Union Safety Net Podcast

A union podcast for working people

Each month, we dive into the issues facing workers across Canada and talk to experts and special guests to make sense of it all. Hear timely conversations that will address topics relevant to the Canadian labour movement and USJE members through invited guests including politicians, subject matter experts, etc. Stay informed and up-to-date on all aspects of union life in Canada.

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Episodes

Howie West, formerly of PSAC, and Erin Sirett, Lead on WFA at PSAC, discuss about the Work Force Adjustment Appendix, or WFA, a mechanism enshrined in the collective agreement for many federal public service workers

This year, Canadians will be going to the polls and will decide who will represent them in the 45th Federal Parliament. Given the importance of this election, USJE has extended an invitation to the leaders of all federal parties in the House to discuss some of the issues that are top of mind for USJE’s membership and Canadians more generally. On this episode, we spoke with Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament, Louise Chabot.

The Canadian Employment and Immigration Union is a fellow component union within the Public Service Alliance of Canada, and represents workers from several front-facing departments that deal with immigration, employment and public service—all crucial to Canadian society. Rubina Boucher, National President of the CEIU, talks to the Union Safety Net about the work of her members, workforce adjustments, remote work and service cuts.

Following Donald Trump’s accusations about the flow of migrants and fentanyl from Canada into the United States, the government of Canada announced a multitude of changes to border control and security costed at approximately $1.3 billion dollars. Changes include new helicopters at the border, migration controls, new money-laundering rules and a joint Canada-U.S. anti-fentanyl police task force. To discuss these new developments and how it will impact border security, we spoke with Mark Weber, National President of the Customs and Immigration Union, the union that represents Canada’s Front-Line Customs and Immigration Officers.

This past November, several Starbucks locations in Ontario unionized with the United Steelworkers. On this episode, we chat with Jaymi, a Starbucks employee who has been involved in this organizing drive. We discuss the misconceptions about what some consider “seasonal jobs,” and why unionizing makes sense.

Telework and hybrid work arrangements have become the subject of much debate in the post pandemic world. Return to office policies and mandates have workers feeling slighted by employers who seemingly overlook worker productivity. Dr. Linda Duxbury, a professor of management at Carleton University and a seasoned expert on work/life balance and remote work sat down with us to talk about the future of remote work in Canada.

Ever wondered what other union leaders are doing to engage with their local membership? We lead a discussion with four USJE local leaders from across Canada about their best practices for membership engagement.

USJE’s National Public Safety Awards recognize and celebrate the outstanding work of our members across the country. In this episode, we talk to two Award recipients from the 2024 Awards, Una Gair and Pierre-Luc Gilbert, about why they were chosen and what the Awards mean to them.

In this episode, we get to pick renowned economist Jim Stanford’s brain about the state of the Canadian economy, what can be learned from other countries, and how unions fit in nationally and internationally. Switching to a local, community lens, we then chat with Antonio Trujillo Villon of Turning Leaf Support Services, a Winnipeg-based organization that provides support to people living with mental illness and intellectual challenges, about how unions can help foster change at home.

We were delighted to sit down with PSAC’s newly elected executive leadership team–National President, Sharon DeSousa and National Executive Vice-President, Alex Silas–and chat about telework, bargaining, breaking barriers and more. This episode was recorded on June 14, 2024.

In celebration of Pride season, we talked to Larry Rousseau, Executive Vice-President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and USJE RVP Shauna Ward about equity, equality and diversity in the Labour movement.

This episode focuses on the rise of labour disputes happening across Canada. We chatted with Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, and Professor Martin Petitclerc from L’Université du Québec à Montréal about striking workers and the changing labour landscape.

Further reading:
GRÈVE ET PAIX
Une histoire des lois spéciales au Québec
Martin Petitclerc, Martin Robert

From worksite safety to the housing crisis: In this episode, we’re talking to NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice (en français) and USJE RVP Laurie Ann Wesselby (in English) about issues facing workers across Canada.

This episode was recorded before the Government of Alberta tabled Bill-11 on March 13, 2024.

This podcast episode mentions violent interactions that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.

Guests David Neufeld, USJE National President, and Valda Behrens, USJE RVP, talk about the USJE members working as the invisible backbone of the RCMP: the importance of their work and institutional knowledge, occupational health and safety concerns facing these members, and campaigns to keep the RCMP in communities across Canada.

This podcast episode mentions violent interactions that some listeners may find disturbing. Listener discretion is advised.

The first episode focuses on presumptive injury, with guests Dr. Rose Ricciardelli and USJE RVP Kirsty Havard. Learn about how common it is for public safety personnel to experience traumatic incidents at work, the research being done, and the changes we can make to better protect these workers.