On December 1, RVP, Carol Osborne and Local President, Annie Thériault welcomed the National President to the Moncton Parole Office & the Atlantic District Office (Local 60074) in Moncton, NB, for site visits.
During the meeting at the Moncton Parole Office, Local President Thériault encouraged the members to get involved with the Local and identified that there will be future opportunities for union training in 2024. She stressed the importance of building the local executive and encouraged members to contact her if there was any interest in getting involved. She also shared that all members may avail themselves of union training.
National President, David Neufeld asked those in attendance about their understanding of the PSAC and the USJE. He provided clarification of the role that USJE plays in the broader union structure. He also spoke about the USJE newsletter, which provides monthly updates on what the USJE is doing.
President Neufeld spoke about the USJE Convention which took place this past summer. He explained the National Strike fund and the levy that is being applied of $5.00/member/month. He spoke about membership engagement and that the Convention also passed a resolution for a Triennial Equity Conference.
All 3 representatives spoke about the importance of the mental health of the members and how the Presumptive Injury Campaign and Bill C-357 may impacts this. RVP Osborne explained that members who are injured at work as a result of the work they do, should not have to fight for Worker’s Compensation or Disability. It is inherent in the work of all Correctional staff. RVP Osborne encouraged members to meet with their MPs to discuss Bill C-357. She offered to accompany any member who feels uncomfortable with meeting an elected official alone.
Telework was a topic of discussion and through the last round of bargaining a Joint Panel is to be established in the new year. President Neufeld advised that the telework policy should be flexible. Parole Officer workload was also in the bargaining demands and this issue continues to be regularly discussed. Pay Equity is a priority for all members, including administrative staff.
President Neufeld spoke of the grievance backlog and the plan to address this with the hiring of additional staff on the Labour relations team at head office in Ottawa.
There were questions raised regarding the safety of community staff. The issue of Solusguard was recently discussed at the Advisory Committee on Community Safety and Operations, so it was timely to have this important discussion with the members. Concerns were raised with the representatives around remote locations across the Atlantic District and cell phone coverage. This issue was later discussed with the District Director while touring the Atlantic District Office.
National President Neufeld and RVP Osborne would like to thank the District management and the USJE local membership for their warm welcome during these important site visits.