Public Service Alliance of Canada

Formed in 1966, the Public Service Alliance of Canada is one of Canada's largest unions. It represents more than 172,000 people from coast to coast to coast, the PSAC also represents people who work abroad in embassies and consulates.

Another Conservative attack on labour

Jun 082013
 
 Workplaces

Union calls on Conservatives to disavow private member's Bill.

from the Public Service Alliance of Canada

OTTAWA, June 6, 2013 /CNW/ — On June 5, Conservative MP Blaine Calkins for Wetaskiwin (Alberta) introduced Bill C-525, an Act to change the certification and revocation sections of the Canada Labour Code, the Public Service Labour Relations Act and the Parliamentary Employees Staff Relations Act.

The purpose of the bill is to remove the possibility of automatic certification of bargaining units, often referred to as "card check."  These proposed changes to existing federal legislation would put in place the highest barriers to unionization in the country.  It is another attack from the Conservatives against the labour rights of hard working Canadians.
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Don’t sell our hot springs, say Jasper residents

Feb 032013
 
 Public Values
Miette Hot Springs.

They belong to all Canadians.

from Public Servie Alliance of Canada Prairie Region

Members of the PSAC prairie region organized a town hall meeting recently with concerned residents in Jasper, BC to discover there was widespread agreement about the privatization of three Parks Canada hot springs: it should not occur.

Parks Canada announced its plans to privatize the operations of the hot springs in Banff, Jasper and Radium late last year.

Affected PSAC members expect an increase in fees or a decrease in the standards of service, and Jasper residents agreed.

Many residents were concerned that Miette Hot Springs near Jasper would turn into a playground for the elite, with spa pricing making it harder for working-class Canadians to afford,

For Doris Setcher, the hot springs have been a place for celebrations for half a century.

"Fifty years ago, we celebrated our honeymoon at the hot springs," she said. "We celebrated there because it was the most reasonable place we could afford after university. It turned out to be a wonderful place for us, and we've been back many, many times. Our daughter was even engaged there. Under privatization, it will no longer be a suitable place for young people to get engaged, spend their honeymoon and enjoy the scenery."

"I think what the government is trying to do is undermine our workforce by bringing in cheap labour," she added. "I think our resources are valuable, and our people should be paid well for what they do."

The hot springs are a cost-neutral Parks Canada program, earning about one million dollars in profits each year.

"I think everyone in this room would be here even if we knew that the hot springs were operating at a loss," said resident Brian Lackie. "But to know they're operating at a profit, and still being sold off, it seems like such an insult."

Source

Public Service Alliance of Canada holiday food drive continues

Dec 212012
 
 Public Values
PSAC is collecting food for needy Ottawa families.

Union members go door-to-door for families in need.

from Public Service Alliance of Canada
 
Members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (National Capitol Region) are out in force collecting food for Ottawa families in need. Union members went door-to-door and were at grocery stores encouraging shoppers to donate to the food bank.
 

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Stop the sell-off of prairie grasslands

Nov 262012
 
 Take action!

Saskatchewan, Manitoba, set to sell remaining grasslands for development.

from the Public Service Alliance of Canada

We have already lost more than 80 percent of the native prairie to development. 

Now, the government of Saskatchewan is poised to sell more than 1.8 million acres of what remains of these iconic lands and potentially destroy a sustainable eco-system that delivers environmental and economic benefits.  Manitoba may follow suit with a further 700,000 acres.

These breathtaking landscapes represent some of the last functioning prairie ecosystems on earth.

Until environmental protection and conservation guarantees are in place, the sale must be stopped.

Sign the petition

 

Survivor syndrome

Oct 012012
 
 Workplaces

Federal government layoffs steep enough to add stress on those still at work.

from the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)

Following years of staff cuts in the Federal Public Service, the federal budget tabled in March 2012 put the official stamp on another wave of major cuts to the public sector workforce. The government claims the $5.2 billion in spending cuts will mean the loss of 19,200 public service jobs. That could all add up to 35,200 fewer people working over the next three years.

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