Daily News

posted April 26: From trash to treasure

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."

posted on April 23: Final Contract Offer Vote Result

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

posted on April 23: Polling locations for today’s vote

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.