NATIONAL PRESIDENTS’ CONFERENCE
SEPTEMBER 21-23, 2006
OTTAWA
Regional Caucus:
It is the custom of each
region to participate at a
Regional Caucus. During that
meeting we mostly discuss items that are likely to come up during the
Presidents’ Conference. The
purpose is to give us a “heads-up” for certain contentious issues such as
scabs’reports etc. As we did not
have any scabs at our last strike, this is a non-issue for us.
However, there are some locals that had scabs. Their reports are interesting in the fact that they indicate
what punitive action they undertook in order to follow the PSAC Constitution.
Some have taken their scabs to small claims court to collect the wages
earned by these workers. The funds collected during that process remain with the
local. For a more complete report
on scabs, please see me.
The other issue was Designated Employees and the collection
of the 25% of wages. I am pleased
to say that in our local our one and only designated employee has paid her dues.
These funds were forwarded to the Justice Funds at the National PSAC
Office.
Pamela Abbott, our Regional Vice-President, announced that
the Pacific Region will host the 2008 UTE Triennial Convention.
Sigrid Haglund, from Surrey TC did most of the legwork.
Congratulations on a very good presentation.
Bob Campbell, our National 1st Vice-President and chair of Finance, will
assist the Host Committee. We will
be looking for volunteers to assist the host committee.
We also had several individuals who were presenting their
names to become Presidents’ reps on National Committees:
Congratulations to all the elected members.
We also discussed the venue for our next Inter-Regional
Conference. May be looking at
having local Presidents and 1st Vice-Presidents attend.
Pamela concluded the meeting by stating, “When going
places for Union business, we are to fly Air Canada”.
NATIONAL PRESIDENTS’ CONFERENCE:
Betty Bannon’s opening remarks: (synopsis)
We are headed in stressful hardworking times: bargaining and ACS Pay rates.
We have received some demands. We are hoping to have a different round of bargaining this
time around.
Locals have to be solid with memberships…Infightings have
to stop. We are here because of the
members. Petty squabbles are
irrelevant to Union movement.
We need to set up collective bargaining demands now.
Start getting input…Prepare phone tree etc…
We currently have 1300 members affected by WFA… We need
to monitor what’s going on in our Locals.
We need to encourage affected members to refuse permanent lateral moves
and receive Reasonable Job Offers (RJO).
Business conducted by Executive Council:
1.
Recommendation was made (and passed) to create a line item to donate
funds to International Children Awareness. We will sponsor a student to go with Captain Smith.
We will also subsidize a member who would like to go.
National Committee Reports:
A new Award was created: Humanitarian Award.
Website was updated.
Encourage members to submit articles.
When doing change of address, HQ will send new address to Locals.
ACS…Where are we at? Training will take place in regions within 1st week of October. SP Contacts will be responsible to train MG and Unions. The ACS Website is being updated. The training for ACS-SP contacts will be mostly on the new Work Descriptions. Bottom Line: Members have the right to grieve if their work descriptions are lacking.
Guidelines given by employer are their interpretations only…at the end of the day very few people will be entitled to receive any enticements. Check to see if there will be lay-offs. Be very vigilant that no one is forced to accept Permanent lateral moves.
It is time to put our lines back
together starting now. Negotiations
bill start again July 1st. We
need to set up our committees.
Bill C-269: We need to lobby our members of parliament.
We will sponsor Neil (?) $600 in Hockey…(?
Presidents’ Items:
Belleville, Local 00012
1. Health and Safety of Service Agents: Are all issues being reported? Would like to see some basic training for safety for these members.
2. CRA and SDC Collections Integration-Transitional Issue: There have been some issues with pay from members transferred from SDC.
3. Corporate Tax Administration for Ontario (CTAO)—Let’s try to arrange pay issues prior to CTAO transferring to CRA so they don’t have the same problems.
Jaquie is an adjudicator who
deals with harassment grievances. We
win less than 5% of harassment complaints.
Here are some key
characteristics: Must be a
reasonable person, the conduct must be unwanted, and must have a legitimate
purpose.
If the employer’s conduct is
part of day to day work it is not harassment, even if delivered with poor
judgment.
For example:
If the employer tells you in front of your peers “you’re doing a
lousy job”…this would not be harassment, rather it would be considered using
poor judgment.
If we are not sure of the situation, file a grievance.
(note from writer:
sorry for poor notes on this. Will
try to get better report once National Minutes are out.)
ANNOUNCEMENT:
There will be a rally at noon on Parliament Hill in support of our
troops.
Presidents’ Items:
Jonquière, Local 10004
1.
Bulletin 03-06—UTE Directive on EAP referral Agents:
Local Executive and Stewards are not to be EAP referral agents.
Managers should also not be referral agents.
Members should go directly to Providers.
1. New Electronic Network Policy Guide: Can we get disciplined for using electronic e-mail to contact our members? A.: Shouldn’t. Security doing random check on use of computers/e-mail.
2. Update on Bargaining Process for the next round: deferred until Bargaining Committee Report.
3.
Update on Wrokforce Adjustment following CRA announcement: previously answered during WFA report.
Outaouais, Local
70035
1.
PQP: Pre-qualified
Process: This is exclusively used
in Quebec.
Saint-John, Local
60005
1. Part-time Call
Centre Staff: Determinate employees
forced to go to part-time hours…Some promotions have been changed to
part-time.
Burnaby Fraser,
Local 20007
1.
2 Appeals Intake Centres by 2008:
This could create job loss in other areas.
We were not consulted.
Surrey TC, Local
20029
1. Acting Pay levels for indeterminate employees: (?)
2. Long Term terms: Please submit bargaining demand to ensure that employees can accumulate service to get pay increments. Also, if working more than 2 years uninterrupted service should be made permanent.
3.
Union e-mail and how it’s used: Please
make sure you don’t use reply all as this helps spam.
Peterborough, Local
0008
1. Harassment—Disclosure of Disciplinary Measures: Can we do
Test case to expidite response in regards to access of disciplinary measures of successful harassments complaints/grievances?
2. Public Service Labour relations Board—Brain vs CRA:
Tisdell still stands.
3. Scab Legislation—Parliamentary 2006 Fall sitting: Please
Make sure we speak to our members of Parliament.
Northern BC &
Yukon TSO, Local 20002.
1. UTE Calendar of Events: We would like to see more
Opportunities such as
this one e.i. combine training courses with conferences.
This has proved very beneficial as it allows locals (specially the
smaller ones) to have obersvers at the Presidents’s conference at little cost
to the local and no additional costs to the National Office.
Resolution to that effect withdrawn as this has proved to be a nightmare
to National Office. Instead will
try to come up with workable solution.
St-Catharines, Local
0016
1. A day is a Day: That’s still not showing in CAS.
2. WFA Reasonable Job Offer vs Permanent transfer: previously answered.
3.
Individual Learning Plan: (?)
Penticton, Local
20026
1.
Pre-Retirement Seminars: Seminars
are happening in other region but in the Pacific region we’re told not
priority. Perhaps if we all ask for
it on our ILP’s we might get it.
Ottawa HQ, Local
7000
4.
Update on UMI: Train the
trainer sessions will be up and running soon.
Surrey TC, Local
20029
4. National Health and Safety Conference: not happy with the dates.
5. Change Agents—Lack of confidentiality: is this an issue?
6. HQ SR&ED Realignment Project: (?)
Peterborough, Local
00008
5. Cash out of Vacation & Comp. Leave (PSAC briefing May 06)-Increase every year of amount they have to pay out works against us at bargaining.
6.
Financial Statements—8 Aug. 06 release from 1st
VP.—There are still outstanding Financial Statements.
7.
Compensation Unit—Problems? No
call-backs. Please send any example
of problems to Pierre Mullhill.
8.
Pay increases for Crown/Dept./Agency Executives;
(?)
9.
Review of March 06 Presidents’ Conference Minutes:
Items to be brought up re: scabs
and Designate. Discipline is reg.
19, conduct investigation, call meetings…etc.
Become familiar with Reg. 19.
Additional Items
from the floor September 21:
1.
National Directory on 3rd Language:
Should discourage employees to provide volunteer services.
2.
PSMA and ramifications on Local UMC:
Get copy of PSMA
3.
Sunlife and Retropay: See
attached Memo
ELECTIONS:
BARGAINING (TSO
REP):
NOMINATIONS:
Dave Miller
Mike Braithwaite
Derrick Wilson
Elected :
Dave Miller
BARGAINING (TC REP) :
NOMINATION:
Jean-Pierre Fraser (acclamation)
BY-LAWS :
NOMINATION :
David Quist (acclamation)
STAFFING (TSO REP) :
NOMINATIONS:
Alain Lachapelle
Marvin Ingeel
Elected :
Alain Lachapelle
STAFFING (TC REP)
NOMINATION:
Madonna Gardner (acclamation)
TECH
CHANGE :
NOMINATION :
Brian Olford (acclamation)
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH
AND SAFETY :
NOMINATION:
Norbert Wenzel (acclamation)
EQUAL
OPPORTUNITY :
NOMINATIONS : Cindy Little
Maria Peters
Joe Parris
Elected:
Cindy
Little
EAP:
NOMINATION:
Hector Walter (acclamation)
FINANCE:
NOMINATIONS: Esther Burt
Garry Essenger
Elected:
Esther Burt
HONORS AND AWARDS:
NOMINATIONS:
Sarah Redd
Linette
Moldovan
Elected:
Sarah Redd
WORK FORCE
ADJUSTMENT (TSO REP)
NOMINATION:
Doug Gaetz (acclamation)
WORK FORCE
ADJUSTMENTS (TC REP)
NOMINATION:
John Kosiba (acclamation)
HARASSMENT:
NOMINATIONS: Bryce Krochter
Patricia Payton
Elected:
Patricia Payton
COMMUNICATION:
NOMINATION: Barry Melanson (acclamation)
POLITICAL ACTION:
NOMINATION:
Annette Melanson (acclamation)
CLOSING
REMARKS :
The work we do at all
levels is for the membership. Conferences
have become an excellent important tool. We
make changes as required. We have
reps on each and every committee. This
makes us the strongest component. Strong
because we keep the members informed and vice-versa.
We go tools! Let’s used them.
Meeting adjourned