Media Advisory: Border Services Officers Rally at Peace Arch Border Crossing, February 5

Vancouver – Members of the Customs and Immigration Union (CIU), and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are rallying February 5th, calling on the government to treat Border Services Officers with the respect they deserve by withdrawing concessions being put forward at the bargaining table and bargaining fairly.

Event information:

• Where: North of the Canada/US border crossing, Peace Arch, Surrey.
• When: Wednesday February 5, 2020, starting at noon.  
• Who:
  • Jean-Pierre Fortin, CIU National President
  • Richard Savage, CIU 4th National Vice-President
  • Jamey Mills, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for BC

Border Services Officers, members of the government’s FB bargaining unit, have been without a collective agreement since June of 2018.

The union is demanding a fair wage increase that keeps up with inflation, better protections for members from CBSA management, and improved work-life balance. 

The union is also asking CBSA to support pension reform, allowing BSOs to retire after 25 years of service without penalty, as is the case for other law enforcement agencies. Border Services Officers FB are law enforcement: they deserve the same treatment as other law enforcement agencies.

PSAC is the largest union in the federal public service, and one of the largest public sector unions in the country.

Nearly 140,000 PSAC members have been waiting two years for a new collective agreement that delivers a reasonable wage increase and the working conditions that make balancing family and work possible

The union is currently moving forward towards workplace actions and a strike mandate until a fair contract is reached with Treasury Board, Canada Border Services Agency, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Canada Revenue Agency, and Parks Canada.

For more information and to schedule interviews: Patrick Bragg, PSAC Communications, (778) 889-3486