UNION NEWS - MAY 2022
While we are only four meetings into the bargaining process with the employer, we need your help. It is fair to say, and we always say this, but it is fact, and it has been proven that our collective success is dependent on our collective voices. It is never as simple as the two bargaining teams meeting. Progress only happens when we are loud, and we combine our strength in numbers.
Let’s look at the past contracts that were negotiated after the legislation changed, placing the employer’s team under the Treasury Board umbrella. Two contracts ago we were presented with their so-called “final offer” which, as you know was neither an offer nor final. We took it to a vote and provided the other side with a “no” vote which was also a strike vote. It was only then that the employer moved towards our demands, and we did better. Last contract round certainly was one of the most unique rounds, given the pandemic. Movement was incredibly slow, which I would argue is always a strategy of the other side to create anger amongst the membership. We began historic strike votes, and solidarity was built and strengthened, much to the chagrin of the employer. As you know, we then ceased the votes, putting on hold any job action in the interest of public service to a population thrown into a pandemic. This was the right thing to do. There is little doubt the employer recognized the memberships’ discontent. History was made with that contract, and with the term conversion, because of your unwavering support.
Like any other improvements to the collective agreement, this was because we didn’t give up the fight. It was not a gift. The employer is very proud of being a “Top 100” employer and perhaps should be. But let’s be real here – the benefits that make them such came from the Union and membership fighting for them. There is no other version of events. Apart from benefits that are legislated (and those that are typically have arisen due to past labour movement struggles), the employer has not “given” any of them. Never forget his. What the employer offers is what they believe you are worth, or rather what they are mandated to believe you are worth. What we demand is what we 100% believe you are deserving of, and we will never stop fighting for better. Every contract is built on the last contract, and we have no appetite to go backwards.
The membership of the Union of Taxation Employees was the driving force in administering the Covid benefits to Canadians during a time of crisis and uncertainty. We put normal duties on the back burner to ensure we could help. It is essential that this is recognized through our contract. All our lives were upended on March 13, 2020, and work life balance has never been more complicated. The mental health of our membership has been strained, we have proven that remote work can be done, and done well. Inflation, as reported by CBC on April 20, 2022, is 6.7% which is at a 31-year high. Such levels never seen before in our generation, driven by unaffordable housing and cost of goods. All these factors must be recognized by the employer in our contract.
But achieving even close to fairness never comes without a fight. It never comes without proving once again our resolve. Your work life balance is paramount in this round, coupled with wage increases that recognize the contributions you make and the financial constraints that come with out-of-control costs of living. There is a reason Union organizing drives are prevalent in the media now, whether it be at Amazon warehouses or behind the counter at Starbucks. Workers deserve better. What was once accepted is no longer acceptable. It is unfortunate that it took a pandemic to show the inequity between bosses and workers, but here we are. The narrative that those whose salaries are 2, 3 or many times higher than employees’ and who also receive bonuses know what’s best for you is the epitome of absurdity and it is now time to dispel that ridiculous myth.
We would anticipate that if history is any indication, nothing will be easy this round. The membership will be tested, and negotiations may be drawn out. You may find yourself wondering what the Union is doing for you, and frankly that should always be the question and we intend at every step of the way to be transparent about the process. We will need your support - strength in numbers is a proven winner. They know this and we know this. But even if you get to the point of feeling like giving up because of the enormous stress load you are under, the Union will never give up on you at the table. Never.
Please don’t forget to sign up for bargaining email updates on the UTE site (ute-sei.org) and the PSAC (psacunion.ca) site.
Never stop fighting the power.
Adam Jackson
2nd National Vice President