A Guide to Translating Management's "Carleton/CUASA Negotiations Update" Given the trajectory of negotiations between management and CUASA, members of our union who have not recently read George Orwell's 1984 might be baffled by management's Oct. 4 "Update" on contract negotiations. We offer this translation of management's missive so that members not fluent in "Newspeak" will be able to decipher it. "Carleton University and members of the Carleton University Academic Staff Association (CUASA) will be meeting to continue discussions" – this refers to the refusal of management to meet with us for more than 2.5 hours between 24 Aug. and 13 Oct. "the renewal of the collective agreement" – this means management's proposals to delete every clause in the Collective Agreement that has ever been successfully grieved. "Renewal" of the Collective Agreement is to be achieved by making it toothless, and removing any ability of the contract to defend our members. "both parties share a common goal" – this means that management seeks to strip you of your rights (such as right to sabbatical) and that CUASA seeks to defend those rights. "building a great university that excels at transforming our students into responsible and successful global citizens" – this means that management's ability to suspend you without pay, to remove your right to sabbatical, to deny term appointments any right to a chance at re-appointment, to remove limits on the number of sessional lecturers, and to deny new appointments the scale increase that the rest of us would enjoy in the first year of a new contract will transform students into responsible and successful global citizens. This also indicates management's belief that a "great university" is built by augmenting our current sub-standard salaries with the lowest salary increases in Ontario. "The University tabled a comprehensive set of proposals early in the process" – this means that after CUASA informed the employer that we were prepared to bargain on 1 Feb. 2006, management was not prepared to table any proposals until 6 April, 24 days before the Collective Agreement expired. They did not have their complete proposals ready until 15 June. This was four and a half months after the beginning of the process and 46 days after the contract expired. "aimed at promoting positive discussion" – this means that having tabled its proposals and received counter-proposals from CUASA, management refused to counterpropose in turn. Instead, it insisted that CUASA continue to counterpropose – in effect that CUASA bargain against itself in a one-way discussion where management holds to its initial proposals and CUASA makes concession after concession. "supporting the collegial decision-making process" – this means that management wants us to sign a contract that binds CUASA, but gives management the right to alter contract language on dismissal, suspension, promotion and tenure through Senate amendments, without the need to negotiate this crucial language with your union. This also means that management views turning Senate (which makes academic decisions) into a shadow union, only one with a significant number of members from administration, management, the Board of Governors, alumni, students, etc. The Ontario Labour Relations Board has certified CUASA as a trade union to negotiate these important terms and conditions of your employment. An academic body, Senate has no legal certification to deal with terms and conditions of employment.
"promoting positive discussion, at and away from the bargaining table" – this refers to management's proposals that terms and conditions of employment that currently are the result of contract negotiations between employer and academic staff, will now become exclusively management decisions. "by working together and recognizing our shared interests and responsibilities we will reach an agreement that is in the best interests of all Carleton University stakeholders" – this means that unfettered power for management is good for academic staff.