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The headlines for current month's news items are listed immediately below.
Click on the headline of your choice to see the entire text of the article.
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'Horizontal Review' Conservative code for possible job and service cuts
Leave with pay for blood, organ donation now available to CFIA members
Protocol reached with CFIA outlines workplace application
of Essential Service Agreement
Three former senior officials join Agriculture Union in condemning deep cuts to CGC producer protection and research budgets
Agriculture Union survey takes pulse of our young members
Local 17 members put some ‘bite’ into support
for Treasury Board bargaining teams
Union committee advances GL Model Work Description review
for our AAFC members
'Horizontal Review' Conservative code for possible job and service cuts
(Posted May 28, 2008)
The shadow of the Conservative government’s axe is looming over the heads of Agriculture Union members at the Public Service Commission and the Canada School of Public Service.
These two agencies are among six human resources organizations inside the federal government to be subjected to a recently-announced ‘horizontal review’. This exercise is part and parcel of the government’s ‘Expenditure Management System’ and ‘2008 Strategic Review’ process.
To quote the official notification from the employer: "All areas in these six organizations will be reviewed with a view to ensuring the efficiency and effectiveness of central human resources management and policy functions and to reduce duplication in the provision of human resource services to departments and agencies."
Over the years, federal public service workers have learned to greet management’s use of the terms ‘efficiency and effectiveness’ as early warning of moves to cut jobs and services.
Our bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, has accordingly urged Treasury Board to ensure management of the six agencies keep the union informed of the progress of this ‘horizontal review’. We fully expect that management at both the PSC and the CSPS will be consulting with us regarding the unfolding process, findings and possible consequences.
All Agriculture Union members, and not just those at the PSC and the CSPS, should take heed of this ‘horizontal review’. In one guise or another, it is likely coming to a department near you!
The result of this review will form part of the Harper government’s response to the second report, released last February, of the Prime Minister's Advisory Committee on the Public Service. This report may be read by clicking HERE.
Leave with pay for blood, organ donation now available to CFIA members
(Posted May 23, 2008)
We are pleased to announce that the Agriculture Union and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency have agreed, at a National Union Management Committee meeting, that our members may now apply for leave with pay for the purpose of donating blood, tissue, bone marrow and organs.
The gift of health and/or life to another is the greatest contribution any of us can make. In taking this latest step, the employer has recognized that our CFIA members should not be financially penalized for such selfless gestures.
Should our members have any problems exercising this leave with pay provision, please advise the Agriculture Union National Office.
Protocol reached with CFIA outlines workplace application of Essential Service Agreement
(Posted May 22, 2008)
Our bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, has successfully concluded the negotiation of an Essential Services Agreement (ESA) covering Agriculture Union members employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
This ‘protocol’ outlines how the terms of the ESA will be applied by the employer in the workplace. It can be downloaded and read by interested CFIA members by clicking HERE.
ESAs replace the former ‘designations’ process and are one of the many new changes to federal public service labour laws since the last round of bargaining. Unlike designations, it is the essential service, or duty, and the frequency with which the service is to be provided that determines whether or not employees will be declared essential and be limited in their ability to participate in potential strike activity.
This means that a CFIA member who receives official notification from the employer will only have to perform those parts of his or her duties that have been deemed essential.
The ESA process allows for the duties deemed essential of a co-worker to be transferred to the notified member. This ‘topping-up’ procedure results in fewer overall numbers of workers performing duties deemed essential, freeing up a correspondingly greater number of members able to participate in strike activity.
Three former senior officials join Agriculture Union in condemning deep cuts to CGC producer protection and research budgets
(Posted May 15, 2008)
The former Commissioner and two past Assistant-Commissioners of the Canadian Grain Commission have come out swinging against Conservative government agriculture spending plans that will see deep cuts to the CGC’s producer protection and research budgets.
The condemnation by these highly-credible former CGC officials, whose terms expired in 2006, came on the eve of federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz’s appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food to discuss his department’s spending plans.
The three former senior officials joined the Agriculture Union in pointing to a government spending forecast that would see CGC farm protection programs slashed by 67 per cent while its grain quality programs would be reduced by almost half and its research spending cut by 60 percent.
Read the full text of our news release by clicking HERE.
Agriculture Union survey takes pulse of our young members
(Posted May 8, 2008)
Two themes are woven through the results of a survey of a representative sampling of young Agriculture Union members: high awareness of the presence and value of our union and interest in becoming more knowledgeable and/or involved.
The Survey was designed by the General Standing Committee and carried out by the National Council among members under age 30. It flowed from a larger survey of all Agriculture Union members undertaken in 2003 for the purposes of the Structure Committee. It became clear at that time that there was a need to further examine the concerns of our younger members.
The survey revealed that, by and large, the Agriculture Union is doing a good job in reaching out to these young members. Virtually all those surveyed reported having been contacted by either the National Office or their Local. Also encouraging was the fact that all respondents had read at least part of their collective agreement.
This isn’t to say that the Agriculture Union can sit back and rest on its laurels. It is clear that we have to do a better job of educating new members on the basic understanding of union principles. While there was overwhelming backing for our union’s grassroots workplace representation and servicing roles, opinions were divided as to the role of the Union in regards to political and social action.
Our young members also identified a number of continuing barriers to greater union involvement: job insecurity from holding term rather than indeterminate positions; lack of information or knowledge, fear of managerial retaliation; and, the familiar refrain of not enough time.
Some of these issues can be addressed to initiate and maintain contact by:
• ensuring members receive follow-up information after the initial contact;
• building new and interesting Web site features; and,
• working with the PSAC to have union education delivered at more frequent and convenient times over the
Internet.
Those interested in seeing the Committee’s questionnaire and its results can do so by clicking on their choice of the following RTF or PDF formats:
 
Local 17 members put some ‘bite’ into support for Treasury Board bargaining teams
(Posted May 2, 2008)
Our bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, is now at the table attempting to secure a new collective agreement for those Agriculture Union members who are part of the core public service.
Negotiations with Treasury Board are long, hard and often frustrating. The PSAC has asked that members show their support for our bargaining teams by organizing activities in the workplace.
Local 17, representing our members employed by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Research Station in the London, Ontario area rose to the challenge last week.
Local President Dorothy Drew, Vice-President Nancy Richter and a group of enthusiastic activists organized information sessions in the two AAFC sites where Local 17 members work. While information flyers and green bargaining support wristbands were distributed, the centrepiece was the decorative cake you see in the photos below.
Almost all Local 17 members attended the information sessions, which featured an overview of the status of negotiations and an opportunity for questions and discussion.
And, of course, a chance to sample some special cake! “For now,” Nancy says, “we’ll ‘let them eat cake’, but we have confidence in our bargaining teams!”
Dorothy says the addition of a bit of fun to a serious subject resulted in a highly successful and productive event. In fact, it seems that green wristbands have now become something of a fixture in Local 17 workplaces. “They certainly do stand out!” she notes.
Union committee advances GL Model Work Description review for our AAFC members
(Posted May 1, 2008)
Progress continues to be made on the review of the Model Work Description for our GL members at Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
A union committee recently met in Ottawa to review 23 job descriptions in order to provide the employer with our comments and feedback. It is hoped that by having an open and transparent process, with member input at the early stages, we will be able to address concerns and ultimately reduce the number of grievances filed.
The committee is comprised of four representative GL members, two National Office Service Officers and a PSAC classification expert.
Information for the initial exercise came from some 150 on-site visits and surveys conducted over the past few months with GL members, supervisors and managers.
It is worth restating that the principal goal of the GL Model Work Description review is to ensure employees have an accurate work description in order to perform the duties required by the department.
We will keep you informed of developments as they occur.
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