The university and the United Steelworkers (USW) Local 2010 have both requested that a conciliator, appointed by the Ministry of Labour, join the parties to confer with them and endeavour to reach a collective agreement.
Greg Long was appointed by the Ministry of Labour on Oct. 22, 2014 following the USW’s filing of a Request for Appointment of Conciliation Officer on Oct. 10, 2014; however, the two parties have not requested Mr. Long join their negotiations up until this point. No dates for conciliation have been set. Once they are finalized, the dates will be posted on the Queen’s Labour News blog.
The appointment of a conciliation officer to assist parties in negotiating an agreement is a normal part of the collective bargaining process. The university values the contributions of its many employees and remains committed to the collective bargaining process.
The university is focused on reaching negotiated agreements with all employee groups that both balance the university’s need to preserve its core academic mission and respect the limitations dictated by current financial realities.