Tim Tucker [mailto:
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]
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Dear Member Chamber,
As you have likely heard, the government is forging ahead with First Contract Arbitration legislation, despite the objection of businesses and employer-representative groups across the province. The Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce, with a coalition of several employer-representative groups, is committed to continuing to fight this legislation and, as such, we are asking for your help.
Attached is a template letter on FCA that we are asking chambers to send to their members. They can insert the name of their local MLA at the top and their name and the name of their business at the bottom. We ask that, in addition to emailing the completed letter to your local MLA, it also be cc’d to the Premier:
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and Minister of Labour:
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We are also seeking business owners/managers who are willing to speak out against First Contract Arbitration in front of the province’s Law Amendments Committee. Here is a description of the process:
Once a Bill has a number (in this case, Bill 102), people can phone Legislative Council Office and arrange to be put on a speaking list. This will allow them a 10 minute presentation to the committee, as well as 5 minutes following for questions from Committee members.
When a person calls in to request to speak to the Committee, the staff will put them on a list and take their contact info. The person will be contacted once the Bill has passed 2nd reading and is scheduled to appear before Law Amendments Committee.
Committee Contact is Gordon Hebb, Q.C.
Phone: 902-424-8941
Fax: 902-424-0547
Website: http://nslegislature.ca/index.php/committees/standing_committees/law_amendments
The more businesses, groups and organizations that are willing to speak in front of Law Amendments, the better. The Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce has already registered to appear before the committee.
Please forward this email to your members and request their help. There is still time to stop this legislation from going through, but we need to mobilize our efforts as much as possible. Thanks and if you have any questions, comments and/or concerns, please feel free to get in touch,
Tim Tucker
Executive Director
Nova Scotia Chambers of Commerce
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(902) 895-6329
(902) 890-4616
Dear (Insert Local MLA name here)
I am writing to you today to outline disappointment with government’s plan to bring First Contract Arbitration to Nova Scotia. I am disappointed this is being done despite the opposition of businesses – large and small – across the province. I view both the legislation and the process that drove it as ‘anti-business’ and, as such, urge you to reconsider.
As we have repeatedly heard, we have a harmonious labour environment in Nova Scotia and are fortunate to experience one of the fewest numbers of lost days due to labour disruptions in Canada. We simply do not have a problem that needs fixing. For this reason alone, I want to stress my opposition to First Contract Arbitration (FCA) and that there are much more pressing issues that demand our attention, such as economic growth and job creation.
The tools are already at government’s disposal to deal with the rare circumstance where first contracts cannot be settled. I believe we should be exploring existing tools before introducing legislation we do not need. I fear that introducing FCA at this fragile time may well serve to hurt the economy by adding uncertainty to an already uncertain environment.
I will acknowledge that most Canadians live in jurisdictions where FCA exists. This seems to be the consistent argument put forth in favour of FCA. On this point I would like to clarify that while 85 per cent of Canadians live in jurisdictions that have some form of FCA, only four per cent have the model of FCA that is being proposed for Nova Scotia. The Manitoba model of FCA – after which Nova Scotia’s version of FCA is being fashioned – is widely viewed as the most regressive given that there is little time or even requirement for both parties to make every effort possible to reach an agreement on their own. I believe this undermines the ability of both parties to engage in free collective bargaining, a right we hold dear.
For all of these reasons, I urge you to reconsider “An Act to Prevent Unnecessary Labour Disruptions and Protect the Economy” and ask that government instead focus on measures we can work on together to improve labour relations in Nova Scotia while growing the economy. I do not believe FCA will achieve either.
Sincerely,
(Insert your name and business name here)
