UPDATE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR PREVIOUS UTE MEMBERS

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UPDATE: IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT FOR PREVIOUS UTE MEMBERS

March 8, 2021

Good news for former members of our union. The Canada Revenue Agency recently provided us with an update on the implementation of the monetary clauses of our new collective agreement with respect to its former employees.

Public Services Procurement Canada still plans to process the retroactive salary adjustment on March 31, 2021 and the lump sum payment of $500 in recognition of the extended implementation timeline on April 28, 2021.

We are happy to confirm that the CRA plans to pay past employees at the same time as current employees. 

We will continue to keep you informed of any updates as they become available.

In solidarity,

Marc Brière
UTE National President

UTE DONATES $10,000 TO THE BLACK CLASS ACTION TRUST FUND

UTE DONATES $10,000 TO THE BLACK CLASS ACTION TRUST FUND

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February 24, 2021

On December 10, 2020, a day recognized by the United Nations as Human Rights Day, the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) joined with the bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), in support of the legal action taken on behalf of nearly 30,000 past and present federal public service workers who identify as Black, Caribbean or of African descent.

Today we are proud to announce that UTE has approved a donation in the amount of ten thousand dollars ($10,000) to help support the class action suit.

The class action (below), which has been filed with the Federal Court of Canada, argues that Black employee exclusion has led to economic and psychological harm for thousands of public service workers since the 1970s. The claim calls on the federal government to implement a plan to truly diversify the federal public service and provide restitution to tens of thousands of Black public service workers.

While this class action was advanced independently from the Union, our support of this legal action is well within the spirit and principles of our ongoing battle against racism, including the pursuit of the end of these practices and the resolution and remedy for our members as a result of these practices.

LOCAL ANNUAL GENERAL MEETINGS

Local Annual General Meetings

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February 23, 2021

As a result of the pandemic, Local Annual General Meetings (AGMs) were put on hold as in person meetings were not possible. The Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) has been working with online tools and we are re-scheduling these AGMs as virtual meetings.

Locals will be contacting members prior to the meetings and/or elections so that members can register themselves. If your local does not have your current personal email address, they may not be able to reach you.

You can find your local by visiting https://www.ute-sei.org/en/about/locals clicking on your region and then clicking on your local. If you have an upcoming AGM scheduled, it will be listed at the top of the page. This page will also provide you with contact information for your local.

If you are not sure which local you belong to, you may email Louise Dorion dorionl@ute-sei.org (dorionl@ute-sei.org) and she can look up your membership status and provide you with this information.

PSAC Ontario Federal Disability Insurance Plan for PSAC Members

PSAC Ontario Federal Disability Insurance Plan for PSAC Members

Greetings,

PSAC Ontario will be holding a webinar on Federal Disability Insurance Plan for PSAC Members. Our guest speaker will be James Infantino, PSAC Disability Insurance and Pensions Officer.

The webinar is scheduled for:

Wednesday, March 3rd at 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm

Topics covered in the webinar will include:

  1. Federal Disability Trends
  2. Provisions of the Federal Disability Insurance Plan
  3. Filing a claim for Federal Disability Benefits
  4. Appealing an adverse decision (denial) of a federal disability claim
  5. Termination of Employment due to Disability

This webinar is open to ALL members.

Please use the following link to register:

Register Here

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to participate.

Should you have any questions, please contact Kellie Loshak at the PSAC Kingston Regional Office – loshakk@psac-afpc.com (loshakk@psac-afpc.com).

Please see the attached poster for further details.

In Solidarity,

Craig Reynolds,
PSAC Ontario Regional Executive Vice-President

Phoenix Damages Taxability Communications / Documents sur le caractère imposable du dédommagement Phénix

Phoenix Damages Taxability Communications / Documents sur le caractère imposable du dédommagement Phénix

Hi everyone,

Unfortunately, I have some bad news.

It looks like the federal government is moving ahead in paying the Phoenix damages on March 3, 2021 even if the CRA has not yet rendered its formal ruling.

We just received this message from PSAC. It will be posted any minute on its website and Susan Duncan will post it on our website immediately after and on our social media.

PSAC is finalizing Talking Points and a Call to Action for the members.

We will give you more information as soon as we receive it from PSAC.

In Solidarity,

Bonjour à tous,

Malheureusement, j’ai de mauvaises nouvelles.

Il semble que le gouvernement fédéral aille de l’avant en payant les dommages pour Phénix le 3 mars 2021, même si l’ARC n’a pas encore rendu sa décision formelle.

Nous venons de recevoir ce message de l’AFPC. Il sera publié sur leur site web d’une minute à l’autre et Susan Duncan l’affichera sur notre site web immédiatement après et sur nos médias sociaux.

L’AFPC est en train de finaliser des Points de discussion et un Appel à prendre action pour les membres.

Nous vous donnerons plus d’informations dès que nous les recevrons de l’AFPC.

En toute solidarité,

Marc Brière

Président national / National President
Syndicat des employé-e-s de l’Impôt / Union of Taxation Employees


Government rushing Phoenix damages payment without tax ruling 

The Liberal government has shamelessly chosen the 5th anniversary of the Phoenix pay system disaster to short-change thousands of PSAC members on their compensation for years of pay problems. 

Even though PSAC is in the process of working with CRA to review the taxability of Phoenix damages, the federal government has confirmed that it intends to ignore these efforts and issue the up to $2,500 for our members, on March 3 – with taxes deducted.

“The government still has time to do the right thing,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward.  “General damages should not be taxed, so we’re calling on key ministers to immediately intervene to fix this before payments are issued.”

The $2,500 settlement, even if taxed, is still greater than the five days of leave offered to PSAC members, but it represents a violation of the language we negotiated into the agreement. PSAC maintains that general damages paid to all employees for ‘stress, aggravation, pain and suffering’ and for the late implementation of collective agreements are non-taxable, as CRA has acknowledged other specific damages in the settlement should be treated.

“It’s a slap in the face to the tens of thousands of PSAC members who suffered years of pay problems, and then worked non-stop during this pandemic to deliver aid and benefits to millions of Canadians in crisis,” said PSAC National President Chris Aylward.

PSAC will pursue every legal route to secure the full compensation that our members are entitled to. This includes tax challenges that would retroactively see our members reimbursed should the payments be issued as planned on March 3, but our goal remains to avoid any time-consuming and complex tax disputes for our members.

“Phoenix short-changed PSAC members for years – the last thing they deserve is for the government to short-change them again,” added Aylward.

PSAC will continue to work to resolve this problem and updates will follow in the coming days.

Caractère imposable du dédommagement Phénix : le gouvernement agit sans attendre la décision 

Pour souligner le 5e anniversaire du cauchemar Phénix, le gouvernement libéral a décidé de flouer des milliers de membres de l’AFPC en leur faisant payer de l’impôt sur un dédommagement visant à compenser tous les problèmes causés par le système de paye Phénix. C’est scandaleux!

Pourtant, l’AFPC était en pourparlers avec l’Agence du revenu du Canada (ARC) au sujet du caractère imposable du dédommagement Phénix. Ne tenant pas compte de ces efforts, le gouvernement a confirmé qu’il verserait le 3 mars les indemnités, qui peuvent aller jusqu’à 2 500 $, en qu’il en déduirait de l’impôt.

« Il est encore temps pour le gouvernement de corriger le tir, déclare Chris Aylward, président national de l’AFPC. Un dédommagement, ce n’est pas imposable. C’est pourquoi nous demandons aux ministres concernés d’intervenir immédiatement pour régler la situation. »

Même avec les retenues d’impôt, le dédommagement de 2 500 $ est bien mieux que les cinq jours de congé offerts à nos membres, mais il reste que cette décision du gouvernement est contraire à ce que nous avions négocié. Pour l’AFPC, le dédommagement pour « stress, exaspération, douleur et souffrance » et pour la mise en œuvre tardive des conventions collectives doit être exempt d’impôt, ce qu’a d’ailleurs confirmé l’ARC au sujet d’autres dédommagements.

« C’est une insulte aux dizaines de milliers de membres de l’AFPC qui souffrent depuis des années à cause de Phénix et qui, malgré tout, ont travaillé sans relâche durant la pandémie pour venir en aide à des millions de Canadiens et Canadiennes », s’indigne Chris Aylward.

L’AFPC poursuivra toutes les voies légales afin d’obtenir la pleine indemnisation à laquelle nos membres ont droit. Nous entreprendrons notamment des contestations fiscales qui permettraient à nos membres d’être remboursés rétroactivement si les paiements étaient versés comme prévu le 3 mars. Nous espérons toutefois éviter de longs et complexes litiges fiscaux.

« Phénix a pénalisé les membres de l’AFPC pendant des années. Ils ne méritent vraiment pas que le gouvernement les pénalise à nouveau », ajoute Chris Aylward.

L’AFPC continuera de travailler à résoudre ce problème et fera le point dans les prochains jours.




Call To Action Link & Link to Thursday’s Town Hall

Call To Action Link & Link to Thursday’s Town Hall

Outsourcing starting THIS MONTH

Dear Brothers & Sisters,

Thanks to the hundreds of you that watched the townhall live Thursday night and the hundreds of you that have already clicked our “Save Our Jobslink and took that incredibly effective & simple action within the first 24 hours.

Now is the time to keep taking action!
30 SECONDS CAN HELP SAVE OUR JOBS!

If you haven’t, please take action right now. It can save hundreds and thousands of jobs later.
If you haven’t yet, please forward this call to action to anyone you know (coworkers, family & friends) who want to help save our jobs and protect our families: https://www.ute-local48.org/stop-outsourcing-at-cra”

If you haven’t yet, please forward this call to action to anyone you know working for CRA anywhere across Canada: https://www.ute-local48.org/stop-outsourcing-at-cra.

Let our MPs do what we elected them to do… FIGHT FOR US! FIGHT FOR OUR JOBS! FIGHT FOR OUR FAMILIES!

Click the link above to let your MP, the Minister of National Revenue and the Commissioner of CRA know that their praise and thank yous for all of us who helped Canada and Canadians when they needed us most last year are hollow words when they start outsourcing our jobs THIS MONTH! Less than one year later!

Shame on them!

TO WATCH Thursday’s townhall again and hear the powerful words shared by our union leaders and get some answers click HERE (The above Call to Action link is also in this YouTube link when you click on “more”).

Protect your job!

Protect your family!

Help your community grow with union jobs, union wages & union benefits!

TAKE ACTION NOW!

In solidarity,
Your UTE Local 00001 Executives and Stewards

Stop CRA Outsourcing: We Are Fighting Back!

Stop CRA Outsourcing: We Are Fighting Back!

We are fighting back! We cannot allow the CRA to outsource union work. Last night we hosted a townhall with PSAC National President Chris Aylward, UTE National President Marc Briere, and MP Matthew Green, Critic of Public Services.

Brother Aylward said the outsourcing action doesn’t make any sense as it’s about 130 agents being outsourced, which will not have a significant impact on the service level. He has committed to putting the PSAC’s full weight on this campaign.

Locally, your Greater Toronto Region UTE; Toronto North, Toronto East, Toronto Center, Toronto West, and Barrie have mounted a campaign with the support of UTE Regional, National, and the PSAC to stop the dangerous action.

The call to action is simple but very effective, click the link to send an email to your MP, the Minister of National Revenue, and the Commissioner of the CRA. It takes less than 30 seconds. Within hours, hundreds of you have already sent letters, we need this to be thousands and thousands.

Members must do their part to demonstrate that employees do not accept this union-busting action. PSAC and UTE are doing their part to combat this and together our efforts can stop this. We are calling on all members to complete this call to action.

Please consider sharing this with your friends and family to sign, it is important that they too know about what is taking place in CRA and that the people on the other end of the phone could now be a third-party company and not CRA Agents.

WRITE TO MP/MINISTER

View Townhall

In solidarity,

Your GTR Presidents

Please add your voice here:
https://www.ute-local48.org/stop-outsourcing-at-cra

If you would like to view the Townhall from last night, click here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cyLDq50Ugxs

Link for Townhall TONIGHT

Link for Townhall TONIGHT

Thank you to the hundreds of members across the country that registered for this townhall. Members are not happy about the CRA’s outsourcing plans. We have received your questions will be answering them and issuing a call to action.

Please join us!

On Monday afternoon, CRA announced the outsourcing of over one hundred call centre jobs. All CRA call centre jobs until now have been our jobs. Jobs that support us and our families! What CRA is doing is unprecedented and is no doubt the tip of the iceberg.

130 UTE jobs this month, all 28,000 in no time.

This is no different than scab labor coming in during a strike to break a union. Urgent action is needed by all of us now to stop it before it starts.

You can learn how to take that action, ask questions and learn more about why we need to stop this dead in its tracks before it starts at the town hall.

This short live one-hour town hall will be tomorrow night, Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 from 7:00-8:00 PM EST. All UTE locals are invited.

To ask questions you can:
  1. Send them in with your RSVP to be able to ask them anonymously.
  2. Login to YouTube tomorrow night and ask your questions live.

In Solidarity,

Your Greater Toronto Region UTE Presidents

“Call to Action: Stop CRA’s Announced Outsourcing!” town hall – Thursday, Feb. 4th, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. RSVP ASAP!

“Call to Action: Stop CRA’s Announced Outsourcing!” town hall – Thursday, Feb. 4th, 2021, 7:00 PM – 8:00 PM. RSVP ASAP!

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

On Monday afternoon, CRA announced the outsourcing of over one hundred call centre jobs. All CRA call centre jobs until now have been our jobs.
Jobs that support us and our families!

What CRA is doing is unprecedented and is no doubt the tip of the iceberg.

130 UTE jobs this month, all 28,000 in no time.

This is no different than scab labour coming in during a strike to break a union. Urgent action is needed by all of us now to stop it before it starts.

You can learn how to take that action, ask questions and learn more about why we need to stop this dead in its tracks before it starts at the town hall.

Click on the link below to RSVP now!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePTguDXrLvief8AvGL0EOZwlJSjgrS5WG9cuPvBWQJYRUy6w/viewform

This short live one hour town hall will be tomorrow night (Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021 from 7:00-8:00 PM).

You can watch anonymously by using the attached link.

To ask questions you can:
  1. Send them in with your RSVP to be able to ask them anonymously.
  2. Login to YouTube tomorrow night and ask your questions live.

Click on the link below to RSVP now!
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSePTguDXrLvief8AvGL0EOZwlJSjgrS5WG9cuPvBWQJYRUy6w/viewform

In solidarity,

Your GTR local UTE Presidents