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Settlement Methods in Ontario Collective Bargaining 1970-1973

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The state of labour-management relations often tends to be assessed in terms of the number of strikes which occurs in the economy or in particular industries. This ignores the fact that strikes are in part a function of the number of settlements that are negotiated, which varies from year to year and from industry to industry, and the further fact that work stoppages are only one of several routes by which settlements occur. The range includes direct bargaining, conciliation, mediation, bargaining following conciliation or mediation, work stoppages, and occasionally mediation or arbitration following a work stoppage. Strains in collective bargaining, therefore, should be assessed in terms of the ease or difficulty with which settlements are achieved, as reflected in the incidence of different settlement methods.

This paper analyzes the methods by which settlements were arrived at in more than 1400 Ontario collective agreements during the years 1970-1973 and discusses some of the implications of these patterns. The analysis is based on information published jointly by the Federal and Ontario Departments of Labour, covering settlements involving more than 250 employees in industries other than construction. Included are settlements in federal administration, as well as a number of other settlements which, though they cover workers in Ontario, are in industries that come within the federal jurisdiction.

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The Road Ahead in Industrial Relations

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This is a reprint of the closing keynote address presented at the special one-week Industrial Relations Seminar of the Industrial Relations Centre, Queen’s University on October 22-27, 1972. The author is Judge, District Court, District of Parry Sound and Chairman, Ontario Labour-Management Arbitration Commission. Judge Little is well known for his valuable contributions as chairman of arbitration boards and as a member of various public bodies in the field of Canadian industrial relations. He is also a member of the University Council and the Board of Trustees of Queen’s University.

Introduction

It is my intention to discuss with you the industrial relations situation in Canada today; to relate it to what has occurred in the past; to consider the new environment for the seventies; to visualize emerging issues, problems and opportunities; and to suggest imperatives for labour, management and government if the challenges before us are to be met. In asking me to deal with these matters, those arranging this seminar are placing me in the dual role of a prophet and the solver of problems. As one who has always endeavoured in his role as conciliator or mediator to take a realistic and pragmatic approach to the immediate solution of specific labour-management disputes, I seriously doubt if I am qualified either to play the role of prophet or to offer general solutions. It seems to me that it is almost impossible to predict what will happen in this field because one’s predictions are subject to so many variables. Most of you know what these variables are. Suffice it to say, that when jurisdiction is divided amongst eleven different governments, of several political persuasions, and divergent views on how such problems should be tackled and solved, it is impossible to say what each will propose, and finally do. Irrespective of these differences in viewpoint however, it is becoming increasingly obvious in industrial relations, as in other areas of difference in this country, that our future as a nation depends on a greater degree of co-operation by government, labour and management if a realistic approach to solving such problems is to be made. Perhaps we can stimulate our thinking along these lines today.

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Long-Run Changes in the Labour Share of National Income in Canada, 1926-1966

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The stability of the share of national income accruing to labour has long been a “statistical puzzle” in economic research. Although in recent years many empirical studies have revealed a rising share of labour, their conclusions have been disputed on statistical grounds. It has been argued that if adjustments are made for the earnings attributable to labour services of the self-employed and for the inter-industry shifts, the labour share of national income will show very little, if any, increase.

This monograph examines the long run behaviour of the labour share of national income in Canada. The unincorporated business income is divided into labour income and non-labour income, in order to examine the impact of such a division on the stability of the labour share. Since there have been significant inter-industry shifts in Canada over the past four decades, the monograph also analyzes the influence of these shifts on the secular movement of the share of labour in national income.

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Gender Differences in Union Membership Status: The Role of Labour Market Segmentation

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The purpose of this paper is to study the key determinants of the union status of workers in Canada and to evaluate the relative significance of labour market segmentation by gender, in explaining the lower incidence of unionization among Canadian women. Using a unique micro data set, this study assesses the respective roles of demographic/human capital factors and the industry-occupation of employment in explaining gender differences in union membership in Canada. First, a union status probability equation is estimated on a pooled sample using explanatory variables such as age, sex, marital status, education, job tenure, province of residence, part-time/full-time status of the worker, and industry and occupation of employment, on the assumption that only intercept coefficients differ between men and women. Following this, separate equations are estimated for males and females allowing for differences in slope coefficients. Next, we estimate three separate union membership status equations based on the pooled sample of individuals of both sexes. The first equation contains only demographic/human capital factors as explanatory variables. The second equation adds controls for occupation of the individual to the demographic/human capital vector of variables. Finally, the equation is augmented with controls for industry of employment. The estimated coefficient on the sex variable in the three equations is compared to evaluate the role of industry and occupation of employment in explaining the differential in the extent of unionization between men and women. As well, the likelihood ratio tests are performed to test the joint significance of industry, occupation and human capital/demographic variables as predictors of union membership.

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The Development and Enforcement of the Collective Agreement

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The collective agreement is the basic corner-stone of collective bargaining in North America. From its beginning the problem of making the provisions of collective agreements binding on the parties who entered into them has been a major concern of unions, employers, employees and increasingly of public authorities. This volume, one of the Centre’s Research Series, traces in depth the historical development of procedures in Canada for the enforcement of collective agreement provisions. The main emphasis is upon those methods developed by Canadian legislatures to provide orderly means of enforcement and thus contribute to a greater stability of union-management relations.

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The Concept of Leisure

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This paper was presented at the 1963 Spring Conference Programme of the Industrial Relations Centre, Queen’s University, at Kingston, Ontario.

The author refers to the speed and whirl of modern twentieth century living, about people feeling as if they never have time to do anything, and referring to the rat race in which they appear to be caught. This paper discusses the origins of the idea of leisure, the need and desire for leisure, while also suggesting that we rethink the whole notion of leisure. It also makes some suggestions about how we might think positively and usefully about the concept of leisure.

The author, A. R. C. Duncan, is Professor and Head of the Department of Philosophy, and Dean of Arts and Science at Queen’s University.

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