CUPE New Brunswick News
Send items or comments to Rick MacMillan at macmillr@nbnet.nb.ca
Updated September 15, 1998

Grievance Mediation, Mutual Interest Experiment

“Normal third-party arbitration is often a ‘win-lose’ solution in which one side or the other feels they got shafted,” said Bob Davidson, CUPE Representative in Saint John.  “Grievance mediation is a process where those who have to live with the solution come up with it themselves,” he added.  The new approach is one of the recommendations of the Municipal Sector Labour/Management Decision Makers Committee, a joint group composed of municipal labour and management representatives, chaired by Ray Campbell of the Department of Advanced Education and Labour.  The Committee has also looked at more uniform arbitration procedures, provision of essential services and “mutual interest committees”.

“Mutual Interest Committees redefines the concept of the labour-management committee [and] promotes on-going dialogue on matters of concern and mutual interest”, reports the Decision Makers leaflet distributed to the delegates.  The delegates also vieweda video explaining the system in greater detail featuring professionals in the area of grievance mediation.

Representatives of the City Locals explained that they were skeptical at first, after years of furious conflict and a climate of mistrust extended throughout both sides. David Parks, President of CUPE Local 61 (Saint John Police) noted that grievances in his local went from about 70 per year down to 3. Last year, using the interest-based negotiation concept, Local 61 and the city negotiated their first collective agreement since 1980 without a strike or binding arbitration.  “We weren’t happy with everything, but there was give and take by both sides and both sides can live with the result”, said Parks.

“It may not work for everyone, but we would encourage others to try it.  We have to look to the future”, said David Gould, President of Local 18 (City of Saint John Outside Workers).  Gould explained that they had done some pilot projects with the city over the last couple of years which proved Local 18 workers could be as good or better than contractors on many projects.  Their hard-won job security clause is less likely to be attacked if the Local shows there is no need to cut city staff.

Davidson noted that the system will only work if the parties have respect for each other.  “Managers have to recognize that unions fought hard for their rights and there is a reason certain provisions are in the collective agreements” he said.  “When there is more dialogue about why those protections are there, the parties are better able to discuss ways to make the collective agreement work, instead of just bashing at each other at arbitration.”

CUPE President Blasts Privatization at CUPE-NB Convention

CUPE President Judy Darcy said nothing was more fundamental to democracy than ownership of water people drink and power that gives them warmth and light.

With CUPE launching a major national campaign against privatization, Darcy used the New Brunswick example of privatizing a portion of the Trans-Canada Highway to make her point. "New Brunswick's roads should be publicly owned and publicly maintained.

"They're far too important to our everyday lives to turn over to the likes of Doug Young and his fellow privateers so they can gouge New Brunswickers," she said.

Darcy also said New Brunswickers should be encouraged by the recent Nova Scotia election, which showed the NDP tide continues to rise in Atlantic Canada. With the recent actual and rumoured party-switching between Liberals, Tories and Reform, Darcy said, "We've been saying for years we can't see a difference between all those right-wing parties--obviously the people leading those parties can't see any difference, either."

In New Brunswick, she said she can't tell the difference between the Frank McKenna clones currently running for the leadership of the provincial Liberals.

Outlining her union's strategy to fight privatization and the Multilateral Agreement on Investment (MAI), Darcy compared current Canadian economic policy to the Titanic: "Most of the first-class passengers survived but most of the less-privileged passengers perished."

About 140 delegates attended CUPE New Brunswick's convention from April 2-4. Other speakers at the convention included CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Geraldine McGuire.

CUPE is the largest union in Canada and represents more than 20,000 workers in New Brunswick.
 

CUPE NB Promotes "The Boy From Port Hood"

CUPE New Brunswick has obtained a number of copies of "The Boy From Port Hood", the autobiography of J.F. "Lofty"MacMillan, former Director or Organizing and Servicing for CUPE.

Copies of the book make a great gift idea. Older members will enjoy reading stories about the early days of the Union, and the people involved. Younger members will learn the work of those who came before gave them the rights and benefits they enjoy today. And everyone loves a good story - and this book has plenty!

Copies are available for $15 each, $13 each for 5-9 copies, and $10 each for 10 or more. To order, contact Rick MacMillan at macmillr@nbnet.nb.ca
 

Creating Real Jobs for Casuals

"There are over 1000 casuals in hospitals throughout the different corporations", says Council President Dave Rouse of Sussex.. "The Liberal government is mobilizing a complete new 'disposable' workforce of casuals who they pay 80% or less in wages and no benefits". He also noted that the employer will try to use these employees to undermine the union in the case of a strike, adding them to a large portion of the workforce already designated as "essential".

He noted that the CUPE Local at George Dumont Hospital was successful in finding 163 jobs and got them posted, and a similar effort is underway in other areas. "A lot of long hours of work is needed to track casual hours and prove that there are real jobs out there which should be filled by union members," said Rouse.