Union News - October 2023
Sisters, Brothers and Friends,
As we move into fall, I hope you have taken some well-deserved time off from work to spend quality time with your loved ones. These special moments of relaxation, joy and rest are very important, both for your physical and mental well-being.
Several important events have taken place since the start of 2023. First, we announced strike votes in early January. Then, in February, the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) announced how the new on-site directive would be deployed in a hybrid work model. This directive required the majority of our members to report to work on site forty percent (40%) of the time.
In early April, the strike votes came to an end, and you gave us a very strong strike mandate, with over 92% of the members who participated in the process voting in favour. Although negotiations between the parties resumed briefly, this was far from enough to avoid strike action. The intransigence shown by CRA and Treasury Board left us with no other choice. On the evening of April 18, the PSAC National President announced that there was no agreement and that a general strike would begin the next day. Right from the start, you turned out in large numbers on the picket lines, demonstrating your support for your negotiating team and your incredible solidarity. Our Locals also responded exceptionally well, making every effort to set up picket lines across the country.
On April 23, the UTE Executive Council voted to provide our members, for the first time in our union's history, additional strike pay in the amount of fifty (50) dollars per day of strike action. Payment of this additional amount took effect on Monday, April 24, and continued until the end of the strike on Wednesday, May 3. The total cost of these additional amounts to UTE is approximately eleven (11) million dollars.
From May 1 to 3, we were left to face CRA and Treasury Board alone, as the other PSAC bargaining teams reached tentative agreements on Sunday, April 30. This made our task even more difficult. Monday, May 1 was certainly one of the most difficult days of my career in our union and as a federal government employee, and I know it was the same for all our members and union representatives. The road to an agreement was very difficult and filled with obstacles.
I want to tell you how EXTREMELY proud I am of you, our members, our negotiating team and all our union representatives. You fought with strength and determination to obtain a new, fair, and equitable contract.
Ratification votes on the tentative agreement were held from May 24 to June 16, with 88% of members voting in favour of ratification. The new collective agreement was signed on June 27. It applies from November 1, 2021 to October 31, 2025. CRA has a maximum of 180 days from June 27 to implement the monetary provisions of the collective agreement. To date, the adjustment of rates of pay and the payment of retroactive wages have been completed. We are still awaiting confirmation from the employer regarding payment of the $2,500 lump sum. All other provisions of the collective agreement took effect from the date of signature. We continue to follow up regularly with the Agency to ensure that the employer meets the deadlines set out in the contract.
The strike brought its share of logistical challenges for the PSAC and its Components. There were many missteps and delays, and our Locals had to take on tasks that were not theirs to perform. I know that many of our members and union representatives felt abandoned by the PSAC. A first post-strike post-mortem took place in June 2023 at the PSAC National Board of Directors (NBoD) on which I sit on behalf of UTE and its members. At this meeting, I shared with the PSAC National President and other members of the NBoD, the feelings and state of mind of our members. I listed at length all the problems that our members and Locals had to face. I made very clear our dissatisfaction and the need for further post-mortem meetings in the near future.
It’s very important to realize that the one and only reason we got a new contract with wage increases and improvements to your working conditions is because we went on strike. It's sad that the government forced us to use this last resort, but we must admit that without it, we'd still be waiting. It shouldn’t be the norm to have to wait three (3) or even four (4) years after the expiry of a contract to get a new one.
Treasury Board's behaviour, which has prevented the CRA from fully negotiating with our bargaining team for over a year and a half, and even during the strike, is repugnant to me. It's clearer than ever that the spring 2012 change by Stephen Harper's Conservative government to the CRA Act prevents our bargaining unit from being able to negotiate freely and independently with the Agency. For the future well-being of our members, and to truly enjoy our right to collective bargaining as recognized by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, it is imperative for us to put forward a strong political action campaign over the coming months. We must lobby to ensure that changes be made to the CRA Act to repeal or amend Section 58, which gives the Treasury Board President the power to dictate the course of our negotiations. We'll need your full support in this campaign.
You'll need to get involved with your MP and other elected officials. We must do everything possible to ensure that this campaign takes place before the next federal election, scheduled for 2025. We will provide you with more information before the end of the year.
In addition, UTE will enter into discussions with PSAC to enable us in the future to bargain more independently and distinctly from other Alliance bargaining units.
We are also aware that the CRA is moving towards the use of enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) and that this could be used to attack certain job security provisions as well as the quality and satisfaction of the jobs of some of our members. We will soon be entering into discussions with the employer on this subject, and we fully intend to oppose any CRA initiative that would move in this direction if jobs and opportunities for advancement would be lost, and jobs could be marginalized.
Other issues have arisen in the past few months. In early July, we filed an Unfair Labour Practice Complaint against the CRA following its decision to prematurely end or not renew the contracts of a large number of our term call center members shortly after the end of the strike, and for failing to disclose this information to us while we were at the bargaining table.
Following the Letter of Agreement reached during the last round of negotiations, UTE and CRA have established the Joint Consultation Committee on the Directive on Virtual Work Arrangements. The committee's first meeting was held on September 7. In the meantime, the Virtual Work Arrangements Directive remains in effect.
Another major issue we are following very closely is the accumulation of problems many of our members are experiencing since Treasury Board transferred the Public Service Health Care Plan contract from Sun Life to Canada Life. We know that many of you are having difficulty enrolling in the plan or logging into your account and are experiencing long delays in the processing of your claims. In addition, it is still too often impossible to reach the insurer's customer service department. This situation is totally unacceptable, and we have raised this issue with the PSAC to keep up the pressure on Treasury Board. I have also publicly denounced this inexcusable fiasco. We will continue to put pressure on Treasury Board to improve the situation quickly. I urge you to contact your member of parliament and make your anger heard.
In closing, I would like to inform you that our union held its Triennial Convention in August. At the convention, delegates debated resolutions and established our union's future direction and adopted a budget for the next cycle. Once again, delegates renewed their confidence in me by re-electing me as UTE National President for a three (3) year term. I am very honoured by this and would like to take this opportunity to thank the delegates for their continued support. I would also like to thank all our union representatives for their involvement and great dedication to our members. I wish the best of success to all the other officers who were elected at the convention, and I promise that they can count on my support throughout their term of office.
I am excited at the prospect of continuing to work closely with the officers of the Executive Council and with our Locals to fiercely defend your interests. I pledge once again to serve you to the best of my ability and to spare no effort in achieving our goals. There will certainly be new challenges ahead, but I am confident that together we can meet them successfully.
I thank you for your continued support of your union and invite you to contact any of your local union representatives if you have a problem or question, as they are there to help.
I sincerely thank you for all the good work you continue to do, and for your exemplary dedication to the Canadian population.
In Solidarity,
Marc Brière
National President