Bill 89: a pill too bitter to swallow!

Twice last week, the APTS took public action along with other unions and got noticed, both times denouncing minister Jean Boulet’s Bill 89.

In an open letter published in La Presse, it vigorously denounced the minister giving himself arbitrary powers to unilaterally end labour disputes.

And, to make sure the message was heard loud and clear, it took part in a noisy demonstration last Friday, demanding the labour minister take a step back.

The APTS will also submit a brief as part of parliamentary consultations on the bill, taking place this week.

Read the letter

Webinar on the RREGOP

Whether you’re about to retire or at the beginning of your career, the webinar “Making sense of the RREGOP and other pension benefits” is for you. It will give you the information you need to optimize your contributions to your pension plan.

When: March 26, at 5:30 p.m.

Duration: approximately 2 hours

Language: English

Sign me up

If you have any questions, contact us at retraite.assurance@aptsq.com. Union leave time cannot be granted for this type of meeting.

Contributing to RREGOP while on leave without pay

Clause 26.05 of the national provisions of our collective agreement enables any employee on leave without pay to participate in the RREGOP. To do so, you have to notify your employer in writing before the start of your leave.

This provision applies to leave lasting 30 consecutive days or more, and to part-time leave without pay of more than one day a week.

If you continue to contribute during your leave, your employer will pay their share as well. Otherwise, you’ll have the option of buying back your service once you return to work, but you’ll have to buy back both your share and your employer’s.

Group insurance: new rates (Beneva)

New rates for group insurance will come into force on
April 1.

Full details are provided in the brochure Your plan at a glance.

If you have any questions, please check with your local team.

Professional autonomy: no definition, but three conditions to be met

While the term “professional autonomy” is frequently used, it hasn’t been defined in any law or in our collective agreements.

But three conditions are a sure way to recognize it. We’re exercising our professional autonomy when:

1. we can define our activities and our missions for ourselves;
2. we have discretionary power over our work on a daily basis;
3. we can deviate as we see fit from work as prescribed based on our judgement and professional ethics.

Read all about it in the APTS’s 10^th factsheet published as part of its information campaign on workload.

Read the factsheet

Understanding racial discrimination

With March 21 – International Day for the Elimination
of Racial Discrimination – fast approaching, the APTS provincial committee on cultural diversity invites you to reflect on the issue.

Travel back to Montréal of the 1920s with the TV series
Le Porteur, the true story of Black railway workers in Montréal who mobilized to fight exploitation by forming a union.

If you’re looking for something to read, Mes étoiles noires – de Lucy à Barack Obama, by Lillian Thuram, offers perspective on what it means to be Black and to grow up without role models who represent you in the public, media, cultural and political spheres.

CRDI-TSA* committee: plenty to do

A packed agenda awaited committee members on February 24, thanks to the changes rushed through in organizing the “range of services” for adults and the use of the Agir tôt program as “one-stop” access to services for children 0-7 years old.

These major changes in the organization of work forced the committee to question the priorities in the CRDI-TSA action plan. The meeting was also a chance to formally introduce the new political officer responsible for the issue, Christine Prégent. Welcome, Christine!

* Advisory committee on rehabilitation for clients with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorders

Almost 100%, not just once, but twice!

Our last quiz saw the highest general average score since we started quizzing: 76%.

Two questions generated scores of 98%: the question about the harmful role of female stereotypes on pay and the recognition of women’s roles in the health and social services system, and the question about not suspending seniority if you’re on strike in a context of essential services.

The employer won’t be able to pull a fast one on us when we’re this well informed!

Take the latest quiz