If you’re a PSAC member, most of your rights are set out in a collective agreement - a contract - negotiated between the union and your employer.

Each employer has a different collective agreement. Big employers, like the federal government, have several collective agreements, each covering a different group of workers. PSAC negotiates more than 300 different contracts for its members.

Basic labour rights set out in legislation

The process for joining a union, negotiating new contracts, basic rights like vacation pay, discipline and severance for non-union employees are set out in labour legislation.

Federal government workers are mostly covered by the Public Service Labour Relations Act. Those who work for crown corporations, like Canada Post or CBC are covered by the Canada Labour Code. Most people who work for private companies or provincial, or municipal governments are covered by their provincial or territorial legislation.