Dear London Region members, 

This is a friendly reminder of the upcoming London Regional Women’s Committee. Please join us in this virtual meeting on Tuesday, August 16 @ 6:30-8:30pmto meet activists working for gender equity, elect a committee Treasurer, and vote on resolutions for the upcoming Ontario Regional Women’s Conference.

Register here: https://tinyurl.com/2p9yuvxu

In Solidarity,

PSAC, Ontario

August 8, 2022

PSAC has successfully negotiated long overdue improvements to the Public Service Health Care Plan (PSHCP), which provides benefits to most federal public service workers and retirees.  

As part of the agreement, PSAC secured improvements to vision care and massage therapy benefits. Plan members will also see a major increase to psychological services, as well as an expansion of eligible psychological practitioners covered. Acupuncture will now be covered when performed by a licensed acupuncturist, and a prescription will no longer be required to access paramedical benefits like massage therapy or chiropractic treatment. 

PSAC also won a significant victory to protect the rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ members, increasing coverage for gender-affirming care and procedures. 

These improvements reflect priorities identified by PSAC’s membership during a comprehensive survey. The changes will take effect on July 1, 2023. 

The PSHCP hadn’t been reviewed since 2006 and needed significant updates, especially to reflect increased health care service costs. 

PSAC negotiates the health care plan directly with Treasury Board, alongside other bargaining agents of the National Joint Council  and the National Association of Federal Retirees, representing retired members. This is done outside the regular bargaining process for collective agreements. This final agreement is subject to Treasury Board approval. 

See below link for detailed list of benefits improvements.

https://psacunion.ca/victory-psac-secures-important-gains-new-public

This is a critical round of bargaining for thousands of PSAC members with soaring costs of living, demands for remote work and better work-life balance, and strong calls for equity in the workplace.

Member engagement is more important than ever, and we rely on people-power to win a fair collective agreement.

Fill out this quick survey to get involved at this vital time:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdpD9n_xCfzXi-p7q1uD7dkqaMcoKblMSszVDtKMtsKtJgBaQ/viewform?fbzx=6303923637177965290

PSAC Ontario is inviting Members to register

for PSAC Ontario Fall Advance School 2022

Date: November 16-20, 2022
Location: Sheraton Parkway Toronto North, 600 Highway 7, Toronto ON

There are four courses to choose from this year:

• Political and Social Activism – Advancing and Defending Human Rights and Workers Rights
• Unionism on Turtle Island
• Advance Duty to Accommodate
• Advanced Representation for Stewards

Come meet fellow union members, activists and leaders and participate in building your union, your community and your world.

For more Information, please follow the links provided:

Call Out Letter

^{PSAC Conferences and Call Outs}

REGISTRATION: DEADLINE September 12, 2022

^Registration

^{Member Endorsement}

Hello all,

Hope you are enjoying summer so far.

I am emailing because the GTA Pride Committee is looking for folks who self-identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ to attend meetings and participate.

The next meeting is scheduled for October 12 at 6pm. RSVP is required to obtain the meeting link.

Please share it widely!

— 

Antonietta/ Netta Coccaro (they/them)
2SLGBTQIA+ Representative
PSAC Ontario Council
e. lgbtq2plus.rep.ontariocouncil@gmail.com
w. https://ontario.psac.com/council-members/

Columbia Employee Store Invitation Details:

• Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) offer is valid August 12th – September 4th!
• Store is stocked with current season products from our family of brands – Columbia, Mountain Hardwear, SOREL and prAna – items are priced up to 50% off retail.
• For store access, please provide your digital invite (printed or shown on your mobile device) + proof of affiliation / membership
• Invitees can bring up to four additional guests with each visit
• This offer is for store access (not valid online)
• Summer Sale going on now! Save up to an ADDITIONAL 40% off select styles, while supplies last!

From our local, Thu Trinh and Ismael Sanchez were in attendance as delegates at the CEIU Ontario Human Rights/Race Relations Training & Conference. Thu and Ismael are on the CEIU Racialized Action Committee (RAC), they had a successful 3 days at the conference. RAC worked hard to put forth 6 resolutions and they were all passed. If you’re interested about the 6 resolutions, feel free to reach out to Thu, Ismael or ceiu.on.racommittee@gmail.com.

Here’s a snap shot of some activities at the conference: from display tables to guest speakers to belonging circles to resolutions writing to Indigenous workshop and a memorable evening event.

Greetings PSAC Ontario Members, 

With mobilization ramping up in the Fall, we are organizing to win a fair collective agreement for Treasury Board members! In this workshop, you will learn about the essential role of striking for collective bargaining, strike structures and logistics, and be better equipped to have conversations with your coworkers about the importance of escalation in mobilization activities. 

We hope you can join us for the “Striking During a Pandemic” on August 30 from 12:30 – 4pm. Registration is limited and there is paid leave available for participants to attend. Register here: https://psac-afpc.zoom.us/meeting/register/u5AqdeiprTMoGNGmazDxuPdsW9VZRGpNLaHo. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to PSAC_London_Mail@psac-afpc.com. 

In Solidarity, 

PSAC Ontario

We are writing to our locals to provide an update on the steps that the CEIU National Office has been taking to help address our member’s concerns regarding the ongoing situation in the Service Canada Centres resulting from passport delays.

Members of the CEIU National Executive across Canada are meeting with senior Service Canada management twice weekly to address this topic. The employer is consulting with the union as they conduct Canada wide fact-finding audits and review passport procedures. And while they have committed to implementing changes as needed to address the long lines and delays for those seeking passports, our union leadership has been frustrated with the length of time these changes have taken to implement.

To be clear, our union began advocacy on these concerns over a year ago, asking the employer what their plan was and making inquiries and suggestions regarding increased staffing, the addition of new site locations, the triaging of client requests, amongst others.

The employer has finally committed to hiring new Passport Officers and Citizen Services Officers for Passport Offices and Service Canada offices across the country, and is working with Immigration Refugee Citizenship Canada to develop new training.

We also want to take this opportunity to communicate with our members regarding their health and safety in the front end. Passport delays are causing staff burnout, increased exposure and risk of Covid, as well as increased threats to their physical safety. 

Incidents of harassment and verbal abuse of employees have been reported at some of our work sites.  It is important that these incidents are reported to the employer on LAB 1070 (Hazardous Occurrence Investigations Report) and that CEIU local and regional health and safety representative are made aware of these incidents. 

Our members should not feel unsafe going to work. It is the employer’s obligation under the Canada Labour Code, Part II, to ensure a safe working environment.  Part II contains an employee’s right to refuse unsafe work. The following links contain information on this topic and we urge you to educate yourselves and seek assistance if you find yourself in unsafe working conditions.

Right to refuse dangerous work | Public Service Alliance of Canada (psacunion.ca)

Right to refuse dangerous work – Canada.ca   

CEIU is dedicated to representing our members.  Aside from labour/management consultation, we have been working in solidarity with the Union of National Employees (UNE) who represents passports officers, and we are seeking a meeting with Minister Gould to raise our ongoing concerns. Our union leadership has also been present in the media to advocate for our members across the country. If you have questions, concerns or would like to report an issue, please contact your local or regional union representatives, or one of our regional union offices (information can be found at www.ceiu-seic.ca)   

In solidarity,

The CEIU National Office

Greetings and healthy regards, 

PSAC would like to reminder you that The Young Worker’s Conference Registration will close soon! Your last day to register is July 25th, at noon. 

Young Workers’ Conference (office.com)

The 2022 PSAC Ontario Regional Young Workers’ Conference Registration Online Form contains a series of questions. These questions form the basis of the selection criteria and those applying for Delegate status to the Conference. There is no registration fee. 

On-site Conference check-in will take place at DoubleTree Hilton Hotel in London, Ontario, the evening of October 20th and, again, on Friday, October 21st, 2022, prior to the commencement of the Conference.

This year the theme is Educate, Agitate, Organize. See the attached for more details. 

In Solidarity,