To civilian members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police,
The government has announced that on April 26, 2018, civilian members of the RCMP will be deemed to be appointed under the Public Service Employment Act (PSEA). Because of the work you do, if you are currently a member of the following RCMP Occupational Groups, your bargaining agent will be the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC), which represents some 55,000 professionals across Canada’s federal and provincial public sectors:
- Commerce and Purchasing (SPS-COM)
- Computer Personnel (SPS-CP)
- Forensic Laboratory and Identification, Forensic Science Laboratory Specialist (FLI-FSLS)
- Electronics Engineer and Architecture (SPS-EE)
- Research Scientist (SE-RES)
- Chaplain (SPS-CHP)
- Health Nursing (SPS-HN)
- Medical Officer (SPS-MO)
- Psychologist (SPS-PSY)
You would become part of the corresponding PIPSC Occupational Groups – respectively, the Audit, Commerce and Purchasing (AV), Computer Systems (CS), Applied Science and Patent Examination (SP), Architecture, Engineering and Land Survey (NR), Research (RE) and Health Services (SH) Groups.
To ensure that you are protected by a union as soon as possible, the Institute has submitted an application to the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board (PSLREB) under Section 58 of the Public Service labour Relations Act to become your bargaining agent as soon as possible. This would allow you to have official representatives working on your behalf prior to April 2018.
We will communicate with you about the status of this application on a regular basis in the weeks and months ahead. In the meantime, we have prepared the following Questions and Answers to assist you during the transition period.
What is Section 58 under the Public Service labour Relations Act?
The Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board has the authority to establish if any employee, or class of employees, is included in a bargaining unit determined by the Board to constitute a unit appropriate for collective bargaining, or is included in any other unit.
As you have historically been pay-matched and will be deemed to a corresponding PIPSC Occupational Group, we are asking the Board to determine that you are already a member in an existing Occupational Group represented by PIPSC.
Will PIPSC protect my current conditions of employment and benefits?
There are several areas of differences between the terms and conditions for civilian members and their pay-matched comparators in the Core Public Administration.
We have secured a commitment from the Treasury Board that your existing terms and conditions of employment will be maintained and that the parties will develop a process for addressing these items.
PIPSC is committed to entering discussions to protect your current terms and conditions of employment, however that will be subject to an agreement with the Treasury Board. Ultimately, as the employer the Treasury Board must be willing to protect the terms and conditions of your employment at deeming.
What can PIPSC do for me?
As a union member, you will benefit from a number of key advantages. Your dues pay for top-notch negotiators, research staff and analysts when your Group is negotiating a collective agreement. PIPSC stewards and staff provide quality representation at every step of the grievance process. PIPSC supplies expert opinions to correct inequalities in work descriptions and classifications. PIPSC legal experts know the law and provide comprehensive defence of our members’ rights. Through regular presentations to parliamentary committees, interventions in court cases, and timely media promotion and mobilization events, your voice is heard by government and the public.
When will I become a PIPSC member and when will I start paying union dues?
You will officially become a PIPSC member and start paying dues on the date set by the PSLREB once it has reached its decision about our application. We expect this to be at some time during the Fall of 2017. You will be notified as soon as the Board has made its decision.
How much will I be paying in dues?
PIPSC dues are set at $72.56 per month, or $870.72 a year. Please note that union dues are tax-deductible.
Will I get a retroactive salary increase when the members of my PIPSC Group receive theirs?
Yes. The Treasury Board has committed to implementing pay increases to you at the same time as those employees in your corresponding PIPSC bargaining unit.
How can I sign up as a PIPSC member?
Please complete the online application form.
How can I get more information?
PIPSC will be holding information sessions for affected employees. Times and locations will be announced shortly.