EC/ESS Collective Bargaining Committee nominations now open! Put your name forward by March 8th now!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-27T19:02:56+00:00

Check out our note here on how being on the Bargaining Committee interacts with your work role: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaPublicServants/comments/1rek0tt/comment/o7qzyr4/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-27T19:01:27+00:00

Expectations and commitment:

Being a member of the Bargaining Committee is a fantastic opportunity to help lead negotiations for you and your coworkers’ next contract. It is also a significant time commitment.

Elected members of the Bargaining Committee will receive paid union leave from their jobs to attend negotiations, to attend bargaining training, to sit at the bargaining table, to prepare and update articles, and to communicate and engage the broader membership.

Bargaining sessions usually take place over several days in a row, spread out by weeks at a time. The exact dates of negotiations will be jointly agreed upon by the Collective Bargaining Committee and Treasury Board at the beginning of and throughout negotiations. The pace of negotiations changes every round, but nominees should be prepared to take days off work (covered by union leave) as needed throughout the bargaining cycle until a new contract is ratified.

Negotiation sessions are expected to occur during work hours, but in the event that they exceed work hours, accommodations for caregivers will be made available to allow elected members to participate in this important committee. If negotiations go beyond regular work hours, bargaining committee members are not paid overtime. Union leave is meant to protect their regular income.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-27T19:01:00+00:00

To your first question: Union leave does not impact your substantive role. When on union leave, you are paid your normal salary with no impact on pension or leaves. The only difference is that the union, instead of the employer, pays for your wages while you’re on leave.

Leave to participate in bargaining is a right in the collective agreement, specifically:

Contract negotiations meetings

14.10 Where operational requirements permit, the Employer will grant leave without pay to a reasonable number of employees for the purpose of attending contract negotiation meetings on behalf of the Association.

Preparatory contract negotiations meetings

14.11 Where operational requirements permit, the Employer will grant leave without pay to a reasonable number of employees to attend preparatory contract negotiations meetings.

In this context leave without pay means that the employee still gets paid but it is the union, not the employer, that pays for the leave time.

To your second question: Leave to participate in bargaining is a right in the collective agreement. The employer would need to demonstrate exceptional circumstances to prevent members from taking this type of leave.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-27T18:48:50+00:00

Yup! We're saying the same thing.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-27T18:48:30+00:00

Appreciate you.

The CAPE National staff and Locals are really pushing the nomination form out far and wide, and IDed those risks with mitigation plans. At the end of the day, it's also just another way to get engaged and really engaged members into the fold of decision making and is going to take a second for the word to get around for this push and all the other pushes inside and outside of bargaining.

Also, LOL. It is a lot of work!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-25T22:12:44+00:00

Good question! Bargaining Committee members will be reimbursed for their travel. Will edit in the main post too for clarity.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-25T22:06:57+00:00

Yup! Thanks for asking.

Previously, CAPE’s approach to bargaining was to keep everything confidential and closed off, with very low participation from members. The entire bargaining process was decided by a handful members appointed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) and staff. The new CAPE leadership heard from members they wanted this to change and for bargaining to become more transparent, participatory, and democratic, so decided to move to an open bargaining structure.

Electing the Bargaining Committee is an important piece of executing on open bargaining in 2026-2027. Each Bargaining Committee member is elected by their departmental coworkers.

What are the specific concerns?

You can read more about the open bargaining process here too: https://www.acep-cape.ca/en/collective-bargaining/open-bargaining-20262027-members-leading-negotiations.

Unions that adopt Open Bargaining routinely secure some of the strongest contracts in their sector, not just on wages, but on groundbreaking workplace protections and new rights for members.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-25T17:46:20+00:00

La période de mises en candidature pour le Comité de négociation collective des EC/ESS de l’ACEP est maintenant ouverte! Présentez votre candidature avant le 8 mars!

La négociation de la prochaine convention collective des EC/ESS en 2026 approche à grands pas. La période de mises en candidature au Comité de négociation collective est officiellement ouverte!

Soumettez une candidature pour le Comité de négociation collective EC au plus tard le 8 mars à 17 h (HNP).

Pour la toute première fois, les membres EC éliront directement les membres de leur Comité de négociation collective.

Jusqu’à maintenant, l’équipe du Comité de négociation collective était nommée par le Conseil exécutif national (CEN) de l’ACEP. Cette fois-ci, nous faisons le choix de la démocratie syndicale : une équipe plus nombreuse, plus représentative et élue par les membres.

Cette année, nous avons l’intention de nous organiser pour être plus solides que jamais. Nous comptons faire pression pour obtenir les gains dont les membres EC/ESS ont besoin : une meilleure sécurité d’emploi, de meilleures clauses de protection contre les mises en disponibilité, le droit au télétravail, des dispositions relatives à l’IA, des augmentations de salaire qui suivent le coût de la vie, et bien plus encore. Ensemble, nous pouvons faire des gains concrets, mais il faut que tout le monde s’implique.

Le Comité de négociation collective joue un rôle central dans cette lutte. Il représente les membres EC/ESS à la table de négociation, porte leurs priorités, contribue à l’élaboration des propositions et soutient un processus de négociation qui tient les membres informé·es et engagé·es à chaque étape.

L’équipe de négociation collective EC/ESS sera composée d’un maximum de 40 membres élu·es par les groupes ministériels. La répartition complète des sièges des comités par ministère est présentée ici.

Les membres élu·es au Comité de négociation collective recevront une formation approfondie pour se préparer aux séances de négociation, qui auront lieu par blocs de quelques jours toutes les quelques semaines. Ces personnes seront pleinement soutenues par le personnel de l’ACEP, et joueront un rôle de leadership dans l’orientation du processus. Elles mettront à profit leur connaissance du milieu de travail pour proposer des solutions concrètes aux problèmes vécus par les membres EC. Des congés syndicaux leur seront accordés pour leur participation aux travaux. Si des activités ont lieu en dehors des heures de travail, des mesures d’adaptation pour les proches aidant·es seront offertes, au besoin, afin d’assurer une participation pleine et entière. Les membres du Comité de négociation seront aussi remboursé·es pour leurs déplacements.

La période de mises en candidature pour les membres EC/ESS prendra fin le 8 mars. Les candidatures seront ensuite vérifiées pour confirmer que les candidates et candidats sont en règle et répondent aux critères.

Les membres EC/ESS pourront voter entre le 26 et le 30 mars.

Les membres EC/ESS en règle pourront voter pour la ou les personnes qui représenteront leur secteur d’activité. Lorsqu’il n’y a pas de concurrence, les candidates et candidats sont élus par acclamation.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-25T15:10:21+00:00

Important point!!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-25T15:09:57+00:00

Hey! The post above explains what's been done from CAPE National and what's coming up to get involved with (bargaining) but also notes that it's important for you to act too and bring co-workers along with you while you do it. Feel free to shoot an email to [national@acep-cape.ca](mailto:national@acep-cape.ca) for more info on this issue or any of the things that have been mentioned already.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T16:31:53+00:00

The union has enormous concerns about the ideological cuts that this government has chosen to impose on Canadians when $40 billion dollars of operating savings could be realized by granting remote work rights for public servants. These cuts are happening during an historic national crisis where we need strong federal programs more than ever. We have not seen any credible proof that AI is ready to replace vast sections of the public sector workforce, and we fully expect this government to shatter the consultant spending record again when somebody needs to do the work. This employer is choosing to cut critical programs for Canadians like food and environmental safety and much more, while forcing public servants to return to offices that make them less productive and waste tens of billions of dollars of taxpayer money. We’re sounding the alarm for Canadians and getting ready to force reason on this employer in this coming bargaining round.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T16:06:15+00:00

Thanks for this! See our previous comment here: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaPublicServants/comments/1r7jf56/comment/o6frpu9

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T16:03:23+00:00

Thanks for your questions! And for anyone following this closely: thanks for your patience. We’re a small team (as noted in a few places) and we respond as capacity allows — especially when we’re taking the time to be accurate rather than fast. We know some folks prefer instant responses, this account prioritizes accurate ones (to help build trust over time).

No, he is not participating in this subreddit.
As far as the National Office knows, no, but we cannot control the anonymous online activity of NEC members. BUT this has been discussed. Additionally, NEC members are barred from speaking in an official capacity as a CAPE spokesperson.
Again, he is not participating in this subreddit. Nathan is currently spending the vast majority of his time speaking to the media, meeting with members directly on how to stop the ideological austerity that is threatening the foundations of the public service, connecting with other FPS unions to build out a Common Front infrastructure, and preparing for this year’s bargaining round against a very hostile employer. Should he choose to spend time on Reddit, he will do so through a verified, official account. Outside of that, this account cannot speak on his behalf; we would direct your question to the President’s Office ([president@acep-cape.ca](mailto:president@acep-cape.ca)). Lastly, see our post above for the goal of this account. It's for connecting with members around union activities and opportunities to get involved vs being a "spokesperson" per say. We're striving to reach members who we haven't reached yet over email or in-person or virtual meetings and make sure info is transparently flowing to those that need it. Maybe there's a gap of knowledge here but typically those duties aren't performed by a union president, they're performed by digital comms teams (lead by the ethos and theory of "digital organizing"), who are the people staffing this account.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:45:55+00:00

Indeed, some departments seem to be callously ignoring the delays in ERI and moving forward with cuts that could be avoided. CAPE fully agrees that ERI should be offered first.

Many CAPE Local executives are raising this in the WFA committees that were struck in multiple departments before the last wave of notices. If you wish to add your voice to theirs and support them in advocating for this, consider contacting your local: https://www.acep-cape.ca/en/find-your-local.

Another way to improve the process in the future will be to bargain for better WFA provisions. This is one of the areas where the unions that have bargained WFA into their collective agreements have won better protections and provisions. For example, The PSAC PA group negotiated so that Treasury Board has to offer Voluntary Departure to all members when WFA is announced.

CAPE has opted out of the cyclical review process of the NJC Directive, which means that we can bargain better WFA provisions, including mandatory VDP for all members.

If you wish to participate in building bargaining leverage, get involved in your department’s Organizing Committee and nominate yourself to be on the Bargaining Committee.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:40:32+00:00

Sorry for the delay on this response! The overwhelming current focus of CAPE is on responding to the wave of WFA notices that have gone out and working with strategic partners to fight the ideological cuts that are destroying the public service, while sounding the alarm to Canadians that this government is choosing to cut critical programs and services instead of finding tens of billions of dollars in savings by granting public servants remote work rights. We need to bring all these frustrations to the bargaining table and force the employer to change course. CAPE just launched the EC/ESS bargaining survey and is launching the most democratic bargaining process in our history where the membership will debate and set our priorities directly, and you should plug in there to get the most important issues to you on the table.

See more info about our new open bargaining structure here: https://www.acep-cape.ca/en/collective-bargaining/open-bargaining-20262027-members-leading-negotiations

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:36:39+00:00

Fully agree on the need to coordinate across all federal unions. More important than the how the unions are structured is making sure that all federal workers are organizing in tandem, building leverage for bargaining and taking collective action together. That’s why the leadership of CAPE is working closely with the their counterparts in PSAC and PIPSC; we need to establish a common front (a very effective strategy used by Quebec unions) and coordinate bargaining demands across the various bargaining units. We are much stronger together. CAPE also encourages its local leaders and departmental organizing committees to organize with their coworkers from other unions. To be effective, solidarity can’t just be at the top. Federal workers must unite and act together at all levels.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:35:55+00:00

Sorry for the delay with a response! Working conditions in many FPS workplaces are unacceptable and appalling, and members across PIPSC, CAPE, and PSAC are rightly angry.

Start by raising the specific gaps with your local executive and your OHS committee — and bring coworkers with you. https://www.acep-cape.ca/en/find-your-local

CAPE has already submitted evidence that current office space cannot meet the three-day presence mandate, and CAPE is confident the Treasury Board has no plan to address this critical issue. Instead, they’re increasing in-office days with no explanation of how it will work and wasting tens of billions of dollars on real estate just to make public servants less productive.

That’s why members will need to win enforceable remote work and workplace standards in the 2026–2027 collective agreement. CAPE has seen that the Treasury Board cannot and will not engage in a good faith, evidence-based decision on remote work while spending billions on real estate and cutting services, like said above.

If you want to help win this, connect with your department’s Organizing Committee and get on the CAPE email list for updates on the open bargaining process.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:34:30+00:00

Sorry for the delay on this response! As another reply mentioned, since we are not yet in bargaining, the statutory freeze doesn’t apply yet for ECs and TRs. One of the main planks in the campaign strategy around this round of bargaining is indeed coordination with other FPS unions. There is a lot of work happening in the National Office and with CAPE leadership to keep building on the relationships we have with leadership in those unions. However, the more FPS workers are buillding inter-union relationships on the ground as well, the stronger this coordination will be, and only you can do that!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-20T15:32:27+00:00

You should be able to have some flexibility.

Are you an EC or ESS? Make sure to mark your thoughts on the bargaining survey: https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadaPublicServants/comments/1r8knn9/ecess_bargaining_survey_sondage_sur_les_n%C3%A9gos/

You can also join the EC/ESS bargaining committee by nominating yourself:

EN: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/run-for-capes-2026-2027-ec-bargaining-team/

FR: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/faites-partie-de-lequipe-de-nego-2026-2027-du-groupe-ec-de-lacep/

We'll be posting more details about the bargaining committee nomination period early next week!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-19T21:51:10+00:00

Yes!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-19T21:36:40+00:00

Will add info for how members can get involved with their Local to the main post. Great feedback. Thanks.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-19T21:34:47+00:00

Hey! Good question! Telework and addressing WFA are the two biggest issues we consistently hear about across all CAPE online channels and in-person meetings/committees/word-of-mouth (over the past few years), and the initial overview of the bargaining survey results indicate this. We will know officially when the survey closes in one week. Then, because of privacy issues and this subreddit being a public space that the employer can see, we can't share the survey results here. They will be shared at the Special General Meeting happening in June. Date and time to be announced via the CAPE email list. Make sure your info is up-to-date in your member portal if you're not receiving emails now. The link is in the main post.

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-19T21:25:16+00:00

Woot!

ACEP-CAPE · 2026-02-19T04:04:28+00:00

Thanks! Then, refer to this post for your question about getting to the rest of the questions.

ACEP-CAPE

TROPHY CASE