Public sector unions demand bereavement leave for death of "aboriginal spirit friend"

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation (CTF) is urging the federal government not to give-in to what they call the public sector unions’ “crazy” demands.

Currently, the Treasury Board is in the midst of negotiating 27 collective agreements with 15 bargaining agents. The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) — Canada’s largest public sector union — is one of those agents negotiating five different agreements.

In a scathing release, distributed to media on Thursday, the CTF published some of unions’ demands.

According to the taxpayer watchdog, PSAC and its affiliates are asking for three additional statutory holidays (January 2nd, February 16th and May 1st); they want new hires to be given four weeks paid vacation — up from three; they are demanding that any critical comments in a performance review be deleted after one year; and,they want taxpayers to contribute to a “social justice fund” controlled by the unions.

What seems to have drawn the most outrage, however, is the Educational and Library Science Group’s demand to add “aboriginal spirit friend” to the definition of family. Essentially PSAC wants its members to receive bereavement pay if an “aboriginal spirit friend” dies.

"While the term “aboriginal spirit friend” appears to be a creation of PSAC,” notes the CTF press release, “spirit friends are commonly considered to be religious spirits or ghosts and can take a human or animal form.”

[ Related: Political action gives Canada’s unions new power in 2014 ]

According to the union, the criticism is unfair. They say that the “aboriginal spirit friend” clause is for its First Nation members.

"We celebrate our diversity and encourage all members to be part of the collective bargaining process by making proposals to improve working conditions," a statement from PSAC emailed to Yahoo Canada News noted.

"This proposal, among many others, was brought forward in a democratic fashion. It refers to the loss of a spiritual leader in the community, such as an elder. We have negotiated bereavement leave in other agreements for such losses.

"We hope the government starts to take seriously all our proposals instead of trying to gut sick leave and other provisions that ensure a healthy and productive federal public service.”

[ Related: ‘We have stopped Hudak, Harper is next,’ Ont. union leader Sid Ryan says ]

Still, the Canadian Taxpayers Federation isn’t backing down.

"Nowhere in the union’s written list of demands is the ‘aboriginal spirit friend’ defined as an elder or a living being. If they were talking about an aboriginal elder, they could have easily said so," Gregory Thomas, the CTF’s national director told Yahoo Canada News, after reading PSAC’s response.

"My sense is that they’ve been called out on a demand that is plainly ridiculous and that they are backtracking.

"That said, the union’s demand for 10 days paid leave to mourn the passing of a community elder is almost nearly as outrageous."

[ Related: Public sector unions file complaint with labour board, refuse to consult on sick leave benefits ]

The spirit friend debate, aside, Thomas argues that the unions demands are over the top.

"Counting weekends, vacations, statutory holidays, sick days, family days and personal days, federal employees can already get between 150 and 165 days off every year with full pay," Thomas says.

"If the unions get their way, some full-time federal government employees could soon have more days off than days on the job."

Are the demands fair or unfair? You can judge for yourself here.

(Photo courtesy of The Canadian Press)

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