Dear Members,

Last week I had the opportunity to meet with the National Capital Region Liberal Caucus. I was grateful for the warm reception I received and know that many of the Members of Parliament rearranged their schedules to be able to attend. I used this opportunity to raise PIPSC’s continued concerns with the disastrous Phoenix pay system.

As many are aware, Budget 2018 pledged $16 million to explore the building of a new pay system to replace Phoenix. This was good news and offers a glimmer of hope in an otherwise terrible two years.  My concern now is about recent reports that the system could take 6 years to build.  I shared with the MPs that 6 years was much too long to wait and meant 8 years of pain under the current flawed system.  I reiterated that we don’t have the luxury of time when it comes to Phoenix, as public service employees are suffering. 

I encouraged them to pressure their government to act quickly and to explore all possible solutions.  I pointed them to a potential alternative at the Canada Revenue Agency that our own AFS group is pushing to be explored. Let’s make sure we are looking to our own homegrown solutions and our own IT community. Let’s also make sure we work as quickly as we can to ensure our members are paid correctly on time – all the time.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau
President

Fellow members,

Following tremendous pressure on the part of public service bargaining agents, the government has finally introduced some much-needed flexibility in the recovery of overpayments caused by Phoenix.

According to the Treasury Board, “in order to relieve and mitigate the financial stress and hardships of employees experiencing overpayments in Phoenix”, the Employer will now adopt a “flexible and respectful approach to managing the recovery of overpayments (including Emergency Salary Advances and priority payments)”.

This is an important development for our members. Unless an employee decides on an earlier repayment schedule, the Employer has agreed to delay, all or in part, the recovery of these types of overpayments until their pay file is reconciled – which it defines as receiving their correct pay for three consecutive pay periods.

In the case of employees currently on Leave Without Pay, the recovery process is not to begin until they return to work or their employment is terminated.

Your Department/Agency or the Pay Centre must develop with you a flexible repayment schedule.  According to our information, you are to be provided “maximum discretion, as reasonable, to determine a repayment plan.”

If you have any questions, please contact your departmental Labour Relations or Compensation staff.

Need help with your Phoenix issues? Contact us at https://www.pipsc.ca/news-issues/phoenix-pay-system/phoenix-help-form.

Better Together,

Debi Daviau,
President

Fellow members,                                                                                       

I am pleased to report that yesterday’s federal Budget committed $16M towards the building of an alternative pay system to replace the disastrous Phoenix.

I see this as a glimmer of hope in a long two years of constant stress and financial worry for our members.  We told the government that our members had lost confidence in Phoenix. We told it to Nix Phoenix and they listened. We deserve better!

The project promises to engage experts and unions in the development of a new system. PIPSC will work hard to ensure that our own government IT professionals are tasked with building a pay system that works.  

The Budget also made significant investments in the current system, promising to hire more pay and compensation staff in the pay centre and within departments and agencies. While we know that more people are needed to make the system work, we are worried that the funding appears to be only for a year, and we  remain concerned that the bulk of these funds may be going to Phoenix developer IBM. 

When it comes to Phoenix, we will continue to keep up the pressure. We won’t stop until all of our members are paid correctly and on time – all of the time. 

Better Together!

Debi Daviau,
President

Fellow members,

With “tax season” fast approaching, the government has recently updated the information available online regarding three types of financial claims linked to the Phoenix pay system: requesting an advance for government benefits; reimbursement for tax advice; and claims for out-of-pocket expenses.

Given the very real impact of Phoenix on so many of our members’ finances, I encourage you to read these materials and ensure you have the latest information at your disposal.

Need help with your Phoenix issues? Contact us at https://www.pipsc.ca/news-issues/phoenix-pay-system/phoenix-help-form.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau,
President

Dear Members,

Last week I was invited to meet with the Cabinet level working group on the Phoenix pay system to discuss potential solutions. I last met with the Cabinet committee in June 2017 and since then we have sadly seen little to no progress – in fact the problems continue to mount.

I took the time to remind them of the pain and suffering our members are still experiencing due to the Phoenix pay system. I wanted to make sure they do not forget the human side of this fiasco.

I also took the opportunity to deliver some key messages and asked them to do the following:

• Pay employees correctly and on time!
• Allocate more resources in departments and agencies to help employees with their pay problems.
• Nix Phoenix and start building an alternative system – one built by our own government IT professionals.
• Award damages to compensate for the problems Phoenix has inflicted on so many.
• Create a tax exemption for those who have experienced overpayments

I believe the Ministers understood the gravity of the issue and are working hard to find solutions. They themselves hear from many federal employees in their MP Constituency offices.  I hope to hear news from them soon on our key priorities – we need to see progress.  With the Federal Budget around the corner I am hopeful we will see a meaningful plan and investment to ensure federal employees are paid correctly and on time.

Help me keep the pressure on government to replace Phoenix with a system that works -- one built by federal IT experts. Email the ministerial working group today.

Sincerely,
Debi Daviau

On February 6, 2018 PIPSC President Debi Daviau led a dozen-strong Institute delegation to Ottawa’s Parliament Hill as part of the Canadian Labour Congress’ (CLC) annual Lobby Day.

Some 300 Canadian labour movement representatives took the Hill by storm that day, participating in over two hundred meetings with federal Ministers, Members of Parliament and Senators to discuss the issues of Pharmacare, Pay Equity, Employment Insurance and Retirement Security.

Not only is the CLC Lobby Day a significant opportunity for Canada’s elected officials to better understand the interests of working people across the country, it is an excellent demonstration of the ongoing strength and vitality of Canada’s labour movement.

The Institute’s Greg Scriver and Waheed Khan, joined by colleagues from other labour organizations, meet with Member of Parliament Andrew Leslie.

PIPSC President Debi Daviau with fellow labour activists and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour Patricia Hajdu.

February 5, 2018

The 55 unions represented on the Canadian Council of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) recognize without exception that when one of our affiliates is attacked, our movement is attacked.

Therefore, the CLC condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the decision and actions of the Unifor leadership to disaffiliate from the CLC and raid the members of UNITE HERE! Local 75 in the Greater Toronto Area. Raiding a union is a deplorable act that is irreconcilable with the principles of solidarity on which our movement was founded. The actions of Unifor are made worse when they defend their raiding activities with nationalist justifications and wholesale attacks on international unions. 

Our Congress is made up of national, international and provincial unions from both the private and public sectors. The solidarity between these unions is where our movement derives its strength and integrity. The contribution to building our movement and defending workers' rights and human rights in Canada by our international affiliates cannot be discounted, disrespected, or dishonoured. The CLC will continue to value and defend all of our members from attacks on their unions regardless of whether they are provincial, national, or international. 

It is this solidarity that has led to the enhancement of labour laws, expansion of the Canada Pension Plan, the comprehensive ban on asbestos, the creation of a Just Transition task force, the increase of the minimum wage in a number of jurisdictions, and the gains on leave for survivors of domestic violence, to name only a few. 

The unions of the Canadian Labour Congress pledge to:

• Work together to protect our members from raids and organize the unorganized; 
• Defend our members and their international unions from baseless attacks; and
• Recommit our efforts to the political action necessary to improve the lives of all workers.

The Canadian Labour Congress represents over 3 million workers and brings together Canada's national, international, and provincial unions along with the provincial and territorial federations of labour and 107 district labour councils, whose members work in virtually all sectors of the Canadian economy, in all occupations, in all parts of Canada.

Signed by,

Hassan Yussuff
President
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Marie Clarke Walker
Secretary-Treasurer
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Donald Lafleur
Executive Vice-President
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC)

Larry Rousseau
Executive Vice-President
Canadian Labour Congress(CLC)

Captain Dan Adamus
President
Canada Board
Air Line Pilots Association International-Canada Board Office (ALPA)

Robert Ashton
President
International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada (ILWU)

Brian Baker
National Executive Director
Directors Guild of Canada (DGC)

Robyn Benson
National President
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)

Harvey Bischof
President
Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation (OSSTF)

David Black
National President
Canadian Office and Professional Employees' Union (COPE)

Daniel Boyer
President
Quebec Federation of Labour (QFL)

Larry Brown
National President
National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)

Anita Bryan
United Steelworkers (USW)

Chris Buckley
President
Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL)

Jessica Burnie
V-P Representing Workers with Disabilities

Danny Cavanagh
President
Nova Scotia Federation of Labour (NSFL)

Patrick Colford
President
New Brunswick Federation of Labour (NBFL)

Anouk Collet
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)

Bill Daniels
International Vice-President
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Debi Daviau
President and CEO
The Professional Institute of Public Service of Canada (PIPSC)

Sharon DeSousa
Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC)

David Doyle
International Canadian Vice-President
Glasss Molders, Pottery, Plastics and Allied Workers International Union (GMP)

Danielle Dubuc
V-P Representing Workers of Colour

Jody Dukart
International Auditor/Teller
United Mine Workers of America (UMW)

Vince Engel
International Vice-President, Western Canada
International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (IAHFIAW)

James Given
President
Seafarers' International Union of Canada (SIU)

Sam Hammond
President
Elementary Teachers' Federation of Ontario (ETFO)

Mark Hancock
National President
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

Glen Hansman
President
British Columbia Teachers' Federation (BCTF)

Lorraine Hewlett
President
Northern Territories Federation of Labour (NTFL)

Len Hope
President
Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC)

Larry Hubich
President
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL)

Milt Isaacs
Chief Executive Officer
Air Canada Pilots Association (ACPA)

James Jackson
Director of Canadian Affairs
Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA)

Patricia Knight
Teamsters Canada

Darrell LaBoucan
8th General Vice-President
International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers (IABSORIW)

Irene Lanzinger
President
British Columbia Federation of Labour (BCFL)

François Laporte
President
Teamsters Canada

Fred LeBlanc
13th District Vice-President
International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF)

Justin Lemphers
President
Yukon Federation of Labour (YFL)

John Lewis
International Vice-President and Director of Canadian Affairs
International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories and Canada (IATSE)

Suzanne MacNeil
V-P Representing Atlantic Region Labour Councils

George MacPherson
President
Shipyard General Workers' Federation of British Columbia (SGWBC)

Joseph Maloney
International Vice-President Eastern Canada
International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB)

Joseph S. Mancinelli
International Vice-President and Regional Manager
Laborers' International Union of North America (LIUNA)

Anthony Marco
V-P Representing Ontario Region Labour Councils

Brenda McAuley
National President
Canadian Postmasters and Assistants Association (CPAA)

Gil McGowan
President
Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL)

Paul Meinema
National President
United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW)

Steve Morrison
International Vice-President and Director of Canadian Affairs
United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) 

Patrick Murphy
Vice-President
International Longshoremen's Association (ILA)

Kenneth G. Neumann
National Director
United Steelworkers (USW)

Martin O'Hanlon
President
Communications Workers of America, Canada (CWA/SCA Canada)

Casey Oraa
V-P Representing LGBTQ2SI

Yves Ouellet
Director General
FTQ-Construction

Mike Palecek
National President
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)

Stan Pickthall
General Vice-President
International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM&AW)

Ron Piercey
International Vice-President
Bakery, Confectionery and Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM)

Danielle Pohl
V-P Representing Pacific Region Labour Councils

Bill Pollock
President
International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW Local 251)

Carl Pursey
President
Prince Edward Island Federation of Labour (PEIFL)

Lionel Railton
Canadian Regional Director
International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE)

Kevin Rebeck
President
Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL)

Candace Rennick
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

Dany Richard
President
Association of Canadian Financial Officers (ACFO)

Ian Robb
Canadian Director
UNITE HERE!

Carmen Rogers-Jones
V-P Representing Young Workers) 

Ronald Rousseau
V-P Representing Aboriginal Workers

Jason Rowe
Canadian Vice-President
United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America (UBCJA)

Mary Shortall
President
Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour (NLFL)

Linda Silas
President
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)

Stephanie Smith
National Union of Public and General Employees/ British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union (NUPGE/BCGEU)

Basia Sokal
V-P Representing Prairie Region Labour Councils

David Sparrow
National President
Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists (ACTRA)

Ainsworth Spence
V-P Representing Workers of Colour

Sharleen Stewart
International Canadian Vice-President
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

Liz Stuart
President
Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association (OECTA)

Paul Thorp
President
Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU)

Scott Travers
President
International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE

Terri Van Steinburg
President
National Union of the Canadian Association of University Teachers (NUCAUT)

Ann Waller
Labourers' International Union of North America (LIUNA)

Alan Willaert
Vice-President from Canada
Canadian Federation of Musicians (AFM/CFM)

Pauline Worsfold
Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU)

Fellow members,

I recently wrote to Treasury Board President Scott Brison to express my frustration at being informed that the government is very likely not going to be able to process overpayment claims reported by the January 19, 2018 deadline. I called on the Minister to immediately take every measure necessary to ensure that no public service employee should have to pay more than they received in overpayment, and pointed to the need for a new pay system to be built by our members.

Better Together!

Debi Daviau,
President

---

The Honourable Scott Brison
President of the Treasury Board
90 Elgin Street, 8^th Floor
Ottawa ON K1A0R5
By email: President@tbs-sct.gc.ca

January 30, 2018

Minister Brison,

I am writing today as a follow-up to our earlier request to ensure our members are not unfairly penalized due to an overpayment caused by the Phoenix pay system.  When faced with the reality that many employees had received overpayments, we had originally asked for a tax exemption so that no employee would have to pay back more than they received in overpayment.  The government’s response was to set up a deadline for reporting overpayments, to the effect that employees who met the deadline would be issued a corrected T4 and would need only to repay the net of their overpayment (the amount they actually received). Indeed, we even helped communicate this deadline to our members through our own channels. 

We have now been informed that the government is very likely not going to be able to process overpayment claims reported by the January 19, 2018 deadline. Not surprisingly, the volume of these claims was high given that Phoenix has caused so many problems for federal employees.  There are still some 16,000 claims left to process, which means that potentially thousands of our members – despite having submitted their claims well within the specified timeframe - will not receive corrected T4s for the 2017 tax year and will therefore be forced to pay back the gross amount overpaid by Phoenix (more than they received).  We find this unacceptable, as this will certainly wreak havoc on their personal finances and tax planning for the year.

I can’t emphasize enough how disappointed, if not angry, I am with the situation.  While I appreciate that your government has taken a number of steps to address the seemingly innumerable problems caused by Phoenix, the reality is that we are no closer to solving the systems’ problems than we were a year ago – and public servants are literally paying the price of its failures. 

I am therefore calling upon you to immediately take every measure necessary to clear this backlog and to ensure that no public service employee should have to pay more than they received in overpayment. As I have said before, the amount of problems with the system clearly point to the need for a new pay system built by the very people it will pay. Public servants understand the workings of government and should be tasked with building a new pay system that works.

I look forward to your response about how the government will tackle this latest failure of the Phoenix pay system.

Sincerely,

Debi Daviau
President, 
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada

The news that Canada’s largest private-sector union, Unifor, has decided to withdraw its membership from the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has taken many by surprise.

PIPSC believes that Canada’s labour movement is always stronger together. We remain firm affiliates of the Canadian Labour Congress and will continue to work with other unions for the benefit of our own members and for all Canadian workers.

We also remain hopeful that a resolution that would allow Unifor to return to the CLC can soon be reached.

We will continue to monitor the current situation closely and communicate with our members as further information becomes available.

Better Together,

Debi Daviau

President