York University and Cupe 3903— Future of Collective Bargaining Rights

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 3903 view the introduction of the new Ontario government’s ‘back to work’ legislation (Bill 2) as detrimental and a threat to their fundamental bargaining rights. Why is the government legislating the CUPE members back to work instead of allowing them to further negotiate with the administration of York University? If resolving issues through the collective bargaining process is not allowed, then what will happen to the relationship between the union and the university authorities? Dilemma Why did the government bring in the bill with ‘back to work’ clause? The concerned parties could have settled the issue through negotiation. Theory: Labour relations, integrative vs. distributive negotiation and third-party interventions Type of the case: Decisional and applied Protagonist: Not needed Options Negotiation, appointing mediator, adopting competitive distributive strategy or collaborative integrative strategy Discussions and Case Questions Suggest a more effective way to resolve the crisis. What are the main contentions of CUPE 3903 and the York University Administration in this negotiation? Discuss the strategies and tactics as used by CUPE 3903 and the York University Administration. Could these be optimized further? Evaluate the gap between the current strategy and the optimal one Is there any way in which a third-party mediator could craft a mutually beneficial agreement?