Bargaining talks between CUPE 1393 and U of W continue under news blackout

By Darren Breckles

Bargaining talks between CUPE 1393, who have been on strike since Sept. 8, and the University of Windsor resumed on Tuesday under a news blackout.
CUPE 1393 represents approximately 281 technical, trades and professional staff at the U of W.

“We are very pleased that the university has finally decided to resume bargaining,” said Dean Roy, president of CUPE 1393 in a press release on Monday.

“Their inflexibility on the remaining issues has unnecessarily prolonged this strike … We need to sit down and finish the job of negotiating a collective agreement all parties can live with and protects quality education at the university,” said Roy.

Both sides have identified the job evaluation process and bumping as the issues of contention and sticking points preventing an agreement.

Roy said his members want to maintain the current job evaluation process and to keep their bumping rights, where a senior or full-time employee being laid off can take the job of a junior or part-time employee.

“What we want is fairness,” said Roy. “When I say fairness that means maintaining the job evaluation system, the Hay system it’s actually referred to, that we’ve had in place for 20 years. Basically what they want to do is create a system that would lower job evaluations. So people being re-evaluated, or more importantly new people coming in, would be paid lower wages for doing the same work. We have a problem with that.”

U of W president, Alan Wildeman said that this is not the case. In an open letter addressed, “To the Campus Community,” he outlined reasons he feels an agreement has not been reached.

“The rumours spreading that the University wants to change the job evaluation system so that we can cut existing wages are false,” Wildeman said in the letter on Monday.

“We have never asked for anyone’s pay to be reduced. We want language in the collective agreement that will define the process of preparing and approving job descriptions, provide greater clarity around the different criteria that go into the evaluation, and allow for appropriate oversight by the employer.”

Wildeman went on to say that the current system of job evaluation, which allows employees to have their job re evaluated annually, has resulting in average pay increases of 17.3 per cent or $10,790 and is unsustainable.

The full text of the letter is on the U of W website at: http://www1.uwindsor.ca/president/system/files/Letter%20to%20Campus%20Sep%2023.pdf

CUPE 1393 responded with a release of its own saying that job evaluation and bumping were the central issues but that Wildeman’s analysis is incomplete and leaves out important issues.

“He contrasts our job evaluation system with that used by other bargaining groups, but fails to note that all of us are using the Hay system – the world’s most widely used method of work measurement and role evaluation,” the release says.

“He also neglects to take into account that this system also functions as our pay equity system. Frankly, we are astonished that in 2013, we are being forced to defend the entire notion of equal pay for work of equal value.”

A number of professors, who are Members of the Windsor University Faculty Association, chose to honour the CUPE 1393 picket line and cancelled some classes Sept. 24.

Several CUPE 1393 members picketed outside Wildeman’s house at 197 Sunset Ave. near the university on Thursday for several hours.

Bargaining talks continue but neither side is making any comment due to the media blackout.