Union News November 2020
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Fall is already upon us. And the year 2020 so far has been anything but ordinary, to say the least!
In January, we appeared before the Public Interest Commission (PIC) to explain our main bargaining demands and present our positions. The employer did likewise.
While awaiting the Commission’s report and its recommendations, and wanting to take advantage of the fact that the peak period for production of personal income tax returns was fast approaching, and in light of the almost non-existent progress throughout that endless round of bargaining, the decision was made to increase pressure on the employer and the government by organizing strike votes across the country starting mid-February in order to be fully prepared for using pressure tactics including a strike, should that prove necessary. The voting sessions got under way, and we were moving full steam ahead. It’s no exaggeration to say that the support shown by our members was unprecedented. And the employer was well aware of that.
Unfortunately, that was when the COVID-19 pandemic greatly expanded. Our union had a duty to protect the health and safety of its members. That’s why, on March 13, in keeping with the recommendations from the local and national public health authorities, the PSAC and the UTE had no choice but to announce the postponement of all union activities bringing together a large number of members, like annual general meetings, and the suspension of the strike votes.
In the days and weeks that followed, you expressed your concerns to us regarding this very difficult health situation, and we heard you. All our resources, whether local, regional or national, were mobilized to ensure the well-being of each and every one of you. Our National Occupational Health and Safety Committee worked hard in cooperation with the employer to ensure that the required actions were taken. I, myself, also spoke multiple times with the CRA Commissioner and other senior executives from the Agency to ensure that everything was brought into play to guarantee your health and safety and that work could continue, while ensuring that our members don’t experience any negative financial impacts.
In late March, the employer put out a call to all CRA employees to volunteer to take on the role of temporary Call Centre agents. Despite the fact that our members had been working without a new work contract for almost four years, we decided to cooperate with the CRA on this initiative. The extraordinary circumstances caused by the pandemic and the great distress felt by millions of our fellow Canadians dictated that choice. And it was the right decision to make. Our members agreed with us, since thousands of you answered the call. I would like to sincerely thank you for that.
Further to the Canadian government’s decision to entrust the Canada Revenue Agency with the duty of administering the new financial assistance benefits, such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB), the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy (CEWS), and the Canada Emergency Student Benefit (CESB), you exhibited incredible dedication and commitment by promptly implementing those various financial support measures by the government for the public during the pandemic, all while continuing to process the benefits normally remitted to Canadians, as well as the tax returns for individuals and companies at the height of tax season.
Then, on April 29, the PIC released its recommendations. In its report, the commission sided with us on a number of points and made recommendations to the employer. On April 30, we issued a message asking the employer to return to the bargaining table. After that, our UTE-PSAC National Strategy Coordinating Committee (NSCC) met a number of times to discuss the report’s content and prepare the next steps. We issued another message on May 7, in which I informed you that I had clearly indicated to the Agency’s officials that bargaining had to resume as soon as possible. In the weeks that followed, I had regular discussions with the Commissioner, and I made it clear that our patience had worn thin and that the pandemic should not be used as an excuse to delay the resumption of bargaining. I also constantly followed up with the PSAC National President to ensure that pressure continued to be applied on the Treasury Board and the Prime Minister’s Office.
To increase the pressure, the PSAC launched a campaign asking its members, including those of the UTE, to email the Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, President of the Treasury Board, demanding that the bargaining resume as soon as possible for the bargaining units that were still without a new work contract. The UTE launched its own email campaign, targeting the Honourable Diane Lebouthillier, Minister of National Revenue. And again, a great many of you answered the call.
Throughout that period, the discussions within the NSCC were going well, and all options available to us were discussed and none were ruled out, including starting up the strike votes again. And all the while, we still continued to fully cooperate with the employer to deliver the goods to Canadians. In fact, the UTE agreed to allow the employer to hire additional employees on a voluntary basis to perform the duties of call centre agents and administer the various emergency benefits.
In addition to the crucial role played by our members during the pandemic, the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) feels that it has an important social role to play in our society. That’s why, on May 25, we announced a donation of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) to Food Banks Canada to help millions of our fellow citizens in need. The UTE locals immediately followed suit and also donated tens of thousands of dollars to various food banks across the country. I would like to sincerely thank them for their dedication to you and to those less fortunate in our society.
Also, after the tragedy in Nova Scotia, where 22 innocent people lost their lives on April 18 and 19, 2020, in the worst mass killing in Canada’s history, the UTE donated twenty-two thousand dollars ($22,000) to the Red Cross – Stronger Together Fund.
Then came July, when good news finally arrived during this unbelievable year. In fact, the bargaining for renewing our collective agreement resumed on July 14 and, after a week and half of intense discussions, our bargaining team signed an agreement in principle on July 25 with the CRA for a new five-(5)-year work contract, namely from November 1, 2016 to October 31, 2021. This was a great victory for our members, who outdid themselves to come to the assistance of Canadians during the pandemic.
But the good news doesn’t stop there!
The PSAC successfully negotiated Phoenix damages compensation for its members that is substantially better than the agreement reached by the employer with other federal bargaining agents. The agreement provides eligible PSAC members with a fair, equitable lump sum payment of up to $2,500. On July 24, I had the pleasure of informing you that the UTE had signed an agreement with the CRA that was similar in all respects to the one between the Treasury Board of Canada and the PSAC.
In parallel with the successful outcome of the bargaining for our new collective agreement, we leveraged that to reach an historic agreement for our union and its members. In fact, for nearly 20 years now, we had been trying to get the administrative conversion of term employees done after three (3) years of continuous service, as is the case in the rest of the federal public service. With that agreement reached between the UTE and the CRA, it has finally become a reality!
The change made to the CRA’s Procedures for Staffing (Staffing Program) pertains to the administrative conversion of employees appointed for a specified term. Specifically, the number of years of continuous service required for a term employee to become permanent will drop from five (5) to three (3) years. All other aspects of term employee management and the CRA’s Staffing Program will remain the same. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed on August 18 and will come into effect on November 1, 2020. The full text of the Memorandum of Understanding is available on our website.
Regarding the renewal of our collective agreement, the ratification process for the agreement in principle was conducted entirely online from August 24 to September 29. The participation rate was excellent, and you voted overwhelmingly in favour of the agreement. Feedback from members was very positive.
All we have left to do now is sign the new collective agreement, which should be done in the coming weeks.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of our bargaining team for their great dedication and excellent work throughout this long and difficult round of bargaining. You did a great job!
I also want to thank all our locals who organized activities and mobilized our members for the purpose of supporting our team. Your dedication is greatly appreciated.
And of course, I must definitely extend a huge thank you to you, our members, for your continued and unwavering support for your bargaining team. You continued to do your work in an incredible way, especially since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s because of you that we were able to achieve such success! I thank you from the bottom of my heart, and I am very proud and honoured to be the National President of your union!
In closing, I want to assure you that the UTE National Office will be closely following up with the employer regarding the implementation of the new collective agreement and the payments associated with the Phoenix compensation agreement. We’re also going to ensure that the new provisions pertaining to the administrative conversion of term employees are implemented and adhered to.
Sisters and Brothers, we have once again clearly demonstrated that when we all work together, we can accomplish great things.
Solidarity works!
Yours in solidarity,
Marc Brière
National President