Our PSAC-UTE bargaining team met with the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) on January 20-22 to continue negotiations for a new collective agreement. 

In this round of bargaining, it’s clear: the Agency is looking to destroy our working conditions and is doing nothing to address the needs and concerns of its employees. Including our buying power. We deserve better than this. 

Wages 

In December, our team tabled a comprehensive wage proposal, including rationale. Normally, we would expect CRA to present a counter-proposal at this point. They did not. Although we reminded the employer that our members have been without a contract since November 2025, the Agency claimed they are looking for “fiscal restraint” and will need more rationale.  

These games and delays are unacceptable. 

Artificial intelligence and job security 

According to the CRA, they have a mandate from the government to implement artificial intelligence (AI) wherever possible. To make matters worse, CRA has no intention of negotiating new protections for PSAC-UTE members when it comes to technological changes.  

We will not sit idly by while the government replaces thousands of our jobs with AI and chat boxes. This directly attacks union members and the services that communities rely on across the country. Data shows that people in Canada want to talk to a human when they interact with the CRA. 

The Agency also continues to push language that would allow management to introduce shift work, forcing employees to work evenings and weekends. We will not agree to this. 

Remote work 

The Agency indicated it had no intention of addressing remote work even though we all know the cost savings and equity that remote work provides for workers. We cannot trust the employer on this issue as they have broken previous commitments and continue to make decisions without any data to support them. We will fight to include remote work options in our collective agreement. 

What’s next? 

Bargaining dates are scheduled for February 24-26. We expect the Agency to return to the table prepared to table a wage proposal and address our concerns concerning job security, AI, remote work, and work-life balance. 

We are also ramping up our collective power. Stay tuned on how you can demand respect, take action, and put pressure on this employer. Make sure to visit the UTE and PSAC websites for more information and to sign up for our newsletter. If you have any questions, please contact your UTE local and make sure that your contact information is up to date.