Workers of Colour Symposium

The Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) will be holding a Workers of Colour Symposium on September 11-12, 2015 at the Holiday Inn Toronto-Yorkdale Hotel, 3450 Dufferin Street, Toronto.
The Symposium will allow a safe space for participants to discuss racism, discrimination, social and economic inequities in the labour movement, workplaces and our communities while accessing learning workshops that will assist individuals in developing the needed skills, tools and resources to participate fully in their workplaces and their unions. A key component of the symposium is the closing plenary where participants will develop an action plan for “Creating Change.”
The full registration package can be found online here: http://ofl.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015.09-WOC-PKG.pdf
For more information, please contact Paulette Hazel at (416) 443-7667 or 1-800- 668-9138 or via email phazel@ofl.ca.

PSAC Ads

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

I am excited to let you know that starting Tuesday, the PSAC will be running paid ads on radio, billboards, newspapers and social media.

The theme is hard-hitting: Harper’s Conservatives are bleeding our public services—vote to stop the cuts. We are putting particular focus on the cuts to EI, border security, environmental protection, search and rescue, food safety and veteran services.

Our ad agency has secured good advertising space in parts of the country where we have significant membership and where we can have the greatest impact leading to the defeat of the Conservatives and the election of a government that will re-invest in public services, jobs and the health and safety of Canadians.

Spread the word

Please help increase the scope and power of this campaign by letting members know it is happening. Spreading the word through social media is especially important. I ask that you monitor PSAC’s web site, Facebook and Twitter accounts and forward the campaign postings to others. We want to generate as much traffic as possible to our campaign web site and grow our social media followers. Our plan is already working. We have already started to put out campaign “teasers” that have been shared by several thousands. The activity has generated thousands of new Facebook fans.

Campaign materials

The regional offices will be receiving a number of additional tools. For example, we have prepared background information and talking points that explain the campaign and give facts on the key issues. That means when the campaign goes public (through the release of national and regional media releases on Tuesday) you will have what you need to answer questions from members or others. If questions come up that are not addressed in the material, please let the Communications Section or the Executive Office know.

We are producing some campaign materials centrally, in addition to the paid ads:

·       A campaign video, which will be launched on You Tube and through social media on Tuesday.

·       Buttons, which are now in production and will be mailed to the regional offices.

I know that you are curious to see and hear the ads and video. All the material can be viewed and downloaded from www.votetostopthecuts.ca as of Tuesday.

I hope you are as excited as I am about this campaign. Over the next few months, we need to reach Canadians, and particularly our members, and convince them to vote to stop the cuts. The Conservatives may have a lot of money but we have your energy, skills, experience and dedication. Let’s win this one.

In solidarity,
Robyn


http://psacunion.ca/psac-launches-new-awareness-raising-campaign-vote

Public service unions file charter challenge over sick leave changes

12 unions filed a challenge Monday, largest union plans to file its legal challenge Tuesday

Robyn Benson, national president of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, says the union is defending its right to collective bargaining. (CBC)

Twelve federal public service unions have filed a legal challenge to the budget bill passed earlier this year — and the country's largest such union plans to file its own challenge Tuesday — arguing that the bill's plan to save $900 million by overhauling sick leave and disability programs violates the country's Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

• Sick leave program overhaul needed for young public servants, prof says
• Federal government sick leave plan cost may never be public
• Tony Clement says $900M sick leave savings in budget are 'sacrosanct'
• Bill C-59: PSAC readies $5M campaign against sick leave reforms

The budget bill was passed in April, and its proposed changes to federal civil servants' sick leave provisions are one of the most contentious issues in talks with public service unions.
Those talks were temporarily stalled in May when the Public Service Alliance of Canada walked away from bargaining meetings, but Bill C-59 would give the government the ability to act before the conclusion of that process, something unions argue contravenes the Public Service Labour Relations Act.
"In our view, the portion of this legislation dealing with sick leave bargaining is unconstitutional," said a media release issued Monday by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada, one of the 12 unions that filed Monday's challenge.
"It fundamentally undermines the constitutionally protected process of collective bargaining and the right to strike."
The $900 million in savings expected with the changes to sick leave was a major piece of Finance Minister Joe Oliver's framework for reaching a $1.4-billion budget surplus for 2015-16.
The budget also said reducing long-term disability costs and other savings from unwinding the liability related to sick leave would result in savings of $200 million in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and $100 million in the following two years.
Canada's largest public sector union, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, confirmed Monday evening that it plans to file its challenge on Tuesday.
"The Supreme Court has confirmed that the right to collective bargaining is a protected right under the charter and we are defending that right through all legal means at our disposal," said Robyn Benson, PSAC's national president, in a media release.

CBC News Posted: Jun 29, 2015 9:32 PM