# Presentation: 355310

## Labour-Management- Government Partnerships

- APEC Symposium
- June 2001

## OC TranspoPublic Transit AuthorityOttawa, Canada

- Stats
- In business since 1903
- Owned and administered by Ottawa-Carleton Regional Transit Commission
- 11 elected representatives from community
- Fleet of 850 buses
- Served a population of 625K
- Typical weekday rides- 250K
- 2300 Employees

## Historical Overview

- Environment  in the 1990’s
- Declining Ridership
- Budget restraint
- Political turmoil
- 500% turnover in Human Resources/Labour Relations- Management
- Wildcat strike 1991
- Legal Strike 1996

##  The 1996 Strike

- Traditional Negotiations
- Face to face negotiations replaced with meetings before the CIRB
- Conciliation talks break down
- 24 day strike
- World class mediator assigned to case
- Parties accept a mediated settlement
- Union/Management relationship at its worst

## Harsh Lessons- Employer 

- Botched negotiation strategy
- imposing concessions
- misreading the Union’s resolve
- publicly taking hard line- no room to move
- Public intolerance for inefficiency
- Incalculable losses
- Complete breakdown in trust

## Harsh Lessons- Union

- Burning Bridges
- repairing the relationship is much more difficult
- we Vs. they mentality exists today

## Beginnings of Partnership

- Recognition of the need to rebuild trust/relationship
- Desire of teams- or at least leaders to rebuild trust/relationship
- Assess and Change Players
- Look for External Assistance as Required
- Develop Joint Strategy for New Approach

## Cooperative Labour RelationsRebuilding the Trust

- Develop plan together
- Train Jointly
- Research Jointly
- Rethink everything you do
- Adopt a holistic approach to labour relations

## Our Plan

- Joint Policy Development
- workplace accommodation
- expedited arbitration
- peer support network
- working groups
- Joint Training & Research
- presenting an arbitration
- interest based negotiations
- Interest Based Negotiations
- better solutions to problems

## Prerequisites for Success

- Motivation
- joint initiative based on common goals
- commitment of key leaders
- realistic expectations
- Preparation
- both parties fully understand process
- manage expectations
- Process
- stick to ground rules
- use facilitator

## Trials

- Union’s Story
- senior executive member not on board
- internal strife and mistrust
- Management’s Story
- senior manager leaves town
- 70% turnover of senior management team
- Summary
- Ensure you have the right players
- Ensure all members of team understand goals
- Acknowledge you may have setbacks

## Tribulations

- Union’s Story
- First IBN contract almost rejected
- Impact on Future?
- Management’s Story
- Political pressure
- Impact of Municipal Restructuring on ability to be creative

## Triumphs

- Union’s Story
- positive membership feedback
- more education
- more impact on future of transit
- Management’s Story
- labour peace
- political support
- increased ridership

## Future Issues

- Positive Discipline Pilot
- Peer Support Network
- New Booking System
- Education Sessions
- Other...

## Conclusions

- Don’t wait until you hit the bottom
- Partnership results in better solutions to workplace problems than ever before
- Invest in your Human Resources
- Expect Setbacks
- Place responsibility for IBN on everyone
- Build Bridges- quickly and often!