Thank you to Shane Polak, UVAE 20045, for recording and posting some audio from the BC Regional Convention on the internet. They are available as streaming audio or mp3 download.

Click for:

• Jim Sinclair's speech
• Patty Ducharme's speech 
• Nycole Turmel's speech

Gerry Halabecki was re-elected PSAC Regional Vice-President for Ontario and Ed Cashman was re-elected PSAC Regional Vice-President for the National Capital Region.

Read more about the Ontario Regional Convention and the National Capital Regional Convention at the national website .

The deadline date to submit applications to be considered a delegate to the upcoming 2005 PSAC Unity Conference in Halifax, September 23-25, 2005 is next Wednesday, May 11th, 2005.

The application form can be filled out on line on the national website . We ask that you inform your PSAC Racially Visible and Aboriginal, Inuit and Metis brothers and sisters who are PSAC members in good standing to ensure that they are made aware of this conference.

posted May 4th : via email

In 2003, the Canadian Rainbow Health Coalition partnered with Fondation Emergence and made every first Wednesday in June the  "National Day Against Homophobia".  This year, it falls on June 1st and the theme is "The Family".

Read more on the GLBT issues page.

Dear Sisters & Brothers,

Just wanted to let you all know about a new and innovative resource from the PSAC BC Region - the new "Stewards Corner" page on our website.

The page contains resource information on education for stewards, grievances, collective agreements, legislation and rights, human rights and duty to accommodate.

Stay tuned for information on the revitalization of the BC Steward Network!

In Solidarity, Joanna Schultz, A/Regional Coordinator BC

May 6th

The 3rd Triennial BC Regional Convention took place from April 8-10. We had a total of 129 delegates and 15 observers registered.  The mood of the delegates was upbeat and participation in debate was hot and heavy. 

Read more here.

A notice has been mailed to all women delegates calling for nominations for the Alternate to the Women's Coordinator to the Regional Council.

Nominee must be:

• a woman
• delegate to April convention
• a representative from a duly established Regional Women's Committee

Deadline for nominations is end of business (5:00 pm) Thursday, May 28, 2005.  Nomination forms must be signed by nominee, nominator and seconder.

click for the call-out letter and for the nomination form .

WHITEHORSE - Delegates to the PSAC’s Northern Region Convention have elected Jean-François Des Lauriers as their Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP) for a third 3-year term.

“In an extraordinary show of solidarity from union activists from across the North, private and public sector workers are united in their fight to defend against attacks from employers on wages and working conditions. This includes defending against continued cuts to public services and the erosion of our social rights,” said Des Lauriers after his election. 

Read more at newswire.ca.

OTTAWA, May 9 /CNW Telbec/ - The decision of an appeals officer in the Labour Program of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) that law enforcement duties performed by federal park wardens were not dangerous has been called "patently unreasonable" by the Federal Court of Appeal.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada asked the Federal Court of Appeal in October 2003 to send the issue back to the appeals officer for redetermination with regard to the proper definition of "danger" under the Canada Labour Code. The Court found in favour of PSAC on Friday, May 6, 2005.

"We have always maintained that park wardens are in danger when carrying out law-enforcement duties, which can entail dealing with individuals that may react violently," says PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for British Columbia Patty Ducharme. "This latest decision by the Court forces the appeals officer to take another look at this issue and come up with some direction to protect wardens in their duties."

Read more at newswire.ca.

May 11th

4.  The abolition of the BC Ministry of Women's Equality and the BC Human Rights Commission within the last four years has resulted in no independent bodies existing with a mandate to protect BC's citizens from discrimination.  What measures will you and your party be taking to restore the Human Rights protection that women spent decades fighting for, and how will you ensure women's full and equal access to their Human Rights?

5.  In BC, women make up the majority of our population.  Unfortunately, we still remain under-represented in government.  What steps will you and your party take to address the gender imbalance in the Legislature in future elections?

Read more questions here.

CHARLOTTETOWN - Many war veterans now working as Commissionaires stood alongside their fellow Canadians on VE Day, proudly representing their country.

For the Commissionaires, however, respect for their sacrifices should be shown not just on public days of celebration, but also by paying them a living wage which would afford them some dignity in their daily lives. For that reason, Commissionaires, many of whom work in federal buildings across the land, are unionizing with the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).

Read more at newswire.ca.

The PSAC bargaining team representing the 250 members at the Vancouver International Airport met with the Employer on May 10 for what was supposed to be four days of meetings with the assistance of a federal conciliation officer. The team spent the first day familiarizing the conciliation officer with the outstanding non-monetary bargaining proposals.

During the second day, it became increasingly apparent that the Employer had no intention of reaching a negotiated settlement. At the end of the second day, they advised us, through the conciliation officer, that they wanted to use the third day preparing something to provide to us on the fourth day. You can imagine the team’s disappointment when the Employer tabled nothing more than a letter that stated they would not table anything until May 24. Download the letter here.

Read more here.

OTTAWA, May 15 - Delegates to the PSAC's Québec Convention have re-elected Jérôme Turcq as their Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP) for a third term. Turcq said he is pleased with the re-election and looking forward to the tasks ahead.

"The labour movement in Québec, and everywhere, must play an important social and political role," said Turcq. "For many years, the PSAC has been an important player in the Québec labour movement, and we intend to keep up this tradition."

Read more at the national website.

Thanks to Sheila Dunnachie, PSAC representative on the VDLC, for this report.

The Vancouver & District Labour Council was invited to attend the above event as a result of the visit by a leader of the National Workers Union to the 2004 B.C. Federation of Labour Convention. There were about a dozen of us from our Labour Council, representatives from the North Okanagan and Nanaimo Labour Councils, together with other community representatives from B.C. present at the conference which took place from April 13 – 16, 2005.

The objective of the conference was "to offer a space for Venezuelans to learn about experiences from other places in the world that relate to the main challenges faced during Venezuela’s revolutionary process and at the same time to share with visitors Venezuela’s latest and most innovative aspects of the revolutionary process".  There were eight topics and workshops for each were held in different parts of the country. Read more below

VenezuelaReport.pdf

Is there an anti-poverty action, campaign or initiative that you would like the PSAC Social Justice Fund to support in your community?

This year there is a global campaign to “Make Poverty History”. Funding anti-poverty initiatives is one of five priority areas for the PSAC’s Social Justice Fund. As part of the Make Poverty History Campaign , the PSAC Social Justice Fund will be funding up to 15 anti-poverty projects in Canada.

The Social Justice Fund will give priority to those initiatives that support a closer collaboration between union members and low income groups in the community, particularly activities that are part of anti-poverty coalitions at the community level. These activities can include the development of educational initiatives or advocacy work such as letter writing, postcard campaigns, marches, white-band days and other similar activities.

If you know of anti-poverty initiatives in your community that you would like to support or would like more information, visit the national website.

An overwhelming number of PSAC members at the Vancouver airport turned out on May 19 to give their union a strong strike mandate. The members have voted 78% in support of their bargaining demands and their negotiating team.

The strong strike vote will send a message to the employer that the members are tired of their employer’s attitude at the table and are prepared to take action to achieve a settlement.  During recent meetings with employees, held with the assistance of a federal conciliation officer, the Airport Authority offered nothing more than a letter saying they would not table any position until May 24.

The members will be in a legal strike position as of July 1^st. However, bargaining meetings have been scheduled for May 24 and June 7, again with the aid of the conciliation officer. The union expects the employer to table a complete response to all outstanding issues, including a monetary proposal on the 24^th, In the meantime, members will be mobilizing in preparation for a possible strike.

May 24th

OTTAWA - The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) applauds the Supreme Court’s decision today that human rights supersede Parliamentary privilege.

The Court issued their decision in a case involving a former chauffeur to the Speaker of the House of Commons, Satnam Vaid, who filed two human rights complaints in 1997 after his employment was terminated.  The House of Commons subsequently claimed Parliamentary privilege and challenged the application of the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) to Parliamentary employees.

“The Supreme Court decision reinforces two previous Court decisions in this case that ruled that Parliamentary privilege is not unfettered,” says PSAC National President Nycole Turmel. 

“This judgement now establishes that the House of Commons and the Speaker of the House are not shielded from the application of human rights law.”

Read more at the national website.

The employer, as advertised, tabled what they felt was a comprehensive response to the outstanding proposals. The Management committee brought Bob Cowan (VP) and Tony Gugliotta (Finance) to the table as an indication to us that the people who could determine a settlement were present.

After a long team caucus we tabled a counter proposal that addressed all of the outstanding issues.

Read more here.

The deadline for submitting resolutions to the Unity Conference is Monday, May 30th.

Visit the national website for more information on the Unity Conference. 

Early in the morning of June 1^st, a tentative agreement was reached between the Public Service Alliance of Canada and Vancouver International Airport Authority. This tentative agreement is subject to the ratification of both parties.

Read the details of the agreement here.