EXECUTIVE MEETING
MONTRÉAL CENTRE BRANCH
THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 20, 2018
REGIONAL OFFICE, 1000 SHERBROOKE STREET WEST
1. OPENING REMARKS
Patrick welcomed everyone and thanked them for coming.
Present: John Monti, Luke McCrory, Patrick Sioui, René Boudreau
Absent : Carole Pronovost (elected at the AGM), Ronald Pétion
Guest: Josée Hamel, Union Representative, EAP Committee
2. READING AND ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA
Moved by: Patrick Sioui Seconded by: John MontiIt was decided that Other Business would remain open.
3. REVIEW OF THE REGIONAL CONFERENCE CALL - QUEBEC SUB-GROUP PRESIDENTS
Patrick Sioui summarized the main points of the conference call of the province’s presidents, which was chaired by Steve Parent, Regional Representative. The highlights include the outstanding grievances (approximately 53), the regional staffing committee, the staffing redesign, and the various competitions. The grievance concerning leave with income averaging (LIA) was also discussed. This comes from the national group. The employer claims that leave with income averaging is a leave without pay and, if the employee has not accumulated 10 days or 75 paid hours, they are not entitled to the vacation day and sick leave for that month. The AFS Group claims that since they receive a (lower) salary, they are entitled to this leave. These grievances will be referred directly to the fourth level. Discussions on the various Official Languages issues. Patrick reported that the Assistant Director of Audit told him that the Francophone workload is on both sides of the river. In Montréal, it is bilingual.
4. STAFFING
We discussed the AU-02 competition for candidates registered in a master’s program. The CRA has excluded candidates who already have their master’s degrees on the grounds that the competition is open to those who are enrolled in a master’s program. This approach does not respect the merit principle and we have two grievances on this matter.
5. REGIONAL PETITION TO SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCE DELAYS IN PSLREB HEARINGS - FOLLOW-UP
Patrick asked members to comment on the draft petition he prepared. Considering that there is a petition denouncing external processes and that we have not received Ms. Charrette’s statistics, we decided to follow up on this matter at a later time.
6. SUMMARY OF THE CONSULTATION MEETING
Diane Benoît consulted Patrick Sioui on the upcoming MG-06 competition. On September 7, H. Dubois gave the President a summary of staffing. On September 11, 2018, the Assistant Director of SR&ED FD also provided a summary of his staffing changes.
7. UPCOMING EVENT - LUNCH AND LEARN
Patrick Sioui booked rooms 946-7-8 and checked the availability of presenter Éric Massey. Éric is available. A request was sent to the Region by Ronald Pétion for financial assistance from the Region for this event.
8. MONTRÉAL CENTRE BRANCH FINANCIAL REPORTS - JOHN MONTI
John Monti presented the Branch’s financial status. We can meet our obligations.
9. OTHER BUSINESS:
a) SP to AU: We are still waiting for the official position of human resources and PIPSC. In the meantime, team leaders are doing manual entries.
b) Retroactive Pay: In theory, the deadline has passed to make retroactive pay grievances. We discussed and came to the conclusion that, since this is about pay, there is no deadline and the employer has an obligation to pay the money regardless. Other grievances may be filed.
c) Other Phoenix cases: Patrick reminded the Branch members of the procedure: Open a ticket and give a reasonable time (3 weeks. If your case is not resolved, go to management with the problem (MG‑06 and above) and give a reasonable amount of time (3 weeks). If it still unresolved, file a grievance. We can afford to do this because there is no deadline when it comes to Phoenix cases. These situations are ongoing.
d) Leave with income averaging (LIA): The grievances are ongoing. Here is the model:
i) Grievance: I challenge the employer’s decision to deny my vacation / sick leave credits during my LIAs, which is in violation of Articles 15.02 and 16.01 of the collective agreement
ii) Corrective measures: I request that vacation and sick leave credits be granted during the two periods I was on an LIA, in 2013 (October 20, 2013 to December 14, 2013) and 2017 (July 28, 2017 to September 2, 2017) and that the necessary adjustments be made to my file. I call for any other remedial measures necessary to remedy the situation.
iii) I challenge the employer’s decision to deny my vacation / sick leave credits during my LIAs, which is in violation of Articles 15.02 and 16.01 of the collective agreement. The LIAs affected by the employer’s refusal are: in 2013, from October 20, 2013 to December 14, 2013 and, in 2017, or from July 28, 2017 to September 2, 2017.
10. ROUND TABLE:
No other business discussed.
John moved that the meeting be adjourned. Seconded by Ronald.