CEIU Nova Scotia ramps up action around LMDA

As the Nova Scotia and federal governments approach a deal on a Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA), the union’s Nova Scotia leadership has already taken steps to safeguard its membership and plans more action in the months ahead.

“The first thing members want is information” says National Vice-President Theresa MacInnis, “but they soon switch their focus to action and ask: what is the union doing?”

Early on, MacInnis met with Nova Scotia Premier Rodney MacDonald who told her that any deal had to work well for Nova Scotia. For her part, McInnis took the opportunity to say that it also had to work well for her members. “This is just the first part of a dialogue with the province and I wanted to start it at the top.”

If a deal is reached, CEIU members moving to the province will become members of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU). CEIU wants members making the move to gain the best possible coverage under the NSGEU collective agreement and immediately opened channels to the senior leadership of the provincial union. MacInnis and Brock Smith, Alternate National Vice-President for the CEIU Nova Scotia region met with NSGEU President Joan Jessome and her senior officials to outline an approach to an Employee Transfer Agreement (ETA).

If federal-provincial agreements are reached (both a Labour Market Agreement and a Labour Market Development Agreement are on the table), an ETA must then be negotiated. The ETA would set out the terms and conditions under which affected CEIU members would move to the provincial civil service. The development of an ETA will involve the two governments, the NSGEU and the CEIU/PSAC.

In addition to meeting with the NSGEU, MacInnis and Smith have had initial discussions with Service Canada management in the region. If an ETA is to be worked out, the union plans to consult its members and develop appropriate proposals for discussion with Service Canada management.

“We will decide what ETA process works best for members in Nova Scotia’ said MacInnis, “but I like the model used by CEIU in Ontario. The process was good—it provided great participation for the affected members and solid communications—and it resulted in an excellent agreement.” The CEIU Ontario ETA team was led by former National Vice-President Ian Shaw (who has since moved to the Ontario civil service) and Alan Lennon, Senior CEIU Representative for Ontario. “I have already had a number of useful discussions with Alan” said MacInnis, “and I think there is much we can borrow for our work here in Nova Scotia.”

More recently MacInnis set aside time during the region’s collective bargaining conference (February 1-2) to discuss the LMDA. Howie West, the PSAC’s Work Reorganization Officer, gave a detailed presentation on the LMDA process and the approach taken by CEIU in Ontario. West and other PSAC staff, notably experts in the areas of pensions and benefits, will be available to the Nova Scotia region as it addresses the many issues that form part of an Employee Transfer Agreement. Jeannie Baldwin, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the Atlantic also committed to assisting the region in this process. In addition, National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay addressed the conference on the LMDA issue and later applauded the work of the Nova Scotia region. “In Nova Scotia, CEIU leaders took action early around the LMDA and they have been lining up the resources needed to negotiate a good Employee Transfer Agreement. This is the way to do it.”