PSAC-component union wants to reject deal with Treasury Board

The leadership behind one of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)'s component unions is asking its members to vote against the tentative deal reached with the Treasury Board earlier this week. 

The national executive of the Canada Employment Immigration Union (CEIU), which has nearly 36,000 members, held a meeting on Monday and decided to campaign their members to not ratify the tentative deal.

"Whereas our members were under the impression that a three-year agreement was being signed, a four-year term was instead agreed to," reads a letter from the CEIU executive leadership. 

"Our members were adamant that we would not accept nine per cent over a three-year term — instead, we are being asked to accept, depending on how you do the math, either a little less or a little more than three per cent a year for a four-year term, putting our members even further behind on inflation."

In a statement on its website, PSAC said the tentative agreement includes wage increases of 12.6 per cent compounded over four years and a one-time, pensionable lump sum payment of $2,500.

The letter states members "have been loudly responsive to the tentative agreement" and leadership heard from an "overwhelming number of grassroots members" that they don't want the union to accept this deal. 

According to its website, the CEIU represents the vast majority of workers at Service Canada, Employment and Social Development Canada, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Immigration and Refugee Board. 

Its 36,000 members would represent 30 per cent of the 120,000 federal government workers who are covered by the tentative deal.

The majority of CEIU's members are in the PA bargaining group, which covers approximately 100,000 members in total. 

"Many CEIU members were also frustrated to learn that proposed language for telework does not enshrine remote work into our collective agreement," the letter continues. 

"Instead, it creates joint union-employer departmental panels that largely rely on the good will of the employer to address issues related to the Treasury Board's application of the remote work directive."

According to the letter, a majority is needed to ensure the tentative agreement isn't ratified and send the bargaining team back to the table — but another strike isn't automatic. 

On Wednesday, PSAC National President Chris Aylward addressed the letter at a news conference.

"It's up to the membership," Aylward said. "We will be conducting ratification votes in the coming weeks and it's a democratic process."

That news conference was about the lack of a deal for more than 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency workers. A tentative deal was announced to end that strike early Thursday.