February 27, 2001

Dear Readers, Issues of job security have proven to be a significant part of the negotiations between the University and the McMaster University Staff Association. In an attempt to explain the University's latest proposals in these areas, the following information has been provided by the University's bargaining team. Priority placement remains the first option for an employee whose position is declared redundant. Displacement A key demand from MUSA has been to introduce bumping or displacement. The University has significantly enhanced its initial displacement offer to make seniority more meaningful. The proposal also creates a bigger job pool for those within the displacement program. In order to displace, an employee must have the qualifications for the job, and the person whom they would displace must have less seniority. The changes are based on MUSA's recommendations. The displacement steps would be completed in the following sequence in order to minimize disruption within the workplace: 1. Displacement or bumping into a position within the redeployment unit* at the employee's own pay grade. 2. Displacement within the redeployment unit to lower pay grades. 3. Displacement into a job within one other redeployment unit. 4. Displacement into positions held by the least three senior employees in the bargaining unit. *The redeployment unit is a grouping of budget envelopes as agreed to in the collective agreement Recall Rights The University originally proposed that employee recall rights continue for 12 months. The current offer extends that term to a minimum of 18 months. Employees with more than five years seniority will have recall rights for 24 months. The proposal also expands the employee's right to find an appropriate position while on recall. An employee would be able to reject the first position that is available if that job does not match the hours of work, pay level and employment category of his/her previous position. The employee's seniority would continue to accrue while on recall. If an employee chooses to accept a temporary university position while on recall, the recall clock is frozen until the end of the temporary posting, and is then restarted. If an employee is on recall, tuition/bursary assistance will continue for the remainder of the academic year. Priority placement continues to be the first step for an employee whose position is declared redundant. Any employee whose job is declared redundant will continue to have the right to be appointed to another position within the University when they have the qualifications for the position. A vacant position would only be advertised after all employees on priority placement or recall have been considered for the position. The above changes significantly enhance job security for employees in the MUSA bargaining unit. (END OF STORY)

February 26, 2001

Editor's note: This information was posted late yesterday. The details presented here are unchanged from previous versions. However, based on feedback we have received, we . . .

February 26, 2001

[img_inline align=”” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/lettuitionplan2.jpg”]

February 26, 2001

The University bargaining team learned at approximately 9:15 this morning that the McMaster University Staff Association will hold a strike vote as soon as possible. University bargaining team member Dave Tucker says they were advised by the MUSA negotiating committee that "a single vote for the purpose of authorizing a strike would be held as soon as possible." MUSA has requested the University's assistance in conducting the vote and in getting polling information out to members. The strike vote is not scheduled for today or tomorrow. Tucker says the union's bargaining team advised them that the employer's proposals "were not reasonable," and they were unable to proceed (with negotiations). The union's team informed the University it saw no way around the impasse. Postscript: See also: Notice to Readers: Further Explanation of Monetary Proposal

February 23, 2001

The University and the McMaster University Staff Association were back at the bargaining table again last night (Thursday, Feb. 22). Both sides agreed to suspend talks at about 2 a.m. and will return at 2 p.m. this afternoon. "The latest session was encouraging," says Roberta Shaw, a member of the University's bargaining team. "We were able to discuss key issues including seniority, how people are hired, priority placement and recall procedures." However, Shaw says the University's team is disappointed that there still have been no talks about money. "We need to discuss how people get paid and how much they get paid. The union is not prepared to do that and although we're hopeful that a collective agreement can be reached before the union's deadline of Feb. 27, it will be impossible to reach a deal if the union doesn't put its financial demands on the table." MUSA has received the letter it requested from the University extending the freeze period past Feb. 27. It assures the association that negotiations can go beyond that date with the confidence that working conditions will not be altered until a collective agreement comes into effect or until a strike or lockout commences. See also: MUSA answers questions about negotiations in e-mail to members (END OF STORY)

February 22, 2001

The University and the McMaster University Staff Association (MUSA) returned to the table yesterday afternoon (Feb. 21) and bargained throughout the night with the last session running from 3:30 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. "I think last night was the most productive session we've had," said Dave Tucker, a member of the University's bargaining team. "People on both sides of the table were listening, being thoughtful and negotiating." MUSA asked the University for an extension of the freeze period past Feb. 27, which is when the union is in a position to call a strike provided a strike vote has been taken with the membership. The freeze period means that working conditions may not be altered and that current conditions will remain in effect until a collective agreement comes into effect or until a strike or lockout commences. "We have absolutely no difficulty in giving MUSA a letter which states that the freeze remains in effect and the signed letter of agreement will be in their offices this morning," said Mark Haley, assistant vice-president human resources and a member of the bargaining team. "In return, the University asked MUSA for a minimum of 24-hours notice if a strike was to be called but they were unwilling to give us that notice period." Issues discussed last evening include seniority, layoff and recall, appointments and promotions and the University's team delivered a number of proposals on these issues to MUSA. The MUSA team will be considering them today and both teams will return to the table this evening. "We are encouraged by the discussions we had and look forward to this evening's session," said Dave Tucker. "We are also hoping that MUSA will table their monetary proposal this evening because, without knowing about their monetary needs for basic rates of pay, it will become increasingly difficult to discuss other issues that have a monetary component." Editor's note: MUSA president Barry Diacon and negotiating team chair Ron Lodewyks have both been contacted for a comment for this story. (END OF STORY)

February 22, 2001

The McMaster Musical Theatre production of Anything Goes hits the stage of Robinson Memorial Theatre tonight at 8 p.m. The Cole Porter musical, directed by Fiona Waddell, will run Feb. 23, 24, 28 and March 1, 2 and 3 at 8 p.m., and March 3 at 2 and 8 p.m. For ticket information, call ext. 27871.

February 22, 2001

[img_inline align=”” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/newletter2.jpg”]University Letter Re: Extension of Freeze Period… see University MUSA talks continue for explanation of letter

February 22, 2001

This is the full, unedited text of an e-mail sent today to members of the McMaster University Staff Association from Ron Lodewyks, chair of the . . .

February 21, 2001

[img_inline align=”right” src=”http://padnws01.mcmaster.ca/images/barber.jpg” caption=”D. Barber”]Board of Governors chair Doug Barber has been appointed to the position of Distinguished Professor-in-Residence in the Faculty of Engineering. The . . .

February 21, 2001

Bargaining teams for the University and the McMaster University Staff Association return to the table this afternoon. The talks will be conducted with a mediator present. In a letter sent to all employees today, University President Peter George said that he is "hopeful that the outstanding issues will be resolved and that a labour disruption will not occur." George writes that the University "must and can do a better job of creating a supportive, high-quality work environment" and that it is committed to making improvements. He also acknowledged that "mistakes have been made in the past which have created legitimate concerns." As of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27, MUSA may legally call for strike action, provided a strike vote has been taken with its membership and the result of that vote authorizes the union to call a strike. Once a strike vote is taken it would be possible for the union to call a strike at any time. Postscript: Today the University bargaining team distributed its job security and hours of work proposals to members of the McMaster University Staff Association. (END OF STORY)

February 21, 2001

The following information, provided by the University's bargaining team, is being distributed today to employees in the MUSA bargaining unit. Hours of Work McMaster University . . .

February 21, 2001

The following information, provided by the University's bargaining team, is being distributed today to employees in the MUSA bargaining unit. Job Security The University has . . .

February 19, 2001

The following items are highlights from the Feb. 14 Senate meeting: The Senate Executive Committee is considering a request for a task force to establish an environmental policy. Fourth-year students Michael Law and Kate Parizeau presented a proposal requesting a steering committee be set up to develop a policy. They asked that any proposed policy also be linked to curriculum focused on environmental studies. The classroom hotline has received 60 complaints to date, provost and vice-president academic Harvey Weingarten reported. There are 10 complaints that remain unresolved and they involve problems with clocks showing the incorrect time or rooms that are reported to be too cold, he said. Senate approved a proposal to establish a Communication Studies program in the Faculty of Humanities. The program will be offered in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Sciences and will offer four streams: language and discourse, cultural studies, performance studies and mass communications. "This program takes a step towards creating the intellectual and pedagogical expertise needed on campus around communication," said Daniel Woolf, humanities dean, in a report to Senate. The Department of Computing & Software Engineering will be home to a new McMaster Software Quality Research Laboratory (SQRL).

February 19, 2001

This information is provided by the University's bargaining team. On December 14, 2000 the University presented an initial monetary offer to the McMaster University Staff . . .

February 19, 2001

Two joint University-MUSA sub-committees are meeting today to discuss contract issues relating to compensation and health and safety. These meetings support the process to secure . . .

February 16, 2001

McMaster is receiving almost $1 million from the provincial government's Accessibility Fund because it increased access to high-quality post-secondary programs during the past year. McMaster's portion of the $16.5 million Accessibility Fund is $.97 million. When the fund was announced in March 2000, the University anticipated receiving about $1 million for enrolment growth. Eight other universities are sharing money from the fund, said Brenda Elliott, minister of intergovernmental affairs on behalf of Dianne Cunningham, minister of training, colleges and universities. In order to receive money from this fund universities were required to increase or match their fall 1999 first-year admissions in fall 2000.

February 16, 2001

McMaster University is the first educational organization in the region to receive the United Way's Gallery of Distinction Award. The award is presented annually by the United Way of Burlington, Hamilton-Wentworth to an organization that has demonstrated long-term support for the United Way. Since the launch of its first campus campaign for the United Way in 1983, McMaster has contributed $2.3 million to the United Way. The award comes during a milestone year for the University's United Way campaign. For the first time since 1995, the University met and exceeded its campaign goal of $165,000. To date, a total of $171,000 has been raised.

February 15, 2001

The University has received a 'No Board' report from the Ministry of Labour which means that MUSA (McMaster University Staff Association) is in a legal position to strike 17 days after the issuing of the report, provided that a strike vote is held with its membership. This means that at 12:01 a.m. on Feb. 27, MUSA may legally call for strike action, provided a strike vote has been taken with its membership and the result of that vote authorizes the union to call a strike. "MUSA and the University have agreed to return to the table," said Mark Haley, assistant vice-president, human resources and a member of the University's negotiating team. "We have tentatively agreed that the sub-committee discussing the classification system will resume its work on Monday and both bargaining teams will return to the table on Wednesday, Feb. 21 in the afternoon. The University has committed to remaining at the table around the clock and working hard to achieve an agreement. The union and the University have also asked that a mediator join us at the table. We believe that this assistance will be beneficial."

February 15, 2001

For a writer, life on campus means combining the best of two worlds. There are plenty of periods for quiet reflection, time for writing, space to think. There's also the opportunity to meet new and interesting people, discover new writing, teach and work as an editor giving feedback and helping others shape their work. Sandra Birdsell, this term's writer-in-residence for the Faculty of Humanities, says the role of the writer-in-residence provides the perfect mix. "Writing is such a quiet thing. We often work in track suits and nightgowns. It's a good balance to the kind of nature of our work which is so isolating. I find people very stimulating and there is a lot of material among people." Photo credit: Don Hall (1997) (Photo from Writers Union of Canada Web site)