August 10th

OTTAWA – While all the details of the federal government’s latest centralization exercise are not yet known, the union representing the largest number of federal public sector workers says it’s clear that the government is making it up as it goes along.

“Once again, the government is relentlessly and incomprehensibly looking at restructuring the public sector, says PSAC National Executive Vice-President John Gordon.  “They are doing it without consulting the people who provide the services to Canadians and they are not acknowledging the impact this will have on smaller communities where jobs might be lost.  They are only looking at the bottom line and possible savings.  And even on this point, government documents warn that services will not improve and costs will not be lower.”

Read more at the national website.

More than 50% of PSAC members are women and the numbers of women in leadership positions are increasing every year.  This course will help participants continue the momentum of building real equality in our  Union and in our communities. 

Participants will explore our herstory and understand the importance of a feminist analysis in ensuring our collective agreements, our union structures and our communities reflect our principles and our goals.  We will also develop strategies to advance women’s issues, both locally and globally. 

This course is open to PSAC members who are women and takes place in the Lower Mainland, Oct 13,14 and 15th with a one day follow up session in the spring of 2006.

Click for more information about the course and for an application form.

Cheers to Steve Houston, GLBT Representative on the BC Regional Council for these photos of him marching with REVP Patty Ducharme and other Multi Union Pride members in the Vancouver Pride Parade.

Click for the photo gallery.

August 15th

REVP Patty Ducharme and PSAC members Theresa Friday, Angela Marafon and Cheryl Oenema will be participating in this weekends Walk To End Breast Cancer.

They, along with all the other walkers, are raising money to benefit the BC Cancer Foundation  - funding important breast cancer research, education, services and care at the BC Cancer Agency.

Update: Parveen Deepak, Women's Coordinator on the BC Regional Council, and her team are also participating in the walk. They are walking to honour the memory of their friend Suzie who passed away from cancer earlier this year. Together they have raised over $22,000. Visit their team page here.

If you would like to cheer them on, here is a list of cheering stations along the route.

At left are last years PSAC Breast Strokers (left to right):
Patty Ducharme, Terri Lanki (now Friday), Nora Johnson, Angela Marafon

Canadian Labour Congress study documents current job market conditions for youth - situation worse for young workers of colour

OTTAWA - "You're a young Canadian with your whole future in front of you..." meant a lot more a generation ago than it does today. Today, being a Canadian under 25 means you're better educated, paid less and less likely to find a job you can count on compared to your parents' generation back in the 1970s and 80s.

According to a new report from the Canadian Labour Congress, young working men, aged 15 to 24, earn 25% less than the young men of the same age group did a generation ago (in real terms, adjusted for inflation). Young women seem to do a bit better, earning 20% below what was paid to young women in the workforce thirty years ago.

Read more on the Youth Caucus page.

"Lockout ravages the CBC"

The Globe and Mail (August 16, 2005) couldn't have said it better. Canadians have reacted with anger at CBC management's aggressive move to lock out 5,500 employees on August 15 and gut CBC programming. Messages of support have poured in to the Guild office from across the country, as thousands of members walk the picket lines from St. John's to Victoria to Iqaluit.

Management at the CBC is trying to eliminate all but a few permanent jobs and replace their workforce with "flexible" contract workers.

Visit cmg.ca to download and send a message of support to your MP.

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal will issue a ruling this fall on a pay equity complaint filed 28 years ago by 2,000 Canada Post employees.

An agency aide confirmed the decision will be made, some two years after hearings ended. "The decision in this file will be announced this fall," said Nicole Bacon.

The complex case required 417 days of hearings between 1992 and June 2003. The tribunal hasn't reached a decision until now because of the many documents two members of the panel were required to read following the hearings, said Bacon.

Last June, Nycole Turmel, president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, intervened because several postal employees had been waiting 22 years to learn if they won their case against the Crown agency.

On this Labour Day, we as Trade Union members have a lot to protest about. Both the workers at the CBC and at Telus have been locked out of their jobs for many weeks and the Steelworkers at Teck-Cominco in Trail have been on strike, also for many weeks.

The issues they are fighting are the exact same issues we face as well – contracting out and job security. There are many things you can and should do to support their fight. Both TWU and Media Guild have cards and messages you can send to parliament to express your outrage at their treatment, and both have websites that outline other actions you can take to support them. The Media Guild/CBC is at cbcontheline.ca and the TWU/Telus is at anotherwrongnumber.com. (both links )

But the thing we are asking you to do this weekend is to join us in protest at the corner of Kingsway and Boundary at noon on Monday, September 5th. We’ll have the PSAC Banner there and any PSAC member who comes gets a free PSAC bandana. For members outside the Lower Mainland, here is a list of Labour Day events across the province.

It will be a fun day, with speakers and music and a chance to meet some really great people. So please come and show your support. Remember how great it was to get any show of support when it was our turn. Now we have a chance to help make a difference for someone else and to help stem the tide of complete corporate control.

In solidarity, Patty Ducharme, Regional Executive Vice-President, BC

Download the petition below, and stop the closure of the postal plant in Quebec City and the elimination of 302 jobs.

The postal system is a public service and this will be the first of many plant closures if this is successful. There is a new president at Canada Post, Moya Greene. She is known for her ability to chop, delete and dismantle large organizations.

upce_petition_quebec.pdf

We don’t have to take Treasury Board’s removal of the PFA lying down.  Here are some suggestions for Local and membership activities that will raise members’ awareness and gain support.

• Gather expired collective agreements and send them to Treasury Board President Reg Alcock.  It’s postage free at:  House of Commons, Ottawa ON  K1A 0A6.  Make sure to include a message telling him how happy you are that you are no longer receiving the PFA.

• Leaflet and hand out information before you start your hours of work, during your lunch break and after you’ve finished your work day.

• Brainstorm with other members to come up with suitable activities.

• Talk to other PSAC members in your area about the issue and involve them in your activities.

Read more at the national website.