2018 Bi-Annual Report and Christmas Message from the President
Dear colleagues,
I am writing to you today to give you a 6 month President Report and a Christmas Message for 2018.
On June 1st 2018, I took office as the new President, after serving the previous three years as the Vice-President of the AV Group.
As many of you have asked me what does AV stand for, I will address this right away.
It stands for Auditor and in French Verificateur (masculine) or Verificatrice (feminine), hence AV is our original group acronym.
The Auditor classification acronym is AU.
After the Group was formed, years later, the Commerce Officer (CO) and the Purchasing Group (PG) members were added to this Institute Group, as there was several similar characteristics in job requirements and functionality, as we all deal in the business of government and handle, process or audit financial, trade, regulate, contractual acquisitions and transactions, as a mandate.
In June 2017, our delegates at the Group Annual General Meeting approved the acronym to be changed from AV to ACP, which represents the first letter of all three classifications AU-CO-PG. This is on the table at our current bargaining negotiations as we need Treasury Board approval to change the acronym on our bargaining certificate that PIPSC owns.
That is a little background and history for all of you.
And I must add thank you to our Execs, in particular Olivia Leung, who contributed to the new Group Logo mini competition we had at the exec level. Here is the new Logo:
Bi-Annual President Report
After 6 months as the President, I can tell you it has been a very busy and challenging period as a volunteer for our PIPSC ACP (AV) Group. Most of the work I and our executives do is in the evening after work, or during break and lunch periods at work.
I always refer back to my pledge to you, the member, which is still on our PIPSC website from the election period back in April 2018, to keep me on track:
I pledge to:
- Protect our current Defined Benefit Pension and advocate to STOP Bill C-27
- Increase member inclusiveness by creating Group advisory committees, including bargaining
- Transform our Group into a modern-day professional union using digital technology
- Negotiate collective agreements where we gain in salary against inflation!
- Recruit visible minorities and females into Group Executives and Steward positions
- Support a PIPSC Membership Dues Freeze for the next three years to protect your net pay!
I can say, with pride, the Group Executives are right on target with my, and now, our pledge to you.
PIPSC and the AV Group is protecting our Pensions, as we have applied enough advocacy on the Liberal Cabinet, with leadership from President Debi Daviau, as the government is withdrawing Bill C-27. This bill would have introduced Defined Contributions, and remove Defined Benefits. This bill we did not want at all. We want a secure retirement with a guaranteed defined benefit and indexed pension.
The Group approved our first Bargaining Advisory Committee Conference on July 19th, 2018 where we had 31 members from all regions attend, and a special keynote address from PIPSC President Debi Daviau. This increased our member inclusiveness and openness on the very important Collective Bargaining negotiations file. Another Advisory Conference will be scheduled in January or February 2019, as we get further along in our negotiations.
The Group is using digital technology wherever we can, with more messaging directly to our Group Stewards and Members. We are using our website to publish more information for you, so you can read first hand, what we are doing and how we are representing you.
We have published our Bargaining Proposal for you to read online, and have also sent to you via email already in November. And when we have our economic salary proposal drafted in mid-December, we shall do the same.
The theme this year is INFLATION!
By reading and analyzing the recent PSAC proposal to Treasury Board, we are following with the same Inflation increases in our proposal. Now this is a negotiation, so we shall be persistent and try to achieve inflation levels for our salary increase, for you the member. Treasury Board, the employer, will no doubt challenge, debate and counter-propose a much lower than inflation rate, but with your support and inclusiveness as an advisor, we will be as persistent and determined as we can, going forward to achieve our goals. We shall also propose salary increases to match and exceed our “comparables”, in the PG, CO, AU, EC, FI, SP (CRA) etc. positions for our members. The Bargaining Team Committee has indeed listened to you, the member, and your reminder to all of us execs, that salary parity is very important for our careers and pension.
Photo: Peter Gabriel with PIPSC President Debi Daviau Sept 2018
The recruitment of females and visible minorities into Group Executives and also Subgroup executive positions, as well as stewards, has been a successful strategy and pledge to date. I am proud to announce that our new Subgroup in South Vancouver Island (SVI), has recruited 5 females into the subgroup executive. This subgroup is led by our BC/Yukon Regional Rep Angela Cowie. Congratulations Angela on a great start, as Angela just moved out to Victoria last December 2017. In one year, we have formal representation with a new subgroup in Victoria.
It should be also noted that on our Group Executive, we have 6 females that hold positions, nearly 50%. This recruitment of females and visible minorities (a compliment) is in line with our Group demographics as well. A similar strategy will be implemented in Halifax and also in Southern Ontario (Kitchener/Waterloo) Windsor, Quebec City, Regina, Edmonton, Kingston in 2019, where we want to include all members, with a focus on females and visible minorities, to get more involved as executives in representing our members through establishing a viable subgroup. Our demographics tell us who we are. Now let’s work together to get involved.
And as a Group, we did come out with strong voices at the PIPSC AGM against financial budgetary motions that would have increased the PIPSC 2019 Budget, and possibly start a dues increase motion. I am proud to have delegates Robert Hunter (President Ottawa Subgroup) and Hughes Leroux (President Global Affairs Canada NCR Regional Branch), James Bright (AV Group Vice-President), Ray Paquette (past Group President) step up to the microphones, along with myself, and vote down motions that would lead to possible dues increase.
Our Group has always been socially liberal with a good fair and reasonable approach to PIPSC business needs and processes, but with a fiscal prudent attitude, and we always stay within our PIPSC Constituents Body budgets. And to our 17 Group delegates and nearly 30 regional associated member delegates that supported us at the PIPSC AGM, thank you for your support and guidance.
Our unofficial motto is “Be Smart, Be Informed and Participate.”
I have to say with pride, that several of our executives have hit the road delivering member engagement information sessions on Bargaining and also on general PIPSC information session to our local members.
Bargaining Team Photo from September 25, 2018 (Note: James Bright joined us via teleconference) L-R: Gerry Morrissey, Raymond Poon, Nicolas Daignault (PIPSC Staff), Cara Ryan (PIPSC Staff Negotiator), Peter Gabriel, Gord Sanford, Jason Huang and Andree Doucet
To date since June 1st, here is a list of our member engagements to date where the Group has funded low cost pizza and bottle water lunch and learns and bargaining information sessions, or partnered with local subgroups, and group execs that were present:
June 25th Toronto (Peter Gabriel)
July 12th Montreal (Photo L-R Stephan Aubry, Peter Gabriel and Yanick Poulin)
July 19th Gatineau QC Bargaining Advisory Conference
August 11th, first annual NCR Family Day picnic (see photo L-R: Philip Wang, Peter Gabriel, Olivia Leung, Vania Tsang, Andree Doucet, Jason Huang)
September 6th Thanks to AV Gatineau SG and Group Bargaining Team Ice Cream Event and Bargaining Update (Photo L-R Hong Xu, Peter Gabriel, Natalia Kim, Andree Doucet, Oliva Leung, Valerie Nguyen, James Bright, Alex Lamoureux and Gord Sanford)
September 15th Elections Canada Gatineau (Peter Gabriel)
September 19th, Thanks to AV Ottawa Subgroup Execs Sylvia Boucher and Rob Hunter for organizing AV Group NCR Steward networking session (Photo L-R Peter Gabriel, Sylvia Boucher, Mark Walton, Rob Hunter, Sean O’Reilly)
October 17th Halifax (James Bright, Peter Gabriel, along with PIPSC A/VP and By-Laws and Policy Chair Nancy McCune)
October 18th Nanaimo and Victoria (Peter Gabriel with AFS Group President Doug Mason)
October 19th Vancouver (Peter Gabriel, photo from Delta BC Ferries Terminal)
Photo: L-R Peter Gabriel, Gord Sanford, Andree Doucet and Gerry Morrissey in Ottawa discussing bargaining strategy after a long day.
October 29th Saskatoon (Andree Doucet)
November 5th Winnipeg (Andree Doucet)
November 15th, Competition Bureau in Gatineau (Gord Sanford, Peter Gabriel)
November 21st Terrace Des Chaudieres, Gatineau (Peter Gabriel)
November 22nd Saskatoon (Linda Howes, Peter Gabriel)
November 23rd Terrace Des Chaudieres, Gatineau (Andree Doucet, Peter Gabriel)
November 27th Toronto (L-R Peter Gabriel, Gerry Morrissey, Kim McGuire – Central Bargaining Committee AV Group Rep, Gord Sanford, Jason Huang)
November 29th Vancouver (Andree Doucet)
November 30th Victoria SVI SG (Andree Doucet)
Photo: Group Secretary and Bargaining Team Member Andree Doucet
Future engagements planned with more to follow in 2019:
December 13th Place du Portage III (Raymond Poon, Gord Sanford, James Bright, Peter Gabriel)
December 18th Hotel De Ville DND (James Bright, Peter Gabriel)
December 19th Montreal Place de Ville (Raymond Poon, James Bright, Jason Huang, Andree Doucet, Gord Sanford, Gerry Morrissey, Peter Gabriel)
If you wish to have a Bargaining Information Session Presentation at your workplace for up to 25 members, the Group will fund the lunch and learn pizza and bottled water. Please contact Bargaining Chair at peter_gabriel@pipsc.ca (peter underscore Gabriel ….)
Our future is bright…
Looking ahead to the next six months, it will be a busy time with Collective Bargaining negotiations scheduled for January and February 2019 and beyond, if we do not get anywhere in negotiations, or if negotiations have stalled. Currently this government approach has been to stall and delay as they claim to have “no mandate” to sign yet. President Debi Daviau will be rallying the troops to push this government into a mandate to start real negotiations and signing off on tentative agreements in the near future.
Membership engagement and subgroup development continue to be a priority as well, and our execs will be on the road promoting the Group and seeking your support to start a subgroup in your local area. James Bright, VP and Subgroup Coordinator holds this portfolio and will be working with our Regional Reps and our Members at Large to assist him going forward in 2019. We still need to breakthrough and connect with our members in Halifax directly. Another bargaining information session will be held and our bargaining team looks forward to meeting members in Halifax. Unfortunately, we will have to close this subgroup for a “cooling off” period, until summer of 2019, or until we can get 5 names of regular members that want to step up as volunteers and run this subgroup. Our commitment is to represent our members and we shall do so in the near future with your support.
We will invite all members to apply for delegate status (40 spots) and a number of observers (how many to be determined by our AGM Committee), to our Group Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday June 22, 2019 to Hilton Hotel Lac Leamy in Gatineau QC. Mark your calendars.
As well, we will invite all our Subgroup President’s to our Friday June 21st 2019 Annual Subgroup President’s Meeting.
Make sure to apply when the invite is emailed to you in January 2019. Stay tuned.
Stewards continue to be great volunteers in the workplace, and I cannot forget to mention our new Stewards in 2018 since June 2018: Kimberly Seguin, Linda Howes, Anita Blais, Evangelia Costamis, Susan Evans, Lalita Jeethan, Yevgeniy Kozlov, Lorraine Murphy, Laura Muller, Annie Choi, Jun Hua Feng, and if I missed someone that became a steward in 2018, please send me a note.
Here is our Group Stewards website link:
http://www.pipsc.ca/groups/av/stewards
Send them a thank you and hello as plenty of good work goes unnoticed and unrecognized, as we work behind the scenes representing our members. In recognition of our steward’s volunteerism, the Group approved to send all Stewards a new Group Steward Winter sweater (hoodie) as a sign of our appreciation.
AV Group Stewards Photo from NCR Steward Council September 2018:
L – R: Hong Xu, Mark Walton, Peter Gabriel, Krisha Gautham, Andree Doucet, Debi Daviau, Natalia Kim, Ray Paquette, Sylvia Boucher, Hughes Leroux, Andrew Wigmore, Rob Hunter, Chief Steward NCR Glen Schjerning
Celebrating Ray Paquette Lifetime Achievement Award and Past Presidency of the AV Group
Photo: L-R Terry Sing, Andree Doucet, Ray Paquette, Peter Gabriel, James Bright and Jason Huang
Other news was the great response rate to the Professional Associations Survey. We now have a better picture of our member’s professional status, and thanks to the many members that reached out and explained to us that they are not getting reimbursed. We will be bargaining Article 21 to end this once and for all.
Before I close, make sure to sign up and ….
Join ServicePlus…as a PIPSC member, sign up and get discounts. You will earn your dues back in savings discounts! Check out the savings at: https://www.serviceplusgroup.ca
In closing, on behalf on the entire AV Group Executive, I wish you, your family and relatives and friends, a very Merry Christmas season, a Happy New Year Holiday season that is safe, healthy and joyful.
In solidarity and Better Together!
Peter Gabriel
President
Representing AU-CO-PG classification members (soon to be ACP - AV)
Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada