The Public Service Alliance of Canada is back at the bargaining table Thursday with negotiators representing the federal government trying to avoid a strike before land borders open to fully vaccinated Americans.
Around 8,500 border guards and other workers employed by the Canada Border Services Agency are represented by PSAC and the Customs and Immigration Union. It is negotiating with the Treasury Board of Canada.
They are looking for wage parity with other law-enforcement agencies, including the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. It reached a tentative agreement with the government recently.
Land border crossings will open to Americans on Monday, August 9, but the union is in a strike position on Friday, August 6.
On Wednesday, PSAC received a Public Interest Commission's report with non-binding recommendations to reach an agreement.
The recommendations include a discussion of paid meal times, firearm practice and a fitness allowance, expanded seniority rights for scheduling, increasing the shift premium, and language ensuring officers do not work alone. They also call for streamlining the grievance procedure.
While border crossings have been closed to non-essential traffic since March 2020, border guards have continued working to allow essential travel to continue.
"CBSA officers have proven their tremendous resilience and dedication since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic by helping to prevent the spread of the virus and its variants while facilitating the flow of essential goods," said CBSA spokesperson Judith Gadbois-St-Cyr told BlackburnNews.com on Tuesday. "They remain vigilant and continue to effectively enforce some of the world's strongest border measures to keep Canadians safe."
Their previous collective agreement expired three years ago in June 2018.
- with files from Mark Brown and Melanie Irwin