PSAC wants to remind all our members in the core federal public administration that the deadline set by the employer to submit your vaccination attestation is Friday, October 29.

The core public administration includes employees that work in the core occupational groups of all departments listed in Schedule I and Schedule IV of the Financial Administration Act, as well as the ministerial staff, deputy ministers, governor and order-in-council appointees, judges and students affiliated with these departments.

Vaccinations are a key public health tool to keep our workplaces and our communities safe. It’s why PSAC strongly encourages all members to complete their attestation before the deadline. We also encourage all federal public service workers to get vaccinated. 

We know that some members are unable to get vaccinated because of medical, religious, or human rights exemptions, but they must still meet the deadline by completing their attestation and requesting an accommodation by providing the proper documentation to their manager. PSAC will work with members who have legitimate exemptions to reach an accommodation with their employer.

We also recognize that a small minority of federal workers have chosen not to be vaccinated because of personal beliefs, and they are free to make that choice. We encourage all members with questions about vaccinations to check out Health Canada for more information.

The employer’s policy is very clear: workers who do not attest to their vaccination status or remain unvaccinated will be placed on unpaid leave by November 15, 2021.  We advise all members to fill out their attestation before the deadline.

If a member chooses not to get vaccinated and asks PSAC for support, we will look at their case and represent members in situations where the policy is being applied unreasonably, or the member’s collective agreement or human rights are being violated.Find out how to complete your attestation

Do you have something to say, well this is your chance!

Make sure you share your thoughts by completing the survey due on November 25th.

Completing the survey will ensure ESDC has better data to work with and it will help provide a clear understanding of your lived experiences as an employee, whether it’s good or bad.

The link is being offered through Intersection (intranet) or please contact your union executive and they can forward you the link.

October 6, 2021

With the rollout of vaccinations across Canada, employers are turning their attention to reopening offices. We will continue to keep our members informed as developments arise. 

We must also stress that the case law has yet to be settled regarding requiring mandatory vaccinations for employees in the workplace.

We’ve compiled frequently asked questions to provide PSAC members with as much information as possible on vaccinations in the workplace.

Please review the FAQ at the below link:

http://psacunion.ca/your-rights-work-vaccinations-and-covid-19?fbclid=IwAR2hG_eE32emp6lJE1JWfO4nGdwmqK-GrVz0Fyf0txVky98go5QBFIb58do#

If you have any other questions or concerns about COVID-19 and your rights at work, reach out to your local shop steward, component union or PSAC regional office for help and support.

Today, the federal government released its new mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy for federal public service workers.

We recommend that you review the full policy in order to understand how it affects you. 

Some of the takeaways from the policy include:

• All federal public service workers in the core public service, including the RCMP, CBSA and Correctional Services, must be fully vaccinated by Friday, October 29, 2021
• Public service workers who do not provide proof of vaccination by November 15 will be placed on unpaid leave
• Crown corporations, agencies, and the Canadian Forces are encouraged to implement similar policies, but this policy will not immediately apply to them.

PSAC’s position on the government’s policy

PSAC fully supports a federal vaccination policy to protect the health and safety of our members and the Canadians they serve. We know that increasing vaccination rates is the best and most reliable way to slow the spread of COVID-19 in our workplaces and our communities. 

However, if the goal is to keep the workplace healthy and safe, this policy still falls short. We have several recommendations and concerns regarding the policy’s implementation. 

Next steps

PSAC was not meaningfully consulted on this policy before it was released. Instead, the government gave unions less than a business day to review the policy and none of our feedback was incorporated. 

While the vast majority of PSAC’s membership is fully vaccinated, PSAC will continue to represent unvaccinated members who have punitive action taken against them as a result of their vaccination status.   

We’ll continue to work to ensure the implementation of the policy protects the health and safety and human rights of our members while ensuring their right to privacy is respected.

In solidarity,

Chris Aylward
National President
Public Service Alliance of Canada

London Public library locations have buttons and posters available or you can download the poster and print from home. 
https://www.londonpubliclibrary.ca/page/truth-and-reconciliation

Also attaching the poster for the N’Amerind event on Sept 30.http://namerind.on.ca/

And here is the link for Atlohsa https://atlohsa.com/
Some limited sizes left for orange shirts. Last pick up day is this Saturday. They also have many other items available and run many programs to support the Indigenous communities.

Thanks!

Your CEIU Local 581 Union Executive Team

Attention all CEIU members, women and men identifying members alike!

Please see the attached call outs and application forms for the 2021 CEIU Ontario Regional Women’s Conference. This year’s theme is “Nevertheless, She Persisted.”

Note that there are separate application forms and call outs for women-identifying members and men-identifying members. Women-identifying members are invited to apply to be delegates for the entire conference, and men-identifying members are invited to apply to be a delegate for a conversation surrounding violence against women, which is one part of the conference.

For everyone who is persisting through these challenging times, this is your invitation to join us for some fantastic learning, collaboration and action.

Those chosen as delegates will be informed as soon as possible before November 5, 2021.

In solidarity,

CEIU Ontario Regional Women’s Committee

Please click on this link to apply:

https://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/mobile/my-drive?usp=sharing

Greetings:

As a result of recent vacancies on Ontario Regional Council, we are holding a by-elections in accordance with the PSAC Ontario By-laws, for the following vacant positions:

• Alternate Directly Chartered Local Representative
• 2^nd Alternate to the Region 5, Greater Toronto Area Representative
• 2^nd Alternate to the Region 2, Northeastern Ontario Representative

To be eligible, the nominees must:

• Be a PSAC member in good standing from the Ontario Region (encompassing the Province of Ontario exclusive of the National Capital Region); and,
• All nominations must include a seconder, the nominator and seconder must have been a delegate at the last PSAC Ontario 2021 Regional Convention.

Attached, for your convenience, is a nomination form.  

Nominations must be received no later than Wednesday, September 29^th , 2021.  

Nominations for the position should be submitted to the office of the REVP, Ontario c/o PSAC Regional Office, 90 Eglinton Avenue East, Suite 608, Toronto, ON, M4P 2Y3; or by e-mail to reidc@psac-afpc.com. 

A one-page (maximum) bio must be included in the balloting package.

Please Note:  If an election is necessary, only those delegates that were entitled to vote for this position at the June 2021 Ontario Regional Triennial Convention and are still members in good standing shall be eligible to vote.

If you have any questions regarding this process, please contact Cleo Reid at 647-417-0659 or by email at reidc@psac-afpc.com. 

In Solidarity,

Craig Reynolds

Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario

Public Service Alliance of Canada

If you are interested please contact us at: localceiu581@gmail.com, and we will forward you the nomination forms.

Your local union is looking for stewards! As a union steward, you will be interacting with, educating, and mobilizing members in your workplace. As an ally to the members, a union steward works to solve problems in the workplace by providing representation and communicating with the employer on member issues. Stewards contribute to the promotion of a positive union presence in the workplace. 

Being a union steward requires professionalism and honesty. It requires an initiative to advance one’s own skills and abilities in workplace relations. 

Union stewards are expected to take formal introductory training at the earliest opportunity. The stewards work under the guidance and direction of the chief union steward and are supported by the rest of the executive staff. 

If you are interested in becoming a union steward, send an email with a short message regarding why you would be an excellent steward to the local union email (localceiu581@gmail.com) by Friday, September 24, 2021. 

A decision of appointment will be made by the union executive. 

More information regarding the role of the steward can be found at: http://psacunion.ca/sites/psac/files/attachments/pdfs/steward_tool_kit_02-09-2017_eng.pdf