Dear Mr. Caldwell,

Dear Drew:

Based on press reports and comments by the Brandon University Administration (see the BU website), it seems that the Manitoba Government intends to get involved in the BU strike. If this is the case, I think it is important that you understand the real issues. The major outstanding issues do not concern money (at least directly)!

One major outstanding concern is pensions. The BU administration is attempting to undermine the value of defined benefit pension plans. Workers and the NDP have fought hard for such plans and it would be ironic if your government were responsible for their demise. I have appended a copy of a letter about this issue I recently sent to the members of the Brandon University Board of Governors.

The other major issue involves harassment and academic freedom. The BU administration wants to remove protection against sexual harassment from our collective agreement. To allow this to occur would be a significant setback for women's rights and is not something the union (and hopefully an NDP Government) is about to allow. Related to this issue is a proposal by the University to allow the President to launch disciplinary action against faculty members on the flimsiest of grounds without due process or allowing the accused faculty member to have access to counsel. Essentially, the President wants to set himself up as complainant, prosecutor, judge and jury. Our democracy is based on fairness, openness and due process. To allow the personal whims of a single individual (the President) to potentially destroy the career of an individual without due process would be a travesty and not something the union wants to be party to. BUFA has received extensive legal advice on the deficiencies of the proposed "Respectful Workplace Policy" [sort of Orwellian sounding isn't it], which I am sure they would pass on to you.

BUFA has discussed these issues with representatives of the Brandon University Student Union and they are on record as supporting us is in both matters. Unfortunately, their opinion seems to account for as little with the Administration as does ours.

The BU administration has refused to even discuss pensions or academic freedom. It's hard to negotiate when one side won't even talk! What is especially frustrating is that the BU Administration appears not to care if students are hurt by the strike. If the strike goes on much longer the students stand to lose their term. All the Administration seems to be interested in is implementing a right wing agenda that undermines pension rights and the ability of faculty members to speak out on important public issues.

In summary, I urge you to look carefully at both sides of this dispute before you get involved. Things are not always as they appear on the surface. Faculty members are not the "greedy pigs" portrayed by the Administration. The real issues are much more important than simply money and have implications far beyond Brandon University. The best solution to this strike would be for both parties to get together and negotiate a settlement. If the Government does decide to get involved, I would recommend that it first look at putting pressure on the Administration (which has broken off negotiations) to negotiate seriously before it considers imposing any kind of settlement. In my opinion, the Administration has never really bargained seriously. From the start, it has based its hopes on an imposed settlement by an outside party that doesn't understand non-monetary issues.

Cheers

Dr. Peter Rombough, Professor

Department of Biology, Brandon University

Hi Peter>

I have been looking at both the BUFA and BU sites over the last while, which makes for interesting reading... My view accords closely with your own. I was particularly concerned last week when 11 minutes was all the "bargaining" which took place on Thursday/Friday. I related this perspective to the Premier. As you know, this collective bargaining session is between two parties - faculty and administration - but the strike is being closely monitored by government. My own perspective is informed by the mere 200,000 K which now seems to be an obstacle, which is absurd. I will share this correspondence with government.

Thanks, Peter!

Drew

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Appendix: Message sent to BOG

Dear members of the Brandon University Board of Governors:

As members of the Board of Governors, I think it is incumbent on you to understand that the real issue in this strike is about pensions, not salaries as the BU website would have you believe. The BU administration refuses to even discuss the issue of the pension maximum. One can only assume that this is because their intent is to let inflation gradually erode the value of the plan to the point that it no longer represents a significant obligation on the part of the University. I have appended a brief analysis of this issue from the BUFA website. The bottom line is that in as little as 10 yrs the value of a BU pension for some of BUFA members could represent as little as 44 % of the value of most other defined benefit plans in Canada.

Unions across Canada have fought hard to obtain decent pensions for their retired members. I think it is ironic that BOG members appointed by an NDP government would be party to a plan to undermine the defined benefit pension plan. Elimination of defined benefit plans may be good for the employer as it reduces their potential obligations but it is certainly not good for the worker! Imagine if you had to cash in a defined contribution plan during the type of market turmoil we are currently experiencing.

I hope you will the time to read the attached document (http://www.bufa.org/strike-info/pension.htm). I know that some members of the BOG are themselves members of unions with defined benefit plans. If the Administration can degrade the BU pension plan to the point that it becomes at best some kind of supplemental plan, the same can be done to your plan. Don't let that happen!

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