Author: 00013UTEuser

Virtual Work Arrangement Update

source
July 25, 2024

Brothers, Sisters and Friends,

This will serve as an update to the messages from our National President on May 16^th regarding the Commissioner’s arbitrary and unilateral decision to comply with the Treasury Board Direction of an increase to an average of three days per week Requirement of On-site Presence (ROOP).

In the absence of the National President, the 2^nd Vice-President was asked to attend a special meeting of the PSAC National Board of Directors scheduled to discuss the PSAC campaign against the employers’ decisions to impose an increased worksite presence without consultation with the Union. During this meeting, the participants discussed and considered a number of activities aimed at mobilizing members and putting pressure on Treasury Board and other departments and agencies to reverse their decisions. Further information concerning these actions and strategies will be shared once a decision has been made.

In the interim, UTE strongly encourages members who require more flexibility in their existing telework arrangements, more tailored to their needs, to submit a revised/new VWA to their respective supervisor for approval and if denied, to grieve said denial. Your Local union representatives are available to assist you in filing this grievance.

Relatedly, please be advised that as soon as the announcement about the increase in on-site presence was made, we noted that UTE was not included in the Policy Grievance and Unfair Labour Practice complaint with the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board filed by PSAC with respect to its other bargaining units. Accordingly, we immediately requested that the PSAC also file a similar Policy Grievance and Unfair Labour Practice Complaint, which they did on our behalf.

Rest assured that both UTE and the PSAC will continue to aggressively pursue this ill-conceived decision by the various employers and will consider all available avenues of recourse in this matter. We strongly encourage you to participate in the various activities and campaigns when you are called upon to decry this unilateral and unjust decision and to challenge this decision.

In solidarity,

Doug Gaetz
1^st Vice-President, on behalf of

Marc Brière
National President
Union of Taxation Employees

Victory: PSAC secures major improvements to the Public Service Dental Care Plan in arbitration

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July 4, 2024

In an important victory for federal public service workers, an arbitration panel has ruled in favour of significant improvements to the Public Service Dental Care Plan (PSDCP) following an arbitration hearing on June 14. This binding arbitration award will lead to important changes to the plan, coming into effect January 1, 2025. 

This ruling comes after a long and difficult negotiation process in which Treasury Board has continuously showed unwillingness to negotiate fair and reasonable updates to the plan. PSAC applauds the arbitration panel’s decision that will benefit over 185,000 federal public service workers. 

The significant improvements to the plan include:  

• An increase to the annual maximum for routine and major services from $2,500 to $3,000 as of January 1, 2025 and to $3,250 as of January 1, 2027; 
• An increase to the lifetime orthodontic maximum from $2,500 to $3,000 effective January 1, 2025 and $3,250 as of January 1, 2027; 
• An increase from 50% to 65% coverage for major services such as bridge, implant or dentures; 
• New coverage for tomography, pit and fissure sealants regardless of age, and procedures and assessments related to Temporomandibular joint disorders (TMJ); 
• Contributions to the plan for those on extended parental leave will be paid by the employer for up to 18 months of leave; 
• More flexible language for exceptions for replacing appliances such as crowns or bridges and on time limits to submit a claim where unavoidable circumstances are at play; 
• New anesthesia coverage for any member or dependent who has a disorder which puts the safety of the patient or dentist at risk; 
• More flexible coverage when there is damage to a tooth that would not usually be covered if the damage is such that it may require major coverage in the future; 
• Coverage for members or their dependents with a congenitally missing tooth until the age of 22. 

The employer made several proposals to the arbitration panel, but few were accepted aside from minor changes that will have minimal impact on plan members.   

Read the full binding arbitration decision for more details.

The dental plan is negotiated for PSAC members employed by the federal government, many of its agencies (including CRA), and other employers.

Stay informed     

Make sure your contact information is up to date, and sign up to receive bargaining updates.    

 

Boycott National Public Service Week

The National Board of Directors of the PSAC has fully endorsed the boycott of activities being put on by the employer while our sisters and brothers are suffering the very dramatic impacts of work force adjustment.

Those of us who are not directly affected by the measures the employer has set in motion, owe it to our sisters and brothers who are directly affected to stand in solidarity with them. Actions of solidarity in the workplace will send a very strong message to our employers that we are not OK with what is happening.

These actions are part of the We Are All Affected. The boycott of NPSW activities in the workplace is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate how we feel and fight back against the ongoing attacks on public services and the workers who provide them.

To add fuel to the fire, Treasury Board president Tony Clement announced plans for sweeping changes to the way federal employees earn and use sick leave. This announcement came on the first day of National Public Service Week, with a public declaration that federal employees are abusing the system. Happy NPSW, indeed

If you are having trouble viewing the below document, you can view it fully HERE

Last Call to Register for Thursday May 9th UTE Annual General Meeting!

/!\Arrive early enough to sign in at the registration desk on the 2nd floor in front of the Alsace banquet room. There will be signs on the first floor and 2nd floor to direct you where the AGM is taking place./!\

If you are having trouble viewing this announcement, you can view it fully HERE

Proposal to Amend Regulation 10

Regulation 10 will now state the following:

The Linda Collins Annual Charitable Donation

In honour of former president Linda Collins, an annual payment of $500.00 will be provided to a charity of the locals choosing.

If you are having trouble viewing this announcement, you can view it fully HERE

Taxability of Phoenix damages: Victory for members across the country

February 23, 2024

In a victory for PSAC members impacted by the Phoenix pay fiasco, PSAC has secured an agreement with the Canada Revenue Agency to treat up to $1,500 of the Phoenix general damages compensation members received in 2021 as non-taxable.  

Under the Phoenix damages agreement negotiated by PSAC in 2020, up to $2,500 in damages was awarded to members who suffered under the Phoenix pay system from 2016 to 2020. PSAC has long stressed that these damages should not have been taxed, and after lengthy deliberations and a Reference filed with the Tax Court of Canada, Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) has agreed that a majority of the damages – those specifically allocated to cover the pain and suffering experienced by workers – are not taxable. Revenu Québec is not a party to the settlement reached with CRA, but has already begun treating other Phoenix taxability objections similarly.  

This decision means that members who file or have already filed a notice of objection regarding the taxation of Phoenix damages will be reimbursed the taxes that should not have been deducted from their damages payment in 2021. In the test case that PSAC brought to the Tax Court, Canada Revenue Agency provided a tax reimbursement of $492, but the amount will vary for individual members based on their location, income, and whether they received the full or partial Phoenix damages payment.

Over the past two years, PSAC has encouraged members to file a notice of objection, or an extension to file a notice of objection. If you did so already, no other action is required at this time.  

All members who have not already filed a notice of objection must file an extension request and notice of objection by April 30, 2024 to be eligible for their Phoenix general damages compensation to be deemed non-taxable.  Please share this information with your current colleagues as well as those who have retired since receiving the payment.

Please complete the steps outlined below as soon as possible to avoid missing the deadline. 

How to be reimbursed taxes on Phoenix damages 

Residents outside of Quebec 

If you have not filed an objection with CRA regarding the tax treatment of any Phoenix damages you’ve received, you can still file a request for an extension of time to object and an individual objection regarding the taxability of the $1,500 portion of Phoenix damages for pain and suffering in your 2021 taxation year.  

Should you instead wish to challenge the taxation of the remaining $1,000 for the late implementation of the 2014 collective agreement, you should seek independent tax advice to move forward.  

You do not need to take any action if the following circumstances apply:  

• You filed an individual objection with CRA to your 2021 tax assessment about the taxability of your Phoenix damages prior to April 30, 2023; or 
• You filed an individual objection with CRA to your 2021 tax assessment about the taxability of your Phoenix damages and a request for an extension to object after April 30, 2023.  

If the above circumstances do not apply to you, please follow the following steps as soon as possible and no later than April 30, 2024, to preserve your rights:  

Option 1: If you have subscribed to CRA My Account for Individuals, you can choose to file your objection online by following the two following steps: 

Step 1: select the “File a Formal Dispute” option on your personal CRA portal, where you can fill the appropriate information relating to your objection; 

Step 2: once your formal dispute is recorded, the second step is to use the “Submit Documents” option to upload an extension request to accompany your objection.  

DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE

Option 2: Alternatively, if you have not subscribed to CRA My Account for Individuals, you may choose to submit your objection by mail or fax. 

Step 1: To do so, fill out a notice of objection and an extension request. Pre-populated forms and detailed instructions can be found here.  

Step 2: Once the forms are printed and filled, you can choose to mail or fax them to the following address or fax numbers. We recommend you send your materials by registered mail to ensure they are received: 

Appeals Intake Centre 
Chief of Appeals 
Appeals Intake Centre 
1050 Notre Dame Avenue 
Sudbury ON, P3A 5C1 

Fax numbers: 
705-670-6649 or 1-866-443-4955 (NL to ON) 
604-587-2672 or 1-866-489-6832 (MB to BC and Territories) 

Quebec residents: How to file a provincial and federal objection 

Members who are Quebec tax residents must, in addition to their federal objection described above, also file a second objection with Revenu Québec – that is, Quebec members must file two separate objections, one with CRA and one with Revenu Québec.  

If you have not filed an objection with Revenu Québec regarding the tax treatment of any damages you received, PSAC urges you to file: a request for an extension of time to object and an individual objection regarding the taxability of the $1,500 portion of Phoenix damages in your 2021 taxation year.  

Should you instead wish to challenge the taxation of the remaining $1,000 for late implementation of the 2014 collective agreement, you should seek independent tax advice to move forward. 

Residents of Quebec do not need to take any action with Revenu Québec if the following circumstances apply:  

• You filed an individual objection with Revenu Québec to your 2021 tax assessment about the taxability of your Phoenix damages prior to April 30, 2023; or 
• You filed an individual objection with Revenu Québec to your 2021 tax assessment about the taxability of your Phoenix damages and a request for an extension to object after April 30, 2023.  

If the above circumstances do not apply to you, please follow the following steps as soon as possible and no later than April 30, 2024, to preserve your rights: 

Unlike CRA, Revenu Québec does not accept online objections. You must choose between mailing or faxing your objection. To do so, you must fill out a notice of objection and an extension request.  

PRE-POPULATED FORMS AND DETAILED INSTRUCTIONS CAN BE FOUND HERE

Once the forms are printed and filled, you can choose to mail or fax them to the following address or fax numbers. We recommend you send your materials by registered mail to ensure they are received: 

Revenu Québec 
3800, rue de Marly 
C. P. 25025, succursale Terminus 
Québec QC   
G1A 0B8 

Fax numbers: 
418-577-5254 or 1-866-374-7286 

Please note that Revenu Québec is not a party to the settlement reached with CRA, and did not commit to offer the same treatment to members who file valid notices of objection regarding the taxation of the Phoenix damages. However, Revenu Québec has already begun treating other Phoenix taxability objections similarly.

 

New PSAC 2024 Calendars Available Now

Happy New Years to all of our 00013 members.

We now have PSAC 2024 calendars available for pickup at 25 St. Clair. Please speak to a rep on your floor or email thomas.mcinnis@00013ute.org. I’m available mid week (Tuesdays and Wednesdays) to provide a calendar. One per member.

In addition, union contact information will be posted by the health and safety boards.

As always, please feel free to contact us if you have any queries.

In solidarity,

UTE Local 00013

Update on lump sum payment and retro pay for Treasury Board and CRA members

(November 1 2023)

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA)

• The new collective agreement was signed on June 27, 2023 and wage adjustments will be effective November 1.
• The $2,500 pensionable lump-sum payment will be issued on November 8.

Retroactive Salary Payment