Summary of "PSAC-UTE Bargaining town hall: April 7, 2026"

Town hall overview (PSAC-UTE bargaining with Canada Revenue Agency)

A bilingual (English town hall, with French version(s) planned) PSAC-UTE bargaining town hall focused on the current negotiating round between PSAC-UTE members and the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA). Organizers emphasized that members’ questions, unity, and continued activism are central to achieving a fair collective agreement.

Key messages from leadership and the bargaining team

Employer resistance and process frustration: The bargaining team said the CRA has refused to negotiate several “core” priorities and has been unresponsive to timelines and proposals. They described the employer’s approach as aligned with Treasury Board interests and characterized it as a delay tactic.
Impatience with “lectures” and lack of substance: The union repeatedly argued that the CRA’s bargaining posture has not included meaningful economic or substantive counterproposals, and instead relies on commentary about the economy rather than concrete offers.

Major bargaining priorities being pushed

Job security / AI
- The union’s position is that the CRA should not be allowed to replace workers through artificial intelligence.
- They want contract language protecting workers from AI taking over jobs.
Workforce Adjustment (WFA) / job protection
- The union highlighted the Workforce Adjustment Appendix, describing it as the job-protection framework in the collective agreement.
- They claimed the employer has refused to negotiate these protections and related solutions for laid-off or impacted employees.
Remote work / Return to Office (RTO)
- CRA has refused to negotiate remote work language, according to the union.
- The union is treating remote work as a central issue for negotiation—based on prior rounds where the employer allegedly “ripped up” remote work language after it had been negotiated.
- The union also described the employer’s RTO/telework stance as disputed as a matter of collective bargaining rights.
Wages
- The bargaining team presented wage proposals including monetary increases of 4.75% / 4.75% / 4.75% plus a 12% market rate adjustment (as stated during the call).
- They argued the employer brought “nothing” to the table on wages and did not provide wage responses to the union’s proposal.
Work-life balance and working conditions (including call centres)
- The union said it is pushing improvements for contact centre/call centre workers, including increased time between calls and stronger working conditions.
- They emphasized call-centre work is under intense monitoring and surveillance and described contact centre staff as a “precarious workforce.”
Leave and family-related protections
- The union’s proposals included changes related to leave without pay for caregiving/family responsibility, with discussion indicating a desire to reduce minimum thresholds (e.g., down to one week, according to the negotiator’s recollection).
- The overall theme: expanding unpaid and paid options beyond what is currently available.
Other issues raised
- Early Retirement Incentive (ERI): The union indicated ERI is not something it can negotiate directly through the collective agreement, and instead emphasized the stronger protections in the WFA framework for layoffs/transition support.
- Pay equity committees: Mentioned that pay equity processes/committees are ongoing with a cited deadline of August 31, 2026, but it was characterized as not a collective agreement matter handled at the bargaining table.

Where the negotiations stand procedurally

Five sessions to date were reported between the parties.
Impasse declared in February.
Mediation is scheduled for early May (May 5–7 mentioned).
The negotiator explained the statutory next steps typically involving a Public Interest Commission (non-binding recommendation), but noted the chair of the Public Service Labour Relations Board has discretion to bypass that step.
The team argued the chair should bypass the public interest commission because the employer refused to address critical issues.

Remote work/RTO legal conflict (core “victory” claim)

The negotiator said the union (and parallel disputes affecting other groups, including Parliament Hill workers) has pursued complaints and legal challenges regarding telework/return-to-office policies during bargaining.

Union claim: A labour board decision earlier in the year stated that the employer cannot ignore remote/return-to-office issues and that return to office is subject to negotiation and can be included in collective agreement disputes.
Upcoming: The negotiator referenced a hearing scheduled in June (for unfair labor practice complaints related to CRA/Treasury Board on the issue), described as “supreme importance.”

Strike/work action: expectations and limits

The negotiators emphasized that strike action isn’t available yet because they must follow legislated steps and a vote is required only later in the process.
They said no job action/work-to-rule/strike preparation is permitted until prescribed processes and conditions are met (including timing relative to non-binding recommendations if a Public Interest Commission is established).
The team also clarified that a strike vote authorizes readiness for job action (not necessarily a specific single action like a full strike on its own).

Q&A themes and notable member concerns

Wages tied to remote work?
- The union argued wages and remote work are separate issues and they want both—not a trade-off.
- They suggested remote-work access is achievable through negotiated contract language seen in other federal workplaces.
If RTO is illegal but employees are disciplined, what recourse exists?
- The union said disciplinary and legality determinations ultimately depend on the board/courts; employees would generally need to comply first and then grieve.
Timeline to strike vote / mediation length
- The negotiator said legislation does not provide fixed timelines for the entire process; therefore, the union cannot guarantee how quickly escalation could occur and emphasized uncertainty depends on board/chair decisions.
Gas prices/cost of living
- Members asked about additional scheduling strategies like a four-day work week; the union responded that bargaining is focused primarily on remote work access and wages as separate priorities.

Calls to unity and next steps

The bargaining team urged members to:
- Support the bargaining team and participate in union activities,
- Sign up for PSAC/UTE bargaining updates,
- Stay engaged despite employer messaging aimed at discouraging members.
Additional town halls were announced as upcoming (French town halls and additional bilingual town halls the following week).