The benefits of the conciliation process
Conciliation is often used by both unions and companies to help get a negotiated settlement without a work stoppage, especially when it comes to bargaining a first agreement.
It’s fairly common to see reports on the news about strikes or lockouts in other places. What you rarely hear about are the 98% of contracts negotiated successfully without any work stoppage at all. Conciliation is often the key.
The conciliator named to our case, Buck Reed, is familiar with the Guild and AAC, and we’re optimistic that he will be extremely helpful in getting our more contentious issues settled.
Where we are in the talks
We currently have 18 agreements in principle with AAC, including agreements on posting of schedules, technological change and grievance procedure, but there are many other issues that are outstanding. Issues like discipline and discharge and training and development have proven difficult for us to negotiate.
As the conciliation process moves forward, we will continue to update you on what we’re working on.
What’s next…
Your bargaining committee is now firming up our priorities in preparation for conciliation. We will begin meeting with the conciliator and the company on November 5.
We will get back to you soon with details of the key priorities we will be fighting for as the negotiations progress.
We would like to thank everyone who attended the meeting. Involvement and support from the members are crucial to getting a fair deal for everyone.
Your bargaining committee:
Masaaba Mwambu
Tom Rudman
Michelle Smith
Keith Maskell, CMG Staff Representative