THIS WEEK: USJE Virtual Town Halls – Speak to the National President
From USJE National President, David Neufeld
I’m thrilled to invite you to our fall virtual town hall for USJE members. This town hall will enable me to provide you with a comprehensive update on the union’s ongoing campaigns. I’m looking forward to sharing all the work that the National Executive has been doing to advocate on your behalf.
Register – October 18, 2022
Register – October 19, 2022
Inaugural ceremony of the USJE Public Safety Awards on Parliament Hill — coming March 2023!
USJE is pleased to launch its first ever National Public Safety Awards to recognize and celebrate the outstanding work undertaken by our members across 18 departments and agencies.
We encourage you to think about nominating a colleague whose years of service and commitment to going above and beyond amid challenging work conditions stands out to you and others.
Learn more and nominate a member
It’s working! Please share our CSC Food Service Officer campaign
Since late August, when USJE launched our safety campaign for CSC Food Service Officers, over 200 letters have been sent to the Commissioner, wardens and USJE National President David Neufeld.
We know the campaign is working because CSC National Headquarters has asked us to stop the petition portion of the campaign. They feel because they have started to schedule training, there is no need to still receive these emails – but they haven’t yet committed to offering all the safety training Food Service Officers have told us they need!
To ensure that all Food Service Officers (indeterminate and casual) get the safety training they require, let’s keep up the pressure! Please share our campaign on your social media channels – including Facebook – or directly by email. Let’s keep the pressure on!
Headlines
Canada must commit to better rehabilitation for federal offenders – The Globe and Mail
PA Conversion Update
The process to complete the Occupational Group Structure for the PA group has been postponed until October 2024. USJE has requested from the employers we represent to provide us with the proposed job descriptions for consultation with the membership as the process continues. Current feedback is required on the following Job Descriptions:
PA-PDM-02 – Project Officer
PA-PDM-02 – Project Supervisor
PA-PDM-03 – Senior Project Officer
PA-PDM-03 – Project Team Leader
PA-PDM-04 – Project Advisor
PA-PDM-04 – Project Manager
Please send your feedback to Carlie Cholette by December 2, 2022.
Filing Grievances Regarding Phoenix Overpayment Recoveries
As you may know, Treasury Board has begun a project to recover overpayments from our members that were caused by the disastrous Phoenix pay system.
This year, the employer will be sending notice letters to over 21,000 of our members stipulating they have overpayments that need to be paid. Notably, these 21,000 letters cover overpayments that were generated in 2016 alone.
Internal Grievance Handling
USJE is conducting an internal grievance handling survey to assess your views on the grievance handling process. Your answers will help us identify tools and processes to assist you when dealing with grievances.
We will draw from the pool of respondents two lucky winners who will get the chance to pick a fabulous prize!
Direction to our Members when they receive a Notice of Classification to which is attached a new Job Description
When members have questions about whether or not they are being properly compensated for the work they are performing, these two separate, yet often interrelated grievance processes are potential routes to redress.
USJE supports PEI in wake of Hurricane Fiona
During USJE’s September National Executive meeting, Executive members agreed unanimously to donate $10,000 to the Prince Edward Island Red Cross. These monies will be used to provide support to those who have been recently devasted by Hurricane Fiona.
RVP Osborne on outreach campaign in New Brunswick
October 12th, 2022 – RVP Carol Osborne discussed the Ricciardelli report on the mental health of parole officers with Member of Parliament Wayne Long in his constituency office in Saint John, New Brunswick.
Member Nicole Akhenak discusses Presumptive Injury concerns with Edmonton MLA
USJE member Nicole Akhenak from Edmonton met with MLA Kaycee Madu on September 10, during a meet and greet at a community park. Nicole, who is vice-president of Local 30125, came prepared to advocate for our members as she approached the conservative MLA with a copy of the Presumptive Injury report for him to review.
Upcoming Events
Regional Conferences
Atlantic – Halifax, NS – Oct. 25-27
Quebec – Montreal, QC – Nov. 8-10
Prairies – Edmonton, AB – Nov. 15-17
*Optional training on final day of all conferences
USJE Virtual Town Hall Meetings – Fall 2022
October 18 and 19, 2022
Register – October 18, 2022
Register – October 19, 2022
USJE Equity Conference
Winnipeg, MB – January 31-February 3, 2023
USJE National Convention
Whister, BC – July 17-21, 2023
PA group: No movement on wages, key issues after mediation
Following a week of mediation, the federal government is refusing to budge on its wage offer that would effectively deliver a pay cut to nearly 95,000 federal public service workers in the PA group facing record high inflation.
Register now: Online strike training for Treasury Board members
As we ramp up pressure on Treasury Board to reach a fair contract for more than 165,000 federal public service workers, we are pleased to launch a new online strike training course that members can complete at their own pace.