The Aggrieved Librarian: CAUT Librarian's Conference

Linwood DeLong, Library, UWFA Council Member

Academic librarians from across Canada attended a very interesting two-day conference put on by CAUT
in late October. It was noted at the beginning that a high percentage of librarians feel that there are grievable issues in their workplaces, but only a small percentage of librarians actually launch grievances. To help librarians understand the issues surrounding grievances, participants engaged in plenary discussions and a variety of role-playing scenarios against the backdrop of a fictitious (but true-to-life) collective agreement.

There were lengthy plenary discussions about the role of grievance officers, the advisability (or not) of having the grievor present when the grievance officer meets with representatives of the administration to seek a resolution of a grievance, and the typical content of many negotiated settlements.

One of the noteworthy presentations was an in-depth discussion of the phenomenon often referred to as member-to-member disputes. The presenter for this topic argued strongly that this concept is a misnomer. While members certainly have disputes with other members about issues, the presenter felt very strongly that in most instances the issues concern workplace safety, harassment and bullying and that it is the responsibility of the administration to ensure a proper workplace environment. He stated that faculty associations should not engage in the resolution of member-to-member disputes. The association does have a duty to determine if there is a prima facie basis for pursuing a possible grievance and is well advised to appoint respected, neutral representatives for each party to assist in the information gathering process, he argued. These individuals are there to ensure the integrity of

the process, however, and not to take sides on the issue. He felt that the association should take no position on the merit of any complaints until the investigation is complete. This is certainly something that merits further discussion within UWFA.

Clearly grievances are not a good thing and, where appropriate, efforts should be made to resolve issues before they reach the stage of a grievance, but it is equally important for all members of a faculty association to know their rights and to ensure that all of the provisions of their collective agreements are upheld.