March 3, 2011
- Labour Arbitration and Conflict Resolution: Back to our Root
- A Conversation on Public Sector Worker and Yes, Virginia, there is Support for Unionized Government Workers in the United States
- The Future of Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Ontario: the role of the academy
- Allen Ponak Best Student Paper Competition this year at CIRA Conference
- Alberta Taxi Drivers Unionize
- Sex Workers Professionalize using Social Media
- The Performance Appraisal is NOT about you! It depends upon your evaluators comfort level or need to intimidate
- Women Made Few gains in Financial Post 500 Companies in 2010
- Working at the University of Toronto
- Mercer’s Compensation Strategy for 2011 – Canada and Globally
- An Integrated Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy
- Inequality in the Food Chain
- Foxconn in Shenzhen China: 1 million workers 17 suicides
- Women on Boards in the UK and Europe
- Book of the Week
Labour Arbitration and Conflict Resolution: Back to our Root
Do not miss watching this! This video lecture, which includes comments on how hard it is to be a hung over arbitrator staying in a Holiday Inn, is not only entertaining, it is the Honourable Warren K. Winkler, Chief Justice of Ontario, giving the 2010 Don Woods Lecture in Industrial Relations titled: “Labour Arbitration and Conflict Resolution: Back to our Roots.”
Queens University School of Policy Analysis: Distinguished Lectures: Don Wood Visiting Lectureship in Industrial Relations 2010: “Labour Arbitration and Conflict Resolution: Back to our Roots”: The Honourable Warren K. Winkler Chief Justice of Ontario.
Queens University School of Policy Analysis: Distinguished Lectures
The School is proud to host a number of special lectures each year for the benefit of Queen’s University and the wider community. These lectureships have normally been established in recognition of the exceptional achievements of a single individual and are generously supported by the donations of family, friends and/or alumni, sometimes in cooperation with other departments.
A Conversation on Public Sector Worker and Yes, Virginia, there is Support for Unionized Government Workers in the United States
Not to be missed: “The debates in Wisconsin, Indiana and Ohio and across the country have brought issues surrounding public employees’ rights and the tensions that can exist between public sector unions and government into the national spotlight.”
ILR School faculty – among the leading experts on collective bargaining and labor-management relations -- will share their insights and talk about the potential impacts of these ongoing disputes during this Live Webcast.
When: March 15, 2011, 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm (EST) please connect 10 minutes prior to the live eventregister here.
Moderator: Harry Katz, Kenneth F Kahn Dean, ILR School Panelists: Richard Hurd, ILR Professor of Industrial and Labor Relations; R Rebecca Givan, ILR Assistant Professor, Collective Bargaining
Dean Katz will provide historical perspective drawing from research he has done on taxpayer revolts in the 1970s and their impact on local government bargaining.
Professors Hurd and Givan, active in media discussions and labor research, will help clarify the issues and what’s at stake for public employees and their unions, government, and the public.
Yes, Virginia, there is Support for Unionized Government Workers in the United States
“Americans strongly oppose efforts to strip unionized government workers of their rights to collectively bargain, even as they want public employees to contribute more money to their retirement and health-care benefits” [Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2011]
Wall Street Journal, March 2, 2011: WSJ/NBC Poll: Strong Support for Bargaining Rights
… but not in OHIO
Ohio state senators narrowly approved a bill that would prohibit public-employee unions representing 400,000 state and local workers from bargaining over health benefits and pensions, while also eliminating the right to strike… the Buckeye State will become the first to strip collective-bargaining rights from public employees as states grapple with recent gaping budget deficits. [Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2011]
Wall Street Journal, March 3, 2011: Ohio Vote Puts Curbs on Unions in Reach
National Football League Players Association could decertify
“… players hope to use the process known as decertification to save what they already have, by blocking owners from locking out players in a dispute over how to divide the $9 billion in annual revenue the N.F.L. generates. Union leaders say they would decertify simply as a way to get players back on the field, and to prevent a work stoppage that threatens the 2011 regular season.
Still, the ramifications of decertification worry N.F.L. owners enough that they are in an odd position for management — they want the union to remain intact and they will claim that decertification is a sham.”[New York Times, March 1, 2011]
New York Times, March 1, 2011: In Labor Clash, N.F.L.’s Union Calls Old Play
Globe and Mail, March 1, 2011: NFL, union resume mediation days before deal expires by Howard Fendrich
The Future of Public Sector Collective Bargaining in Ontario: the role of the academy
“Martin Teplitsky is the confirmed speaker at the April 20 UTFA AGM. [University of Toronto Annual General Meeting]. The title of his presentation will be, “The future of public sector collective bargaining in Ontario: the role of the academy”.
UTFA Librarians Committee Blog, March 3, 2011: UTFA Annual General Meeting – April 20, 2011
Allen Ponak Best Student Paper Competition this year at CIRA Conference
Students in Masters or Doctoral programs are invited to submit papers addressing this year’s 48th Annual Canadian Industrial Relations Association Conference theme: Industrial Relations – New Ideas about Work and Workers. The $500 prize for best paper will be awarded at the CIRA Banquet at the University of New Brunswick – Fredericton on Friday June 3, 2011. Please send your paper to:acricira2011@gmail.com on or before 30 April 2011.
Allen Ponak Best Student Paper Competition details (2 pages, PDF)
Alberta Taxi Drivers Unionize
“In four decisions issued on the same day… the Alberta Labour Relations Board has ruled that taxi drivers … for the purposes of Alberta's Labour Relations Code and are therefore entitled to unionize.
Lancaster House, March 3, 2011: Taxi drivers, including owner-operators, are employees, with right to unionize, board rules
Canadian News Wire, February 11, 2011: Teamsters Canada: Historic victory of the taxi drivers in Alberta: More than 1,400 taxi drivers in Alberta are now Teamsters...
Sex Workers Professionalize using Social Media
The Internet and the rise of mobile phones have enabled some sex workers to professionalize their trade. Today they can control their image, set their prices, and sidestep some of the pimps, madams, and other intermediaries who once took a share of the revenue. As the trade has grown less risky and more lucrative, it has attracted some middle-class women seeking quick tax-free income. [by Sudir Venkatesh]
Wired, February 2011: How Tech Tools Transformed New York's Sex Trade, by Sudhir Venkatesh
The Performance Appraisals is NOT about you! It depends upon your evaluators comfort level or need to intimidate
“In the raging battle over union rights in Wisconsin, those seeking to curtail collective bargaining for state employees have advanced an argument that seems hard to resist: It will make it easier to reward those workers who perform the best. What could be fairer than that?”
Performance reviews are subjective evaluations that measure how “comfortable” a boss is with an employee, not how much an employee contributes to overall results. They are an intimidating tool that makes employees too scared to speak their minds, lest their criticism come back to haunt them in their annual evaluations.
They almost guarantee that the owners — whether they be taxpayers or shareholders — will get less bang for their buck.
New York Times, March 1, 2011: Why Your Boss Is Wrong About You, by Samuel A. Culbert
Women Made Few gains in Financial Post 500 Companies in 2010
In the current release of the 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners, the number of FP500 public companies with 25% or more women senior officers increased by 7.7 percentage points in the last two years.
But the growth of women's overall representation in the ranks of companies' senior officers and top earners was minimal between 2008 and 2010.
Catalyst, March 3, 2011: 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners (2 pages, PDF)
Catalyst, March 3, 2011: 2010 Catalyst Census: Financial Post 500 Women Senior Officers and Top Earners
Globe and Mail, March 3, 2011: Women still scarce in top ranks at Canada’s biggest companies, by Janet McDonald
Working at the University of Toronto
Preliminary results from the University of Toronto’s Speaking Up Survey 2010 are available:
“We want to understand what matters to our employees and identify those areas where we are strong, as well as those where we need improvement. Our ultimate goal, of course, is to work towards making U of T an employer of choice for all of our faculty and staff.”[Professor Angela Hildyard, vice-president human resources and equity]
U of T Bulletin, February 26, 2011: Speaking Up results offer U of T benchmark data
University of Toronto Speaking Up Survey 2010 slide show
Mercer’s Compensation Strategy for 2011 – Canada and Globally
What is the current mindset regarding base pay increases for 2011?
What is the status of pay for performance?
How are companies managing employee expectations for 2011?
How are employers incentivizing and engaging high-potential employees?
Where will employers place their bets in 2011?
Compensation strategy 2011 this is the link to the interactive website
Global compensation and benefits trends
“Pay freezes are beginning to be replaced by modest increases, a trend that will gain momentum next year (2012). Firms are starting to differentiate their reward strategies more carefully in order to get the best possible return on their investment. They are focusing more closely on their top performers – those best placed to help them return to strong growth.”
Mercer, 2011: Global compensation and benefits trends – a puzzle of contradictions (10 pages, PDF)
“Mercer interviewed compensation experts from around the world to learn what factors are weighing heavy on employers’ minds as they set compensation strategy for 2011 and to discuss anticipated pay trends in their country.” Some of the countries interviewed include: Canada, France, Japan, US, and China.
Compensation Strategy 2011: Insight from around the world
Globe and Mail, March 1, 2011: Your salary, published on the Web, by Shelly White
An Integrated Corporate Social Responsibility Strategy (CSR)
The Clorox Company best known for making bleach and other cleaning products, launched its first CSR report in October 2010. The report was a result of an integrated CSR strategy organized around five pillars: People, Products, Performance, Planet and Purpose with a commitment to developing “green” products and to becoming more open and transparent.
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship, March 2011: Clorox Company’s journey to develop an integrated CSR strategy, By Vesela Veleva, Research Manager, Boston College Center
Clorox Company, October 2010: 2010 Corporate Responsibility Report: Be Well Every day (60 pages, PDF)
Inequality in the Food Chain
The Applied Research Center in the United States has done a survey of the food system mapping the race, gender and class of workers along the supply chain.
Applied Research Centre, February 16, 2011:The Color of Food report is a broad survey of the food system, to map out the race, gender and class of workers along the supply chain.
Applied Research Centre, February 16, 2011: The Color of Food Report (26 pages, PDF)
Foxconn in Shenzhen China: 1 million workers 17 suicides
“Since Foxconn installed nets on all buildings at its Shenzhen campus, the suicide rate among employees has declined dramatically.” “
“But eyes should absolutely remain on Foxconn, the eyes of media both foreign and domestic, of government inspectors and partner companies. The work may be humane, but rampant overtime is not. We should encourage workers’ rights just as much as we champion economic development. We’ve exported our manufacturing; let’s be sure to export trade unions, too.”
Wired, March 2011: 1 million workers. 90 million iPhones. 17 suicides. Who’s to Blame? by Joel Johnson
Women on Boards in the UK and Europe
“The European Union's justice commissioner asked publicly listed companies to appoint more women to corporate boards and threatened them with imposed quotas if they don't.” Lord Davies has also recommended that UK listed companies should be aiming for a minimum of 25% female board member representation by 2015.
Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), February 24, 2011: Independent Review into Women on Boards, Lord Davis (19 pages, PDF)(takes a long time to download)
New York Times, February, 25, 2011: In Britain, a Big Push for More Women to Serve on Corporate Boards
The Associate Press, March 1, 2011: EU's justice chief gives company boards 12 months to appoint more women, or quotas coming
European Commission Justice, March 1, 2011: EU Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding meets European business leaders to push for more women in boardrooms
European Commission Justice, March 1, 2011: “Women on the Board Pledge for Europe”
Catalyst, December 2010: Percent of Women Board Directors in Select Countries, (12 pages, PDF)
Book of the Week
Get Rid of the Performance Review: How Companies Can Stop Intimidating, Start Managing -- and Focus on What Really Matters, by Samuel A. Culbert with Lawrence Rout. New York : Business Plus, 2010. 243 p. ISBN 9780446556057
The performance review. It is one of the most insidious, most damaging, and yet most ubiquitous of corporate activities. We all hate it. And yet nobody does anything about it.
About the Author:
Samuel A. Culbert is an award winning author, researcher and full-time, tenured professor at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management. His laboratory is the world of work where he puts conventional managerial assumptions under a microscope to uncover and replace dysfunctional practices. He holds a B.S. in Systems Engineering and Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology.
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