August 25, 2010 - Update

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.