can include MP Lobbying;speak at Regional Women‛ Committee (RWC), Area Councils, Youth Committees, PAC, etc. o Three things must happen before a strike vote is taken: § Essential Service Agreements (ESAs) must be signed off and a clear 30 days passed § PIC report has to be received and 7 clear days passed § Strike vote only valid for 60 days o strike alert stickers can be worn in the workplace perhaps this Fall Next TC NSCC meeting November 16, 2012 at 12:00 noon. Information: Please continue to check this website for further developments: www.psac-afpc.com/tcgroup Want to become more involved? Represent your worksite? Have ideas/thoughts which will assist in mobilizing our members? Call me at (902) 443-3541 ext. 222 (toll-free: 1-800-839-6661) THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!