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March 10, 2010
Tentative Agreement Rearched at University of Ontario Institute Of Technology (UOIT)
TAs & RAs at University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) in Oshawa reached a tentative first Collective Agreement today. Significant gains for our members were made. Agreement will be ratified on April 21st. Full details will follow.
Congratulations to all!
 UOIT TA & RA Local 00555 Bargaining Team March 7th Caucus (l-r) Md Manjurul Islam, Behnaz Rezaie, Darlene Griffith, Adedoyin Odukoya Missing: Mohsen Mousavi |
 Final day of negotiations, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 UOIT TA & RA Local 00555 Bargaining Team Darlene Griffith, Adedoyin Odukoya, Behnaz Rezaie, Manjurul Islam Gaby Levesque, PSAC National Negotiator |
 Final day of negotiations, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 UOIT TA & RA Local 00555 Bargaining Team Darlene Griffith, Adedoyin Odukoya, Behnaz Rezaie, Manjurul Islam Gaby Levesque, PSAC National Negotiator, Shawn Vicent, PSAC Research Officer |
 Final day of negotiations, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 UOIT TA & RA Local 00555 Bargaining Team Darlene Griffith, Adedoyin Odukoya, Behnaz Rezaie, Manjurul Islam Gaby Levesque, PSAC National Negotiator |
 Final day of negotiations, Wednesday, March 10, 2010 - we have a deal! UOIT TA & RA Local 00555 Bargaining Team Darlene Griffith, Adedoyin Odukoya, Behnaz Rezaie, Manjurul Islam Gaby Levesque, PSAC National Negotiator |
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March 8, 2010
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY TO ALL!
March 8th, marks International Women’s Day. We would like to wish all the women and sisters and friends of PSAC a Happy International Women’s Day!
This special day provides an opportunity to not only celebrate the progress made to advance equality for women but as well to face the challenges that lie ahead. Join us and our affiliates as we mark this special day and celebrate with the sisters/women in your life.
Click here for the OFL statement
In Solidarity,
Gerry Halabecki
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
March 5, 2010
PSAC Fight Back Campaign and Town Hall Meetings
The Federal Budget released by the Harper Government has set a clear direction for balancing the budget within the next five years by targeting the federal public service through austerity measures and optimistic predictions of economic growth. PSAC (Ontario) members are mobilizing through a series of town hall meetings {click for schedule} and plant-gating actions to counter any efforts to balance the budget on the backs of public sector workers! read more>>
In Solidarity,
Gerry Halabecki
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
March 4, 2010
Throne Speech confirms fears of federal public sector cuts
Judging from the Throne Speech, the Harper government’s strategy for containing the deficit will focus on attacks against quality public services through spending freezes, more expenditure review and deregulation.
The speech was clear that the government plans to balance the budget by restraining federal program spending overall. It will do this by freezing the total amount that government departments spend on salaries, administration and overhead, and by aggressively undergoing a review of all departmental spending.
More deregulation is also on the horizon, which could mean job cuts in the public sector and a significant reduction in the quality of the goods and services that Canadians receive. The government plans to compromise environmental protection by deregulating the approvals of projects in mineral resources and energy, including crude oil and uranium. It also plans to deregulate small- and medium-sized businesses, and it will continue its plan to eliminate the long-gun registry. Aggressively pursuing free trade agreements, including with Colombia, will also impact jobs and increase deregulation here in Canada.
Although there was no specific announcement that it will attack our members’ pensions, there was nothing in the speech that explicitly guarantees that it will not reduce pension benefits and/or increase contribution rates. But more glaring is that there was no mention in the speech of improving the retirement security of all Canadians, something that we have also been calling for along with the broader Canadian labour movement.
The Throne Speech confirms our fears that this government will be tackling the deficit on the backs of public-sector workers. We shall know the details on how it plans to do this in tomorrow’s budget announcement, but it is clear that we must continue our organizing and mobilizing efforts in the face of the on-going attack against quality public services.
In solidarity,
John Gordon
PSAC National President
March 2, 2010
What to Look for in the 2010 Federal Budget
The federal budget will probably talk about both short term measures and long term measures to slay the deficit. Some of those measures could involve direct attacks on federal public sector workers. Click here for more info in - English
Le budget fédéral 2010 – À quoi faut-il s'attendre?
Le budget fédéral traitera sans doute des mesures qui seront prises à court et à long terme pour résorber le déficit. Certaines de ces mesures pourraient prendre la forme d'attaques directes contre les fonctionnaires fédéraux. >>
We Can't Stop Our Pension Fight Yet
Speculation about what will be in the March 4 federal budget is rampant in the media. Some reports would lead us to believe that the Harper Conservatives will leave the federal pension plans alone.
So far, nothing PSAC has heard from Treasury Board President Stockwell Day would lead us to believe that we won’t have to continue to fight to protect the pension benefits our members in the federal public sector pay for. Minister Day has made repeated references to the pension plan funds. At no time has he guaranteed federal public sector unions that the Conservative government will not reduce pension benefits and/or increase contribution rates. |
Our pension campaign is in full swing and we are not letting rumours slow us down. I urge you to continue your hard work gathering signatures on our petitions to Stephen Harper. The willingness of our members to send a strong message to the government is critical if we are to succeed in getting the Conservatives to keep their hands off our pensions.
In Solidarity,
John Gordon
PSAC National President
February 17, 2010
PSAC Hands Off our Pensions Campaign
Right-wing think tanks and business lobbyists have been spreading misinformation about our pensions in an attempt to exploit the economic crisis to their advantage. The Harper government has sent enough signals to indicate that they are prepared to attack public sector workers and go after our hard-won benefits.
In the face of these threats, the PSAC is fighting back to protect members’ pensions and the retirement security of all Canadians.
There is no time to lose. We need to send PM Harper & Finance Minister Flaherty a clear message: HANDS OFF our pensions!
We must take action to defend public pensions before it is too late!
A few things you can do today:
- Check out our pensions campaign YouTube video and circulate it broadly
- Sign the online petition
- Circulate the petition among your co-workers as well as at town-hall meetings and other forums and help collect 100,000 signatures by March 1st
- Wear the HANDS OFF our pensions! stickers in your workplace
- Fight the myths about pensions and circulate campaign materials to everyone you know
- Participate in CLC pension forums and visit canadianlabour.ca for more information
Visit the Ontario PSAC website regularly for updates
In Solidarity,
Gerry Halabecki
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
February 5, 2010
Invite to the Ontario Council Meetings
To: All Members of the Ontario Region
From: Gerry Halabecki
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Re: PSAC Ontario Council Meetings
I would like to take this opportunity to invite you to observe the upcoming PSAC Ontario Council meeting, scheduled for February 27th – 28th, 2010 at the PSAC Regional Office Boardroom, Toronto. Our hours of sitting are: Saturday, February 27th from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sunday, February 28th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are, or will be in the Toronto area and would like to attend, please consider doing so.
This event is a scent-free environment. Please RSVP to my Executive Assistant, Rita Cantalini @ cantalr@psac.com.
Click here for draft agenda (PDF)
In Solidarity,
Gerry Halabecki,
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
Sault Ste Marie Regional Women's Committee Hosts a Memorial Tea, December 6, 2009
A memorial Tea was held at Riuniti Hall in Sault Ste Marie to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Montreal Massacre. Twenty years has passed and violence against women still continues. After this crime was committed, men and women turned their grief into action. Education has become a big part of the PSAC Regional Women's mandate.
This was the first time that Unions in Sault Ste Marie worked together collaboratively to work for a common good. Approximately 80 men, women and children attended the event with 14 candles burning each having an engineering ring on it.
Guest speakers included Tonie Scobie who gave an emotional recount of personal abuse and violence, Brenda Coombs who spoke about her professional experiences as the director of the women's shelter First Nations, and Sarah Broad gave a youth perspective on the impacts of violence and the education that is so crucial.
In Solidarity,
Connie Lento
Chair, Sault Ste Marie Regional Women's Committee
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February 5, 2010
2010 PSAC National Access Conference
Greetings,
We are pleased to be sending you this Registration package for the 2010 PSAC National Access Conference, which will be held June 4 to 6, 2010 at the Westin Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario under the theme “LET'S FOCUS ON OUR ABILITIES!”
Please note the Application and Resolutions deadline is Thursday, March 4, 2010.
Please find below the link to complete the registration form online on the new and improved PSAC national website as well as the attached call-out in both French and English.
http://www.psac.com/conferences/2010/access_acces/home-e.shtml
Thank you
January 26, 2010
Haiti Fundraiser
On January 22nd, Brothers and Sisters from PSAC DCL 00603 at James Bay General Hospital organized a successful breakfast that raised over $850.00 to donate to help with emergency relief for victims of the earthquake in Haiti . The Local is asking for other PSAC Locals across the Ontario Region to get involved and help out.
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DCL 00603 Treasurer, Robbie Lougheed presents cheques to Andrea Mutswairo, the Organizer of the Haiti fundraiser. |
January 14, 2010
PSAC National Pride Conference application deadline extended!
The 2010 PSAC Pride Conference will be held in Toronto from March 26 to 28, 2010. Please note the Application and Resolutions deadline has been extended to 4pm (EST), Wednesday, January 20, 2010. »
January 14, 2010
Celebrate Black History Month
All PSAC GTA members are invited to a special Black History Month event on February 25, 2010. Let's come together to honour our history and celebrate our victories. A special Black History Month video will be shown, along with special guest speakers. Dinner will be also provided. The event is being sponsored by the PSAC Toronto Racially Visible Committee. See attached event notice for details.
Click here for [Word] or [PDF]
January 8, 2010
PSAC Ontario Reflections 2009
To: PSAC Ontario Members
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Below please find a link to the video PSAC Ontario Reflections 2009, celebrating our work, activism and accomplishments in 2009. The video highlights a sample of the many events and actions that PSAC members across the region organized and engaged in during the year and it is one of many such projects that we intend on producing in the coming period.
The link for the video on You Tube is -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lHPcfcmYgpI
Click here for video in Windows Media Format -
PSAC-Ontario-Reflections-2009
We realize that many important events did not make it into this particular video, but rest assured that we will highlight your events in future projects. Just send photos of your actions to: dudard@psac.com or husseih@psac.com with a little note describing the event.
Happy 2010 from all of the PSAC Staff in the Ontario Region.
In Solidarity,
Gerry Halabecki
Regional Executive Vice-President, Ontario
Public Service Alliance of Canada
REVP Ontario Region hosts a Chinese Trade Union Delegation
PSAC Ontario REVP, Brother Gerry Halabecki and Ontario Regional Coordinator, Brother Chris Wilson hosted a 14 member trade union delegation from China at the PSAC Regional Office in Toronto in December 2009.
The All-China Federation of Trade Unions delegation included representatives from various unions within China. The purpose of the meeting of the delegation was to exchange views and learn more about the work of the PSAC and the regulation and settlement of provincial labour disputes as well as the union’s work in the areas of education and health & safety.
The Sisters and Brothers from the Chinese Labour movement were very interested in our union’s structure and priorities. We were honoured to have had the opportunity to share our experiences with them especially in a time where workers from around the world need to work together and cement the bonds of solidarity.
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