The union representing federal government workers set to strike demands a 47% wage increase over three years, shift premiums for working past 4 p.m., extra hours at double time, a taxpayer-funded and union-controlled “social justice fund,” and a $17,000 education fund for laid-off staff.. Parliament Hill .The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the largest federal union, represents the workers..The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) sounded the alarm in January on PSAC's request for a compensation hike of as much as 47% over the next three years, costing taxpayers $9.3 billion..The latest CTF analysis showed the various non-wage perks that the PSAC demanded..PSAC negotiators are sending a clear message that taxpayers need to dig deeper into their pockets, according to the CTF..“Canadians can’t afford to keep paying more and more and more,” said Franco Terrazzano, federal director of the CTF..“The federal government has to draw a line and say no to out-of-touch union demands.”.The Public Interest Commission Brief of the Public Service Alliance of Canada contains the complete list of PSAC demands, dated from Nov. 28 to Dec. 1, 2022..According to the Treasury Board of Canada, the document concerns PSAC's “program and administrative services” bargaining unit, which comprises 97,000 employees and wants a compensation increase of 29% over three years..One of the demands is to provide a special shift premium to members who work beyond 4 p.m..“An employee working shifts will receive a shift premium of two dollars and fifty cents ($2.50) per hour for all hours worked, including overtime hours, between 4 p.m. and 8 a.m.,” according to the document..PSAC negotiators included a request for an education fund for laid-off members to cover up to $17,000 in post-secondary tuition costs..“[An] amount of not more than seventeen thousand dollars for reimbursement of receipted expenses of an opting employee for tuition from a learning institution and costs of books and relevant equipment,” PSAC negotiators asked..PSAC negotiators are pushing for case managers at Veterans Affairs to receive special pay raises and mandatory “diversity, equity, and inclusion” training for all employees and managers, including unconscious bias training..PSAC is also requesting an additional five days of paid leave for “self-identified indigenous” employees to participate in “traditional cultural” activities such as “hunting, fishing, [and] harvesting.”.Another demand by PSAC negotiators is for taxpayer-funded contributions to the union's “Social Justice Fund,” which supports various causes related to “progressive public policy.”.“The Employer shall contribute one cent per hour worked to the PSAC Social Justice Fund and such a contribution will be made for all hours worked by each employee in the bargaining unit,” according to the document..Assuming all 97,000 employees in the bargaining group worked 40 hours per week for 50 weeks per year, taxpayers would be responsible for contributing nearly $2 million annually to the union's “Social Justice Fund.” .“Most Canadians would be laughed out of the room if we asked our boss for these types of benefits,” Terrazzano said..“These demands prove that government union negotiators are trying to milk taxpayers.”.A 2020 Fraser Institute (FI) report found that federal government employees already enjoy a 9.4% wage premium over their private-sector counterparts, despite PSAC negotiators’ claim that the federal government must offer comparable compensation to employees in similar occupations in the private sector..According to the FI study, government workers have an advantage in non-wage benefits, such as personal leave, retirement age, pension plans, and job security..According to a recent report from the Parliamentary Budget Officer, each full-time federal government employee receives an average compensation of $125,300. In comparison, the average Canadian salary in September 2022 was approximately $59,000..During the COVID-19 pandemic, at least one raise was received by between 93% to 98% of federal employees.
