Labour Relations

Curriculum guideline

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Course
BUSN 3760
Discontinued
No
Course code
BUSN 3760
Descriptive
Labour Relations
Department
Business
Faculty
Commerce & Business Administration
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
201930
PLAR
No
Semester length
15
Max class size
35
Contact hours
Lecture: 3 Hours Seminar: 1 Hour Total: 4 Hours
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Learning activities

Methods will include lectures, seminars, text and reading assignments, role-playing and classroom discussion.  Guest speakers and audio-visual materials will be used where appropriate.  All students will participate in a collective bargaining simulation.

Course description
This course is an introduction to the Canadian industrial relations system, including: the historical development of trade unions; the structure, organization and operation of unions; public policy covering labour and employment relations; union certification; collective bargaining; contract administration; dispute resolution; and, contemporary issues in labour relations.
Course content
  1. Origins and history of Canada's labour movement
    1. International unions
    2. Craft and industrial unions
    3. The Winnipeg general strike
    4. Socio-political forces affecting the growth and support for unions
    5. The Great Depression, war and post-war labour-management conflict
  2. Structure of unions
    1. The union local, national and international structures
    2. Labour councils and federations
    3. The Canadian Labour Congress
    4. Unions and union membership in Canada
  3. Labour legislation and public policy
    1. B.C. Labour Relations Code and guide
    2. Employment Standards Act
    3. Impact of Human Rights legislation
    4. Recent changes to legislation
  4. Collective bargaining rights
    1. Reasons employees join unions
    2. The certification process
    3. Collective bargaining
    4. Contract administration
    5. Grievances
    6. Arbitration
    7. Conciliation
    8. Mediation
    9. Strikes and lockouts
  5. Contemporary issues
    1. The future of Industrial Relations:  unionism vs. managerialism
Learning outcomes

At the end of this course, successful students will be able to:

  • demonstrate knowledge of the purpose and history of trade unions in Canada;
  • identify the current structures, organization and operations of unions;
  • explain public policy and legislation covering labour and employment relations;
  • analyze the processes of union certification, collective bargaining, and the administration of collective agreements;
  • identify effective negotiating approaches for resolving conflict and apply this knowledge by role-playing in a collective bargaining simulation; and
  • recognize contemporary issues in labour relations.
Means of assessment
Midterm Examination   20-30%
Final Examination   30%
Simulation   10-20%
Participation   10%
Case Study (Individual Paper)   20%
   100%

NOTE: students must achieve a grade of at least 50% on the combined examination components to pass the course.

Textbook materials

Suffield, Larry, G. Ganon, Labour Relations. Latest edition, (Toronto: Pearson Education Canada)

(or such other textbook as agreed upon by the Business Department)

Additional cases and readings decided by the Instructor.

Prerequisites

Completion of 30 credits or instructor permission.

Corequisites

Nil

Equivalencies

Nil

Which prerequisite

Nil