Here is an update with news on our Queen’s Staff Union campaign, on the Ontario government’s compensation restraint and on USW members’ help for Pakistan – please feel free to forward this on to your colleagues and friends at Queen’s.

Sorting out our bargaining unit so that the final votes can be tallied:
As you know, we have asked Queen’s to agree to an alternative method of resolving the differences between the appropriate bargaining unit that we proposed in our application and the unit that the Administration proposed. We proposed mediation arbitration as an alternative to litigating these differences at the Labour Board because, in our view, it would be faster and would provide a better environment to develop a mutually productive relationship with the Administration. This alternative dispute resolution model was used in 1998 to solve many similar issues when staff at the University of Toronto joined the USW.

The Administration has now agreed in principle to the concept of mediation arbitration, but we have not yet been able to agree upon the person who would act as mediator arbitrator. The USW and the Steering Committee are not content to wait much longer. If we are not able to get agreement in the very near future, the USW will contact the Labour Board and ask it to set immediate hearing dates in Toronto.

Some progress has been made. Despite the lack of final agreement on the mediation arbitration process, over the summer we have held a number of meetings with the Administration. We have made progress on some issues and have resolved 47 segregated ballots. On September 13 and 14 we will meet the Administration again to work on some of these issues.

Changes in Queen’s HR:
Queen’s recently announced the retirement of V-P (Human Resources) Rod Morrison and the hiring of Mr. Allen Orth on a consulting basis in the interim position of Acting Associate V-P (Human Resources). Mr. Orth has experience in the post-secondary education sector and we congratulate him on his appointment. The USW has worked with Mr. Orth in his capacity as a representative for other employers in Ontario and welcomes him to the process.

Salary limits in the public sector?
You will recall our June 21 statement about the Ontario government's plan to seek salary freezes in the public and broader public sector (Bill 16). You can access it again by clicking here. 

Some Queen’s staff have asked about step increases. Our June 21 update said: “Bill 16 also explicitly allows all employees, even those to whom the freeze applies, to receive step increases (within an existing pay range) during the freeze.”

In a recently posted statement, the Ontario government has reiterated that position, stating that “movement up a pre-existing grid, or a pre-approved formulaic increase in benefits, is permitted, as this is not considered an increase in compensation for the purpose of the Policy Statement.”

Steelworkers Give $20,000 for Pakistan Flood Aid:
The United Steelworkers (USW) has announced that the Steelworkers Humanity Fund is providing $20,000 to assist communities in Pakistan devastated by the worst flooding in 80 years. “What is really needed in the long run are changes in the global economic system to create balanced economic development that reaches poorer populations so they are not so vulnerable to natural disasters,” said Ken Neumann, USW National Director for Canada. 

At least six million people in Pakistan are in need of immediate humanitarian aid. On August 11 the United Nations appealed for $460 million (USD) in international aid to help flood-affected families. 

The Steelworkers Humanity Fund is a registered charitable organization. Steelworkers members contribute to the Fund through clauses negotiated into collective agreements, with some matching contributions from employers. The Fund’s mandate is to address hunger and poverty issues, primarily in the developing world. 

As you know from our previous staff union campaign updates, the USW and the Administration agreed that May 26 was the deadline for the University to provide information about its stance on bargaining unit issues.

We were pleased to receive a large quantity of information from Queen’s on that date.  USW representatives and Steering Committee members have worked hard to review and assess this information.

So far, the information has helped us to resolve some outstanding issues. We have been able to resolve:

a modest number of ballots cast that both parties now agree will be in the bargaining unit;

a modest number of ballots cast that both the USW and the University now agree will not be in the bargaining unit; and

a few ballots cast by people who were not Queen’s employees (such as post doctoral fellows, etc) and whose ballots therefore will not be counted.

A significant number of issues and ballots remain to be resolved.

The USW has suggested to the Administration that agreements arrived at consensually are preferable to litigating issues at the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB). Accordingly, the USW has asked the Administration to consider engaging in an alternative resolution process, such as mediation/arbitration.

Last week the USW also asked the Administration to meet face-to face in Kingston as soon as possible and offered a series of open dates throughout July.

The USW is ready to work diligently with Queen's to resolve the outstanding issues around this application.  We will keep Queen’s staff updated in the coming days and weeks.

Pension issues – an update
Click here for an update on the QUFA website about Queen’s pension plan issues.

Staff compensation issues plus great news for Academic Assistants, Tutors and Markers.

On June 4, 2010, Queen’s Human Resources posted a document on its website entitled, “USW application, Bill 16 impact staff compensation.” The USW and the Queen’s Staff Union campaign would like to provide some clarifications.     Read more...

On June 9, 2010, the Ontario Labour Relations Board officially certified the United Steelworkers as the bargaining agent for all Academic Assistants, Tutors and Markers at Queen's University. This is a great victory for the approximate 85 members of the bargaining unit.     Read more... 

After our March 31 vote, the USW asked Queen's to provide information that we required in order to assess and understand the university's stance on bargaining unit issues.  Queen's agreed to provide some of this information by May 12, and more information by May 26. The USW and Queen's therefore agreed to put off the Labour Board hearing dates that had been scheduled for early May. 

We are pleased to report that Queen's did provide significant information to the USW on May 26.  We are currently reviewing that material and we are optimistic that it will help us move forward toward a unit determination so that remaining relevant ballots can be counted.  But this process will still take time due to the complexity and number of issues outstanding.In the meantime, let's keep our focus on fairness, a genuine voice in the issues that affect us, consistent policies, job security, pensions and a better way to resolve complaints.  By keeping our focus on the issues, when the appropriate unit is settled, we will be ready for real bargaining - for a real change at Queen's.