Bill C-377 is necessary, construction industry head says
Description: Bill C-377, which would force greater financial disclosure from Canadian unions, has moved to the Senate.
Source: The Journal of Commerce
Date: 02/18/2013
Related links:
- Prof. David Doorey’s Workplace Law Blog
- Senator Hugh Segal’s speech in the Senate
- Bill C-377
- Russ Hiebert, MP, sponsor of Bill C-377
- Earlier update
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize Bill Stewart’s argument.
- Summarize Hugh Segal’s argument.
- Who do you think makes the strongest points? Why?
- Do you think this bill is necessary? Why or why not?
- Prof. Doorey asks: “Do these arguments against Bill C-377 and ‘right to work’ laws seem more convincing when made by a Conservative senator than when made by unions and academics?” What do you think?
B.C. teachers reject premier’s call for 10-year contract
January 27, 2013 by tbarrett
Filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 2 - Theories of Industrial Relations, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process
Description: The B.C. Teachers’ Federation wants no part of a government proposal that would include a 10-year collective agreement.
Source: CBC
Date: 01/24/2013
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2013/01/24/bc-teachers-plan.html
Related links:
- YouTube video of Premier Christy Clark’s announcement
- Government statement
- Government plan (pdf)
- BCTF response
- Earlier update
Questions for discussion:
- What would the teachers gain under the government proposal?
- What would the teachers lose?
- Ten-year collective agreements are extremely rare. Why do you think that is?
- Who do you think would benefit the most from this proposal? Why?
- B.C. voters go to the polls May 14 and the Clark government is well back in the opinion polls. How do you think that affects the contents of this proposal and the teachers’ response?
NHL, players reach tentative agreement
Description: The NHL and the NHL Players’ Association have reached a tentative agreement after the second-longest lockout in league history.
Source: The Toronto Star
Date: 01/06/2013
Related links:
- Industrial relations expert Mark Thompson offers some advice to negotiators
- Globe and Mail story
- Earlier update
- NHLPA
- NHL
Questions for discussion:
- Read Mark Thompson’s commentary and summarize his rules for negotiators in your own words.
- Do any of these rules surprise you? Explain.
- How would these rules apply to the NHL lockout?
- Do you think the lockout would have been ended sooner if the parties had followed these rules?
- Why do you think the parties didn’t follow these rules?
Buzz Hargrove criticizes “amateur hour” NHL talks
December 9, 2012 by tbarrett
Filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 10 - Third-Party Intervention, Chapter 2 - Theories of Industrial Relations, Chapter 3 - HIstory of the Canadian Union Movement, Chapter 7 - Defining and Commencing Collective Bargaining, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process, Chapter 9 - Strikes and Lockouts
Description: Former Canadian Auto Workers head Buzz Hargrove says the NHL Players’ Association shouldn’t have agreed to meet with team owners without the association’s executive director.
Source: CBC
Date: 12/06/2012
Link: http://www.cbc.ca/player/News/Canada/ID/2313280372/
Related links:
- Donald Fehr speaks to the CAW
- Two sides still in contact after talks break off
- Earlier update
- NHL
- NHLPA
Questions for discussion:
- Why does Hargrove refer to these talks as an “amateur hour”?
- What does Hargrove believe may be needed to reach a settlement?
- Consult your textbook and make a list of the advantages to such an approach.
- Now make a list of the disadvantages.
- Based on what you have learned in this course, what do you think should be done to reach a settlement?
Federal commissioner says union bill intrudes on privacy
Description: Federal Privacy Commissioner Jennifer Stoddart has told the Commons finance committee that a private member’s bill to increase disclosure of union finances “is a significant privacy intrusion.”
Source: Canadian Labour Reporter
Date: 11/08/2012
Related links:
Questions for discussion:
- What does Bill C-377 seek to do?
- Summarize Jennifer Stoddart’s analysis of this bill.
- What are the arguments in favour of passing this bill?
- What are the arguments against?
- Which arguments do you find most convincing?
- Do you think the benefits that would come from this bill would outweigh the privacy concerns? Why or why not?
Electricians’ union official runs for BC Fed leadership
Description: Michelle Laurie, president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 258, is challenging incumbent president Jim Sinclair for the leadership of the B.C. Federation of Labour.
Source: The Province (Vancouver)
Date: 11/10/2012
Link: http://www.theprovince.com/business/Sinclair+challenged+Federation+Labour/7530828/story.html
Related links:
Questions for discussion:
- Consult your textbook: what is the role of a provincial labour federation?
- What does Michelle Laurie think needs to change at the federation?
- What do you think of her arguments?
- What makes this race politically significant?
- What role do you think a labour federation should play in politics?
Ontario PCs attack public sector unions
September 9, 2012 by tbarrett
Filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 2 - Theories of Industrial Relations, Chapter 3 - HIstory of the Canadian Union Movement
Description: Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak has promised to take on public sector unions, accusing them of buying votes in a byelection his party lost to the New Democratic Party.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Date: 09/07/2012
Related links:
Questions for discussion:
- What is Mr. Hudak claiming here?
- Do you think he makes a convincing case?
- What does your text say about unions and the political process?
- What arguments can you think of in favour of unions supporting a particular political party? What arguments can you think of against?
- Mr. Hudak uses the term “union bosses” in this story. What images does this term raise in your mind?
Unions and the middle class
September 3, 2012 by tbarrett
Filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 2 - Theories of Industrial Relations, Chapter 3 - HIstory of the Canadian Union Movement
Description: Columnist Antonia Zerbisias argues that “when union membership thrives, so does the middle class.”
Source: The Toronto Star
Date: 08/31/2012
Related links:
- Thomas Walkom column
- Vancouver Sun column
- Article: Some analysts see hope for renewal
- Globe and Mail story
Questions for discussion:
- Summarize Antonia Zerbisias’s arguments. Do you agree? How would an opponent of unions respond?
- What is happening to the strength of unions in Canada?
- How would you define “middle class”?
- Do you think of union members as being “middle class”? Why or why not?
- Discuss your personal experiences with unions. Have you or a family member belonged to a union?
A crisis for organized labour
Description: This is a “precarious moment for the labour movement,” say experts and labour leaders.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Date: 03/24/2012
Related links:
- Air Canada workers stage wildcat strike
- Canadian Labour Congress
- Canadian Union of Public Employees
- Sam Gindin, York University
- Gregor Murray, University of Montreal
- Pradeep Kumar, Queen’s University
Questions for discussion:
- What does this article say about the state of organized labour in Canada today?
- What reasons does this article give for this situation?
- Why is this said to be a critical time for labour?
- Do you agree with this analysis?
- If you were a labour leader, what would you do to address the situation described in this article?
Halifax ‘Canada’s strike central’
Description: A series of industrial disputes has made Halifax “emblematic of a much larger year of labour unrest” across the country, the Globe and Mail’s Jane Taber writes.
Source: The Globe and Mail
Date: 03/06/2012
Related links:
- CTV – Dalhousie strike averted
- Health care workers take strike vote
- CBC – Tentative deal in transit shutdown
- Earlier update on Halifax transit dispute
Questions for discussion:
- In what sector are these disputes occurring?
- Why do you think the writer of this article believes that “this friction between unions and provincial and municipal governments will pose a challenge for the Harper government”?
- Do you agree?
- What explanations are offered in this article for these tensions?
- Which explanations make the most sense to you?
Fiona McQuarrie's Industrial Relations in Canada received wide praise for helping students to understand the complex and sometimes controversial field of Industrial Relations, by using just the right blend of practice, process and theory. The text engages business students with diverse backgrounds and teaches them how an understanding of this field will help them become better managers.