Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) union workers vote to strike

Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) union workers have voted in “overwhelmingly in favour of” strike action.

The Public Service Alliance of Canada says the vote on behalf of 35,000 workers represented by both the PSAC and Union of Taxation Employees comes just more than a week before a final round of negotiations with the employer.

The union says workers have been without a contract for more than a year, even as the cost of living continues to rise. It claims the federal government continues to have “major concessions on the table,” adding the CRA has yet to “respond to the union’s wage proposals.”

In addition to wages, the union says working hours and job security are among the top concerns that have yet to be addressed.

“With the strike vote, that means our members at the Canada Revenue Agency are now in a legal strike position as of Friday, April 14th,” Chris Aylward, the national president of the PSAC, told CityNews.

He says more than half of unionized members who work at the CRA took part in the vote.

Aylward notes treasury board members — about 120,000 people — will also be taking part in a strike vote, with results expected Wednesday, April 12.

“So next week, we’ll have 155,000 members, federal public sector members, in a legal strike position. So when we go back to the bargaining table (on April 17), things are going to have to happen relatively quickly in order to avoid a strike,” Aylward added.

Impacts with income tax return deadline nearing 

This year, the deadline to file your income tax return is April 30. Since that is a Sunday, the CRA says your return will be considered to have been filed on time if it’s received by the agency or postmarked before or on May 1.

“Tax season is here,” said Marc Brière, national president of the Union of Taxation Employees. “Going on strike is never our first choice. But securing a strong strike mandate now gives us the leverage we need to reach a fair and decent contract. And if we need to take job action to get the collective agreement our members deserve, that’s what we’re prepared to do.”

Aylward says if workers do go on strike, taxpayers will notice.

“If our 35,000 member at the Canada Revenue Agency do take job action and go on strike, absolutely it will certainly delay things. It will delay income tax returns from being processed and assessed, it will delay notice of assessments going out,” he explained.

“If there is a labour disruption, like I said, it will certainly affect the tax filing season. It may affect the deadline date as well, of April 30th. We’re telling people to file your taxes as soon as possible if you don’t want to see any delays.”

The union says the members it represents work various roles. They do everything from assessing returns, to collections, to payroll, and more, Aylward says.

In a statement, the CRA says it “respects the collective bargaining process and remains committed to pursuing meaningful negotiations” with the PSAC-UTE.

“While our priority is reaching a deal at the bargaining table, we recognize the right of employees to engage in strike activities,” the CRA statement continues.

It says it is “confident that the parties will find many areas of potential compromise and trade-off” during the upcoming round of negotiations.