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Clients present case studies at union-management conference
Re-inventing Union Management Partnerships - April 6-8, 2005
The 7th Annual Reinventing Union-Management Partnerships conference brought together leaders in labour and industrial relations from both sides to share their unique insights and proven success stories on how to build stronger collaborative relationships between union and management. The three-day event featured joint case studies and innovative presentations concerning new approaches and practical solutions for achieving strategic union-management alliances.
Participants:
- Learned how union and management can turn the page and build a framework for positive change
- Heard how Scotiabank prepares for negotiations with its unions across the globe, in the true spirit of international co-operation and globalization
- Discovered how interest-based negotiations have been instrumental in bringing together union and management at Siemens Milltronics
- Heard how Bruce Power and the Power Workers’ Union forged a successful partnership to develop apprentices within their industry
- Learned how the City of Toronto initiated a new cultural change process between the Toronto Fire Services and the Toronto Fire Fighters Association in their goal to improve service to the community.
Mac Roberts and Harold Hergott of Mac Roberts & Associates attended and supported the presentations by their clients which are summarized below:
Case study: Interest-Based Negotiations - Forming Partnerships in a New Shared Reality.
Linda Howe, CHRP, CCP, Senior Human Resources Advisor, SIEMENS MILLTRONICS PROCESS INSTRUMENTS INC. Ann Waller, Business Representative, CANADIAN FEDERATION OF INDEPENDENT UNIONS and Harold Hergott, Senior Partner, MAC ROBERTS & ASSOCIATES
Negotiating veterans from Siemens Milltronics and the Canadian Federation of Independent Unions along with their IBN Facilitator shared their latest collective bargaining experiences. This is their third consecutive collective agreement using interest-based negotiations. In addition to sharing IBN experiences and the role of the facilitator, the group discussed the challenges of bringing new people into the process.
- developing and sustaining a fully-integrated approach to interest-based negotiations
- incorporating a consistent methodology for collective bargaining; the importance of holding pre-bargaining meetings
- the role of the facilitator during interest-based negotiations
- the success of this approach on a short and long-term basis
- IBN and training new members: an on-going process.
Case Study: A Cultural Change Process - Transforming Labour Relations into Partnerships
J. William Adams, Director, Labour Relations, CITY OF TORONTO Scott Marks, President, TORONTO FIRE FIGHTERS ASSOCIATION Mac Roberts, Principal, MAC ROBERTS & ASSOCIATES
Within the overall context of transforming the labour relations culture within the City of Toronto, the Toronto Fire Services and the Toronto Fire Fighters Association initiated a new process by negotiating a collective agreement that put in place a partnership between management and the Association to change the culture within the service. Recent initiatives include a number of joint projects being applied to various systems and processes with the goal of improving service to the community and its people. The presenting team will share their experiences within and beyond negotiations in their journey of ongoing change.
- Implementing interest-based negotiations as a means towards changing union-management culture
- Implementation strategy : selecting the appropriate process
- Encouraging a collaborative spirit throughout the organization: a new way of working that is helping to resolve differences
- Assessing readiness to collaborate: how to assess commitment and identify steps to strengthen the partnership
Case Study: Working in Union to Develop Apprentices - Forging Long-Term Partnerships at the Starting Line
Mike Roberts, Vice-President, Human Resources, BRUCE POWER CORPORATION Bob Menard, Assistant to the President, POWER WORKERS’ UNION
As Ontario's largest independent electricity generator, Bruce Power employs more than 3,000 highly skilled employees represented by the Power Workers' Union (PWU). Working together, Bruce Power and the PWU have created a comprehensive trades apprenticeship training program, involving both parties at every step of the process from intake to certification. Hear how Union and Management forged a successful partnership through the development of apprentices, their workplace skills and the value of trades training through an overview of the Apprentice Program including the PWU's role, in conjunction with Bruce Power, as an active participants in intake, program design, facilities provision and coordination of training with external agencies.
- Working in union to develop a comprehensive trades apprenticeship program
- An overview of the Apprentice Program and its objectives
- Active participation at every step of the process
Notes and videos of Federated Press conferences are made available Here