Why Are We Called Flying Pickets When I Spent Six Hours Walking?

By Mark Golden, UWFA External Relations OfficerMark Golden at the Flying Picket

For more pictures and video, click here.

The morning of Friday, October 29 found me walking outside the entrance to Lakehead University in Thunder Bay, wishing I’d brought my winter boots and envying the Sleeping Giant in his comfortable limestone bed. I was one of eight flying pickets, members of university unions from as far away as Fredericton, Halifax and St John’s, who’d come in support of a strike at the Northern Ontario School of Medicine (NOSM). The strikers, some 150 mostly female technical and support workers at the medical school’s campuses in Thunder Bay and Sudbury (and a few in Timmins), had been out in search of a first contract since mid-August. By the time of my visit, they had already rejected one proposed settlement and were about to enter their twelfth week on the picket line. It’s the longest strike ever for a Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) affiliate.

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Job Action Committee

By Allen Mills, UWFA Vice President and JAC Co-Chair

The names below are those of UWFA Members who have agreed to serve as representatives to the Job Action Committee.

We are presently in negotiations with the administration over a new Collective Agreement. Relations between both sides at the table have been productive and there is no need to think that they will cease to be. But the difficult matters to do with money and benefits have still not been discussed. We continue to be paid substantially below both The University of Manitoba and Brandon University and to catch up with them is part of the mandate of the bargaining team. Organization in support of our goals is crucial.

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When Does the Main Unit Agreement Expire?

Members have asked about the expiry of the Collective Agreement, which was in effect until April 1, 2010. Has it expired? Well, yes, but no. Under labour legislation, contracts remain in effect for one year following expiry. In our case, however, that one-year limitation does not apply, because our negotiators have obtained an agreement from the Employer that the contract will remain in effect until a new agreement has been concluded.

Of course, that doesn’t mean that time is unimportant. Negotiations got a late start because of certain proposals that the Employer made last spring, and later because we didn’t want to negotiate in the absence of a V-P Academic. However, the teams have been bargaining regularly and intensively over the fall, and they plan to do so until an agreement is reached.

If you have any other questions about the contract or its expiry, please contact the UWFA Office at (204) 786-9430 or uwfa@uwinnipeg.ca.

Bargaining Update

Our first meeting with the University took place on Monday, October 4. The first meeting set the bargaining protocol and scheduled regular meetings. The bargaining protocol is not contentious and we have already agreed to meet twice weekly. All that remains to be decided is the exact timing of meetings. We will continue with the planned schedule until bargaining is completed.

Once we have agreed on the protocol we will exchange proposals beginning first with matters of governance. We expect to be able to begin the exchange on October 8.

The Association’s bargaining team consists of Wendy Josephson (chief negotiator), James Currie, Richard Jochelson, Linda Dixon and Lisa McGifford. Daniel Draper is providing administrative support to the team.

The University bargaining team is led by Laurel Repski.

Mandates, Negotiations and Keeping Your Cool

An Interview with Dr. Wendy Josephson, Chief Negotiator for the Main Unit Bargaining Team

By Dr. Roewan Crowe, UWFA Member-at-Large

Pictured: Main Unit Bargaining Team (left to right) Dr. Richard Jochelson, Dr. Wendy Josephson, Ms. Lisa McGifford, Dr. James Currie

RC:  Can you tell me about your role as Chief Negotiator for the Main Bargaining Unit? How long have you been in this role? What does the position entail?

WJ: The UWFA Executive appointed me as Chief Negotiator for the Main Unit at the end of January, so I’ve been in the role for just over two months.

The Chief Negotiator leads the Negotiating Team throughout the process of negotiating a collective agreement and speaks on behalf of the Association at the bargaining table. So far, I’ve been participating in the Collective Bargaining Committee’s consultations with the Main Unit membership about what Members would like to see in the next collective agreement. Once the iterative process of establishing a mandate from the Members has been completed, I will work with the rest of the team (James Curry, Richard Jochelson, and Executive Director Lisa McGifford) to draft proposals in contract language and lead the team in negotiations with the Employer’s bargaining team. It will also be my responsibility to keep the UWFA Executive informed about what’s happening at the table.

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UWFA Bargaining Updates

By Lisa McGifford, UWFA Staff Officer

Bargaining has begun for each of the three UWFA bargaining units (Main Unit, Collegiate and Contract Faculty). For more information, click the link below. If you have any questions, please contact the UWFA Office.

UWFA has buttons for each of our bargaining units. They are available from any Executive Member or at the UWFA office.

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Closing the Gap: In Search of Librarian/Faculty Parity

From 23 to 25 October 2009, Michael Hohner attended a CAUT conference entitled Negotiating for Parity: Closing the Librarian/Faculty Gap on behalf of the UWFA Executive. The conference  was about how academic freedom allows librarians to vigorously oppose efforts to censor, filter or divert information. It also allows librarians to critique workplace mechanisms and structures that interfere with the exercise of their duties.  It is therefore essential that parity in regard to academic freedom exist between academic librarians and faculty in collective agreement language.  It is equally important that librarians elevate the exercise of academic freedom to a central place in the culture of their workplaces, as faculty have done.

Michael Hohner is the Systems & Media Services Coordinator for the University Library (on leave for 2009-2010). His full conference report can be found here.

CAUT Librarians' Conference Report

UWFA Bargaining Update

The Collegiate Unit Negotiating team is Karen Zoppa (Chief Negotiator),  Michael West, Jim Trellor, and Lisa McGifford. The draft mandate for the Collegiate Unit was approved. Now that this has occurred we  can begin drafting proposal language.

The members of the Contract Faculty Unit Negotiation Team are Hugh Grant and Lisa McGifford. The draft mandate for Contract Faculty bargining was approved recently by the UWFA Executive. Some proposal drafting has already occurred and we expect to begin bargaining this term.

The Executive Council has begun to look at striking the various committees needed for Main Unit collective bargaining. UWFA has been tracking specific matters that require attention in the upcoming round of negotiations.