CONFLICT, COMPETITION AND COMPROMISE: COLLECTIVE BARGAINING IN THE COLLEGESOF BRITISH COLUMBIA
PETER COLEBROOK AND JOHN D. DENNISON
DOI: 10.2190/WT11-MGRD-2YEF-A3QM
Abstract
The issue of labor relations has long been a source of stress and aggravation between management and teaching faculty in the community colleges in Canada's ten provinces and two territories. This study examined the collective bargaining process in fourteen unionized colleges in British Columbia. It provides a broad overview of bargaining and offers insights into the tensions commonly associated with the process. The research plan involved the use of both qualitative and quantitative data. The former included interviews with selected experts on the topic and analysis of contracts and other relevant documentation. The latter utilized scaled responses from three groups of stakeholders, i.e., board members, administrators, and faculty leaders, to statements referring to competitive aspects of distributive bargaining, governance, scope of agreements, and potential modifications. The results revealed that a competitive bargaining climate existed in the colleges, characterized by factors such as lack of trust, disputes over faculty's role in governance, policies of government, the management style of the president, and the composition of the faculty bargaining unit. The predominant source of conflict was rooted in the political orientation of the primary actors in the bargaining process. All respondents supported continuation of the distributive model, albeit with less competitive elements, and local bargaining. However, given the nature of the community college, a more collaborative model will be necessary to accommodate the professional values of teaching faculty.
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