Research into labour conflict to attract both sides of fence
For years, former CAW leader Buzz Hargrove has believed there could be a better, less contentious way to conduct labour negotiations — all it would take is education, research and a willingness to consider new ideas.
Now, what started as the nub of an idea has taken fruition with the recent opening of the Centre for Labour Management Relations at the Ted Rogers School of Management at Ryerson University in Toronto.
“Dealing with communication between the two parties is critical,” he said. “There are a host of issues — mental health, stress, pensions, etc. — but the big thing is we have to get together and find out what they are and do the research to let us deal with them.”
He said the focus of the centre is avoiding labour conflict. Leading academics, including director and Ryerson professor Maurice Mazerolle, will concentrate on issues such as ways to reduce workplace conflict, alternate models of worker voice and representation and pension sustainability. The centre will also host roundtables, conferences and events aimed at sharing that information and bringing the two sides together.
“There have been a lot of missed opportunities in the past. We want to be part of everybody’s everyday labour issues,” said Mazerolle. “We’ll have a website with links, feeds, up-to-date information, current opinions and more. We’ll be the place people go looking for expertise.”
Mazerolle said the Canadian economy depends on resolving the often acrimonious relationship between labour and management. He believes a university-based research model will go a long way to mending that situation.
“Part of it is legitimacy,” he said. “If the CLC gets a report from the Fraser Institute on pension reform, they likely won’t read it. In the past there’s been a lot of posturing. We want to get people to look at the issues and be willing to talk about it without being tagged.”
Hargrove had considered opening a private institute initially but, like Mazerolle, decided a university umbrella would give more authority for research and, ultimately, open the door for more dialogue between unions and employers.
“It raises it to a higher level. No one has an axe to grind,” he said. “And there are more opportunities to reach out to students.”
Hargrove and Mazerolle are working on securing co-ops and internships for students within both management and labour. Hargrove said having the centre on campus will hopefully create a new breed of labour relations experts who come to the job armed with independent information, open minds and a willingness to avoid disputes.
“Here they’ll sit in on union and company caucuses and find out what motivates both parties, why they have collective agreements, why certain clauses are included in those agreements, etc.,” he said. “They’ll also hear the personal experiences from top people from both sides.”
Hargrove said the centre is opening at a pivotal moment. He “can’t recall a worse time” in labour relations in Canada.
“I’m hoping that we'll be a model for labour relations around the world,” he said. “Everybody wants things to be better.”
Mazerolle says there is some “suspicion” from faculty members who fall on either side of the labour relations divide. However, he hopes that with the inclusion of some of industry and labour’s biggest players on the advisory committee — yet to be announced — that will change.
