PSAC NCR NEWSLETTER FROM THE REGIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT

PSAC NCR NEWSLETTER FROM THE REGIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT August 2013 TC TENTATIVE AGREEMENT REACHED In late July, we organized a rally to support the Technical Services (TC) bargaining team’s return to the table following long and unnecessary delays by Treasury Board, and I’m happy to report that after a marathon 18-hour bargaining session, a tentative agreement was signed at 4:20 a.m. on August 1st. The highlights of the agreement are summarized on our website, and we’ve also prepared a special Q&A on severance. The regional voting schedule is here. FB BARGAINING: VOTE NO! As you know, the government is taking the unprecedented step of forcing a vote on a contract proposal for border services (FB) workers outside of the collective bargaining process. The voting period is currently underway and will end on September 5. The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has been desperately trying to convince PSAC members to vote for its last offer, including by disseminating misleading and inaccurate information, which we have forced it to take down under threat of legal action. Please check out the Top Ten Reason to Vote NO page and send CBSA a clear message that you won’t accept its poor offer. Also, if you encounter trouble voting, please see our resource page. LABOUR DAY PARADE: SEPTEMBER 2 I hope you will able to join us for this year’s Labour Day parade on Monday September 2. The festive march will begin at Elgin and Lisgar at 12 p.m. and arrive at McNabb Park by 1 p.m., where there will be plenty of family fun, including a BBQ, live music, pony rides, games, face paintings and balloons. Hope to see you there! YOUNG WORKERS CONFERENCE: SEPTEMBER 13-14 The Young Workers Committee will be holding a two day conference in September for PSAC young workers (30 and under) who are active in their union or those who are interested in learning about the union. The conference will be held at the Marriott Residence Inn in Ottawa and accommodations, meals and lost wages will all be covered by PSAC. If you are interested in participating, please sign up now! FALL EDUCATION SCHEDULE IS NOW ONLINE Our fall education schedule is now online, so please take a look and see what courses appeal to you. If you are newly interested in PSAC, we’re offering the introductory Talking Union Basics course on September 20-21. And we also have a course on Social Media Skils on October 7. As always, if a course conflicts with your working hours, PSAC will cover any lost wages. ALTERNATION GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT FINALIZED In June 2012, PSAC filed a policy grievance because we had received reports that some departments and managers weren’t participating in the alternation process or were denying alternations without good reasons. In April 2013, we won our grievance. The Public Service Labour Relations Board (PSLRB) ruled that Treasury Board (TB) and departments have to set up an effective alternation system, and cannot deny alternations except for the reasons allowed in the collective agreement. In view of this, we have signed a new Memorandum of Agreement with TB. If you have been affected by workforce adjustment or have wanted to alternate, please see our update. I hope you’re still enjoying the last few weeks of summer. And remember that you can stay in touch continuously with what we’re doing via our Facebook page and our Twitter feed. Larry Rousseau Regional Executive Vice President National Capital Region Public Service Alliance of Canada