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YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #1
Where are YOUth now?
April 6th
Since 2002 with the creation of a new Regional Council position for Youth, and the formation of the PSAC-BC Youth Caucus many young workers have been getting more involved in the PSAC. In December 2003, the PSAC-BC Region held the first Y.O.U.R. Course (Young, Organized, Unionized and Resisting!), a course created and facilitated by and for young workers. It was an opportunity for young workers to share their experiences, discuss common struggles and analyze the issues they face in the workplace, in the Union and in society.
Sheri Cornelius, the current Regional Council Youth Representative and A/Regional Representative Monica Urrutia, staff person responsible for the Youth Portfolio, noticed that more of our youth (and former youth) caucus members have been getting more involved in the Union. We asked them "Where Are YOU now?"
Visit the Youth pages for some of their responses.
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Human Rights Forum at BC Regional Convention
April 6th
AIDS in Africa: One Woman's Journey - A Human Rights Forum, sponsored by the PSAC-BC Human Rights Committee
Saturday, April 9, 2005 6:30 - 8 PM
Barklay/Guilford Room, Coast Plaza Hotel, 1763 Comox Street, Vancouver
Speaker: Darla Faulkner, a young woman who worked in an orphanage with children with AIDS in Zambia. The presentation will be followed with a short discussion period. Ms. Faulkner will be available for more questions after the session. Everyone welcome.
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Canada Post – The new collective agreement is signed
April 6th
On Wednesday, April 6, PSAC and Canada Post officially signed the new collective agreement. Terms of the 46 months agreement are in effect as of today, except where otherwise specified. Wage increases are retroactive to October 31, 2004.
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Patty Ducharme Re-Elected PSAC Regional Vice-President for British Columbia
April 11th
VANCOUVER - Delegates to the PSAC's British Columbia regional convention have
re-elected Patty Ducharme as their Regional Executive Vice-President for another
three-year term.
"I'm honoured by the vote of confidence that I have been given," says
Ducharme. "I remain committed to mobilizing all of our members in B.C. to fight
injustice and to build solidarity in our workplaces, in our communities and
beyond."
Read more on the Regional
Convention page.
The new BC Regional Council is meeting today. We will have a full convention
report available soon.
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YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #2
New BC Regional Council Elected
YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #3 - Discipline
YVR Issue of the Day #4 - No Harassment
BC Regional Convention photos
April 14th
Regional Executive Vice
President Patty Ducharme and Alternate Bob Kingston are congratulated on their
re-election by Nycole Turmel.
Visit the Convention photo gallery for
more!
Bill C-263 - the anti-scab legislation - is defeated
April 15th
On April 13, federal MPs, led by the Liberal Cabinet, rejected Bill C-263,
the anti-scab legislation. The vote was 143 against, 131 for the
Bill. All the NDP and Bloc Québécois MPs voted in favour of the Bill, as
well as some Liberal MPs from Quebec and some members of the Conservative Party.
According to Carole Lavallée, the Bloc Québécois Labour critic, "by defeating
this Bloc Québécois anti-scab legislation, Paul Martin's government and Steve
Harper's Conservatives have shown that they don't respect workers."
Read more on the national website  .
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News: Canada Revenue Agency cuts will hurt service.
April 15th
The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has decided to close a number of cash and client service counters across Canada, a move that will result in lost jobs for government employees and poor service for taxpayers in years to come, says the president of the Saskatoon union representing the employees.
The decision came down in this year's federal budget, said Linda Kinhnicki, president of the Union of Taxation Employees Local 40023 in Saskatoon.
Read more at canada.com .
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YVR Negotiatons Issue of the Day #5 - Apprenticeship
YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #6 - Posting of Vancancies
Support SportBreak BC
April 25th
This spring, Christy Clarke the MLA for Port Moody-Westwood will be putting a motion on the order paper asking the provincial government to provide tax credits to families who enroll their children in sports, recreation and arts programs. Parents make a significant contribution to supporting their children’s involvement in recreation and arts activities and it is something that should be encouraged.
Click to read more and sign a petition supporting this motion .
Job Posting - Canadian Labour Congress
April 25th
The Canadian Labour Congress has two vacancies in the
position of Representative in the Pacific Region. The successful applicants will
report to the Regional Director, Pacific Region. Read more in the .pdf
below.
 2005-04_Pacific_Region_Representatives_English.pdf
YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #7 - Staffing Procedure
News: Canadian labour demands commitments on post-election agenda
April 25th : Canadian Labour Congress
OTTAWA - The Canadian Labour Congress views with alarm the prospect of losing all of the work done on working people's legislative agenda since the last election, just nine and a half months ago.
"It would be irresponsible to waste a full year of national debate and legislative activity on important issues such as a national childcare program, same sex marriage, pay equity and urban renewal," says Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. "We want assurances that this will not happen."
On Parliament Hill today, Georgetti was accompanied with some of Canada's most prominent labour leaders to make the point that Canadian working families want action on their priorities and a clear commitment from the political parties that they will support the re-introduction of a number of ongoing initiatives, whatever the outcome of an early election.
Basil (Buzz) Hargrove, president, Canadian Auto Workers, Paul Moist, president, Canadian Union of Public Employees, Robert Bouvier, president, Teamsters-Canada and Hassan Yussuff, secretary-treasurer, Canadian Labour Congress joined Georgetti to deliver a letter to the leaders of all four political parties in Parliament, demanding their commitment. (See letter below.)
The Canadian Labour Congress, the national voice of the labour movement, represents 3 million Canadian workers. The CLC brings together Canada's national and international unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 137 district labour councils. Web site: www.clc-ctc.ca
TEXT OF LETTERS TO :
the Right Honourable Paul Martin, the Honourable Stephen Harper, the Honourable Gilles Duceppe and the Honourable Jack Layton.
The 3 million working Canadians and their families of the Canadian Labour Congress view with alarm the prospect of losing all of the work done on their legislative agenda since the last election, nine and a half months ago. This is why we seek a commitment, from you and from your party, that you will support the re-introduction of the following initiatives, whatever the outcome of a possible early election.
A national child care program based on a commitment to standards and accountability financed by a minimum of $5 billion over five years;
The 28 Recommendations of the HRSDC Committee on amendments to the Employment Insurance program particularly the reduction of qualifying hours, the increase of the maximum period to receive benefits and an increase in the benefit rate;
Training insurance initiatives that are being discussed in Ministries in order to develop a program to assist Canadian workers to improve their skills;
Protection of workers's pensions and wages in the event of bankruptcy that has been promised by MP's in all political parties;
The labour-management review of Part III of the Canada Labour Code which is barely underway and is the first review of Part III over the existence of the Code;
The funding for the anti-racism initiative which is extremely important due to Canada's changing demographics;
Legislation that confirms equal marriage;
Legislation to provide protection to whistleblowers;
The federal Task Force Report on Pay Equity which was tabled and needs to be implemented to remedy ongoing discrimination against women workers;
The Kyoto protocol and just transition for workers affected by any initiatives;
The gas tax transfer promised to Canadian municipalities and a comprehensive agenda to renew our cities' public infrastructure.
Canadian working citizens value these initiatives and they must not disappear in the event of an early federal election.
On behalf of Canadians, we are asking a commitment from your party and from you as a leader that, if there is an election and these issues have not been resolved, these initiatives be reintroduced in next Parliament.
Yours truly, Kenneth V. Georgetti, President
Fraser Institute: Canada's national parks neglected, need power of markets to save them says new study
April 27th
CALGARY, April 22 /CNW/ - Market-based policies, including user fees, outsourcing, and private management, offer the best hope for the long-term maintenance and protection of Canada's parks, according to "Can Markets Save Canada's National Parks?", released today by The Fraser Institute.
The new paper discusses the dismal maintenance record of the federal government with regard to protecting Canada's parks and explains how private conservation initiatives eliminate "park barrel" politics, reducing conflict and securing better environmental outcomes.
"Canada's national parks have grown dramatically in recent decades, but the resources to maintain them haven't and the results have been disastrous," said Sylvia LeRoy, co-author of the paper and policy analyst at the Institute.
Creative solutions lie in localizing management and decision-making processes, creating new efficiencies by experimenting with various privatization options, and managing parks towards self-sufficiency, preferably through trusts and other voluntary means.
Citing consistent criticisms by Canada's Auditor General and other independent reviewers over the past 20 years, LeRoy observes that Canada's network of national parks has expanded at the expense of existing parks. Parks Canada reports that 25 percent of the heritage buildings managed by the government agency have been lost in only 30 years, and two-thirds of national historic sites are currently at risk. One third of park facilities are now in "urgent need of repair," with another third likely to need repair in the next five to ten years.
New funding promised by the federal government fails to meet current infrastructure requirements and long-term maintenance needs.
The study advises learning from the best practices of the non-profit conservation sector as well as private land conservation initiatives that have proven successful in Canadian provinces, American states, and abroad.
"Notwithstanding heavy government involvement, private land conservation initiatives are achieving considerable success in Canada: over the past 5 years, the number of known land trusts operating in Canada has more than doubled, from 60 to 125, protecting a growing expanse of Canada's land and waters," commented LeRoy. Private stewardship groups are credited with creating over 70 percent of new protected areas in Atlantic Canada between 1987 and 1996.
The study makes specific recommendations to properly manage and protect Canada's parks: - Decision-making and setting user fees for various recreational opportunities and services should be done locally, to reflect the real costs of providing services, public demand, and ecological values.
Individual parks should fully retain and reinvest all locally-generated revenues. - With 60 percent of Parks Canada's budget going to salaries and benefits, the organization can achieve significant cost efficiencies by contracting out park management and service delivery. Consideration should be given to reinstating the Employee Takeover (ETO) Process initiated (and subsequently abandoned) in the mid-1990s to provide current park employees the opportunity to become environmental entrepreneurs.
- More flexibility on the issue of ownership of individual parks and sites is needed if the federal government wishes to fulfill its 2002 Action Plan to increase the size of the national park system.
Fiduciary trusts, managed by an independent board obligated to manage and protect parks into perpetuity, can be established with an initial endowment but be required to attain full self-sufficiency within 10 years.
"There is no question that Canada's parks and protected areas enrich the quality of life of Canadians, providing us with valuable recreational and environmental amenities. Unfortunately, the politics of park management have prevented Parks Canada from considering the full range of policy options that could help secure a sustainable future for Canada's national parks," concluded LeRoy.
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Position Available - Term Assignment - Assistant to the Executive Vice-President, BC
April 28th
- Location: Vancouver Regional Office
- Language: English
- Assignment for a period of up to June 2006
As part of the BC Region, this individual will work closely with the Regional
Executive Vice-President (REVP) providing support in the day to day work and
assisting the REVP in responding to a wide range of requests. The
individual will possess good organizing skills and will be able to work
independently, as well as part of a team; will be able to keep informed of
issues sensitive to the union and to the office of the REVP, sort the
information and bring important issues to the attention of the REVP; will have
good research skills and excellent communication skills, both orally and in
writing.
The individual will assist the REVP in the preparation of speeches and
speaking notes, as required; will liaise with members, elected officers, staff
and government and other organizations in his/her role of assistant to the REVP,
and will assist the REVP in the preparation of progress reports of these
activities.
The individual must have the ability to work in a political environment and
must possess the ability to deal with sensitive and emotionally charged
situations and/or issues with tact and discretion.
The individual must be able to prioritize their work.
The individual must have the ability to plan meetings and conventions.
This position will report to the Executive Vice-President, B.C. This
position is excluded.
This position is open to: Internal PSAC staff, PSAC members and the
public. Applications will be considered in that order.
Applications, including a curriculum vitae should be submitted to the
Executive Vice-President by no later than 3:30 p.m., May 12th, 2005,
c/o PSAC, 5238 Joyce Street, Suite 302, Vancouver, B.C., V5R 6C9 or by e-mail to
beynonc@psac.com
Download the detailed Job Description below.
JOB_DESCRIPTION_-_EA_-_REVP_-_BC.pdf
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Retro pay - PSAC - LWOP
April 29th
We have received a few enquiries as to retro cheques for LWOP from
PSAC. This is the answer I received from Ottawa today:
We have done retros for the Parks members, and are in the process of doing
CRA's. We hope to complete Treasury Boards' by the summer. We release the
cheques only once we have completed the whole bargaining unit.
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YVR Negotiations Issue of the Day #8
Surrey Matters Municipal Visioning Conference
April 29th
Please accept this invitation to participate in Surrey Matters, a municipal
visioning conference to be held May 28, 2005 at Eaglequest Coyote Creek, 7778
152nd Street in Surrey.
More information is available at surreymatters.ca
An
organizing committee of community leaders, along with several community groups,
including ACORN Canada, Better Environmentally Sound Transportation, the
Community Business and Professional Association and the New Westminster and
District Labour Council are working together to produce and support this event.
The Surrey Matters conference has a number of civic objectives and we believe
labour and social activists, environmentalists, small business owners and anyone
interested in improving the quality of life in Surrey will be interested in
coming together to talk about important local issues on May 28.
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April 5th
April 11th - Number 2
April 12th - Number 3
April 18th
April 26th
