Saturday, August 25, 2007

Boulware - NHL Lockout

Great Canadian example of Boulwareism at work.

Second paragraph best describes the current working relationship between city staff and senior managers.
Boulware’s other great idea was the concept of the “firm, fair offer,” under which an employer made its best offer to labor and then refused to bargain any further on the basis that it already had – it made an offer.

As interpreted by the parties to the NHL standoff, Boulwareism consists of making an offer and then retiring to a bunker behind the guns and ammo you’ve been stockpiling since the beginning of the last collective bargaining agreement. It’s not likely to result in resolution of the labor dispute,
SOURCE:
ACriminalWasteOfSpace.com
He writes this stuff to get it out of his system. Published by William W. Bedsworth, Associate Justice, California Fourth District Court of Appeal.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

The city is not going to make any offer above the 17.5% wage increase. Continuing to strike is only going to punish CUPE members so that Old-tyme trade unionists can flaunt their bona fides to their socialist colleagues in other unions/NDP. The only gains the union can expect are POLITICAL in terms of damaging Sullivan/NPA. I don't think this is what the majority of CUPE members signed on for. They'd rather have the 17.5% then marching on City Hall.

Back to work said...

Picket Boy said...

It's not about the 17.5% and 5 years - that's a given.

From what I've gathered it's the contracting language that is the stumbling block.

The last Collective Agreement was 114 pages long, with 102 clauses and each clause has it's own sub-points.

The city claims that they are offering an agreement identical to the North Vancouver settlement.The Union wants to check under the hood instead of simply accepting the City's sale's pitch.

This dispute at it's core is a meritocracy vs seniority dispute.

Anonymous said...

This dispute at it's core is a meritocracy vs seniority dispute.

I think the union should give on this issue. If the city is accepting the North Van offer I think the union can compromise on contracting out language. The seniority era has had its day, its time public sector unions realize that the choice is between seniority and protection and below avg salary or meritocracy, competition and above avg wages.

My last prediction about this strike: the union won't announce an agreement until AFTER they have their little parade!

Back to work said...

I agree. I am pro meritocracy.

The union is so fixated on seniority it forgets it's most crucial role - that of ensuring it's staff are treated fairly.

Fairly does not mean time served.

CUPE ensures that a "god complex" manager is brought down to earth and that staff are measured through a standardized system of skills, knowledge and abilities not simply on the whim of a self important manager.