Do you want to know why the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board’s decision to bypass the lengthy Public Interest Commission (PIC) process was historic? Or how Treasury Board's insulting wage offer of less than 1% per year amounts to a direct pay cut for federal public service workers? 

Tune into the latest episode of Union Safety Net from the Union of Safety and Justice Employees (USJE) to hear the inside story behind the PA Group’s PIC bypass, and understand what the Board’s subsequent decision for the EB Group means for this round of bargaining. 

PSAC National President Sharon DeSousa joins Julie Nelson, PA bargaining team member, and Rachel Besharah, PSAC negotiator, to break down exactly what this historic PIC bypass means, why the employer’s current wage offer is completely unacceptable, and how our bargaining teams are fighting to protect members’ rights. 

• Listen now: Bargaining with Treasury Board and bypassing the Public Interest Commission (English only)

Listen to the archives to deepen your knowledge

Get the full context behind this round of negotiations by listening to these past episodes: 

• Meet your teams (the March 2026 update): Hear directly from your elected bargaining team representatives, including Alex Creamer (PA Group), Rick Sweetman (SV Group), Krysty Thomas (TC Group), and Guillaume Legault (EB Group). They discuss the state of negotiations, Treasury Board’s concessions, declaring impasse, and the fight to protect remote work and the Workforce Adjustment Appendix. 
  
  Listen now: Update on bargaining between PSAC and Treasury Board of Canada (Bilingual) 
   
• How bargaining works (the November 2025 primer): PSAC bargaining experts Rachel Besharah and Pierre-Samuel Proulx explain who sits at the table, how members’ demands become bargaining proposals, and why federal labour legislation shapes the bargaining timeline. They also break down impasse, the Public Interest Commission process, strike votes, arbitration, and the ratification of tentative agreements. 
  
  Listen now: Understanding collective bargaining with Treasury Board a.k.a. the Government of Canada (English only)

About the podcast 

The Union of Safety and Justice Employees is a component union of the PSAC that represents more than 19,000 workers across Canada’s federal justice system. 

Union Safety Net is USJE's podcast for working people. Each month, the show dives into the pressing issues facing workers across Canada, bringing you timely conversations with politicians, labour advocates, and subject matter experts.  

The show was nominated in the “Outstanding Branded Series” category at the 2025 Canadian Podcast Awards and won the 2026 CALM Award for Best Audio Production.