2019 AFS AGM - Report by Steve Parent, AFS Regional Representative, Quebec Region

For the 2018 calendar year

Bargaining

After securing one of the best collective agreements in the federal public service in the last round, we returned to the bargaining table in September because of the December 21, 2018 expiration date of our agreement. All CRA employees in the Quebec Region are now better paid than employees with the same positions elsewhere in the public service. The participation by AFS members, which showed that you were serious and involved and that you were not going to accept just anything, helped us make the gains we did in the last round. In 2019, it is important that you be equally involved so that we can get another strong collective agreement.

Our sick leave is being negotiated at the moment at a central table in order to improve the current plan. Negotiations are going well in that respect. Amendments will be made to the collective agreement. You will have the last word on the amendments by voting for or against them in the vote on the agreement.

Wins

The Delios case was won in the Court of Appeal in 2015 which the employer was still refusing to pay. Its outcome demonstrated that when an employee changes unions (goes from SP to AU, for example, either temporarily or permanently), they can use their personal days in their new position. The Sub-Group Presidents and I were disappointed with the CRA decision not to respect that ruling and we recommended that members in a similar situation file a grievance. The CRA decided in the end to respond positively to the grievances filed in late 2018. We are awaiting the official responses.

Another case was won against the CRA in 2017: the Fehr case. It was similar to the Delios case, but it involved family-related leave. In that case, the CRA appealed to the Federal Court and lost once again. We recommended that you file a grievance if you were in a similar situation. The CRA decided in the end to respond positively to those grievances in late 2018. We are waiting for the official responses to them as well.

Staffing

I am still in discussions with management to identify best staffing practices that should be implemented in all offices. In 2018, I was also appointed by the AFS Group to serve on the Staffing Redesign Committee. The CRA is looking at changing its staffing system. So I am participating, on behalf of the Group, with Ontario Representative Shawn Gillis in the various discussions on the changes. We are being consulted but the fact remains that management is making the decisions. The AFS Group wants to have a fair, equitable and transparent system.

In 2018, we witnessed the introduction of an accelerated external AU-3 competition (no exam, only a 20-minute interview) in the Quebec Region. That competition led to a lot of dissatisfaction among members. A total of 342 members signed a petition against external competitions for senior-level positions and I sent it to Minister LeBouthillier. Thank you for signing the petition. We want to ensure that internal employees have priority over external competitions, which in our view should be a last resort. I am waiting for the Minister’s response and I will get back to you once I receive it.

Employees work hard to prepare themselves for competitions. It is important that the results be sound and fair. We are urging management and HR to consult the union to avoid staffing problems. When I see issues that are likely to become problematic, I caution myself to prevent management from making bad decisions that could impact members adversely.

Conclusion

The work of a regional representative involves convincing management to find solutions to the problems affecting employees and to avoid them in the future. In this regard, I have a respectful relationship with the Assistant Commissioner, Louis Beauséjour. We sometimes don’t agree, but we are having some frank discussions to improve the CRA and employee satisfaction.

Working as a regional representative requires being a team player. I work with Sub-Group Presidents, Stewards, PIPSC Employment Relations Officers and the AFS Group Executive. I would like to thank all of them for the significant part they played in meeting common goals, such as defending members and improving our working conditions.

I would also like to extend my thanks to the members who participated in union activities. Job action is important to negotiations. As always, I look forward to seeing you at the Sub-Group AGMs.

Thank you.

Steve Parent, CPA, CMA, D. Fisc.

AFS Regional Representative, Quebec Region

514-709-5787