A new tentative agreement was an early holiday present for Agriculture Union members employed by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Covering more than 4,000 workers, it includes numerous improvements to the current contract while succeeding in avoiding all concessions sought by management.
Now, after ringing in the New Year, our CFIA members will have the opportunity to seal the deal. Our bargaining agent, the Public Service Alliance of Canada, has announced that a month-long ratification vote begins next January 15.
Before voting, the PSAC Constitution requires members to attend a contract information meeting – either an on-line ‘webinar’ or a face-to-face session. The PSAC will make the locations and dates of these meetings known in the near future.
Accordingly, CFIA members should log into their PSAC Member Portal to ensure their mailing address and personal e-mail address are up to date. This is critical as voting PIN numbers will be sent by the preferred method of communication.
Also, in order to vote, a member must be in good standing. Normally, this would not be much of an issue. However, thanks to the infamous Phoenix system, dues deductions have stopped for a number of members even though their employment and status have not changed.
Thankfully, the PSAC has set up a new online form where these members can request to remain in good standing in the absence of union dues. The form can be found HERE.
We will continue to keep our CFIA members informed of ongoing developments.