Labour Disputes in Web Development: Leaked Document!
Today at our office, perhaps inspired by the faculty at our local university, there was a rift between management and staff. Early in the afternoon, as the time of day we like to call “snack-o-clock” began to approach, there were rumblings of a potential work-stoppage if our (sweet, sweet) demands were not met.
Management was quick to respond and an agreement was reached in time for snack-o-clock. Things are still a little tense, but we’re all being mature about it.
You can take a look at a leaked copy of the agreement that was smuggled out of the high-level negotiations.
Problems: I can't promote the most qualified, I have to promote by seniority. I can't give performance based raises. Currently salaried staff becomes hourly and I pay overtime (granted, this is more a problem for my budget). Trouble-shooting gets hairy - I can't help, that would be doing union work, which management is not allowed to do. I can't give my desktop support staff "project" work when they are idle - if it isn't in their contract, they can't do it, even if they want to, and if they decide to do it, and I let them, they gain the right to claim that work in future negotiations (this would only be a problem if some of IT staff unionizes, not all of them).
More problems: My staff will likely vote against. But if the overall tally wins, in to the union they go, like it or not, and dues they must pay. This is the part that irks me the most. The word among the union is that IT is not going to join, so why have they included us in the petition? Numbers, numbers, numbers.
The current thinking is that some, but not all, IT staff will get sucked in. This will most likely be desktop support staff. The domain and network admins will likey not get sucked in - management will negotiate them out, but only by ceding out desktop support. But if I have union/non-union staff working side by side, and the admins need to help on a routine desktop support that has stumped the staff, this risks a problem. And, as I noted earlier, I can't pass out the rewarding work (hey, go solve this really interesting problem) to the support staff, which really helps them to grow, because it is not in the contract.
So, my question is, what are the arguments against unionizing desktop support? Data confidentiality (exposure to financials or salary spreadsheet will shooting an Excel issue)? Dynamic nature of the learning required (learn new skills or be obsolete)? Precedent?
I need some ammunition (on the ssh-shh down-low, because I'm probably not allowed to even talk about this). We're a phone company. 150 employees.
You know, the rest of management seems resigned to losing 1/2 of IT staff to the union, in fact, they are prepared to barter that half a away to help keep the union out of the accounting department. How do I convince them not to give up support staff? Or better still, should I?
I'm looking for some quality input from some smart Canadians.
On a side note, I think the thing that makes the SF59 song is that cheezy electronic drumroll. I hear that and I'm sold.
