Air Canada pilots book off sick, airline says

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 10 - Third-Party Intervention, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process, Chapter 9 - Strikes and Lockouts.

Description: Air Canada claims a higher than normal number of pilots have booked off sick in the wake of back-to-work legislation and is asking the Canada Industrial Relations Board to step in.

Source: CBC

Date: 03/18/2012

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/story/2012/03/18/air-canada-cancellations.html

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Questions for discussion:

  • What does Air Canada want the Canada Industrial Relations Board to do?
  • What is the pilots’ response to the airline’s claims?
  • What is the role of the Canada Industrial Relations Board?
  • If pilots are booking off sick in higher than usual numbers, do you think this is an understandable response to back-to-work legislation?
  • Why or why not?

Conciliator helps settle two N.S. disputes

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 10 - Third-Party Intervention.

Description: Nova Scotia conciliator John Greer helped settle separate disputes involving Dalhousie University professors and Halifax transit workers in the same day.

Source: Globe and Mail

Date: 03/12/2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/one-conciliator-helps-resolve-two-labour-disputes-gripping-nova-scotia/article2367260/

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Questions for discussion:

  • How did Mr. Greer help the parties in these two disputes come to agreement?
  • Refer to your text: when can a third party help negotiators reach a collective agreement?
  • What is conciliation?
  • What is mediation?
  • What is arbitration?

Air Canada Strike

Posted by & filed under Compensation & Benefits, Environment, Human Resource Management, Negotiation, Social Responsibility.

Description: Labour Minister Lisa Raitt addresses media on the government’s action to prevent the Air Canada strike. Also, the Air Canada workers in Montreal discuss how their rights are being impeded.

Source: The Globe and Mail Video

Date:  March 12, 2012

Link:

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-air-canada-workers-rally/article2367215/

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Do you think the government is right to stop the strike? Why?
  2. Do you agree with Air Canada workers that they should have the right to strike?
  3. In such a situation, discuss possible steps that Air Canada workers can take to raise their concerns.

What Will the Federal Budget Bring?

Posted by & filed under Environment, Global Management, Planning.

Description: Wallace Conway, a senior manager at PricewaterhouseCoopers discusses the forthcoming federal budget and how the government will have to balance both expenses and growth.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-cuts-coming-in-federal-budget/article2366360/

Questions for Discussion:

  1. Should the government cut expenditures or focus on growing revenues?
  2. What policies can the government adopt for increasing business growth?
  3. Where should the government cut expenditures?

Ottawa blocks Air Canada shutdown

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 10 - Third-Party Intervention, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process, Chapter 9 - Strikes and Lockouts.

Description: The federal government has introduced legislation that would block strikes or lockouts at Air Canada.

Source: Montreal Gazette

Date: 03/12/2012

Link: http://www.montrealgazette.com/business/Canada+keep+flying+Tories+move+block+work+stoppage/6290406/story.html

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Questions for discussion:

  • What reasons is the federal government giving for bringing in this legislation?
  • What are the objections that are being raised to it?
  • What will the legislation do?
  • What effect do you think this move will have on industrial relations at Air Canada in the future?
  • What alternatives can you think of to the govenment’s actions?
  • What would be the effects of following those alternatives?

Halifax ‘Canada’s strike central’

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 13 - Future Issues, Chapter 2 - Theories of Industrial Relations, Chapter 3 - HIstory of the Canadian Union Movement, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process, Chapter 9 - Strikes and Lockouts.

Description: A series of industrial disputes has made Halifax “emblematic of a much larger year of labour unrest” across the country, the Globe and Mail’s Jane Taber writes.

Source: The Globe and Mail

Date: 03/06/2012

Link: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/halifax-labour-woes-a-symbol-for-a-nation/article2360939/

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Questions for discussion:

  • In what sector are these disputes occurring?
  • Why do you think the writer of this article believes that “this friction between unions and provincial and municipal governments will pose a challenge for the Harper government”?
  • Do you agree?
  • What explanations are offered in this article for these tensions?
  • Which explanations make the most sense to you?

Why HudBay’s CEO avoids ‘value destructive’ big M&A

Posted by & filed under Management, Operations Management, Strategy, Video Report.

Description: David Garofalo, CEO of HudBay, discusses the operations of HudBay and presents his arguments for why HudBay focuses on organic growth rather than through large Mergers and Acquisitions.

Why HudBay’s CEO avoids ‘value destructive’ big M&A

Source: Business News Network Video

Date:  March 5, 2012

Link: http://www.bnn.ca/News/2012/3/5/Why-HudBays-CEO-avoids-value-destructive-big-MA.aspx

Questions for Discussion:

  1. What is meant by globally integrated businesses?
  2. How is this new system different from the traditional export system?
  3. Should small Canadian firms also focus on developing a globally integrated business?

Globally Integrated Business

Posted by & filed under Environment, Global Management, Management, Strategy.

Description: Bruce Ross, President of IBM Canada, discusses the importance and features of a globally integrated business system in today’s economic environment

Globally Integrated Business, part 1

 

Source: Financial Post Executive Video

Link: http://www.financialpost.com/executive/video/index.html?embedCode=o4cTBlMjoEQT7h_uMRjbrj6LZ_TXnLT7

Questions for Discussion:

  1. What is meant by globally integrated businesses?
  2. How is this new system different from the traditional export system?
  3. Should small Canadian firms also focus on developing a globally integrated business?

 

 

 

 

B.C. teachers walk out

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction, Chapter 10 - Third-Party Intervention, Chapter 8 - The Collective Bargaining Process, Chapter 9 - Strikes and Lockouts.

Description: B.C. teachers have begun a three-day strike as MLAs debate legislation to end the dispute.

Source: CBC

Date: 03/05/2012

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/story/2012/03/05/bc-teachers-strike.html?cmp=rss

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Questions for discussion:

  • Why is the teachers’ walkout limited to three days this week?
  • What does Bill 22 propose?
  • What kind of mediation would the parties receive under the bill?
  • Why is it unusual for education to be declared an essential service?
  • What Supreme Court of Canada guidelines affect this case?

Union says employer failed to act on mine safety

Posted by & filed under Chapter 1 - Introduction.

Description: United Steelworkers Local 6500 has released a report into the deaths of two Sudbury miners and is complaining that management at the Vale mine failed to act on safety concerns.

Source: CBC

Date: 03/02/2012

Link: http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2012/03/02/sudbury-vale-mine-probe.html

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Questions for discussion:

  • What is the union alleging here?
  • What is the company’s response?
  • What does the union want the Ontario government to do?
  • What do you think the Ontario government should do?