April 2015 Newsletter

DAY OF ACTION
‘‘19’’
April 2015
PSAC Atlantic
Members of UEW locals 90001 & 90002, GSU local 90011, PIPSC and CAPE
organized a plant gate in the morning, held their 19 minute health walk during
their lunch break and signed posters of support for their bargaining teams.
In This Issue
Support healthy workplaces - sign the pledge at psac.com

Recap of activities for the
Day of Action

Honourable mention: flash
mob in St. John’s, NL

Young Workers Committee
established in St. John’s,
NL

Federal budget 2015
Recap of activities for the Day of Action
New Brunswick
USGE locals 60128 & 60020, Westmorland/Dorchester, NB
UEW local 60067, St. Andrews, NB
USGE local 60003, Fredericton, NB
UNDE local 60303, Oromocto, NB
To view pictures of all the events that took place, please visit www.psacatlantic.ca under the Day of Action.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Why the 19?
The next federal election
will be held on October
19, 2015 if Prime Minister
Harper follows his own
law. On the 19th of every
month, we are asking our
members to be creative in
highlighting the number
19.
Need
assistance for
the day of
action?
UEW locals 90001 & 90002, GSU local 90011,
PIPSC and CAPE, St. John’s, NL
CEIU local 90113, St. John’s, NL
Do you need any kind of
material? Contact us, we
can help!
Nova Scotia
Schedule of
activities for
the 19th of the
month.
Tuesday, May 19
Friday, June 19
Friday, July 17
Wednesday, August 19
Friday, September 18
Monday, October 19
CEIU local 80215, Bridgewater, NS
To view pictures of all the events that took place, please visit www.psacatlantic.ca under the Day of Action.
New Brunswick
Dorchester: Members of USGE locals 60020 & 60128 organized a rally
during their lunch break.
St. Andrews: Members of UEW local 60067 wore black. They provided
information on bargaining and also handed out black licorice to their
members. (some members ate the licorice others chose to wear it)
Fredericton: The newly elected local executive of USGE local 60003
informed their members regarding the Days of Action events and took a
picture of those members to show support for their bargaining team.
Oromocto: Members of UNDE local 60303 organized a rally during their
lunch break and the kitchen staff wore their sick leave t-shirts over their
uniforms for 19 minutes.
Nova Scotia
Bridgewater: Members of CEIU local 80215 organized a rally to
demonstrate their support for their bargaining team.
Newfoundland and Labrador
St. John's: Members of UEW locals 90001 & 90002, GSU local 90011,
PIPSC and CAPE organized a plant gate in the morning, held their 19
minute health walk during their lunch break and signed posters of
support for their bargaining teams.
St. John’s: Members of CEIU local 90113 held their 12th consecutive
rally to protect their sick leave.
Honourable Mention
National
Public Service
Week
Members of CEIU locals 90113 & 90118 and AGR local 90001 did
a flash mob on April 2, 2015 at the Avalon Mall in St. John's, NL to
highlight the importance of public services and the need to elect a
government that will not only protect but strengthen public services.
''In the current climate of
distrust, considering the
ongoing assaults coming
from the government of
Canada and upcoming
contract negotiations for
thousands of our members, the relevance of
such activities is nonexistent. We are again
asking you to boycott
this event.''
-Robyn Benson
National President, PSAC
Webinar: let’s
get political
Find out how to exercise
your political rights while
protecting your job.
WHEN: May 20, 2015 at
7 p.m. (Atlantic)
WHERE: From the
comfort of your home
HOW: Registering on our
website
Scholarships
We are now accepting
applications for
scholarships available to
PSAC members and their
children through our
scholarship program.
Deadline for all
applications is June 26,
2015.
Visit psacunion.ca
Young Workers Committee
It's official, we have a Young Workers Committee established in St. John's, NL!
Congratulations to those members elected:
Chair: Leanne Moss (GSU)
Vice-Chair: Joshua Barrett (TAUMUN)
Treasurer: Andrew Brushett (CEIU)
Secreatary: Tim Ouellette (UNE)
Thank you to the RVP's who came to the meeting to show their support.
GOVERNMENT THREATENS COLLECTIVE
BARGAINING RIGHTS IN FEDERAL BUDGET
The federal government said it will eliminate the existing sick leave provisions for
federal public service workers, whether or not an agreement is reached at the
bargaining table.
“The government is putting a time limit on the collective bargaining process and
trying to pre-determine the outcome of bargaining, ” said Robyn Benson, PSAC
National President. “That’s simply unacceptable. ”
“We will be consulting with our members to determine what actions we will take to
defend our constitutionally protected collective bargaining rights. We will start
next week at PSAC’s National Convention where more than 700 leaders will be
meeting.”
The government's "go to work sick" plan is a step in the wrong direction.
The Parliamentary Budget Officer and Statistics Canada have refuted all claims
by this government that sick leave is a burden on Canadians. On the contrary – it
is essential to maintain a healthy workplace and quality public services.
“Our focus is always to strengthen public services and ensure a healthy
workplace,” said Benson. “The government is threatening to derail an ongoing
bargaining process that was delivering positive results for the government, our
members and the Canadian public.”
Public Service Cuts Continue
The government’s operational freeze will continue for the 2015-16 fiscal year and
it projects that it will lapse on billions of dollars of program expenditures. These
are back-door cuts that will have a significant impact on public services.
“The government has devastated public services and they seem intent on going
into an election with plans to make it worse,” said Benson.
Instead of using the EI surplus to fund greater access to job training so Canadians
can get back to work, the government plans to cut EI premiums.