What's up with all the strikes lately?

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,467
139
63
Location, Location
what kind of salaried position is one qualified for after only 3 months?

In my line of work, engineers fresh out of school had to work along side us for 6 months before they were allowed to start their engineering position. it was interesting training people that eventually became my boss. although they moved onto bigger positions, they were always happy to drop by and say hello. and they always seemed to apreciate my opinion about issues related to my immediate work area.

That's what a proper engineering education does - teaches you that the people doing the work often know a lot about it. Of course, there are always a few who only do things the way they've always done them, but there are many, many people who have ideas and knowledge, and smart management can learn from them. Unionized or not. I've met engineers that felt they knew everything by virtue of having a degree, and they usually don't get very far, and I've known engineers who have the ability to think and deal with people, and they generally go places.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
what kind of salaried position is one qualified for after only 3 months?

In my line of work, engineers fresh out of school had to work along side us for 6 months before they were allowed to start their engineering position. it was interesting training people that eventually became my boss. although they moved onto bigger positions, they were always happy to drop by and say hello. and they always seemed to apreciate my opinion about issues related to my immediate work area.

Do you mean qualified or certified? There's quite a difference, the former is required the latter is bureaucracy! :lol:

That's what a proper engineering education does - teaches you that the people doing the work often know a lot about it. Of course, there are always a few who only do things the way they've always done them, but there are many, many people who have ideas and knowledge, and smart management can learn from them. Unionized or not. I've met engineers that felt they knew everything by virtue of having a degree, and they usually don't get very far, and I've known engineers who have the ability to think and deal with people, and they generally go places.

You're talking Engineers vs. Technicians - the Techs have the practical smarts gained through experience, the Engineers have read a book.
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
You're talking Engineers vs. Technicians - the Techs have the practical smarts gained through experience, the Engineers have read a book.

And there are Engineering Technologists, they either work their way into an engineering position, or they stay as technician. With the correct work ethic, they are the most practical.
 

TenPenny

Hall of Fame Member
Jun 9, 2004
17,467
139
63
Location, Location
You're talking Engineers vs. Technicians - the Techs have the practical smarts gained through experience, the Engineers have read a book.

Not really.

The engineers have a more in-depth education into the science behind the practicality. They are two different roles, that overlap and are complementary.
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
And there are Engineering Technologists, they either work their way into an engineering position, or they stay as technician. With the correct work ethic, they are the most practical.

One of the smartest and most sensible Engineers I worked for did it all by correspondence while working and approaching middle age. He was a man of few words, BUT he would listen to the guys in the field, but DON'T try to fool him. :smile:

Not really.

The engineers have a more in-depth education into the science behind the practicality. They are two different roles, that overlap and are complementary.

Yeah, the Engineer had the coeff. of expansion of steel (.0000065) on the top of his head, whereas I had the page in the book memorized to find it. :lol:
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
Yeah, the Engineer had the coeff. of expansion of steel (.0000065) on the top of his head, whereas I had the page in the book memorized to find it. :lol:

and I used to say ' I built 5 of those according to your new design, and they don't pass performance specification"...."but through trial analysis, I can demonstrate that the problem comes and goes with the new part" :)

but now I just sign things ;-)
 

Tonington

Hall of Fame Member
Oct 27, 2006
15,441
150
63
At the risk of repeating myself: You are wrong again as usual, POS.

I did not go to the Labour Board; back then I had no idea it existed and today I would not know where to find it.

I'm sure a computer programmer could figure out how to use Google or some other search engine to find the Labour board.

I can get you started. Let me Google that for you:
Let me google that for you
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Postal union to fight back-to-work legislation in court

OTTAWA — Letters and bills may returning to your mailbox, but the union representing Canada's postal workers says this fight is far from over. The 15-member national executive board of CUPW has decided to take the federal government to court over last week's back-to-work legislation.

Gerry Deveau, national director for the Ontario region of the CUPW, says Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedoms contains the right to belong to a union and Canada's labour code protects the right to collective bargaining. It's on those grounds, the union wants to file a legal challenge, he said. "The government intervention here is stripping us of those rights," Deveau said.

He said the union will consult with legal counsel Wednesday and for the rest of this week. He said he anticipates launching the challenge by next week.

Canada Post spokesman Jon Hamilton said Wednesday morning he hadn't heard anything about the possible court case. "We're focused on delivering the mail and serving Canadians," he said.

The court case will target one of the main sticking points over the bill — the wage settlements.

The government legislated a wage increase of 1.57 per cent, which is lower than the 1.9 per cent that Canada Post had put on the table earlier this month in negotiations with its workers. "We want to challenge the government legislating us back to work at less than what the corporation offered at a time when the cost of living is far greater than what the government has imposed upon us," Deveau said.

Canada Post locked out its employees on June 14, after the Canadian Union of Postal Workers conducted 12 days of rotating strikes.

Labour Minister Lisa Raitt then introduced the back-to-work legislation.

Opposition MPs condemned the bill as a whole, saying it undermined workers' rights to collective bargaining.

Postal union to fight back-to-work legislation in court


Damn right.

Stick it to these douchebags.
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
I've seen rulings on issue like this in the past, and the courts will cite that an organization is not an individual, therefore the government insists that they have the rights to screw over the organization in any way they see fit.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
148
63
A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
I've seen rulings on issue like this in the past, and the courts will cite that an organization is not an individual, therefore the government insists that they have the rights to screw over the organization in any way they see fit.

Who knows how it will play-out. I'm guessing that the gvt will claim that the posties are an essential service and legislate them back to work while mediation/arbitration is in the works.

That said, the union is playing a dangerous game of chicken in my opinion... This job action may have more downside for them in the long run that it will have immediate benefit (if any).
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
I think a wage increase of 1.57% combined with a manditory arbitration process would be fair.

A wage increase of 1.57% jammed down the union's throats is not.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
Who knows how it will play-out. I'm guessing that the gvt will claim that the posties are an essential service and legislate them back to work while mediation/arbitration is in the works.

That said, the union is playing a dangerous game of chicken in my opinion... This job action may have more downside for them in the long run that it will have immediate benefit (if any).

The fact that they are this confident to take action early shows that there is some merit.

That wage discrepancy is an undeniably objective metric that they will have going for them if they pursue a tort claim against the government.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
148
63
A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
The fact that they are this confident to take action early shows that there is some merit.

That wage discrepancy is an undeniably objective metric that they will have going for them if they pursue a tort claim against the government.

The legal case will be extremely interesting... By in large, for any 'deal' to have merit, there has to be Offer and Acceptance (among other elements)... To my knowledge, the aforementioned equation was not satisfied.

I think a wage increase of 1.57% combined with a manditory arbitration process would be fair.

A wage increase of 1.57% jammed down the union's throats is not.

I have followed this event (only) superficially, that said, I was lead to believe that this strike was more about how new hires were treated as opposed to across-the-board wage increases.
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
I've seen 'cease and desist' order challenged with a claim that the order violates our rights to assembly. And, the rulling stated that the rights of a union are not the same as the rights of an individual. And the rights of the individual are not violated unless they assemble then get arrested.....all of which would have to be organized unofficially because the union would be violating the cease and desist order if they supported the process.

I have also seen individuals exercise that right to assembly, even when the union was not allowed to organize it. No arrests were made.
 

captain morgan

Hall of Fame Member
Mar 28, 2009
28,429
148
63
A Mouse Once Bit My Sister
I've seen 'cease and desist' order challenged with a claim that the order violates our rights to assembly. And, the rulling stated that the rights of a union are not the same as the rights of an individual. And the rights of the individual are not violated unless they assemble then get arrested.....all of which would have to be organized unofficially because the union would be violating the cease and desist order if they supported the process.

It's one helluva mess at this point
 

JLM

Hall of Fame Member
Nov 27, 2008
75,301
548
113
Vernon, B.C.
If the mail is as important to us as the Union tries to make out, then it's pretty selfish of them putting forty thousand members ahead of 30 million people! :smile:
 

cranky

Time Out
Apr 17, 2011
1,312
0
36
If the mail is as important to us as the Union tries to make out, then it's pretty selfish of them putting forty thousand members ahead of 30 million people! :smile:

on the contrary, the mandatory arbitration could happen at the same time as a back to work notice. there is no need to jump to rash actions like the government did.
 

mentalfloss

Prickly Curmudgeon Smiter
Jun 28, 2010
39,817
471
83
If the mail is as important to us as the Union tries to make out, then it's pretty selfish of them putting forty thousand members ahead of 30 million people! :smile:

Why do people keep making this mistake of confusing the union with canada post management?
I thought we already clarified this point?

Anyway, the union's rotating strike was not putting any strain on the economy. It was the lockout that the corporation forced which brought everything to a grinding halt. That same corporation was actually rewarded by our government for initiating this economic dilemma, which is hilarious and sad.

I know, it's pretty counter-intuitive, but the conservative sect of our government isn't really that bright.