Public Sector Unions

[The Bread Guy]

No, no, no.  It's all about efficiency and brevity.  Saves time and paper by condensing it into one neat package instead of numerous bulky confusing ones... :nod:

FTFY  ;D

 

[Jed]

I think it will be a muddle, some of the EX's came up under the Conservatives and will still think that way, although not out loud. The PS politically is a mixed bag, in my office it's a spread across the board from Green to Reform. I think the lower ranks of the PS are fooling themselves that "everything will be better now". For myself under this new government;

As a PS employee, I will likely benefit as no action against my pension or sick time is likely in the near future.
As a up and coming "senior" I will likely lose out some benefits.
As a gun owner I am likely to get truly fu*ked in about a year.

Once the new government gets a chance to drive for a bit, the same realities that faced the CPC will be there. The deficit pledge will give them some slack to play with for a bit, but sooner or later the piper will want to be paid.

That concurs with my read of the situation based on considerable time (albiet dated) with in and around the Federal Public Service.

 

[jollyjacktar]

FTFY  ;D

Ta.  :cheers:

 

[Brad Sallows]

A while back in the old (locked) election thread I posted some numbers to illustrate where federal dollars are spent.  To recap, a bit less than 3/4 goes out in transfers, and of the remaining 1/4+, roughly 1/3 is DND and 2/3 all other departments and agencies (so - again, very roughly - of all program expenditures, we have 1/12 DND, and 1/6 other).  The past government pretty much focused all its spending restraint on that last 1/4+, hence the perception of pressure.  Undoubtedly provinces and individuals are happy not to have taken it in the neck, even if they don't realize the past government made a point of not shorting them.

We also currently spend an amount slightly more than 1/10 of program expenditures on servicing debt; the cost is a bit less than 4.5% of the accumulated deficit (debt).  It doesn't take a very large increase in that percentage to move the debt cost up by amounts which dwarf whatever pork spending the Liberals are setting up behind the "infrastructure" smokescreen.

So if we are not to willy-nilly blow out the budget again, someone has to accept and deal with restraint.  Should it be the public service, or the other levels of government and the people relying on transfers?

Judging the PS by the behaviour of the foreign affairs crowd is unlikely to produce a sound conclusion.  The FA people were never shy about admitting their disappointment that they might not be well thought of by the people whose esteem they craved - Europeans.  And, everyone wants to believe his voice matters.  At root it is all just an ego problem - theirs.

 

[cavalryman]

Since I'm old enough and ornery enough to remember the public service strike in the early 90s, I can still vividly see images of picketers in front of Fort Pearson (the DFAIT HQ for those not up on Ottawa slang) wearing hockey helmets and carrying 2x4 which they liberally used to intimidate those wanting/needing to cross the picket lines.  If memory serves, it was pretty much the only place in Ottawa where it became violent.  Make of that what you will.  It remained sufficiently imprinted in my mind so that even two decades or so later, I seem to never have developed much respect for the DFAIT folks - perhaps unfairly, but there you have it.  Perception weighs heavily and seeing the bovine love-fest for Mr Trudeau from the spiritual descendants of those unprofessional louts of the 90s doesn't help me regain much respect for our ever-loving diplomatic folks.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

I remember the strikes here, not much happened, some booing and shaming but that was about it. I was a term when the Coast Guard went on strike, I called the union and asked what was I supposed to do and they responded "your not a member so your not our problem" I had to dodge calls from management to use me as a strike breaker. Any particular actions on that strike where mostly revenge on wanker managers(which seemed that CCG had more than it's fair share), the strike being just an opportunity to extract some.

 

[Edward Campbell]

The public sector union, which were so happy to see the last of Prime Minister Harper and his government, are now complaining about their new political masters. "Jean-Pierre Fortin, president of the union representing Canada’s border and customs officers, said he expected a briefing by now, especially since the draft plan suggests his union members will be handling 900 passengers a day arriving on three flights to Montreal and Toronto. He said Canada Border Services Agency officials called him to a “quick” meeting Friday morning – after the draft was leaked – to tell him they could not talk about plans and impacts on employees until the overall plan is formally announced by the government."

One has some sympathy for border service agents who are waiting to hear what's going to happen, but it is not their trade union's job to tell them. The information they need will come down to them, or maybe not, through their chains of command/control ... with all the efficiency or inefficiency that those chains normally exhibit.

 

[Cloud Cover]

but it is not their trade union's job to tell them. The information they need will come down to them, or maybe not, through their chains of command/control ... with all the efficiency or inefficiency that those chains normally exhibit.

Are you sure about that role of the union bit? I can think of many unions, teachers unions and other closed shops in particular, (such as police etc.,) that have collective bargaining rights for leadership to receive information prior to dissemination to union members, and the right to approve or object and call for changes to policies etc, generally on the basis of safety or quality of the delivery of service. The CBSA has morphed into something akin to a constabulary service (although they don't call it that). They can operate anywhere in Canada, not just at the border, and they are deployed internationally as well. All that to say members of the CBSA have some right to know their union leadership is looking after the best interests of the safety of the officers and that they are not being requested to perform tasks that exceed the mandate of the collective agreement. This is a due process issue (it needn't be overly complex or cumbersome) and also a fundamental tenant of labour protection in Canada, one that was granted as a result of the second word war and a man named Ivan Rand, with the support of two very important individuals- CD Howe and DPM Louis St Laurent. 

 

[Edward Campbell]

Are you sure about that role of the union bit? I can think of many unions, teachers unions and other closed shops in particular, (such as police etc.,) that have collective bargaining rights for leadership to receive information prior to dissemination to union members, and the right to approve or object and call for changes to policies etc, generally on the basis of safety or quality of the delivery of service. The CBSA has morphed into something akin to a constabulary service (although they don't call it that). They can operate anywhere in Canada, not just at the border, and they are deployed internationally as well. All that to say members of the CBSA have some right to know their union leadership is looking after the best interests of the safety of the officers and that they are not being requested to perform tasks that exceed the mandate of the collective agreement. This is a due process issue (it needn't be overly complex or cumbersome) and also a fundamental tenant of labour protection in Canada, one that was granted as a result of the second word war and a man named Ivan Rand, with the support of two very important individuals- CD Howe and DPM Louis St Laurent.

I'm not suggesting union leaders should not be briefed in advance, nor that they should not pass on what they know to members. But: it is the job of the chain of command and control, not the union leadership, to tell people what to do and how to do it.

 

[dapaterson]

CBSA membership will likely get great opportunities for overtime just before Christmas.  I don't the rank and file will complain too much about extra money...

 

[Cloud Cover]

Probably a great time to be an approved building contractor for the Feds.

I wonder if the recently closed  hospital on Highbury avenue in London is under consideration? Apparently the city itself has one of the highest Muslim population ratios in the country, would seem to be a natural destination for a few hundred, maybe a thousand refugees. ( the city, not the hospital).

 

[mariomike]

Interesting discussion regarding sick benefits in "Federal Public Service Compensation & Benefits".

I am posting here because my employment was in a municipal public service / sector union.

1) I was never on positive report aka the attendance management program. But, our sister union had/has a 13-page memorandum titled, "SIX PRACTICAL WAYS OF PROTECTING YOURSELF AGAINST THE CITY'S ATTENDANCE-MANAGEMENT PROGRAM”” that I found interesting. I do not recall reading anything from the union I belonged to on the subject.
In particular, "DO YOU HAVE A "DISABILITY"?". "Disability" also includes "a mental disorder"." It gets a bit into the Human Rights Code.

Following is a list of some medical conditions which the union considers to be "disabilities" that have the capability to keep an employee from going to work:

Diabetes; arthritis; muscular dystrophy; cancer; cerebral palsy; chronic migraine headache; having a deformed limb, back, hand or foot; chronic deep vein thrombosis; epilepsy/seizures; polio; head or brain injury; a degree of paralysis, amputation, blindness or visual impairment; deafness or hearing impairment; muteness or speech impairment; physical reliance on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device; chronic gynecological condition; drug or alcohol dependency; chronic condition of the hand or wrist, including chronic carpel tunnel syndrome; fibromyalgia; chronic pain syndrome; heart disease or condition; hypertension (high blood pressure); Crohn's disease; ulcerative colitis; chronic enlargement of the prostate; chronic gastroenteritis; other chronic condition of the stomach, bowel, kidney or bladder; HIVIAIDS; allergies, including chronic sinusitis; back, spine, knee, elbow, neck, shoulder, groin, hip, foot or ankle condition or injury leading to a chronic medical problem; multiple sclerosis, ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), or other chronic neurological condition; Epstein-Barre syndrome; narcolepsy; stroke; chronic condition of the eye; obesity resulting from an injury, illness or other cause that is beyond the control of the individual; mental disorder including personality disorder, obsessive- compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or depression; chronic repetitive strain injury; Parkinson's disease; asthma, emphysema, or other chronic lung disease;and hepatitis. Included by definition in a "disability" are the side effects of prescribed medication being used to treat the "disability".

"Finally, we just want to emphasize that management is forbidden by the collective agreement to discriminate against an employee due to a "disability"."
http://www.cupelocal79.org/wp-content/uploads/2006/06/Attendance-Management-Memorandum.pdf

2) Regarding sick pay gratuity. At the time of my retirement, it was nine months’ pay for 35 years of service. Since my retirement, sick benefits for new hires are being negotiated away. 

Not sure how either of the above compare to federal public service / sector unions.

 

[mariomike]

A story about one public sector union,

How firefighters beat politicians at their own game: Cohn
Firefighters are the most successful lobbyists in Ontario, outsmarting and outmuscling all rivals.
http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2016/02/18/how-firefighters-beat-politicians-at-their-own-game-cohn.html