Negotiations have Broken Down

NEGOTIATIONS HAVE BROKEN DOWN

The negotiations with the employer have broken down. The employer and the team were at the table until 04:00 am on Saturday morning. The Team, after showing a considerable amount of good faith  to the employer with no tangible result on the main issues, we have decided to file for conciliation.

I have posted previously what the conciliation process is and how it works and what the purpose of it is. Also I would like to add that because we have gone down this road, does not mean that we can not communicate with the employer as we have been doing up until this point.

We have set up urgent membership meetings for

Friday April 3, 2009

Where: Dunn St. Hose Brigade (PENDING CONFERMATION)

When : 900 - 1300 - 1700

We will do our best to address and inform you of all outstanding issues.

   

Day 10 Negotiations March 27 2009

02:17  a.am. on Saturday morning we are still at it and going strong, we have just sent a a response to back to the employer and we are waiting for them to take a look at what was tabled.  

Day 9 update

We are still at the table 01:00 in the morning. Still going at it, the employer is being difficult, and we are being cautious . It is difficult going ...
Sent from my BlackBerry device on the Rogers Wireless Network

Day 9 Negotiations March 26 2009

It is around 7:30 in the evening, and we have just stopped for dinner. We are still going at it and will continue to doe so for as long as is necessary. This team is tired, and it has been a very difficult day with some hard questions being asked across the table. There has been some movement on some issues and we hope to have a something solid by the end of the evening. We are going hard at this and so is the employer. There will be more to follow in this as soon as I can get it.

10:30 ...We are still here at the table waiting for a response from the employer

DAY 8 NEGOTIATIONS MARCH 20

Well here we are at day number  8. The day started of a little rough and with a lot of frustration for both parties. we spent the day going over the the employers proposal and considering the next coarse of action that we are going to take. We worked through our lunch to try and better understand the employers position. Both parties  were prepared to leave for the day in frustration. At the end of the day we were called back to the table by the employer,  and then made cautious and guarded progress in moving towards a deal. 

LiveJournal Tags: union,work,rights,fight,employer

DAY 7 Negotiations MARCH 17 2009

This morning we put forward another proposal in a effort to get to a deal, the employer has not yet responded to it.  it is difficult going but we remain committed to getting you the best deal that we can get. There isn't a lot to say here today other than the negotiations are on going.  We are meeting with the employer again on Friday the 20th of March.     

Day 6 Negotiations March 13 2009

LiveJournal Tags: union,labour,movement,employer,employment

Today we tabled our   monetary proposal to which we have had no in depth response from them. The employer also tabled there monetary proposal. Well it is safe to say that there is some work to be done to get both sides together on some of those issues.The employer has maintained from the beginning that they are interested in getting  a deal quickly. In response to this your team has told the employer repeatedly that there is a necessary process that must be followed to address the demands of the members.  The members demands are why we are here, and they will not be sacrificed for a speedy settlement.

Communicate to Motivate

Collective bargaining can be stressful.  Its never easy to predict how things will turn out. People worry about the financial and personal cost if there is a strike. Few people enjoy confronting the boss.

         After years of cut backs, workers are already under  enough stress on the job.And if that's not enough, family responsibilities mean most people don' t  have any spare time to start with.These    days, all of us have a lot going on in our lives. It all adds up to not getting involved.

members tend to get involved in bargaining for three reasons:

1. self-interest: the issue affects them directly
2. personal commitment to individuals: they help their friends
3. a vision beyond bargaining: they see themselves as part of a larger social cause, and bargaining is on way to advance that cause.

Success in mobilizing depends on tapping in to these motives, and communicating with each member in a way that is meaningfully to him or her. Of coarse, it doesn't hurt if you're asking someone to do something easy and fun, rather than a difficult chore

DAY 5 MARCH 12 2009

LiveJournal Tags: union,labour,work,employer

The day was a long one, didn't finish until around 8pm. Today the team sent most of the day going over over the employers response. We met the employer this morning and discussed some of their responses to your demands. Again I think at least our team came away  from bargaining today tired but in a positive frame of mind. I think that we did some good things today but the ultimate decision is up to you, the members. What we as a team have to keep in mind is that we may think the deal is good,  but you guys may not. 

BY JACK PROFIJT What you all need to consider  is, what do I want and what do I need, out of this deal. The reason that this is important is because it will start to frame in your mind, what to you, will make a good collective agreement. What will be right for some, may not be right for others. Ultimately the decision to settle this agreement  will be up to you, not the bargaining team. All we can do is recommend the deal or not .  Ultimately what you receive in this collective agreement will be based on what you, the member are willing to settle for. If you are wiling to settle for Junk you will be stuck with it for the life of that collective agreement.  So if you think the deal is junk let us know, because the team that you elected will be more than happy to do do this all year long.

So I guess what am saying is, use your head and not your heart when it comes time to ratify a deal.

DAY 4 MARCH 11 2008

I can honestly say that today was a positive day on all accounts, the whole team is in agreement that the day was productive. Both sides showed a willingness to move towards a deal. We met twice today once in the morning and then in the afternoon.They did table a counter proposal which was a response to your demands. We re moving closer to tabling your monetary demands.

 

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

BY JACK PROFIJT

One of the biggest ways that you as a member of this union can better support your bargaining team, as well as your selves is through education. The need for the average member to be educated in labour law and your collective agreement has never been more important than right now. Even a basic understanding of these two documents can go along way to ensuring your rights, and the rights of others at work.  The employment Standards Act is a key piece of legislation, that holds a lot of weight and you must remember, it is a provincially legislated document which means... it is the law.

Educational and reference material comes in many forms, and can be found in variety of places around the workplace. It is the employers responsibility to make these items available to you.

Did you know that you as an employee you have the right access this information upon request from the employer.  For example, if there is  a question of how breaks are being administered and you do not believe that you have been given a satisfactory reply from your Sup. or Manager.  You have the right to ask for, and receive upon request, access to the Employment Standards Act. In more serious cases you could get access to a Ministry of Labour representative for things like injuries or serious accidents.  On top of this you can not be disciplined or suffer any retribution for making the request. 

As I said education is key, not just for right now but for your entire working career. Documents like the Occupational Health and Safety Act, although very dry reading, can protect you against harm or injury.  Knowing these PROVINCIAL LAWS and your Collective Agreement and how they are applied, and how they can protect you, is a must for every person in our department.  The employer knows what strength these laws hold, so should you.

 

LiveJournal Tags: union,labour,law

Day - 3 Negotiations March 5 2009

Today the employer responded to our demands, and lets just say that they are being difficult, However in there opinion it was us being difficult. The team spent most of the day going over there responses to your  demands. The employer once again mentioned the 31st of March as a deadline. They once again mentioned there intent to push past the non monetary and deal with monitory issues. But keep in mind that the bargaining team that you put into place will not allow our members or your demands to be bought. This echo's  what a large majority of members have voiced to the bargaining team, that you will not sacrifice your demands for money.

The team also spent much of the day finalizing the monitory proposal. We have a collection of  a large number of collective agreements that we are currently checking and re checking to help tweak our proposal in the right direction.

Having said all of this I think it would be a good idea to explain the next step in the process that we may have to follow.  The employer mentioned to us that it was our responsibility to keep members informed.  So not to cause alarm but more in the spirit of information and knowledge I have included a description of the Conciliation process.

Watch for a bargaining bulletin in the near future.

 

What is Conciliation?

Conciliation is a process by which a trade union or an employer can ask the Ministry of Labour for help in resolving their differences so that they can reach a collective agreement. Either party may apply to the Ministry. If parties are in negotiations, conciliation is mandatory in the sense that the parties must use the government's conciliation services before they can get into a position to engage in a strike or lock-out.

How do you request the appointment of a Conciliation Officer?

The applicant must complete the Request for Appointment of Conciliation Officer form and forward it to:
Dispute Resolution Services
400 University Avenue, 8^th Floor
Toronto ON M7A 1T7
Attention: Intake Officer
Application forms are available upon request. Please call (416) 326-7358.

What if the employer and the union cannot reach agreement in conciliation?

The conciliation officer informs the Minister of Labour that a collective agreement was unable to be effected. The Minister would then generally issue a notice informing the union and the employer that he or she "does not consider it advisable to appoint a conciliation board" (cl. 21(b) of the Act). This notice is known colloquially as the "no board". [Conciliation boards are exceedingly rare. They have not been appointed since the 1960s.]

What further assistance is available to the bargaining parties after a "no board" gets issued?

If the parties have not reached a settlement in the Conciliation stage, the Ministry offers to provide the services of a Mediator who will confer with the parties and endeavour to effect a collective agreement. Mediation is also a process by which a third party attempts to help a trade union and an employer in reaching a collective agreement. Since mediation is discretionary, the service is only used if both parties are amenable to it.

43 Things Tags: Union OPSEU negotiations

LiveJournal Tags: union OPSEU negotiations

Have a look

Have a look, you will find something very interesting just about half way down the page, I apologize about the length of the article, sometimes politicians are a little long winded. Check session 38.2 Date: 20061012
http://www.ontla.on.ca/web/house-proceedings/hansard_search.jsp?searchString=casino+employees&go=Search&locale=en