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<DIV><FONT size=2 face=Arial></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><BR> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT color=#008080 size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">President?s Column</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=center><FONT color=#008080 size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 16pt">Time to decide</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=1 face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 8pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">(Feb 7,
2012) We need to vote on our willingness to strike. The principles of the
pension plan (listed below) are worth striking over. At a university with
salaries below the average of our comparator group, a strong pension plan is
essential.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The DFA's
negotiating team has signaled to the Board that we are willing to discuss a
jointly sponsored model and we have provided a framework under which that
discussion might take place. They have proposed nothing on the pension plan in
conciliation. Their only proposal, presented to the Pension Advisory Committee
some time ago, would strip away our veto while retaining theirs, leaving a
"jointly sponsored" plan entirely in their hands. No one should have to agree to
such terms.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">This
round of negotiations has been dominated by news of the pension crisis at
Dalhousie University. The Board of Governors' negotiating team has insisted that
the University's pension plan must change to a jointly sponsored model, and
originally were insisting upon such a move even in the absence of legislation
and regulations allowing such a pension governance structure in Nova
Scotia.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Over the
course of this academic year, it has become obvious why the Board of Governors
ignored our arguments that such a move should not even be contemplated without
legislation and regulations in place. Their representatives had been lobbying
the Nova Scotia government to influence legislation and
regulations.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">They
lobbied without telling the DFA that they were doing so-in direct contravention
to Article 9 of our collective agreement-and minimized their circumvention of
the collective agreement after we discovered their tactics. They have made it
abundantly clear that they are willing to do just about anything -whether fair
or foul-to get this change to the pension plan.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Last
week, at the first day of conciliation, the DFA's team put on the conciliation
table a framework that will protect the fundamentals of our pension plan. This
framework would: 1) preserve our veto over pension changes, 2) leave to the
Board of Governors any accumulated pension deficit up to the date of the change
to a jointly sponsored plan, 3) acknowledge that our pension contributions may
increase, but will be capped, and 4) require that DFA Members ratify any final
changes before changing governance of the plan.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">This
framework will protect what is best about our current pension plan. It will also
enable the Board of Governors and the DFA to negotiate the terms under which a
jointly sponsored pension plan might come into force at Dalhousie University.
This framework will also enable the Board of Governors to access the solvency
deficit exemption built into the new regulations, which will save them
approximately $50 million per year. It's fair to say that we are meeting them
more than halfway on this.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The
Board's unwillingness even to mention the pension plan in response to the DFA's
proposal at conciliation was bewildering in the extreme. Considering how fixated
the Board has been on this change to pension governance, we could not believe
that the Board did not even acknowledge our willingness to help them with their
problem.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">This is a
problem in which the Board has played a significant role, and their only attempt
to resolve it has been an onslaught of "pension town halls," negotiating
directly with our Members in the Dal News and other instruments, and
not-completely-forthcoming accounts on the Dal Human Resources website of how
negotiations are going. (Imagine the DFA team's surprise when they read on the
HR website that the first day of conciliation had seen "agreement on a number of
non-monetary issues and ... progress on a number of others." Let's be clear.
Nothing was signed off on Wednesday, February 1. There was no
agreement.)</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The
Board's unwillingness to engage with our pension proposal brings up a quite
disturbing question. If they aren't willing to discuss a jointly sponsored plan,
now that we've put the issue on the table, what do they really
want?</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The Board
of Governors' negotiating model has always been based on
brinksmanship.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Since
1997, negotiations here have seen two strikes, two rounds of conciliation, and
only one round agreed at the table, and even that settlement (in 2004-05)
followed consecutive strikes. Perhaps in that round, the Board of Governors
recognized that the University could not afford three successive strikes. One
would be hard pressed to find another recent record like that at a Canadian
university.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">I believe
that the Board of Governors has been willing to push us to the brink because
they feel we will not vote to strike. Even though we have in the past, they feel
that it is always worth the gamble that the DFA won't go out, and so each round
they have pushed far beyond what most would consider "hard bargaining" right up
to the line where "bad faith" begins.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">But if we
are not willing to show the Board of Governors that we are willing to strike to
preserve the fundamentals of our pension plan, it is difficult to see what we
might be willing to fight for. If we've received brinksmanship so far, this only
promises to get worse in the future if we do not take a stand on this crucial
issue now. With a proposal on the conciliation table, our position is very
strong, both to go out on strike, and to return with a reasonable
settlement.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">The DFA
is a large and varied group of intelligent, committed people. That is the great
strength of our group, and it's been my priority during this round of
negotiations to respect this character of our Membership by keeping the tone of
negotiating bulletins factual and denotative. My own columns have tended to be
slightly more rhetorical, but only slightly, again, in respect to who our
Membership are. I have wanted to tell you what to think about, not insult you by
telling you what to think.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">We are at
a point, though, when I have to say that if we vote against a strike or have a
weak strike vote, the Board of Governors will enforce a jointly sponsored
pension plan upon us and our negotiating team -- who have worked tirelessly
under very trying circumstances -- would have no bargaining leverage whatsoever.
I would hate to imagine what that plan might look like.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">A strong
strike vote will give us leverage. A weak strike vote will end this process with
all of us being forced into a pension plan that will leave our futures in
peril.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">It's
really that simple.</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt"><BR></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Dr.
Anthony Stewart, President</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=4 face=Tahoma><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: 14pt">Dalhousie
Faculty Association</SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT face="Times New Roman"><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 11pt"></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<P><BR><BR>----- End forwarded message -----<BR></P>
<P> </P>
<P class=imp-signature>Associate Professor<BR>& Co-editor, Review Section,
The Journal of Peasant Studies<BR><BR>SOSA, Dalhousie University <BR>6135
University Ave<BR>PO BOX 15000 Halifax, NS<BR>Canada B3H 4R2<BR><BR><A
href="http://sociologyandsocialanthropology.dal.ca/Faculty/Elizabeth_Fitting.php"
target=_blank>http://sociologyandsocialanthropology.dal.ca/Faculty/Elizabeth_Fitting.php</A>
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