After more than two years without a contract and a tremendous display of solidarity from FB members across the country, PSAC and the Customs and Immigration Union have reached a tentative agreement for more than 9,000 Canada Border Services Agency workers.

The agreement provides wage increases that greatly exceed those provided across the broader law enforcement community in Canada, stronger workplace protections, and improvements for both uniformed and non-uniformed members at CBSA. A full copy of the new language is available in the ratification kit.

• update: the new rates of pay are now available.

The FB bargaining team unanimously recommends ratification of the tentative agreement.

Highlights of the tentative agreement

Duration

The four-year agreement will expire on June 20, 2026.

Wages increases that exceed other major Canadian law enforcement agencies

PSAC negotiated wage increases totaling 14.8% over four years – representing a compounded increase of 15.73% – retroactive to June 2022. These wage increases greatly exceed increases provided across the broader law enforcement community in Canada – including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – for the years of the agreement.

• Effective June 21, 2022 – 3.5% + 1.25% for a total compounded increase of 4.8%
• Effective June 21, 2023 – 3% + 2.8% for a total compounded increase of 5.9%
• Effective June 21, 2024 – 2% + 0.25% for a total compounded increase of 2.255%
• Effective June 21, 2025 – 2%

One-time lump-sum payment

PSAC secured a pensionable $2,500 one-time lump sum payment for all employees in the bargaining unit upon the date of signing. The pensionable lump sum payment will be applicable to all members of the bargaining unit employed at the time of signing the agreement. For members approaching retirement, the pensionable lump sum payment will contribute to their average salary for their best five years of service and increase their overall pension payments in retirement.

Other monetary gains

• A 12.5% increase in shift and weekend premium – from $2.00 to $2.25 an hour. Our shift and weekend premiums are now the highest in the federal law enforcement community, and greatly exceed other major law enforcement organizations such as the OPP.
• Members in Intelligence, Investigations and Inland Enforcement will be reimbursed up to $500 a year for the purchase of plain clothes.
• A new annual Hearings Officer allowance of $500.
• A new pensionable, annual $1000 allowance for non-uniform employees.
• The employer must now reimburse employees for the cost of medical certificates up to $35.

Leave improvements

• Employees will now be able to access four weeks of vacation leave after seven years of employment instead of eight years of employment.
• Improvements regarding travelling time, including a reduction from 40 nights to 20 nights to access an additional day of leave.
• Expanded access to Family-Related Responsibility and Bereavement Leave.

Protections around technological changes  

The new agreement provides clear mechanisms for meaningful discussion with the union on any proposed technological changes in the workplace and includes new protections in the context of the introduction of new systems and software.

Discipline

For the first time, we have secured new language in the agreement that ensures employees have access to union representation in all disciplinary, administrative and investigative meetings conducted by CBSA management – including Professional Standards Investigations. The agreement also contains new language that ensures an appropriate effort will be made to conduct investigations within a reasonable amount of time. Lengthy, drawn-out investigations have been a longstanding issue for FB members at CBSA.

Hours of work and Variable Shift Scheduling Agreements

We successfully pushed back against employer concessions around hours of work and Variable Shift Scheduling Agreements (VSSAs). The union has retained the ability to negotiate VSSAs at the local level and protected union members’ right to vote on local VSSAs.

The new agreement contains language that establishes a new committee mandated to discuss line bidding by seniority that builds on the existing language in the collective agreement. We also defended members’ rights to access Leave Without Pay for Care of Family without reference to operational requirements.

Implementation

If the collective agreement implementation period goes beyond 180 days and when the outstanding amount owed is greater than $500, the employer will pay a $200 lump sum per member.

Telework

The FB bargaining team secured an agreement in line with Treasury Board collective agreements in a letter of agreement that requires managers to assess remote work requests individually, not by group, and provide written responses that will allow members and PSAC to hold the employer accountable to equitable and fair decision-making on remote work.  

That means employee rights around remote work arrangements will be protected through a grievance process, and grievances that are not settled prior to the final step of the grievance process can be referred to a new joint union-management panel for review in each department to address issues related to the employer’s application of the remote work directive in the workplace.  

In addition to the letter signed between PSAC and Treasury Board, the President of CBSA has, in tandem with negotiations, committed in writing to establish a national joint CIU-CBSA committee to engage in consultation concerning the hybrid work model at CBSA. The committee has committed to meet immediately, well before Spember2024

PSAC and Treasury Board have also agreed to create a joint committee to review and update the telework policy for the government last updated in 2020 – before the pandemic began.

Next steps

FB group members will be invited to participate in online ratification votes will be shared as soon as possible. Details about the ratification vote process will be shared in the coming days. Our bargaining team is unanimously recommending a YES vote.

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