It’s now the 124th day of this strike for fair wages and working conditions that are the norm in the rest of the country. These workers are striking for wages that keep up with the Northern cost of living and for the employer to withdraw concessions that would strip rights from term and casual workers and affect their northern allowance and bilingual bonuses.

Workers are fighting for respect and dignity in the face of bargaining that is often tinged with racism and sexism, and the employer has brought in scab labour who are being provided with housing and food allowances and benefits that striking workers have never had access to.

You can make a huge difference by showing your support!

When: 9am to 10 am, Friday, July 21st

Where: 130 Albert Street, Ottawa

“It’s time to get back to basics. Strong locals make our union strong. We have challenges ahead, but regardless of what the next few years hold, we’ll face those challenges together,” said Silas. “It’s time to take our hard lessons learned and apply them to our next steps so we can continue to make gains for workers and make our movement stronger.”

Alex started his journey as a union activist and shop steward in DCL 71250 working as a Bank of Canada Security Officer. His early involvement started with the Young Workers Committee and he was then elected alternate regional executive vice president in 2018. In March 2020, he was appointed to the position and was elected REVP in 2021.

Alex chairs the Young Workers and Political Action portfolios and co-chairs the Official Languages and DCL portfolios. He is also the AEC officer responsible for Non-Public Funds, NAV Canada and Parks Canada bargaining.

Diane Girouard was re-elected Treasurer.

Three new Members-At-Large were elected to the Regional Executive for 2023 – 2026, including Christian Smith, Leslie Pamphille, and Luke Periard.

Patricia Pichette, Christian Smith, and Christine Griffin were elected to the finance committee.

Andre Miller was re-elected as Separate Employers Rep.

Candice McMullen, Gordan Marshall, and Addison Herman were elected Alternate Members-At-Large and Rasha Al-Naqeeb and Rubin Kooner were elected finance committee alternates. Eugene Stone was elected alternate Separate Employers Rep.

Over 240 delegates, observers and guests participated in the convention June 16 – 18, 2023.

Members of the CSE group are now invited to vote on their respective tentative agreement. The following is some information you will need to know prior to voting:​

• PSAC Regulation 15 makes it clear that all members must attend the information session in its entirety before voting. Information sessions start at the times indicated on the schedule.
• For the in-person session you will need to register in advance and show a piece of identification to vote. In order to speed up the verification process (and thus the time it will take for you and others to vote), please bring your PSAC ID Card if you have one.
• For virtual session, you must register in advance and your credentials will have been verified in advance.
• If you have questions, please write to your local at Local70654@gmail.com.

Ratification Kit & Memo :

• C0004 tentative agreement
• C0004 memorandum of settlement

PSAC NCR’s CSE Information & Voting Session Schedule

45 TO 60 MINUTE SESSIONS BETWEEN JULY 19 AND 20, 2023

• Regulation 15, Sections 3.11.8 to 3.11.11 on Ratification Votes

Please read the following information in order to assess whether you meet the conditions to apply.

Prerequisites:

• The Hardship Fund will not be available to members who are on paid leave or leave of absence during the strike, members designated for essential services or who otherwise crossed the picket line without the expressed authorization of the Strike Coordinator
• Must be a member in good standing
• Requests are not for the purpose of supplementing strike pay or to cover loss of salary normally earned at work
• Requests must be for a tangible emergency or undue hardship
• The member must have exhausted all other options including deferral of loans
• Any other supplementary pay or top up (Component and local) will be considered in a decision
• A member must have received strike pay for at least three days to be eligible for a payment
• The member must not be receiving pay for more than one pay period (normally at least three weeks)
• An applicant must provide the committee with a declaration of all income earned by their household for the period of the strike.

If you meet all of the criteria, please complete the application form linked here.

Who is eligible for accommodated picket duties?  

PSAC National President Chris Aylward has indicated that the upcoming Treasury Board strike will not have any virtual strike component. This means that to receive strike pay, picketers are expected to show up for a 4-hour picket shift at a picket line.

Accommodated picket duties are intended for people with any type of Canadian Human Rights Act accommodations. However, going on strike may give rise to other types of accommodation needs. This procedure allows members with such needs to seek accommodated strike duties. We realize this will not be a perfect system, but PSAC-NCR aims to create an inclusive procedure for accommodations for members.  

Note: Accommodated picket duties are not for those who have a dentist appointment, vacation request, live too far from the picket line, etc. These duties are solely for members who require accommodation based on a CHRA protected ground.  

How do members request an accommodated duty? 

1. A member with an CHRA-based accommodation need(s) makes their need(s) known to the union by contacting, in confidence, the NCR Strike Accommodation Committee (PSAC-NCR staff members and select members who have taken an oath of confidentiality).   
2. Members can contact the committee via the google form below.
3. The committee will review the accommodation requests and decide on whether the member can be accommodated for alternate strike duties.   
4. Members who acquire an injury, a disability, or have other needs arise for accommodation during the strike, or who were otherwise unable to sign up for accommodations prior to a strike, can also go through this procedure. 
5. Depending on the nature of the request, we may require additional documentation to find a picketing solution that works for you and that conforms to the direction we have been given by PSAC’s National President. Please only submit this documentation if you are contacted by the committee to do so. 
6. Examples of documentation may include: Accommodation approval letter or workplace accommodation plan at the workplace, a doctor’s note, ODSP approval documents; Family-status accommodations (such as care of an ill child or parent) and might be a doctor’s note from the care provider; A pregnancy-related accommodation might be a due date letter that includes information about the need for bed rest. No diagnoses need to be included in any documentation. 

The following are some duties that may be available 

Picket Line Support  

• Scanning members in and out of the picket line (can be seated in a designated area for this work)  
• On-site ULink support (can be at a table outside or in one of the trailers on site) 

Headquarters Support (at the Ottawa Regional Office, 233 Gilmour)  

• Answering phone calls from members (FAQ)  
• Finding members their PSAC ID on Ulink 
• Data entry where needed 
• Calling members:  
  Who have not signed up for picket duty/make sure they know about the strike  
  Who did not show up to picket lines 
  Who have ESA letters to let them know how they can support the strike  

Click here for a new tab to fill out the form or fill it out below: