We know you are all impatiently waiting to learn when the new collective agreement will finally be signed. Many of you have contacted us regarding this issue.
As mentioned by the Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner in an email sent to employees on September 30th, the CRA, as a separate employer, must seek approval of the agreement from the Governor in Council (this is in fact the Cabinet of the federal government and the Governor General). Once the Governor in Council approves it, it will publish an Order in Council. Then, the CRA and the PSAC-UTE will meet shortly thereafter to sign the new collective agreement.
The Cabinet is expected to meet to approve our agreement at the end of October or early November.
We therefore anticipate being able to sign the new collective agreement in mid-November unless an emergency arises that would postpone the meeting of the Cabinet.
As soon as we have confirmation from CRA that it has received the Order in Council, we will inform you of the specific date of signing of the new collective agreement.
As you now know, most of you voted in favour of the tentative agreement reached on July 25th between our bargaining team and the CRA team.
Finally, we have our new contract! And it’s thanks to you that we have come this far.
You are the union!
Indeed, your unwavering support for our bargaining team has been invaluable and has greatly contributed to our success.
In fact, the CRA and the government had no choice but to recognize your exceptional work and especially what you have accomplished since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
As your National President, this makes me very proud and I absolutely want to thank you all very much.
Of course, I would also like to congratulate and thank our bargaining team for their excellent work and great dedication.
Indeed, under the leadership of our Second National Vice-President, Brother Adam Jackson, who is responsible for UTE negotiations, our team has achieved the goals it set out to accomplish:
Which were:
To improve the work-life balance and working conditions for all our members and especially for call centre employees;
and, of course, to achieve wage increases that at least match the cost of living.
In addition to Brother Jackson, I want to thank each and every member of the team. For UTE, they are Brother Jamie vanSydenborgh, who is the Co-chair of our National Bargaining Committee, along with Brothers Gary Esslinger, Greg Krokosh, Cosimo Crupi, Eddy Aristil, Brian Oldford and Shane O’Brien and Sister Michelle Neill. For the PSAC, Brothers Morgan Gay, Negotiator, and Pierre-Samuel Proulx, Research Officer.
I would also like to take this opportunity to thank PSAC National President Brother Chris Aylward for his unwavering support.
Finally, I must absolutely acknowledge the ongoing support and commitment of our Locals who have organized a multitude of activities to mobilize and keep you informed throughout this round of bargaining and the UTE Executive Council Officers for their continued support to our Locals and to you, our members.
Thank you so much to all our union representatives, whether at the local, regional or national level. Keep up the great work!
Sisters and Brothers, all together, we have shown once again that solidarity works! Again and always.
And now, what's next?
Well, in the coming weeks, the Governor in Council of the federal government will officially approve the agreement and we will meet with CRA representatives to sign the new collective agreement.
Except for wage increases, almost all of which are retroactive, the terms of the new contract come into effect on the date of signing.
Rest assured that as soon as the contract is signed, you will be the first ones to be informed.
Thank you and take good care of yourself and your loved ones.
The new collective agreements for the PA, TC and EB groups cover the 2018-2021 period, while the new PSAC-UTE collective agreement covers the 2016-2021 period. All agreements provide for fair wages, no concessions and improved working conditions.
“I am proud of the elected members of our bargaining teams for their unwavering dedication during this round of talks,” said Chris Aylward, PSAC National President. “Thanks to their hard work and the solidarity shown by thousands of members across the country, we were able to negotiate a fair deal. We’re now in a strong position to build on these improvements in the next round of bargaining.”
Next Steps
In the coming weeks, PSAC will meet with Treasury Board and CRA representatives to sign the new collective agreements. With the exception of monetary provisions, which are retroactive, new contract terms come into effect on the date of signing.
Both employers have 180 days from the signing of the contracts to implement wage increases, wage adjustments and allowances. As explained in the ratification kits, in view of this extended implementation timeline, PSAC negotiated a $500 lump sum payment into all contracts.
PSAC will update members when contracts are signed. Please keep your contact information up to date via the member portal.
UTE SURVEY ON RACISM, DISCRIMINATION AND HARASSMENT
September 23, 2020
Sisters and Brothers,
I wanted to reach out to you, in my capacity as Chair of the UTE Equal Opportunities (EO) Committee. Now, more than ever, we are acutely aware of concerns raised by some of our members with respect to harassment, discrimination and marginalization. Over the past few months, I have been engaging with the CRA National Employment Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, the PSAC National Human Rights Committee, Union Leaders, members of various equity and community groups, attending many on-line learning events and open forums, reading relevant books and publications, and speaking to our racialized members and members of the EO Committee, in order to educate myself as to how we can do things better.
The EO Committee was given a mandate by our National President to consult and engage with our members to collect information and to come up with some concrete actions to address racism, systemic bias and discrimination at CRA and within the Union. We recognize that in order to do so, we need to hear from the people with lived experiences. Thus, we have created a survey that will allow you to share your own personal observations and provide us with specific areas to focus on. Recommendations and potential solutions would be welcomed. The survey is very user friendly and completely anonymous and can be accessed via the following link: UTE Survey on Racism, Discrimination and Harassment
Thank you in advance for completing and promoting our survey. The information gathered will be an important step towards achieving the Committee’s mandate and improving our members’ terms and conditions of employment and participation within our union.
I hope you all are keeping safe and well. I know many of you are excited to sign off on the contract being proposed and enjoy seeing your enthusiasm.
As we come to our first round of ratification information sessions, I wanted to provide you some assistance to ensure for a successful voter turn out.
This email has all the information that you need for the upcoming vote, and who to contact if you have encountered any issues along the way.
This link has great information and goes through all the steps for SP employees.
The ratification information session is paid time off using code 6990 but the actual vote itself is not, you can vote at any time between August 27th and September 29th, 2020.
In order to be eligible to vote you must:
have received your personal identification number (PIN)
ensure you are a member in good standing (MIGS), and
attend a 15 minute webinar session.
The voting period will be held between August 27 and September 29. Please follow the steps below to ensure you can vote.
1. Receive your Personal Identification Number (PIN)
For those PSAC members for whom we have no personal email, we will send a letter in the mail containing your PIN to your home address two weeks before the beginning of the voting period. If we have a non-employer, personal e-mail address on file, we will instead send you an email with your PIN two days before the start of the voting period.
Please take a moment to update your contact information and provide us with your personal, non-work email address. You can update your contact information online by logging into the PSAC member portal or create an account if you don’t already have one.
If you have not received your PIN after the voting period begins, please check your junk e-mail folder and if it is not found there contact your PSAC Regional Office.
2. Ensure you are a member in good standing (MIGS)
In some situations, PSAC members cease being members in good standing (MIGS) and lose the right to participate in ratification votes.
If you are on extended leave
If you are on extended leave (e.g., long term disability, maternity or parental leave) and therefore not a member in good standing (MIGS), you can make a request to remain in good standing to the National President via this online form. This will allow you to participate in the ratification vote.
If you have not signed a union card or are unsure that it has been processed
If you are unsure that you have previously signed a card or are unsure that it has been processed, simply fill out a new card online.
Even if you are already a member in good standing, please take a moment to give us your personal, non-work email address. You can update your contact information online right now.
In order to ensure that members are fully informed prior to casting their ballot, the PSAC Constitution requires all members to attend an information session before they vote for a new collective agreement. These 15 minute presentations will be held via online webinar and will allow members to cast their ballot once the presentation is over. Members will also have the opportunity to stay online after the presentation should they want to ask questions regarding the content of the tentative agreement. The dates and times of the webinars will be listed on your PSAC regional website, and you will have to register in advance.
Attendance will be tracked so participation must be done as an individual (i.e. if there are multiple members in the household you must each register separately and log in separately). Only those who registered and attend the full presentation will have their member profile updated on the electronic voting system, enabling them to vote. Voting will then be done online or via telephone.
Here is the link to register for one of the information sessions. ** Please ensure you have signed up for the CRA/UTE information session as there are other components of PSAC that are also ratifying their own agreements.
All information is available on www.ontario.psac.com; if anyone has any additional questions I can gladly assist with getting them a timely response so they can vote on this agreement.
If you would prefer to read the text of the video, you will find it below:
Sisters and Brothers,
It gives me great pleasure to speak to you today.
Our members’ job security is very important to us.
That’s why for almost twenty (20) years now, the Union of Taxation Employees has been demanding that the employer treat its term employees in the same manner as their colleagues in other federal government departments and agencies, by offering them an administrative conversion that grants them permanent status after working for a cumulative period of three (3) years.
In October 2007, an important first step was taken when the Agency created a Term Employment Policy. Under this policy, a person working at the Canada Revenue Agency was henceforth offered this administrative conversion, at the level of his or her substantive position, after having worked for a cumulative period of five (5) years without having a break in service of more than thirty (30) consecutive calendar days during that period. This policy, part of the Agency's Staffing Program, is still in effect thirteen (13) years later.
Since my election as UTE National President three years ago, I have consistently asked the employer to change its policy to reduce the cumulative period required for conversion from five (5) to three (3) years. The Agency Commissioner has always been open-minded on this subject during our discussions, but without making the change.
As part of the Agency's Staffing Program Redesign project launched in the spring of 2018, we once again submitted this request, but the employer indicated to us that it was not yet ready to move forward with this initiative, but agreed to continue talks. We have also included this request as a high priority in our bargaining demand package for the renewal of our collective agreement. However, the employer refused to discuss it at the bargaining table because this policy falls under the Agency's Staffing Program, which is governed by the Canada Revenue Agency Act.
Therefore, in parallel with the negotiation of our collective agreement, discussions between the UTE National Office and the Agency Commissioner's Office continued in the fall of 2019 and have intensified in recent months. It goes without saying that we have been able to capitalize from the leverage provided by the current negotiations.
Finally, on July 25th, when our bargaining team was ready to reach a tentative agreement on the renewal of our contract, the Commissioner and I agreed that it was time to reduce from five (5) to three (3) years the cumulative period of service required for term employees to get their permanency.
And for this, Mr. Hamilton, I thank you.
Following this, our two offices worked together to establish a Memorandum of Agreement on this subject.
I am extremely pleased to inform you that this Memorandum of Agreement between the Union of Taxation Employees and the Canada Revenue Agency was signed on August 18th and will take effect as of November 1st, 2020.
For those of you interested in reading it, the full text of the Memorandum of Agreement will be available later today on the UTE and PSAC websites and Facebook pages.
Now, what does this change really mean?
Well, for hundreds of our members who are term employees and who will have at least three (3) years of continuous service without a break in service of more than thirty (30) consecutive calendar days as of November 1st, 2020, this means that they will be automatically offered a conversion to indeterminate status without further delay.
The Employer will notify affected employees in writing prior to November 1st, 2020.
Please note that due to the large number of files, the processing of the appropriate documents will be completed between November 1st, 2020 and March 31st, 2021. However, this will not affect the effective date of indeterminate status for those employees being converted.
Under the terms of the Memorandum of Agreement, the Agency will make every effort to ensure that term employees who are UTE members and who reach the three (3) year threshold, but who are on loan to another branch or region, will be appointed indeterminately to their former position in their home branch and region. A good example would be employees who worked in the Accounts Receivable National Inventory and are currently working as a call centre agent.
However, if an employee wishes to remain in his or her current temporary branch or region and be converted to an indeterminate position in that Branch or region, the CRA will make every reasonable effort to accommodate those requests on an individual basis.
For the remainder of our term members who have not yet reached the three (3) years of continuous service required for conversion as of November 1st, this change still means that you are closer to the goal of gaining your permanency with the Agency.
So, in conclusion, dear Sisters and Brothers, this is truly an historic moment!
It is a great victory for UTE and its members!
This major change will definitely have a lasting and extremely positive impact for thousands of our current and future members. In fact, it will make a real difference in their lives by providing them with the job security and peace of mind that each and every one of us is looking for.
Thank you for your attention and take good care of yourself and your loved ones!
Ratification Voting Information (Voting Timeframe Now Open)
Members are invited to participate in an online ratification process. Details for votes in the Ontario region are below. Please check back frequently for the most up-to-date information.
Your Personal Identification Number (PIN) for voting will be sent to your personal email address (if we have one on file) or to your home mailing address, and should arrive the week of August 24th. Please check your junk email bin, looking for key words “vote”, “Intelivote” or “PSAC” if it hasn’t arrived in your inbox August 24th.
You must register for a webinar with a personal email. If you do not have a personal email address please contact the Regional Office using the enquiry email or telephone number associated with your bargaining unit in the tables below. The Regional Office will assist you with registering for a webinar.
Registering with a work email will result in your registration being denied, and you will be asked to re-register.
Note: Members must register individually for a webinar even if you reside in the same household with other bargaining unit members.
The Online Ratification vote schedule is now up and the timeframe has opened. You may register for the dates noted below or scroll down to the CRA schedule at The Treasury Board and Agency Vote Schedule
CRA Schedule (Thursdays and Saturday September 19th)
The PSAC just published a message to the members on its website regarding ratification vote and what they need to do to be eligible to vote.
The webinars (information and question and answer sessions) for members regarding the tentative agreement will be held from Monday, August 24 to Friday, September 25 inclusively.
The voting period will also begin on Monday, August 24th and end on Tuesday, September 29th.
I would like to remind you that in order to ensure that members are fully informed prior to casting their ballot, the PSAC Constitution requires all members to attend an information session before they vote for a new collective agreement.
UTE will also post this message on its website next Monday.
At my request, CRA will also send an email message on this subject to all our members early next week. In fact, it will be sent to all CRA employees.
In Solidarity,
Version française *** The English version precedes ***
Bonjour consoeurs et confrères,
L’AFPC vient tout juste de publier un message aux membres sur son site Internet concernant le vote de ratification et ce qu’il faut faire pour avoir le droit de voter.
Les webinaires (séances d’information et de questions et réponses) à l’intention des membres concernant l’entente de principe se tiendront à compter du lundi 24 août jusqu’au vendredi 25 septembre inclusivement.
La période de vote commencera également lundi le 24 août et se terminera mardi le 29 septembre.
J’aimerais vous rappeler qu’afin de s’assurer que les membres sont pleinement informés avant de voter, les statuts de l’AFPC exigent que tous les membres assistent à une séance d’information avant de voter pour une nouvelle convention collective.
Le SEI publiera également ce message sur son site Internet lundi prochain.
À ma demande, l’ARC enverra aussi un message par courriel à ce sujet à l’intention de tous nos membres en début de semaine prochaine. En fait, il sera envoyé à tous les employés de l’ARC.
En toute solidarité,
Marc Brière
Président national / National President
Syndicat des employé-e-s de l’Impôt / Union of Taxation Employees
Join Toronto North tonight, July 25, 2020 at 7 pm for an impromptu town hall on the major deal reached by PSAC-UTE and the CRA. Joining the conversation will be Brother Adam Jackson, UTE’s Vice President for Bargaining.
Brother Jackson will also answer any questions that you may have. All UTE members are invited, including those from other Locals so please share this poster.
Once the stream starts, you can post your questions and comments in the comments field, which will then be read and projected on the screen.
