tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.comments2024-03-11T14:32:24.872-07:00Labour & Employment in AlbertaBob Barnetsonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12164225489620639641noreply@blogger.comBlogger433125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-33159887859112321312023-07-18T08:21:19.776-07:002023-07-18T08:21:19.776-07:00"The member decided to continue not complying..."The member decided to continue not complying (and thus not be paid). While being placed on an unpaid leave can certainly create a financial emergency for a member, this is not a labour-relations emergency for the union.<br /><br />Subsequently, a member of the executive sought an emergency executive meeting to authorize payment of $2500 in financial aid. AUFA does not presently have a system for providing financial aid to members. The union did create an emergency-loan system in anticipation of a strike last year. Absent a work stoppage, that system does not operate because the members have not approved expanding its parameters." Exactly.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-19636806631858910102023-07-05T11:31:33.772-07:002023-07-05T11:31:33.772-07:00"The executive was not told before voting on ..."The executive was not told before voting on the donation that the member could have their salary restored simply by complying with the employer’s demand."<br /><br />Is there any indication what this demand was? Is it a reasonable demand?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-70656620293572227412023-06-30T13:10:51.376-07:002023-06-30T13:10:51.376-07:00Thank you for the update! I wasn't able to att...Thank you for the update! I wasn't able to attend the meeting.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-86637674586834836692023-06-17T10:50:49.490-07:002023-06-17T10:50:49.490-07:00AU has become too much of a shithole to afford the...AU has become too much of a shithole to afford the luxury of a weak union with little membership involvement or close attention to procedure. I hope the membership can learn from this event and go forward without recriminations and division.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /> Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-26169873379371865572023-06-17T10:30:48.293-07:002023-06-17T10:30:48.293-07:00IMHO there may have been ostensibly "good&quo...IMHO there may have been ostensibly "good" reasons for confidentiality in this case, but disclosure and publicity (perhaps even member ratification) is the price that the recipient and the executive ought to have been willing to pay for this extraordinary action. Accordingly, I resist the temptation to post this comment anonymously.Mark Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11904245045490682686noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-37157977472892402702023-06-17T01:18:35.998-07:002023-06-17T01:18:35.998-07:00The statement from the AUFA-executive, which didn’...The statement from the AUFA-executive, which didn’t even mention that it was just a leftover exec, poses more questions than it answers. Without a special meeting, I can’t see how any AUFA-exec can gain trust of its membership. Sadly, members have no means to talk to each other beyond this little known slack channel. The once existing list-serve was shut down when I was on the exec (I and one other exec-member voted against this) under the pretext of creating safe spaces. The majority that voted to shut the list-serve down, promised to look into new means to facilitate communication among members but that never happened. At least, there were a number of town-halls where members could express their views. None of this happened under the outgoing exec. I’m sure the employer takes note of the falling apart of AUFA. Corruption and secrecy in union execs always play in employers’ hands. If anyone has ideas how to pull AUFA out of this rut, I’m all ears but don’t see that way out myself at this moment.Ingo Schmidtnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-44398109779259004442023-06-16T20:21:18.470-07:002023-06-16T20:21:18.470-07:00I was the first executive director of AUFA and I c...I was the first executive director of AUFA and I can say with certainty that this situation never occured. There remain a few questions that the new executive might want to consider: <br /><br />What are the parametres for calling a special meeting and who gets to make that call? There should be some process developed to avoid what happened here. <br />If a significant amount of money or one where the expenditure is unusual, then the bar for passing a motion should be more than 50% of the attending executives. I would suggest 60% of the entire executive should be in support. <br />Finally the money in the union account belongs to the membership, not the executive and every exependiture must keep that in mind. <br /><br />Unfortunately many bylaws and policies are developed after the fact, but they should still be developed.<br /><br />I know AUFA will come out of this strong and I hope united.<br /><br />Colleen Powell<br /><br />Colleenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07131747463757567653noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-79054590653078262832023-06-16T18:52:45.630-07:002023-06-16T18:52:45.630-07:00What a disgrace. The AUFA executive should be asha...What a disgrace. The AUFA executive should be ashamed for not having this go to member vote, especially since it sets a bad precedent. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-58105666645569992192023-06-16T15:36:19.249-07:002023-06-16T15:36:19.249-07:00Thank you for sharing this, Bob. The matter is, in...Thank you for sharing this, Bob. The matter is, indeed, very troubling.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-27336984207993471412023-06-16T13:12:50.752-07:002023-06-16T13:12:50.752-07:00Essentially none. The exec turned off the old list...Essentially none. The exec turned off the old listserv and moderates the AUFA notices. There is a dormant slack channel somewhere but I can’t find it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-21722937830118948622023-06-16T13:07:30.879-07:002023-06-16T13:07:30.879-07:00What forum, if any, does AUFA members have to disc...What forum, if any, does AUFA members have to discuss this online?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-59680205875188436052023-06-01T14:04:29.435-07:002023-06-01T14:04:29.435-07:00Fill your boots, buddy!Fill your boots, buddy!Bob Barnetsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12164225489620639641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-85292300401930189582023-05-22T14:31:08.950-07:002023-05-22T14:31:08.950-07:00Why can I find this on the the Athabasca course si...Why can I find this on the the Athabasca course site? Your opinions of the UCP government are your own. I as a student should not see it on my course page. I will be filing an official complaint against youAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-49564243045391015812023-05-02T12:03:56.072-07:002023-05-02T12:03:56.072-07:00How sad. The faculty there have been reasonable in...How sad. The faculty there have been reasonable in seeking improvements in working conditions, and the board is responding in a reactionary, punitive way. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-49225535927391589882023-04-20T10:50:19.681-07:002023-04-20T10:50:19.681-07:00AU management is so stupid. By overreacting as the...AU management is so stupid. By overreacting as they did, they revealed their weakness, and how easily they can be rattled. I expect that any legitimate and competent union would exploit that weakness in the future. Had I been advising management, I would have counseled them to suck it up quietly. Idiots!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-49589714838834214762023-03-16T13:26:17.822-07:002023-03-16T13:26:17.822-07:00This seemed like a pretty good opportunity for a b...This seemed like a pretty good opportunity for a brand new president to establish concrete actions to address some of those key problems, but I agree, the actual response was vapid and the hour felt wasted.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-9711558230004338902023-03-16T11:58:22.261-07:002023-03-16T11:58:22.261-07:00In your "key events" since 2020, don'...In your "key events" since 2020, don't forget that professionals also lost one of their most interesting benefits; basically, prohibiting them from doing research and hamstringing their ability to further their education.JJLeggohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09314567615305520517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-31386050526300128112022-12-01T14:19:34.315-08:002022-12-01T14:19:34.315-08:00I always appreciate these analyses, Bob; thank you...I always appreciate these analyses, Bob; thank you! -AU colleagueAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-68037791860235421942022-11-23T17:35:09.040-08:002022-11-23T17:35:09.040-08:00Thanks Bob, please keep posting.
It's been a s...Thanks Bob, please keep posting.<br />It's been a struggle to effectively communicate what is going on to my family and friends. I send them links to your articles which help a lot.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-1303173520926966292022-11-22T12:59:30.307-08:002022-11-22T12:59:30.307-08:00Thanks,Bob, for clearly articulating the issues in...Thanks,Bob, for clearly articulating the issues in this awful mess. As a former AU employee and a strong supporter of distance education, it breaks my heart to witness this (once) tremendous enterprise potentially going up in flames.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-85659249790645263702022-11-21T18:58:01.397-08:002022-11-21T18:58:01.397-08:00LOL! My answer to “what is one thing AU’s exec cou...LOL! My answer to “what is one thing AU’s exec could do to improve things?” was "quit" Sorry I have to stay anonymous.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-7271486560912938652022-11-21T16:52:44.447-08:002022-11-21T16:52:44.447-08:00Oh my. Serious mess. How is it that AU seems to g...Oh my. Serious mess. How is it that AU seems to get "leadership" whose shoe laces are firmly tied together and who apparently can neither manage a university nor think their way out of a political paper bag?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-1865609040272033782022-11-21T11:33:29.326-08:002022-11-21T11:33:29.326-08:00Thank you Bob for this blog post, and thank you fo...Thank you Bob for this blog post, and thank you for voicing the opinion of many who have either voiced their concerns on deaf ears or are afraid of their positions to speak out. In all this turmoil, the support staff are being more and more undervalued. The biggest dig was this quote by Mr. President "That's where we would like to see the real jobs coming into the north for things that really matter!” Support staff who support our learners don’t matter? <br /><br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-4469254721351147962022-10-27T13:36:15.677-07:002022-10-27T13:36:15.677-07:00Great article- AU is by far the most disrespectful...Great article- AU is by far the most disrespectful and badly managed workplace I have worked at.I wish I could post my name, but I dare not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8332706231179330796.post-23931989568712144852022-09-19T08:25:48.117-07:002022-09-19T08:25:48.117-07:00
Great article Bob and all true. You left out hig...<br /><br />Great article Bob and all true. You left out high turnover. <br /><br /><br />To me, that is a big red flag to anyone thinking of working there. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com