UTE-PSAC MEMBERS PROVIDE OVERWHELMING STRIKE MANDATE

UTE-PSAC MEMBERS PROVIDE OVERWHELMING STRIKE MANDATE

Workers at the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) have voted overwhelmingly in favour of taking strike action on behalf of 35,000 workers represented by the Union of Taxation Employees and the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

“Our members have sent a strong message to CRA,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC national president. “Workers can’t wait, and we’re ready to show this government we won’t let workers fall behind.”

Workers at CRA have been without a contract for more than a year while the cost of living has continued to soar. The government still has major concessions on the table, and has yet to respond to the union’s wage proposals.

A final round of negotiations has been set for April 17-20 between PSAC and Canada Revenue Agency. Members at CRA are in a legal strike position April 14.

“Our members are falling further behind as inflation soars and wages are stuck in neutral,” said Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees, a component of PSAC. “We’ve negotiated in good faith, but our members have had enough. Our bills are mounting, and our families are feeling the pinch. And now, we’re going to show the government that workers won’t wait.”

PSAC-UTE members stepped up during the pandemic, when Canadians needed it most — and delivered. They processed nearly 30 million CERB applications and provided historic financial relief to millions of people hardest hit by COVID-19.

“Tax season is here,” Mr. Brière said. “Going on strike is never our first choice. But securing a strong strike mandate now gives us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement our members deserve, that’s what we’re prepared to do.”

PSAC-UTE members are ready to take strike action together

PSAC-UTE members are ready to take strike action together


April 7, 2023

More than 35,000 members of the Union of Taxation Employees have made it clear. We’re strongly in favour of going on strike if Canada Revenue Agency and this government aren’t willing to bargain in good faith.

We have a powerful message for the employer: Together, PSAC-UTE members are ready to take a stand and show the government we mean business.

When Canadians needed us most during the pandemic, we delivered – processing nearly 30 million CERB applications and providing historic financial relief to millions of people hardest hit by COVID-19.

The cost-of-living has soared, and we've been without a new contract for over a year. CRA has shown a complete lack of respect for us at the bargaining table – without so much as a wage offer.

We deserve wages that keep up with the cost of living, telework and remote work to be enshrined in our collective agreement, and better job security that protects us from precarious employment and contracting out.

Instead, the Agency continues to push for us to make concessions – including changes to call-back and hours of work provisions and care and nurturing leave.

Our bargaining team and national union leadership will be meeting in the coming days to make strategic decisions to pressure this government for a fair deal during tax season when we wield the most leverage.

The next two weeks will be pivotal. The federal government knows the clock is ticking. And so do Canadians.

Last week, our bargaining team told CRA that we’re ready to return to the table – with or without a mediator – and we expect CRA to come prepared to have meaningful discussions when we meet with the employer April 17-20.

 If we need to take job action to secure decent wages and better working conditions, that's exactly what we’ll do.

Together, we’re more than 35,000 members strong and we’re ready.

Make sure you get the latest updates: keep your contact information up to date on the PSAC website, including your cell phone number and a personal, non-work email. If you have any questions, check the FAQ or contact your UTE local.

We’re in this together, and together we will win a new collective agreement that makes gains for you, our members.

In solidarity,

Chris Aylward, Public Service Alliance of Canada National President
Marc Brière, Union of Taxation Employees National President

REGISTER TODAY FOR PSAC-UTE STRIKE VOTES

REGISTER TODAY FOR PSAC-UTE STRIKE VOTES

When Canadians needed us most during the pandemic, we delivered – processing nearly 30 million Canada Emergency Response Benefit applications and providing historic financial relief to millions of people hardest hit by COVID-19 while most of our members worked from home.

But the Canada Revenue Agency has shown a complete lack of respect for workers at the bargaining table by rejecting or ignoring every single one of our proposals on our most important issues, and you deserve better.

That’s why we’ve made the difficult decision to hold strike votes for our 35,000 hard-working members at Canada Revenue Agency from January 31 to April 7, 2023.

Register to vote

We need to hold the line on fair wages so that you aren’t left behind as the cost of living and inflation remains sky-high. We believe in good, secure public service jobs and need to put an end to contracting out at CRA. We’re pushing for protections against evening, weekend, and shift work. And we’ll continue to fight to enshrine remote work and the right to disconnect in our collective agreements for better work-life balance.

These aren’t unreasonable demands, and many of these improvements have already been agreed to by other federal employers since we settled our last contract. We provided the Agency with our wage proposal for fair wages in July, but despite having had numerous opportunities at the bargaining table, CRA never provided their counteroffer, and we simply can’t wait anymore.

To add insult to injury, the government imposed a flawed hybrid work plan on federal public service workers just days before the holidays, despite the fact we’re negotiating remote work at the table and that we’ve continued to serve Canadians effectively whether we’re working from home or the workplace.

You deserve to be treated with dignity and respect. The Agency’s stalling tactics and major concessions in bargaining are unacceptable, and are hurting our members and their families. That’s why we need the support of our more than 35,000 PSAC-UTE members. A strong strike mandate doesn’t automatically mean we'll call a strike. But it shows CRA that we're prepared to fight for a fair contract, and it’s the strongest tool we have to put pressure on the government to reach a deal.

Canada Revenue Agency has made a habit of dragging their feet through bargaining, leaving workers without a contract for three or four years at a time. It’s already been one year since our last agreement expired, and it’s starting to feel like Groundhog Day, so we need to put a stop to it because we can't wait another four years. Enough is enough.

Register to vote

Tax season is coming up, and it’s our best chance to take advantage of our bargaining power to win a fair contract. Going on strike is never our first choice. But securing a strong strike mandate from our membership will give us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement you deserve, then that’s exactly what we’ll do.

Together, we have the strength in numbers to fight for a contract that makes real gains for our members. This is our opportunity to make a meaningful difference in our workplaces, and we strongly urge you to vote in favour of a strike mandate. To give you as many opportunities as possible to participate in strike votes, we’ll be holding strike information sessions both in-person and virtually.

Your voting credentials will be sent to you by email or regular mail. You will need these credentials to register for a strike vote session. If you haven't received your voting credentials from PSAC by email or mail by January 31, you may need to update your contact information before you can register to vote.

Register today

PSAC Bargaining Team Tables Wage Proposals

PSAC Bargaining Team Tables Wage Proposals


July 15, 2022

PSAC-UTE members deserve fair wage increases and enhanced job protection, and our bargaining team is fighting for just that. The PSAC-UTE bargaining team met with the Canada Revenue Agency July 12-14 to continue negotiations for a new collective agreement. While there was considerable discussion, little progress is being made at the table.

The PSAC-UTE bargaining team tabled their wage proposals and is looking to achieve fair annual wage increases that – at a minimum – meet current inflationary trends.

Our team is also looking for a market adjustment that would close the gap between PSAC-UTE members and former co-workers at the Canada Border Services Agency. Members have worked hard during the pandemic, delivering financial relief to thousands of Canadians when it was needed most. Members deserve to be compensated appropriately. (view wage proposals on UTE's web site)
 

Protecting jobs against contracting out

Last year, the CRA contracted out work that would normally be done by PSAC-UTE members. This call centre work was contracted out to a low-wage American firm that has been accused of security breaches in the United States. PSAC-UTE successfully campaigned against this contract and it was not renewed. However, more than 200 jobs were eliminated as the result of contracting out by the CRA in the 2010s.

We are working towards a collective agreement that prevents the practice of contracting out. People doing the work of our members should be subject to – and have the benefit of – our collective agreement.

The CRA has rejected these proposals, but our union will hold its position.

Our bargaining team also tabled proposals that would greatly improve job security for union members, improve access to remote work opportunities, and ensure that years of service are properly recognized by the Agency.
 

Next steps

Our team expects a response to these proposals and the wage proposal when they return to the negotiating table in late August.

CRA management continues to seek concessions. Your PSAC-UTE bargaining team stressed that they are ready to negotiate, but are looking for improvements for our members, not steps backwards.

Filing a Notice of Objection for Phoenix Damages

Filing a Notice of Objection for Phoenix Damages

When you receive your Notice of Assessment, there is a date on it. From that date, you have 90 days to file a Notice of Objection addressed to the chief of Appeals at your TSO. You can easily do this by simply going to your CRA My Account and click on filing an objection. My account can now be access by logging in using your bank login now. In your Notice of objection, you write the following:

A portion of the income reported on the my T4 for 2021 represents general damages paid under a settlement agreement negotiated by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) as compensation for stress, aggravation, and pain and suffering, payable to all members of PSAC in recognition of the effect of the Phoenix pay system and the delayed implementation of a collective agreement on the membership. The payment was not dependent upon or in any way related to any grievance previously filed by the myself, or any demonstrated financial loss suffered by myself. Rather, the payment was compensation for the stress felt by all employees, regardless of their personal circumstances, due to the delays, confusion, and general chaos that resulted from the Phoenix implementation. As such, the amounts received as damages for pain and suffering should not have been subject to tax. I asks that my 2021 tax return be reassessed to reflect the non-taxable nature of the general damages received of $2,500 form my employment income line 10101 pursuant to paragraph 81(1)(g.1) of the Income Tax Act.

SUBDIVISION G Amounts Not Included in Computing Income

Marginal note:Amounts not included in income

     81 (1) There shall not be included in computing the income of a taxpayer for a taxation year,

Income from personal injury award property

(g.1) the income for the year from any property acquired by or on behalf of a person as an award of, or pursuant to an action for, damages in respect of physical or mental injury to that person, or from any property substituted therefor and any taxable capital gain for the year from the disposition of any such property,

     (i) where the income was income from the property, if the income was earned in respect of a period before the end of the taxation year in which the person attained the age of 21 years, and

     (ii) in any other case, if the person was less than 21 years of age during any part of the year;

You then either wait for a reply where you will get a reassessment agreeing with your objection, or you will get a Notice of Confirmation stating the Assessment is correct.
If after 90 days that you filed your Notice of Objection you still have not received an answer, you can continue to wait, or your can now file a Notice of Appeal to the Tax Court of Canada. This can be done online also and your write the same text above.
If your receive a Notice of Confirmation from the chief of Appeals, you got 90 days from the date on the Notice of Confirmation to file a Notice of Appeal to the Tax Court of Canada.

If for good reasons you have passed the 90 days for filing a Notice of Objection to the Chief of Appeals, you have 1 year from the date of the 90th day to file an Application to late file a Notice of Objection and you send that to the Chief of Appeals. In this application you indicate the reason you are late. If the reason is justified, the application will be granted, and they will consider your objection.
If your Application is not granted, you can file with the Tax Court of Canada the same Application to late file a Notice of Objection. Then a judge will decide if your reason is valid or not. If valid, the judge then issues a court order stating your application is valid and the chief of appeals is thus ordered to consider the objection.

AGM and Local Elections – May 31st

AGM and Local Elections – May 31st

Hello Toronto TSO UTE Members,

We’re excited to announce our upcoming AGM and local elections taking place Tuesday May 31st at 5:15pm. Our meetings typically run for around 2 hours with time for questions at the end. This is a great opportunity to meet your executives, and we’ll be joined by special guests from UTE as well.

Members who join for the entirety of the meeting will receive a gift card worth 40 dollars.

We are also going to be holding our local elections. If you’re considering running, please let us know in advance what position you’re interested in and we’ll add you to our voting poll. We always encourage members to participate and get involved in their union.

This event is only for Toronto TSO (formerly Toronto Centre TSO) UTE members. Registration is open now. The registration link is listed below and you’ll require a personal email address to sign up (only 1 registration per member). If you know your UTE ID number than please enter it, but it is not required.

Registration Link

Don’t hesitate to reach out to a member of the executive with questions.

In solidarity,

UTE Local 00013

PSAC-UTE bargaining: Hours of work, remote work top priorities

PSAC-UTE bargaining: Hours of work, remote work top priorities

source
April 1, 2022

The PSAC-UTE bargaining team discussed key bargaining priorities including hours of work and remote work during negotiations with Canada Revenue Agency March 28-30.

Our team also tabled proposals to provide greater protection against discrimination in CRA workplaces, and to ensure mandatory training to all employees on anti-oppression and discrimination.

The team reiterated the importance of access to remote work, having previously tabled proposals to ensure that management cannot unreasonably deny remote work arrangements.

More than 33,000 PSAC-UTE members have continued to roll out historic support to Canadians throughout the pandemic. Now, our members should be able to rely on the government for a fair deal at the bargaining table.

Hours of work, vacation scheduling

The team made considerable progress on vacation leave scheduling and also discussed more options for employees who are looking for greater work-life balance during the workday, along with the proposal to provide time during working hours to members who are nursing.

The PSAC-UTE team has made proposals to provide better access to compressed work-week options, provide enhanced notice when employees’ hours are changed, and ensure employees’ years of service count for something when decisions are made concerning evening work.

During bargaining, CRA continues to push for concessions, but our team has been clear that we are interested in negotiating improvements for our members, not taking steps backwards.

Next steps and show your support

We are scheduled to return to the bargaining table in early May.

Support your bargaining team with our digital backgrounds:

  • Video background option #1 and #2 for all your work meetings

Visit the Union of Taxation Employees and PSAC websites for more information and subscribe for regular updates (UTE-SEI). If you have any questions, please contact your UTE Local.

CRA bargaining: Union pushes back against mandatory evening, weekend work

CRA bargaining: Union pushes back against mandatory evening, weekend work

February 18, 2022

Hours of work and work-life balance were critical issues for the PSAC-UTE bargaining team during negotiations with Canada Revenue Agency, February 15-17. The team placed a strong emphasis on improved hours of work and remote work options for our members employed by CRA.

Our team has made proposals that would provide for better access to compressed work week options, provide enhanced notice when employees’ hours are changed, and ensure employees’ years of service count when decisions are made concerning evening work.

CRA eyes evening and weekend work

While CRA has not tabled its proposals concerning hours of work, they did indicate an interest in moving to a model with increased evening and weekend work. CRA also expressed an interest in introducing split shifts, meaning an employee could be required to work multiple shifts per day.

These concessions would have a major impact on the lives of PSAC-UTE members and contradict our team’s proposals to improve work-life balance. The current collective agreement gives our members the right to request flexible hours, and we intend to build on that.

We can already see the employer trying to implement these concessions in the workplace. Recently, we have received reports of the employer assigning our members Saturday shifts in violation of our collective agreement. Grievances are being filed and PSAC’s legal team is considering taking CRA before the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board.

Remote work and vacation leave

We also discussed our proposals concerning vacation leave, both in terms of increasing annual leave entitlements and a simplification of the process for vacation leave scheduling. Talks are ongoing on this issue.

Lastly, we discussed remote work arrangements with the employer. In light of the shift assignment violations we are seeing in the workplace, our bargaining team reminded CRA that they cannot unilaterally introduce changes to employees’ current remote work arrangements under the law while we are in negotiations.

Next steps and show your support

The team is scheduled to return to the bargaining table the last week of March.

Support your bargaining team with our digital backgrounds:

  • Video background option #1 and #2 for all your work meetings

Visit the Union of Taxation Employees and PSAC websites for more information and subscribe for regular updates (UTE-SEI). If you have any questions, please contact your UTE Local.