Dear Member,
As many of you have undoubtedly read in the media, the Public Service Allicance of Canada (the union representing striking CBSA employees) and the Treasury Board of Canada (representing the federal government) reached a tentative agreement on a new contract on the evening of August 6th, after a day long work-to-rule campaign by CBSA border officers.
The four-year agreement, which dates back to 2018, provides for average annual wage increases of approximately 2 percent, and also addresses a number of outstanding workplace issues.
Although the agreement must still undergo ratification, the union is strongly encouraging CBSA employees to vote in its favor. We therefore do not expect any further CBSA labour disruptions at this time.
The government’s press release announcing the agreement can be found HERE, while the union’s press release can be found HERE.
The agreement comes as the Canadian border reopens to fully vaccinated U.S. citizens engaging in non-essential travel as of today, and to fully vaccinated non-essential travellers from other countries as of September 7th. For additional details on the gradual easing of Canada’s COVID-related border restrictions, please see CL 11301.
Sincerely,
Karen Kancens
Vice President