Daily News

April 26, 2001

The voting threshold has been reached to allow the University and the Plan member representatives to proceed immediately with the next steps of the Surplus . . .

April 26, 2001

Five researchers studying areas such as vision science, spatial analysis, blood clots and radiation treatments for cancer patients are McMaster's newest Canada Research Chairs. The . . .

April 25, 2001

The University and the McMaster University Staff Association will appear today (April 25) at the Ontario Labour Relations Board for a pre-hearing meeting. The pre-hearing meeting was scheduled in response to MUSA's application for a compulsory arbitration board to bring to closure the ongoing negotiations for a first collective agreement. Both the union and the University have indicated in writing that each is now prepared to consider voluntary arbitration, of the mediation-arbitration type, as a process to resolve their first contract negotiations. Voluntary arbitration is an alternative to compulsory arbitration. The mediated-arbitration type would involve a third party who would first act as a mediator to assist and enable further agreement between the union and the University. In those cases where agreement was not achieved, that same person would have the power to issue a binding award on the parties. The parties will meet today to attempt to agree to the details of who will act as the mediator/arbitrator and to other aspects of the process. (END OF STORY)

April 25, 2001

As many of you know, the financial markets have generally performed poorly over the last several months. Concerns have been raised by some surplus sharing . . .

April 24, 2001

The old saying goes that "one person's trash is another's treasure." This adage will be put to the test with the launch of McMaster's first Dump and Run. Student volunteers spent part of last weekend delivering fliers to the residents of the community bounded by Main Street West, Dow Street, Highway 403 and Rifle Range Road. The area is the site of a pilot project that will run from Monday (April 29) to Sunday (May 5). This project partners students, the community and the City of Hamilton Waste Management Division in an effort to encourage the reuse of household items. The fliers were produced by the McMaster Students Union (MSU) Environment Committee to inform residents about Dump and Run, a student driven initiative inspired by the desire to do something about the amount of garbage produced by the campus community during the student move-out in April and May. Joanna Ranieri, chair of the MSU Environment Committee, says, "We recognized the need for proactive measures to prevent the massive amount of waste produced during the student moveout." Students and residents living in the pilot area are encouraged to place their unwanted items curbside so that they can be picked up and reused by other students or members of the community. Ranieri adds,"We thought that this was a great opportunity to prevent things from going into the landfill, and so did the City of Hamilton Waste Management Division, who has been instrumental in the development of this project. They've taken care of all of the technical aspects and given us tremendous help in terms of resources and support."

April 23, 2001

The vote by members of the McMaster University Staff Association on the University's final contract offer was released by the Ontario Labour Relations Board this evening (Monday) at approximately 8 p.m. The vote result was: 318 Yes 1086 No 1408 MUSA members cast ballots. Total MUSA membership is 1,695. "Our goal has always been to reach a fair contract with MUSA," says president Peter George. "After collective bargaining failed to reach an agreement, we believed the final offer was the best and quickest way to try to settle the dispute. It also ensured that each MUSA member had the opportunity to have his or her say on the offer. That has now happened." George says it is important that the University finds the next most timely and least confrontational way of reaching a first contract with MUSA. "We believe the next step should be arbitration. But our preference is for voluntary arbitration, of the mediation/arbitration type and using an agreed upon Board of Arbitration or a sole arbitrator, rather than compulsory arbitration. We have asked MUSA to consider this form of arbitration." MUSA has filed an application with the Ontario Labour Relations Board for compulsory arbitration. There are significant differences between the two forms of arbitration: Compulsory Arbitration Voluntary Arbitration A lengthy process that often takes many months Can lead to a quicker resolution Arbitration panel is appointed The union and the University jointly choose the arbitrator Process is prescribed in legislation The union and the University jointly choose the process to meet their needs Labour Relations Act requires that the final contract run for two years from the date the arbitration board issues its decision Contract length is agreed to by both the union and the University Decisions on the content of the final offer are made by a third party with no guarantees that either the University's or the union's proposals will be accepted. Process can more closely resemble the collective bargaining process

April 23, 2001

The polling locations for today's vote by McMaster University Staff Association members on the University's final offer are: *Poll 1: 8:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Ewart Angus Centre *Poll 2: 1 - 5 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Togo Salmon Hall *Poll 3: Travelling poll to area hospitals, as follows: 10 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. Conference Room "A" (Cafeteria), Henderson Hospital 12:30 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Conference Room F134, Fontbonne Building, St. Joseph's Hospital 2:15 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Pillar's Room (Cafeteria), Hamilton General Hospital 4 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. Patterson Boardroom, Chedoke Hospital Voting will also take place at McMaster sites in Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Collingwood and Chalk River.

April 20, 2001

Human Resources has posted a document on its Web site containing Frequently Asked Questions About the Final Offer and Vote that will be held on . . .

April 20, 2001

When they vote on Monday, MUSA's 1,650 members will answer yes or no to the following question: “Are you in favour of acceptance of the . . .

April 20, 2001

The deadline is drawing near for members of the McMaster Employees' Pension Plan to cast their vote pertaining to the pension surplus sharing proposal. The deadline to send in your authorization/ballot is (Monday) April 30 and it is important if you wish to be included in the sharing agreement to get your vote in by that time, said Les Robb, chair of the McMaster employees' pension surplus committee. "The committee urges you to get it in as soon as possible." Robb said more than 3,600 "Yes" votes and 2 "No" votes have been received so far. He said there is support from more than 80 per cent of those eligible in both the Active and Inactive groups. "In the last two weeks we have gone from under 70 per cent to over 80 per cent support and we fully expect to reach the 90 per cent goal by the end of the month," he said.

April 20, 2001

In preparation for Monday's vote on the final offer, Human Resources distributed personalized information packages to MUSA members this week. To ensure the University community is kept fully informed and has the complete and up-to-date information about the final offer, the documents which were included in these packages are being made public and may be viewed by clicking here. (Note: The packages included an explanation of what the offer means to each employee in monetary terms. A blank sample of this document is shown.) See also: Frequently Asked Questions About the Final Offer and Vote See also: What is the Question for MUSA Members on Monday? Find Out

April 19, 2001

Three researchers at the University's vision lab have discovered that a baby's ability to see at birth and in the first months of life is . . .

April 19, 2001

MUSA members will head to the polls on Monday, April 23 to cast their votes on a four-year contract offer proposed by the University. The vote is being supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board. University President Peter George says that in the days leading up to the vote, the University's goal is to ensure that all voters have the complete and up-to-date details of the final contract offer to make an informed decision. Earlier this week, human resources sent each MUSA member a copy of the final offer and a letter from the ministry of labour. The Ontario Labour Relations Board requires that the offer be distributed to union members prior to the vote in the form in which it was presented to the union. Today, members will receive, at their homes, a personalized information package explaining what the offer means to them individually. Any member who does not receive the package should contact his/her area HR office. "I hope that each and every staff person who is a member of MUSA will take the time to read and assess the University's offer and what it means to them. I also hope that they will take the opportunity on Monday to go out and vote," says George. Staff will be provided with appropriate time off work to cast their votes on Monday. Polling station information is listed below. Proxy voting is not permitted. The vote will succeed if 50% plus one (of those who cast ballots) vote yes. The University's final contract offer can be found on the Human Resources Web site. A list of Frequently Asked Questions About the Vote and Final Offer is also posted on the site and is accessible from the "Worth Mentioning" section of the Daily News. Polling times and locations Poll 1: 8:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Ewart Angus Centre Poll 2: 1-5 p.m., First Floor Lobby, Togo Salmon Hall Poll 3: Travelling poll to area hospitals, as follows: 10 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Conference Room "A" (Cafeteria), Henderson Hospital 12:30 p.m.-1:30 p.m. Conference Room F134, Fontbonne Building, St. Joseph's Hospital 2:15 p.m.-3:15 p.m. Pillar's Room (Cafeteria), Hamilton General Hospital 4 p.m.-5:15 p.m.Patterson Boardroom, Chedoke Hospital Voting will also take place at McMaster sites in Sioux Lookout, Thunder Bay, Collingwood and Chalk River.

April 19, 2001

April 19, 2001

The Board of Governors has approved the design and tendering work for two campus renovation projects, totalling about $7.9 million. Renovations and upgrades will be . . .

April 18, 2001

The new McMaster University Student Centre (MUSC) will now likely open in January 2002. The $34 million building — funded mainly by past, present and . . .

April 18, 2001

We wish to inform MUSA employees who returned to work on April 9 that a special pay for the period April 9 to 15 will be deposited into your bank accounts on Thursday, April 19. This deposit is an estimate of your net pay for the five working days included in this period. Your May 15 pay deposit and statement of earnings will be adjusted to reflect this special pay as well as, for those who receive a mid-month advance, the April 30 mid-month advance. (END OF STORY)

April 17, 2001

Two students in the Arts & Science Program are leading the call for McMaster to adopt a comprehensive environmental policy. Kate Parizeau and Michael Law, . . .

April 17, 2001

Two McMaster students are helping distribute a survey produced by the Harvard Centre for Cancer Prevention that aims to educate students about cancer. Nada Albatish . . .

April 17, 2001

The goal for McMaster's new Software Quality Research Lab (SQRL) is to become a leading source of expertise on software quality assurance. A team of researchers, software professionals and graduate students will work together to: 7 conduct academic research related to software quality 7 provide courses for developers on how to inspect and test software 7 cultivate personnel who are highly trained by supporting graduate theses on software quality assurance 7 provide software quality assessment with and for industry on a contract basis 7 perform joint research with developers. SQRL will include testing experts who will make their expertise available to the quality assurance projects and conduct research on new testing methods and tools, says David Parnas, director of the software engineering program. Security will be a high priority for research, Parnas said. "One only has to follow the TV news to recognize that high quality software must be secure against attempt to misuse a system, deny service to legitimate users, or steal information from a system," he said. "Research in this area has been extensive but, except for work in cryptography, little of it has helped industry."