CHALK RIVER, February 21, 2022 – Members of the Chalk River Professional Employees Group (CRPEG), represented by the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) are considering their options as conciliation with Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) failed to resolve a year-long impasse over fair pay, job outsourcing, and working conditions.

The bargaining team entered into conciliation with the intent of reaching a negotiated agreement that recognizes the professional work of CRPEG’s nuclear scientists and engineers. The bargaining team is disappointed with the company’s last offer.

CRPEG President Jonathan Fitzpatrick said that “We kept Canadian Nuclear Laboratories (CNL) strong during the pandemic, and according to the company, exceeded their expectations. In return, when the increase in the cost of living is well over 5%, what the company is offering is effectively a rollback in wages.”

“Now more than ever, we stand united and we will continue to fight to get fair pay, improve working conditions, and prevent outsourcing of our professional work. The employer must do better,” Mr. Fitzpatrick continued.

CRPEG workers will be in a legal strike position at 12:01 AM on March 14, 2022. While the Group remains focused on reaching a fair deal without a work stoppage, the option of job action remains on the table.

Mr. Fitzpatrick stated, “We have been without a collective agreement since January 2021 and our nuclear scientists and engineers are running out of patience. They have given us the strongest mandate for job action – including a strike –  in the history of the Chalk River Professional Employees Group. Our members deserve fair pay and we are prepared to walk off the job site if that’s what it takes.”

Jennifer Carr, the President of the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) stated that the union's 60 000 professionals across Canada’s public sector, fully support the 700 engineers and scientists at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories’ Chalk River campus.

CRPEG members ensure the safe operation of nuclear reactors, and support safe radioactive waste management as well as environmental remediation projects across Canada. CRPEG members contribute to the health of Canadians through research on nuclear medicine.

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For more information: Johanne Fillion, 613-883-4900 (mobile), jfillion@pipsc.ca

In 2020 the Women in Science (WiS) team conducted a survey to learn about real-world experiences of parental and family leave in the federal public sector. The team surveyed members from the Applied Science and Patent Examination (SP) Group, the Audit, Commerce and Purchasing (AV) Group, the Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey (NR) Group, the Health Services (SH) Group, and the Research (RE) Group.

What they found is a broken system – one that runs on ad hoc managerial decisions, forces employees into making impossible decisions, and disproportionately penalizes women and gender diverse people. 

The findings underscore the need, and the work ahead, to build a culture that values care: a culture that fosters inclusive and friendly workplaces for all people with care work responsibilities. They also reinforce the strength of our position and continued advocacy for better, clearer, and more accessible sick leave, parental leave, and Code 699 leave guidelines.

We know that many of the issues that the survey surfaced aren’t exclusive to the public service, or the groups that participated. We encourage everyone – all of our members, as well as employers, other unions, and decision-makers at every level – to read the full report. 

Here’s a snapshot of the results:

"I have chosen not to have children as I don’t feel that I would be able to meet my position requirements if I had a child."

• 48% of the respondents expressed concern over the impact of family care responsibilities on their career
• 34% have considered delaying having a child because they believe it will negatively impact their career

“I acted in a manager role for 4 years. I declined to take the position permanently because of the lack of flexibility to balance family responsibilities with work during COVID-19.”

• 41% said they believe that maternity and parental leave can negatively affect career trajectory
• 22% of the researchers we surveyed said that their funding was impacted by their maternity or parental leave

“I feel like there is no one to call to ask for help. I am not sure where to start, besides talking to my manager. I have received very little information from my employer.”

• Only 2% of the respondents who needed support said they had childcare provisions at work
• Only 45% believe that the parental leave entitlements in their group’s collective agreement provide adequate support for families and new parents

Next steps

Care leave is a top priority for PIPSC members, which is why we’re building a multi-pronged campaign to address the issues highlighted in the survey, and to advance the recommendations made in the final report. We’re starting with education and awareness. Webinars will continue to be offered to members on leave options, how to access them, and what to do if denied. 

We’re also building evidence for collective bargaining. Beginning with the work from the WiS team, PIPSC will expand its research to the whole membership, and then work with negotiators and bargaining teams to build the evidence-based proposals we need to effectively support and advocate for these issues at the bargaining table. 

READ THE FULL REPORT

As the convoy holding downtown Ottawa hostage enters in the second week, it’s time for all levels of government to step in and protect the public’s safety.  

PIPSC firmly believes in Canadians’ Charter-protected right to peaceful protest, but as has been proven over the past week, this convoy has had a detrimental impact on local residents, businesses and downtown workers. 

Convoy demonstrators have been flouting public health guidelines, threatening workers, and members of the community – specifically racialized folks, 2SLGBTQ+ people, and women. PIPSC deplores the images of swastikas, confederate flags, and other symbols of hate brandished throughout the convoy’s presence in the capital.

Many small businesses in the downtown core, already struggling as a result of the pandemic, have been forced to close due to concerns for employee safety. Reports of hate crimes have skyrocketed. Some residents are trapped in their homes out of fear of leaving. We are hearing from our members that sleeping, let alone working from home, is a struggle with the constant blaring of horns. Residential areas are being overrun by noise, the smell of fuel smells and an influx of convoy participants.  

We understand that people are tired and frustrated. It is now time to focus on delivering strong public services and provide workers with access to care leave, fair wages and a safe workplace. 

For now, the horns must stop – it’s time for the convoy to leave.

There’s so much to learn about and explore in Canadian Black History.

Once again, PIPSC is joining the Canadian labour movement in celebrating Black History Month. Black history deserves fair representation in media, arts and literature. We salute initiatives that bring Black history to light and work to correct historical imbalances.

Join our screening of “Ice Breakers”

As the sole Black hockey player on his team in the Maritimes, Josh Crooks is a trailblazer. If it weren’t for the support he received after racist incidents, he could have quit his favourite sport altogether.

He didn’t find his place on the team by a stroke of luck.

For a long time, Blacks were forbidden from playing hockey with white athletes. The Maritime Coloured Hockey League was formed in 1895 to bring change and to make the sport more accessible.

Today, Josh’s story is an important reminder of how we need to support Black trailblazers in the workplace, on sports teams, or in civil society.

We’ve invited guest speakers to address these topics and more in our free webinar for PIPSC members called “Increasing representation for Black Canadians: from sports teams to the workplace.”

Event: Increasing representation for Black Canadians: from sports teams to the workplace

Date: Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Time: 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM ET

Format: Webinar with short film screening, followed by panel discussion

Guest speakers: 

Eric Pierre-Louis, former NCAA football player

Marie Clarke Walker, former secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Labour Congress

Micaëlla Riché, athletic talent acquisition specialist and former professional basketball player

RSVP now

What’s at stake this year?

We know that Black workers need unions to take action and address systemic racism. You can count on your union to always work hard on this priority.

Our support is still strong for the federal Black class-action lawsuit.

We’re also supportive of the Federal Black Employee Caucus. Worker representation is important and we’re thrilled that Black workers have a platform to identify priorities and address issues faced in the federal public service.

PIPSC Black Caucus

We’ve launched a Black Caucus that is a strong voice for representation within our union. Working under the auspices of the Human Rights and Diversity Committee, the caucus is leading the way to build a labour movement that supports Black families and fights anti-Black racism. The PIPSC Black Caucus is seeking volunteers. Email the caucus to learn more about the opportunities.

Breaking barriers

Representation matters. 

When Black youth see Black scientists, actors and athletes thriving, they know they belong in those disciplines.

Black Canadians had to break barriers to enter careers where they’ve been historically underrepresented. Unions work tirelessly to increase representation through different means to ensure different viewpoints are considered in bargaining, decision-making and workplace representation.

Just like in academia and workplaces, systemic barriers are present in the world of sport. In the Maritimes, those barriers pushed Maritimers to create the Black Hockey league. This year, we’re taking a closer look at the impacts of systemic barriers to participation in sport and academia, and the parallels those barriers have with the world of work.

More Black History Month resources

• Watch the National Film Board’s video series
• Check out the Canadian Labour Congress’ campaign
• Sign the House of Commons petition against racial profiling
• BIPOC health and healing resources from McMaster University
• Anti-Racism Learning Series from the Canada School of Public Service
• Learn about the Anti-Racist Ambassadors Network

Retiring means it’s time to start living the life you’ve been saving up for – but not all of us know how to plan for it or what to expect.

That’s why we launched a brand new webinar on everything you need to know about getting ready for retirement. We discuss when and how you should start planning, how to work with the public service pension centre, and what to expect in the first few months.

Have you ever asked yourself: When do I tell my manager that I’m retiring? When should my first pension cheque arrive? Do I still get benefits? What happens to my unused sick days?

If the answer is yes, then this webinar is for you! Whether you’re retiring in 5 days, 5 months, or 5 years, anyone who’s interested in learning more about the process is welcome to watch.

We encourage you to watch the video, even if you already attended a pensions webinar in the past. This webinar covers new and more detailed material alongside the experts on the PIPSC Compensation Team.

If you have any questions please email, bettertogether@pipsc.ca.

DOWNLOAD THE CHECKLIST

The Government of Canada paused return to office plans due to the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

Now, PIPSC and 12 other federal unions are advocating for clear and consistent telework guidelines from the Chief Human Resources Officer. Any workers that can perform their duties from home right now should be working from home. These guidelines should be applied equally across regions and departments.

Essential workers also need to be prioritized for vaccine booster doses. Booster doses are recommended to increase protection against the Omicron variant. Many critical and essential workers cannot get booster doses right now because they do not meet their province or territory’s criteria. The federal government needs to step up to help them get a booster dose without delay.

We sent a letter to Treasury Board President Mona Fortier to address these concerns.

READ OUR LETTER

You can also read the President of the Treasury Board’s response.

READ THE HON. MONA FORTIER'S RESPONSE

Vacation leave cash-out changes

The following changes affect the CP (formerly AV), IT (formerly CS), NR, RE, and SP groups. 

Vacation leave cash-out rules do not apply to the SH Group because SH group members have no limit to the number of vacation leave credits they can carry over.

Your collective agreement allows you to carry over up to 262.5 hours (35 days) of vacation leave to the next fiscal year. Anything over that, is usually cashed out – you get paid for the value of those extra hours rather than taking time off. 

In recent years, the excess vacation leave cash-out was postponed due to Phoenix troubles. As a result, you may have more vacation leave banked than you can carry over.

Starting in 2022, rather than a one-time cash-out on March 31, any excess vacation leave will be cashed out over 5 years (20% per year). 

This allows you to spread out the tax impact of a one-time payment and gives you more flexibility to use your vacation leave over the next four years (2022-2026).

See our FAQs on cash-out of excess vacation and compensatory leave for full information on what to expect on your cash-out.

The exact date you’ll be paid is not known, so watch for a notice from your manager or human resources team. The remaining 80% of your excess vacation leave will be carried over to the next fiscal year, and 20% of whatever is left each fiscal year will be automatically cashed out each year until 2026. At that point, all remaining excess vacation leave credits will be cashed out.

Remember – if you have up to 262.5 hours of vacation leave banked, you’ll still be able to carry over those hours. There’s no change.

Finally, note that the normal carryover limits in your collective agreement will be enforced in upcoming years. Starting on March 31, 2022, and on each March 31 going forward, you’ll receive a 100% payment for the earned but unused portion of your vacation leave (above your allowable carryover of 262.5 hours) accumulated during the ending fiscal year.

RE and CP group members should also note: your collective agreement states that excess vacation leave banks must be reduced by 75 hours per year. This rule is suspended and replaced by the 20% cash-out of vacation leave.

Compensatory leave cash-out

The following changes affect the CP (formerly AV), IT (formerly CS), NR, RE, SH and SP groups. For most groups, compensatory leave cannot be carried over to the next fiscal year. IT (CS) group members can, however, carry over up to 37.5 hours. 

IT (CS) group members only – your collective agreement allows you to carry over up to 37.5 hours (5 days) of compensatory leave to the next fiscal year. Anything over that is usually cashed out – you get paid for the value of those extra hours rather than taking time off.

In recent years, the compensatory leave cash-out was postponed due to Phoenix troubles. As a result, you may have excess compensatory leave that cannot be carried over.

In 2022, rather than a one-time cash-out on March 31, any excess compensatory leave will be cashed out over a 5-year period (20% per year). 

This allows you to spread out the tax impact of a one-time payment, and gives you more flexibility to use your compensatory leave over the next four years (2022-2026).

Please see our FAQs on cash-out of excess vacation and compensatory leave for full information on what to expect on your cash-out.

The exact date you’ll be paid is not yet known. Watch for a notice from your manager or human resources team. The remaining 80% of your excess compensatory leave on  March 31 of each year will be carried over to the next fiscal year, and 20% of whatever is left each fiscal year will be automatically cashed out each year until 2026. At that point, all remaining excess compensatory leave credits will be cashed out.

Finally, note that the normal cash-out provisions of your collective agreement are being enforced starting in the 2021-22 fiscal year. However, since these credits are not normally cashed out on March 31 – you have a bit more time to use compensatory leave credits per the following chart:

ANNUAL (NORMAL) COMPENSATORY LEAVE CASH-OUTS

Based on the chart above, you can expect to receive a 100% payment for the earned but unused portion of your compensatory leave accumulated in 2021-22 and during each fiscal year going forward. 

For IT (CS) group members – you will receive a 100% payment for hours accumulated above your allowable carryover of 37.5 hours during the 2021-22 fiscal year.

Revised May 3, 2022.

Our PIPSC executive members gathered for a video screening and an intergenerational panel discussion on November 18, 2021.

We viewed an excerpt from “First Contact,” an APTN series. In the video, a group of white Canadians visit one of Canada’s longest-running residential schools. 

With the video and panel discussion, we learned about what Indigenous children faced while residential schools operated. Indigenous children were taken from their families and put in schools like the one in the video. What the state-sanctioned educators made the children go through was akin to torture. Sexual, physical and verbal abuse were common.

The panel was broadcast live from the Aboriginal Peoples’ Television Network (APTN) studio in Winnipeg. Vera Houle of Sandy Bay Ojibway Nation moderated the discussion. It featured youth ambassador Taylor Galvin of Brokenhead Ojibway Nation and Elder Belinda Vanderbroeck (Ininiw; Soki Kapikiskwet Osawi Omisiw).

Our Indigenous representative to the Canadian Labour Congress, Greg “Wolf-Star” Scriver, thanked APTN and the panelists for their generosity in meeting with us.

To take action for reconciliation, contact our Human Rights and Diversity Committee.

In a respectful ceremony, PIPSC formally acknowledged the traditional unceded Algonquin Anishinaabe territory that our national office sits on.

For centuries, Indigenous peoples have been the stewards of the lands that Ottawa now sits on. 

On November 5, 2021, PIPSC Indigenous Representative to the Canadian Labour Congress, Greg “Wolf Star” Scriver, led a smudging ceremony at the PIPSC national office. Smudging is the burning of 4 sacred medicines in an open shell: cedar, sage, sweetgrass and tobacco.

Once the air was cleared, PIPSC Vice-President Steve Hindle placed a plaque in our main lobby. This plaque enshrines our honour and thanks towards the Algonquin Anishinaabe Nation.

PIPSC members are committed to reconciliation with First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. This is demonstrated by our partnership with Indigenous Day Live, the work of our Indigenous Caucus, and now our territorial acknowledgement in our office.

We recognize the important role of the labour movement in reconciliation. We must listen to the demands of Indigenous leaders. We can support Indigenous-owned businesses. And we can support Indigenous culture and languages through education and art.

To take action for reconciliation, contact the Human Rights and Diversity committee.

You can also write to the Prime Minister of Canada to join the Canadian Labour Congress’ call for real commitments and concrete justice for Indigenous peoples and communities.