REINVENTING UNION-MANAGEMENT PARTNERSHIPS

Conference held in Toronto on December 5, 6 & 7, 2005
Chairs: Donald Chiro, Casey House Hospice; Lynn Keays, Humber River Regional Hospital; Neal B. Sommer, Blaney McMurtry LLP; Brad Philp, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

CD-ROM: Approx. 11 hours of video presentations

To purchase, please contact Federated Press.

BARGAINING, MEDIATION AND ARBITRATION

• Mediation vs. arbitration
• Ways to get a favourable outcome in a predetermined dispute resolution
• Reasons to consider mediation
• The types of cases to select for mediation
• How to select a mediator?

"In choosing the right dispute mechanism, it is important for the parties involved to understand the parameters of the process and to what degree of control they are prepared to give up in the decision making."

Video: 48 minutes

• The panel composition and process
• The arbitration process and when it is used
• Benefits to using the CJGP to traditional arbitration
• What seminar participants had to say
• How to implement the decision into agreement

"The creation of the Alternative Dispute Resolution Office has proven to be both time and cost effective. The key element in the arbitration process that contributes to this is that precedence is not considered."

Video: 42 minutes • Overheads • Paper 6 pgs. (741 words)

Case study: An interest-based bargaining relationship at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board
Steve Jackson, Vice President, Human Resources, The Ontario Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB); Harry Gosselin, CUPE

• The labour relations environment at the WSIB
• Interest-based relationship: addressing the challenges
• Interest-based relationship vs. interest-based bargaining
• Traditional vs. IBR collective bargaining

"As in other locales, respect for the parties and an understanding of their motives has done a great deal in improving the bargaining relationship at WSIB. This was central in the moving away from traditional collective bargaining to an interest based relationship."

Video: 37 minutes • Overheads

Employer drug & alcohol policies vs. collective agreement obligations
Barbara Butler, President, Barbara Butler & Associates Inc.

"The key to establishing effective policies on drug and alcohol issues is the setting down of clear workplace standards and expectations, coupled with prevention and assistance regimens."

Video: 45 minutes • Overheads • Paper 25 pgs. (4,512 words)

Case study: Around the bargaining table – the latest negotiations between CN and the USW
Douglas S. Fisher, Director, Labour Relations, Canadian National Railway Company; Richard Pagé, Staff Representative, United Steelworkers of America

• Bargaining dynamics: external influences
• Essential elements of negotiation and implementation of a collective agreement
• Communication and managing the information
• Lessons learned and future steps

"CN and the USW Union were able to successfully conclude a four-year collective agreement based on an approach that emphasized trust, integrity and communication. The key was the consideration and understanding that each side gave to the real needs of the other party."

Video: 50 minutes • Overheads • Paper 5 pgs. (pdf)

SURVIVING RADICAL CHANGE IN THE WORKPLACE

Working together through change: A case study on general dynamics
Paul Hurteau, Manager, Industrial Relations, General Dynamics Land Systems – Canada

• Building trust in a new company
• Union involvement in exploring new alternatives
• Breaking past practices
• Lessons learned

"By being open-minded, creative, patient, positive and thinking outside the box, we were able to reach an agreement between the union and the new company."

Video: 30 minutes • Overheads • Paper 2 pgs. (199 words)

Dealing with change under difficult conditions: A case study of Humber River Regional Hospital
Lynn Keays, Director of Human Resources, Humber River Regional Hospital; Michael Howell, Bargaining Unit President and Local Coordinator, Local 068, Ontario Nurses' Association

• HRRH & ONA challenges and issues
• The bargaining process
• The bargaining outcome
• Balancing spending and making cuts
• Creating the scheduling committee

"Facing funding and demographic pressures, HRHH and ONA were able to successfully bargain by fostering a high level of trust and shred interests between the parties. This resulted in maintaining services with fewer resources.”

Video: 42 minutes • Overheads

The Ontario Public Service labour relations strategy
Gayle Fisher, Assistant Deputy Minister, Employee Relations Division, Centre for Leadership and Human Resource Management (CFL/HRM), Ministry of Government Services, Government of Ontario

"In order to improve labour relations in the Ontario Public Service, the Government of Ontario has tweaked the bargaining process with a return to the basics of trust, openness, and the establishing of common goals. This has tended to develop a more positive atmosphere amongst the parties involved."

Video: 38 minutes • Overheads

RESOLVING DISPUTES AND LEGAL ISSUES

Update on legal developments in labour relations
David J. Bannon, Partner and Chair, Toronto Employment and Labour Law Group, Ogilvy Renault LLP; Damian Rigolo, Osler, Hoskin & Harcourt LLP; Neal B. Sommer, Blaney McMurtry LLP

• Effects of changing employment laws on collective agreements
• Need to re-consider old language in new collective agreements
• Bill 2-11 dealing with mandatory retirement
• Bill C-45: amendment of the Criminal Code
• Personal Health Information Act

"It is critical to stay on top of and understand all the legal complexities of labour law as it pertains to collective agreements, so as to avoid unexpected surprises and consequences."

Video: 59 minutes

Addressing violence in the workplace: A panel discussion
Ken Foster, Canadian Director, Amalgamated Transit Union-(CLC), Sue Bass, Director, City of Brampton, Larry Ducharme, London Transit Commission

• Strategies in dealing with escalating violence on transit systems
• Training models
• Data collection
• Upgrading of surveillance techniques

"Training employees to deal with potentially difficult situations, and working closely with law enforcement agencies, are the two key elements in tackling the problem of violence on public transit."

Video: 48 minutes

Case study: Creative approaches around the bargaining unit composition at the University of Toronto
Mary Ann Ross, Director of Labour Relations, University of Toronto, Stuart Deans, Toronto Area coordinator, United Steelworkers of America

"The difficulties presented by the failure of the in-out committee to resolve the dispute between the University of Toronto and the United Steel Workers Local 1998 led to the creation of a bargaining unit review committee (BURC), which so far has been functioning satisfactorily."

Video: 34 minutes • Overheads

BUILDING BRIDGES BETWEEN LABOUR AND MANAGEMENT

How to build a successful union-management partnership
Anne E. Grant, Director, Mediated Solutions Incorporated

"The key to building a successful union-management partnership is to foster the basic elements of a working relationship, which includes understanding, communication and reliability between the parties. From this evolves a clearer sense of purpose and responsibility."

Video: 81 minutes • Overheads • Paper 9 pgs. (1,237 words)

Working toward change that is mutually beneficial: A case study of Daimler Chrysler
Lyle Hargrove, Director, Health & Safety Training Fund, Canadian Auto Workers (CAW); Ken Roughton, DaimlerChrysler Canada Inc.

Video: 41 minutes • Overheads

Changing attitudes between labour and management: A panel discussion
Joanne Milligan, Vice-President, Human Resources and Organization Development, The Michener Institute for Applied Health Sciences, Neil Fernie, Labour Relations Manager, North York General Hospital, Brad Philp, Staff Director, Service Employees International Union

• Evolving visions and missions
• Stakeholder interests
• Trust enabling strategies
• Shifting from "control" to being "in service"

"Some strategies that have begun to improve labour and management relations have revolved around the fostering of open door policies, where people are encouraged to be heard more when decisions are being made, and where the work and accomplishments of employees gain increased recognition."

Video: 36 minutes • Overheads