THUNDER BAY – Border workers protested outside of MP Patty Hajdu’s office Thursday, decrying the federal government’s failure to reach a deal with their union ahead of a looming strike deadline.
Border agents represented by the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s Customs and Immigration Union will begin work-to-rule actions at 6 a.m. Friday, unless a deal is reached before then.
There will be no picket lines, at least not yet, but significant delays are expected at airports, land borders, commercial shipping ports, and postal facilities as nearly 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) employees begin job action.
The move comes just days before Canada lifts border restrictions on Aug. 9, allowing fully-vaccinated U.S. travelers into the country without a quarantine requirement.
“This is our opportunity to cause significant disruptions to CBSA operations and force the government to come back to the table to address the toxic workplace culture at CBSA and provide parity with other law enforcement personnel across Canada,” the union said in a statement.
The parties returned to the bargaining table Thursday after the union served strike notice on Tuesday, but the union claimed the CBSA and Treasury Board of Canada returned with “no new mandate to address our core workplace issues.”
The union has directed members not to work during breaks or past scheduled hours, and to “ask every question in your manual” at border crossings, which is expected to cause long delays.
“There’s no doubt our job action will result in slower processing and longer wait times,” PSAC said. “While unfortunate for travelers and commercial shipping, the blame rests squarely with Treasury Board, CBSA, and the government for their inaction, disrespect, and chronic understaffing.”
Union members at Thursday's protest in front of Thunder Bay-Superior North MP Patty Hajdu's office declined to speak with media.
The PSAC-CIU members have been without a collective bargaining agreement for three years. The union says it’s seeking changes to address a “toxic” workplace culture and bring compensation more in line with other law enforcement personnel.
More significant general or rotating strikes could follow, though the bulk of PSAC’s membership would remain at work due an essential designation. Around 2,600 union members are able to take full strike action, however.
Thunder Bay–Atikokan MPP Judith Monteith-Farrell, who previously served as a union representative for local border agents, joined the march in front of Hajdu’s office Thursday.
The pandemic has created difficult conditions for border agents, she said, highlighting the need to move on a new contract.
“They’ve been waiting a long time for a collective agreement,” she said. “The federal government has turned a blind eye.”
“You’d think they would want to first reward the people who were at that border keeping us safe and having to do a very hard job turning people away.”
PSAC applied for a Public Interest Commission hearing in December, saying negotiations had reached an impasse. The union claims the government has not significantly adjusted its bargaining position to address the commission’s recommendations.
In a statement, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat said its offer to PSAC was comparable to other recent public sector agreements with increases of 6.48 per cent over three years or 8.1 per cent over four years.
"The Government of Canada has great respect for border services officers and the important work that they do and remains committed to reaching agreements with all bargaining agents that are fair to employees, mindful of today’s economic and fiscal context and reasonable for Canadian taxpayers," the secretariat stated.
The government requested the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board appoint a mediator earlier this week, and mediation sessions began on Wednesday and continued through the night on Thursday, said the secretariat.
