We've moved to a new site!

Join us at publicservices.international - for all the latest news, resources and struggles from around the world.

We are no longer updating world-psi.org and it will be progressively phased out: all content will be migrated to the new site and old links will redirect eventually.

North America

The Washington Office

Contact: Mark Langevin - Subregional Secretary

Address: 1200 18th Street NW #700 - Washington, D.C. 20036 - USA

Telephone: 202-744-0072

Email: mark.langevin@world-psi.org

Quebec: Sign the petition to reintegrate whistleblower on private sector interference in pesticide study

25 April 2019
Louis Robert, Whistleblower in Quebec

Whistleblower Louis Robert, agronomist and seed expert at the Quebec Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ministry, has been dismissed after speaking out against private sector interference in a public study on pesticide use.

Canadian unions campaign for universal access to prescription drugs

24 March 2019
Health professionals in Canada

According to the Wellesley Institute, Canada is the only developed country with a universal healthcare programme which does not include access to prescription drugs. Thus, while Canadians don’t need to pay to see their doctor, prescription drugs are not covered by the universal healthcare programme. And they are some of the highest priced in the world, with patients’ out-of-pocket expenditure on prescribed drugs amounting to $3.6bn annually.

Privatization scheme bribery case ends with guilty plea on least serious charge

19 February 2019

A series of criminal trials over a bribery scandal over a P3 privatization scheme ended last week with people admitting that $22.5 million in bribes were paid, but with no one being convicted of actually paying them. For those naïve enough to believe that the justice system does a good job of policing the privatization industry, it was a very bad week.

AFT says: Investments in private prisons put our retirement savings at risk

06 February 2019

PSI affiliate the American Federation of Teachers is encouraging pension funds to consider avoiding private equity investments in companies that profit from mass incarceration.

Health care staff issues: an election issue in Quebec

18 December 2018

For the last few years, the 75,000 members of the Quebec health care workers’ union, the FIQ, have been campaigning for the government to allow them to provide quality and humane health care. A lot of problems can be avoided by having stable well-staffed work teams.

A commitment to collective action to eliminate workplace violence in the health sector

23 November 2018

PSI participated in the 6th Violence in the Health Sector conference that was held in Toronto on 24-26 October on the theme “Advancing the Delivery of Positive Practice”. The conference provided a platform for all parties confronted with the phenomenon of violence in healthcare to develop and implement positive practice and proactively respond to this complex problem.

Americans want better healthcare for all

12 November 2018

Healthcare is the most important issue of concern to Americans today. In an exit poll conducted by the Cable News Network (CNN) during the mid-term elections, 41% of respondents voted for healthcare as the “most important issue facing the country”. Immigration, economy and gun policy received 23%, 21% and 11% of the poll respectively.

Quebec: Sign the petition to reintegrate whistleblower on private sector interference in pesticide study

25 April 2019
Louis Robert, Whistleblower in Quebec

Whistleblower Louis Robert, agronomist and seed expert at the Quebec Agriculture, Fisheries and Food ministry, has been dismissed after speaking out against private sector interference in a public study on pesticide use.

Stand with the Pearson 100 and let your voice be heard

25 April 2016
Tell Pearson - Private Schools in Developing countries

Public employee and education unions have mobilized a global capital campaign in support of shareholders resolution at the Pearson PLC Annual General Meeting.

FirstEnergy locks out utility workers in US

28 November 2013
Demonstrators holding banners, one saying "I want to work"

FirstEnergy Corp. – one of the largest electric power corporations in the United States – locked out 150 members of the Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) in the early morning hours of November 25, three days before the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday.

PSI stands with Detroit and public workers

29 August 2013
Background image is part of a mural by Diego Rivera called Detroit Industry, North Wall at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

Detroit is the largest city to file for bankruptcy in United States history. But it is not the only city in economic crisis, and what happens in Detroit matters—it matters to AFSCME members who have dedicated their working lives to providing quality public services to the city and community, it matters to workers and retirees across the United States and around the world, it matters to all public sector workers who we depend upon to provide quality public services to citizens around the world. Detroit matters to all of us and we stand in solidarity with the workers and retirees of the city.

PSI expressing Solidarity with Quebec Students

01 June 2012
Students protesting in Montreal

The executive board of PSI has expressed support for students in Quebec.

Ontario Pay Equity Results for CUPE Service Workers in Ontario Hospitals: A Study of Uneven Benefits

01 March 2018

In view of International Women’s Day on 8 March, PSI is reviving a debate about pay equity presented in the study entitled: “Ontario Pay Equity Results for CUPE Service Workers in Ontario Hospitals: A Study of Uneven Benefits” written by Jane Stinson, a Canadian political economist.

New Forms of Privatization

12 January 2017
Photo: Cambie Clinic, nominated for 2015 Privatization Scam of the Year - NUPGE

PSI affiliate, The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), Canada, has released an update of a report on privatisation and emerging threats to public services—New Forms of Privatization. While privatisation schemes may be changing, the motivation has not. “Privatisation is still about helping wealthy corporations or individuals make a profit at the public’s expense,” said Larry Brown, NUPGE President

PSAC workshop module: Defending Trans Members’ Rights in the Workplace

10 January 2017

A Public Service Alliance of Canada workshop module for trade union representatives which can be used and adapted to include the realities of each your respective countries regarding LGBT rights.

PSAC Workshop module: Defending Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Members Against Homophobia in the Workplace

10 January 2017

A Public Service Alliance of Canada workshop for trade union representatives which can be used and adapted to include the realities of each your respective countries regarding LGBT rights.

Investment Court System (ICS): The Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

29 June 2016

PSI has joined a growing number of voices pointing out that the new wave of so called “trade agreements” no longer have much to do with trade. Rather, these secret agreements create binding laws, away from democratic parliamentary institutions, to give rights to foreign investors and the largest multinational corporations on the planet.

Canada & USA North America Binational Meeting Report

24 March 2016

The PSI North America Binational meeting was held on March 4, 2016 in Ottawa and hosted by the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Robyn Benson (PSAC), the Canadian titular, and Candice Owley (American Federation of Teachers-AFT), the United States titular, co-chaired the meeting. This meeting followed the Canadian SUBRAC and the United States SUBRAC, both held on March 3, 2016.

Briefing on US TISA proposal on E-commerce, Technology Transfer, Cross-border Data Flows and Net Neutrality

17 December 2014

A proposal by the US Trade Representative (USTR) dated 25 April 2014 to the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA) negotiations has been leaked. It focuses on e-commerce, technology transfer, cross-border data flows and net neutrality.

Troubled Waters: Misleading industry PR and the case for public water

15 December 2014

Emanuele Lobina of the PSI Research Unit (PSIRU) and author of a new report "Troubled Waters", commissioned by Corporate Accountability International, argues private water companies could spell disaster for the city's water system

How investor-to-state dispute settlement threatens public welfare and undermines democracy

12 September 2014

Many international trade and investment agreements give individuals and corporations who invest in other countries access to a special legal procedure that can challenge domestic policy decisions in private tribunals. Investors—meaning anyone who buys property in a foreign country, from a hectare of land to stocks and bonds—can use “investor-to-state dispute settlement” (ISDS) to sue governments over laws, regulations and even domestic court decisions that affect current or future profits. You can think of ISDS as establishing special “corporate courts” that have their own rules and that a country’s own citizens cannot use.

Posters: Racism? Not for us!

19 March 2014

Download our posters and speak out and take a stand against racism and xenophobia!

PSI Washington office report - January 2014

13 February 2014

PSI-North America was very busy in the last week of January with a series of meetings to more effectively coordinate the work among affiliates and PSI.

Download a PDF of the report.

Presentation: A new approach to outsourcing

12 February 2014

PSI Canadian and United States affiliates gathered in Washington, D.C. on January 30, 2014 to discuss the attacks on labor rights in North America.

Presentation: Free trade agreements and the public sector

12 February 2014

PSI Canadian and United States affiliates gathered in Washington, D.C. on January 30, 2014 to discuss the attacks on labor rights in North America.

Presentation: Legislative attacks on public employees, public services and labor standards

12 February 2014

PSI Canadian and United States affiliates gathered in Washington, D.C. on January 30, 2014 to discuss the attacks on labor rights in North America.

The impact of hurricane Sandy on consolidated Edison of New York

10 February 2014
UWUA

This position paper produced by the Utility Workers Union of America, AFL-CIO, is an assessment of restoration efforts and gives recommendations for the future.

63rd Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (New York)

23 October 2018

The 63rd session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (UNCSW63) will take place at the UN Headquarters, in New York, from 11th to 22nd March 2019.

Defining the Value of Water from a rights-based perspective (New York)

18 July 2018

This side event to the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, co-sponsored by PSI, will focus on recommendations to “value water”. Using a rights-based lens, panelists will explore the ways in which water is valued in communities, cultures and faiths around the world exploring the ways in which market-based strategies have distorted these long-held values and further marginalized segments of the population.

Bargaining for the Common Good in the World of Global Finance (New York)

05 July 2018
Photo: Business and Finance. ©Shutterstock.com

A discussion of what trade unions should know about options within the multilateral system - This one-day strategy session – taking place on the sidelines of the UN HLPF - will bring experts in financial regulation and corporate governance from academia and the UN system together with representatives from trade unions and CSOs.

Partnership or Business Case? Private Sector and the SDGs (New York)

05 July 2018

This side event to the UN High Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, co-sponsored by PSI, will discuss the activities and strategies of private sector actors towards the SDG implementation. Does private sector involvement lead to more sustainability, the implementation of the SDGs and positively affect business models and behavior in the long run – or not?

Conversation with the authors of Spotlight on Sustainable Development 2018 (New York)

03 July 2018

The authors of the Spotlight Report 2018 Exploring new policy pathways: How to overcome obstacles and contradictions in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda will present key findings and recommendations to participants for discussion.

The Future is Public (Montreal)

12 June 2018

The Future is Public is a two-day gathering of union leaders, activists, researchers, and community groups designed to share ideas and proposals around building a pro-public movement in Canada.

PSI North America SUBRAC (Washington)

12 June 2018
PSI North American affiliates from the USA and Canada will be meeting in Washington 14-15 June. The meeting has a heavy agenda before it with a special focus on anti-privatization campaigns and trade issues.

UN Conference of State Parties to the Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

12 June 2018
Shutterstock

PSI is participating for the first time in the Conference of State Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) held in New York from 12-14 June. PSI is also jointly organising a side event on 13 June, to identify how Social Dialogue is, or could be, used to ensure the implementation of the CRPD.

Global conference of the Platform for Collaboration on Tax: “Taxation and the Sustainable Development Goals”

15 February 2018
Photo: Chris Potter - Creative Commons

As part of its global campaign for tax justice, PSI is co-hosting a side-event on 16 February at the First Global Conference of the Platform for Collaboration on Tax. The side event will focus on The role of tax policy in reducing intersecting inequalities and achieving the SDGs.

Accelerating Women’s Economic Empowerment to Achieve the 2030 Agenda

17 July 2017

PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, will be speaking on 17 July at the UNSG’s High-Level Panel (HLP) on Women’s Economic Empowerment. The HLP is a side event at the High Level Political Forum (HLPF), currently taking place in New York.

World OutGames: Human Rights Conference (Miami)

18 May 2017

PSI will be attending the upcoming World OutGames Human Rights Conference, a global gathering of internationally respected human rights activists, researchers, legal scholars and organizations, to be held in Miami, USA, 26-28 May 2017.

ITUC/Global Unions and World Bank/IMF High level meetings

31 January 2017

PSI is part of the trade union delegation attending the two and a half days meetings with the IMF and World Bank and will be represented as a discussant in the session on "Joint work towards universal social protection and healthcare"'.

Civil Society Policy Forum (IMF/World Bank 2016 Annual Meetings)

28 September 2016

The Civil Society Policy Forum (CSPF) has become an integral part of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Spring and Annual Meetings, providing an open space for Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to dialogue and exchange views with World Bank Group and IMF staff, their peers, government delegations, and other stakeholders on a wide range of topics.

CSW59: Commission on the Status of Women

10 December 2014

The 59th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW59) will take place at the UN Headquarters, in New York, from 9th to 20th March 2015.

Video: PSAC - defending sick leave rights and fighting privatisation

29 May 2015

Morna Ballantyne, Public Service Alliance of Canada explains that the PSAC has launched an important campaign in defence of the sick leave provisions enshrined in their collective bargaining agreement.

Video: Celeste Drake Trade & Globalization, AFL-CIO, USA

17 October 2014

"Agreement by agreement the policy space for governments is diminished then workers who live in democracies find out that their democracies can't be as responsive as they should be. [...] These kind of agreements cannot be made behind the workers backs, behind closed doors" says Celeste Drake, keynote speaker at PSI’s Global Trade in Services Forum, From GATS to TISA, held in partnership with the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) and the Our World Is Not For Sale (OWINFS) network.

Photos: PSI Global Trade Summit

23 September 2014

PSI, affiliate leaders and partners convened in Washington, D.C., 15-17 September 2014 to discuss the new threats posed to workers, public services, democracy and our communities by trade and investment agreements.

Photos: People's Climate March 2014

23 September 2014

Following the strategic discussion on advancing social ownership of energy organised by the Trade Unions for Energy Democracy (TUED), PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, and participants joined in the People's Climate March where over 400,000 people demonstrated in the streets of New York.

Video: Climate Change and Energy Democracy

22 September 2014

Ahead of the People's Climate March on 21 September in New York City, PSI General Secretary, Rosa Pavanelli, and author and activist Naomi Klein, talk about Climate Change, Energy Democracy and the role of the trade unions.

Audio: RadioLabour report on the Global Trade Summit

19 September 2014

Public services unions worldwide are determined to open to public scrutiny a new wave of global trade agreements, which are now being discussed behind closed doors. Listen to the RadioLabour report on PSI's Global Trade Summit.

Video: From GATS to TISA: Corporate power, inequality and the new attacks on public services

17 September 2014

Listen to Deborah James', Director of International Programs Centre for Economic and Policy Research, analysis of the results of 30 years of liberalization and how the new wave of trade agreements limit the role of government and deepen corporate power.

Photo gallery: PSI at the UN HLD and the PGA

07 October 2013

PSI at the UN High Level Dialogue on Migration and Development and the Peoples Global Action on Migration, Development and Human Rights, New York (USA), 30 Sept - 4 October 2013.

Rally to reclaim Wisconsin

12 March 2012

On Saturday 10 March 2012, 62,000 Wisconsinites returned to the Capitol to mark the one year anniversary of the passage of Gov. Walker's union-busting bill.

Giant squirrel + ground beef = sick!

15 December 2011

This time, meat inspection is being ransacked. Canadians rely on people like meat inspectors to ensure the food we buy is safe to eat. If you knew inspections were about to be compromised by budget cuts...wouldn't you do something about it?