The CAUT Collective Bargaining and Economic Benefits Committee (CBEBC) has sponsored two collective bargaining workshops since the fall. These workshops have been conducted by Christiane Tardif and Pierre Choquette, CAUT collective bargaining officers, with the participation of other people.
Collective bargaining workshops are designed to offer basic training in the negotiation process. They offer information on the legal framework of collective bargaining, an overview of the negotiation process, a clause-drafting exercise and a one-day negotiation simulation exercise to give participants hands-on experience in the process.
The first workshop was organized for francophone association members of CAUT in an effort to provide them with services in French. It was held in Moncton early in November 1996.
Paul-Normand Dussault, a member of the CBEBC, welcomed participants and gave an overview of the recent trends in collective bargaining in Canadian universities.
Alexandre Strachan, from the Fédération québécoise des professeures et professeurs d’université had been invited to give an update on what has been happening in Québec.
Joël Michaud, from the law firm of Pink Breen Larkin, gave an information session on the legal framework of collective bargaining. The training aspect of the workshop was conducted by Christiane Tardif and Pierre Choquette.
Most participants came from faculty associations in New Brunswick: Moncton, Saint-Louis-Maillet, Shippagan, and one participant from Saint-Boniface in Manitoba.
The second workshop was held at the end of February in Halifax. This workshop was designed to meet the needs of Nova Scotia’s faculty associations which should all be returning to the bargaining table this year. They have been prevented from negotiating for a number of years because of various provincial government interventions.
Representatives from the faculty associations of Acadia, Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent, Nova Scotia College of Art and Design, Saint Mary’s, St. Francis Xavier and the Technical University of Nova Scotia were present.
Again a member of the law firm of Pink Breen Larkin, Gordon Forsyth, addressed the issue of the legal framework of collective bargaining.
Donald Savage, CAUT Executive Director, was also present and talked about recent trends in collective bargaining giving an overview of the situation across the country over the last two years.
Once more, Christiane Tardif and Pierre Choquette were responsible for the training aspect of the conference.
Based on evaluations, participants appreciated sharing information with colleagues, found the workshops useful and became more knowledgeable of the collective bargaining process.
Christiane Tardif & Pierre Choquette wish to thank all of those who were present — especially those who had to play the role of university administrators during the bargaining simulations.