On July 8, 1999, CAUT's travelling educational program "The Collective Bargaining Workshop" touched down in Charlottetown, PEI. Organized in concert with the UPEI faculty association, the workshop provided an introduction/refresher course on the art of collective bargaining. Don Gillis, the association's president, managed to gather an enthusiastic crowd of 20 participants, an impressive summer turnout.

For association members with past bargaining experience, the workshop provided an opportunity to update their craft and share their knowledge with colleagues. For newcomers it was a chance to learn new skills, get involved with the faculty association and, as more than one participant was happy to admit, acquire the tools necessary to give them the edge in negotiations with their spouses and children.

The first day of the two-day foray featured a review of the legal framework of collective bargaining, a clause drafting exercise and a video introduction to the negotiation process. Day two was devoted to an intensive bargaining simulation exercise.

According to Gillis, the participatory nature of the event is the key to its success. "We took our roles in the mock negotiations seriously. There was a fair amount of pride on the line."

Christiane Tardif, CAUT Collective Bargaining Officer, and one of the workshop presenters, agrees: "People get caught up in the bargaining simulation exercise. If it hadn't been for the prearranged lobster dinner, we might still be going at it."

For more information on CAUT's collective bargaining workshops contact Paul Jones (jones@caut.ca) or Christiane Tardif (tardif @caut.ca). Tel.: 613-820-2270.