The employer has consistently taken the position that its reconciliation of the financial cap showed that for the final re-opener negotiations there was $15 million available for 2010 and $18.6 million available in 2011.  In fact, as late as the first date of interest arbitration on June 22, 2010, the employer did not dispute that there was a total of $33.6 million to be allocated to the RSMC membership over the last two years of the collective agreement.

The employer has now reneged on its commitment, as it has recently informed the Union that there is an approximate $3 million decrease in the amount of financial cap monies available in each of 2010 and 2011. According to the information received from the employer this $6 million shortfall is the result of route adjustments and estimated increases in pension & other costs.

A meeting was held between the parties on August 12, 2010 during which the Union expressed its disagreement with the methodology used by the employer to arrive at these decreased figures and the purported decrease in the amount of money available for negotiations.

Another meeting has been scheduled between the parties to discuss the figures provided by the employer however, in the meantime, the Union is reviewing what actions it has available to counter the employer’s assertion that there is a significant decrease in the amount of monies available for negotiations. As the Union determines which actions will be taken information will be sent to the membership.

Union Proposes Mediation

The Union wrote to the interest arbitrator July 28, 2010 to advise that it thought it would be beneficial to the parties if the arbitrator attempted to mediate the differences between the parties prior to imposing a collective agreement. One of the reasons identified by the Union for this request was that it believes that a negotiated settlement is better for the continuing labour relations between the parties than an imposed collective agreement. The Union also believes that all, or at least a significant portion of both parties’ demands, could be resolved through the use of the experience and knowledge of the appointed interest arbitrator.

The employer is opposing this request for mediation.

Employer’s Actions Show Its True Colours

Although the employer has spent time and money in its attempts to convince the membership that it was serious about trying to achieve beneficial changes to the collective agreement through negotiations, its recent actions give lie to the employer’s position. Its sudden discovery that there is $6 million less available for negotiations, and its refusal of the Union’s reasonable request to have the differences between the parties mediated, provides further proof that it was never interested in having positive changes made to the  collective agreement through negotiations. Rather, its intention all along as been to have a third party impose working conditions that the employer knows are both opposed by the large majority of the membership and which will not resolve the everyday workplace problems being experienced by the membership.

Membership Must Stay Active

As the interest arbitration begins in earnest on August 17 and 18, 2010 the membership must continue to show through collective actions that they support the efforts of the Union’s Negotiating Committee to obtain changes to the collective agreement that will improve the working lives of the membership.

SHOP STEWARDS:
BRING THIS INFORMATION TO THE ATTENTION OF THE MEMBERS DURING REGULAR WEEKLY SHOP FLOOR MEETINGS.