Many FIs have contacted us to report an issue with their ACFO-ACAF union dues. Much like other Phoenix issues, for many of you, you have either paid too much in union dues, too little in union dues, or none at all. While ACFO-ACAF continues to advocate for the timely, accurate administration of union dues on the Union Management Consultation Sub-Committee on Union Dues, there are some steps you can take in the meantime to resolve your dues issues.
ACFO-ACAF union dues are $50 per month ($25 per pay period or $25 for the first two pay periods of months with three pay periods). Therefore, if you were an FI in the core public service for the entire 2018 calendar year, you should have paid $600 in union dues for the year. However, if you were not an FI represented by ACFO-ACAF for the entire year, based on Treasury Board’s Directive on Union Dues, here’s how to distinguish which months you should have paid:
ACFO-ACAF does not initiate, stop or modify union dues payments—everything is administered through the Pay Centre or through your compensation division if your department is not serviced by the Pay Centre.
Should you owe union dues to ACFO-ACAF in arrears, once arrears are initiated, $50 per pay would be deducted until the balance on your dues owing reaches $0, upon which you would return to $25 deductions per pay. For example, if you owe $300 in union dues to ACFO-ACAF, you will be deducted $50 per pay period for 12 pay periods (or 6 months) until the $300 is collected, upon which you will return to $25 per pay period after 6 months.
Should ACFO-ACAF or another bargaining agent owe you union dues over-deducted in error, a compensation advisor must contact us to initiate a refund. Once it is authorized and the compensation advisor administers the refund, it would be returned to you in one lump sum on your next pay.
For some of you, the balance of what you are owed or what you are owing might be too small to want to take any action. However, there are many implications of incorrect union dues payments:
Please get in touch with your compensation division to help you resolve your union dues issues. If you are unsure of how to do so, please contact your manager.
For clarity on how much in union dues you’ve paid to ACFO-ACAF since Phoenix’s implementation, you may contact us by completing this form.
If you are in an emergency pay situation, you may be eligible to request priority pay or an emergency salary advance by contacting ACFO-ACAF at labourrelations@acfo-acaf.com with your PRI, a detailed explanation of your Phoenix pay issue and copies of all supporting documentation. You will need to have first contacted your manager, HR/Pay Liaison and, if applicable, your Trusted Source.
Best practices on general pay issues can be found here.