Summary: The CFIA-VM Group ratification package and tentative agreement next steps.

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency – Veterinary Medicine (CFIA-VM) Group bargaining team is pleased to announce that we reached a tentative agreement with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to conclude this round of collective bargaining. We believe we have reached the best deal possible in what has been a challenging round of negotiations.

This agreement must now be ratified by the CFIA-VM Group membership. An electronic vote will be held to ratify this agreement. All regular members in good standing will receive the voting instructions by email.

We are hosting online information session to provide more details on the agreement and give members like you an opportunity to ask questions before you vote. Please mark your calendar with whichever session best suits your schedule:

We are hosting an online information session to provide more details on the agreement and give members like you an opportunity to ask questions before you vote. Please mark your calendar.

When: September 19, 2024, from 12 to 1 PM ET (Simultaneous Interpretation will be provided)

Where: To join the information session, click the Zoom link:

https://pipsc.zoom.us/j/96427274605?pwd=pVrqaEspL8qbJYErrteYf7XUjE3B7p.1

Meeting ID: 964 2727 4605

Passcode: 404987

If you have any questions, please send them to the bargaining team at cfia_vm_barg@pipsc.ca.  

The voting will be open from September 23, 2024, at 9 am to October 3, 2024, at 5 pm ET. You will receive voting instructions via email. If you do not receive the voting ballot by September 24, 2024, please email Elizabeth Morin at emorin@pipsc.ca.

You will find all the information concerning the tentative agreement below. It is important that you take the time to review everything prior to voting and prior to asking questions to the Bargaining Team.

Please review the attached documents:

A “Yes” vote means: You are accepting all the changes proposed in the tentative agreement. Those changes will take place at the date of the signing (except as otherwise noted) and the employer will implement them, including any retro pay, within 180 days after the signature of this agreement (up to 460 days for manual processing).

A “No” vote means: You reject the tentative agreement and instruct the CFIA-VM Group Bargaining Team to pursue further negotiations, with a high likelihood of reaching an impasse.

The CFIA-VM Group Bargaining Team believes we accomplished the best deal possible in what was a difficult round of negotiations and recommends voting YES.