OTTAWA, ONTARIO, September 14, 2007 — The Honourable Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Minister of Labour and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, is pleased to announce the first recipient of the 2007 W.P.
Kelly Award for Lifetime Achievement as a Labour Mediator. The award was presented on behalf of Minister Blackburn to Mr. Vincent L. Ready of Vancouver, British Columbia, during a ceremony at the biennial Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service Industrial Relations Conference on
September 13, 2007.
This award was created to honour the
memory of the late William Patrick Kelly for his outstanding contribution
to Canada's industrial relations community. As "Canada's Chief
Mediator," Mr. Kelly had a profound impact on mediation services and
was highly respected by his peers. He was often called upon by governments
to help resolve the most difficult labour disputes. The award created
in his memory is presented once every two years to a mediator who embodies
the qualities Mr. Kelly demonstrated during his impressive career in
Canada's public service.
"I am very pleased to announce the
presentation of this award to Mr. Ready for his contribution to the
betterment of labour-management relationships. His accomplishments embody
the spirit of William Patrick Kelly," said Minister Blackburn. "The
work of mediators is vital in ensuring that Canada has a productive,
prosperous economy and a healthy society," added Minister Blackburn.
Mr. Ready is an expert arbitrator/mediator
who has worked in the labour relations field for over 40 years. He began
his career as a representative and organizer with the International
Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (Canada). After serving with
both the federal and provincial mediation services, he began his own
private arbitration and mediation practice in 1982 and has facilitated
the resolution of over 7,000 labour management disputes in various industries
across Canada, including mining, forestry, food processing and health
care.
Information on the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service is available at labour.gc.ca.
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This news release is available in alternative
formats upon request.
For further information (media only):
Emma Welford
Office of Minister Blackburn
819-997-7826
Media Relations Office
Human Resources and Social Development Canada
819-994-5559
BACKGROUNDER
W.P. Kelly Award for Lifetime Achievement as a Labour Mediator
The W.P. Kelly Award for Lifetime
Achievement as a Labour Mediator was established in memory of Mr. William
Patrick Kelly, founder of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service
(FMCS). Mr. Kelly enjoyed a long career as a federal mediator and was
known as "Canada's Chief Mediator."
Purpose
To recognize an individual
who has an outstanding record of contribution to mediation/conciliation
and who has demonstrated his or her abilities through a sustained record
of resolving difficult labour disputes in Canada.
Criteria
The actual accomplishments
of the individual demonstrating:
success in resolving
difficult labour disputes;
success in promoting
and advancing the profession;
respect for the
collective bargaining process, objectivity, professionalism, ethical
practice; and
commitment to continuous
professional development.
Federal Mediation
and Conciliation Service
The FMCS is responsible for
providing dispute resolution and dispute prevention assistance to trade
unions and employers under the jurisdiction of the Canada Labour
Code.
It also manages the Labour-Management
Partnerships Program, which provides funding for innovative projects
designed to improve labour-management relationships.
By providing unions and employers
with these services, the FMCS helps to foster harmonious labour-management
relations throughout Canada. Through its conciliation and mediation
assistance, the FMCS has achieved an enviable record for resolving labour
disputes without work stoppage.
For additional information
on the FMCS, visit labour.gc.ca.
BIOGRAPHY
VINCE L. READY
Mr. Ready is a seasoned arbitrator/mediator who has worked in the labour relations field since 1965. He started his career as a representative and organizer for the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers (Canada), which later merged with the United Steelworkers of America, where between 1967 and 1978, Mr. Ready worked as an Organizer, Staff Representative, Troubleshooter, and Area Supervisor.
In 1982, Mr. Ready established his private arbitration/mediation practice, the Vincent L. Ready, Labour Arbitration & Mediation Services Ltd. Presently, he is active in every province and territory of Canada, and is named as an Arbitrator/Mediator in over 600 Collective Agreements. He has arbitrated and/or mediated over 7,000 labour and commercial disputes in Canada, including, but not limited to:
The forest industry, including arbitrations and mediations under the Timber Harvesting Contract and Subcontract Regulations;
Heavy construction industry;
The grain industry in Thunder Bay and the Vancouver Port
The airline industry across Canada: Air Canada, Canadian Airlines
Railroad industry across Canada: CN, CP & BC Rail
British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, Yukon and Northwest Territories school teacher disputes;
Pulp, mining, food and hotel industries;
Firefighting and police groups;
Health care disputes in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario and Prince Edward Island;
Other multi-faceted public sector disputes in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland;
Mediated a recommended settlement in the pulp industry in 1992;
Internal union arbitrator/mediator, i.e. Hospital Employees' Union and Hospital Employees' Staff Union, and United Steelworkers of America and United Food & Commercial Workers.
Mr. Ready has facilitated the establishment of new workplace relationships in various industries across Canada, including: mining, forestry, food processing and health care.
APPOINTMENTS
Commission of Inquiry - Province of Prince Edward Island - re health reform
Appointed Member of the Construction Industry Review Panel for Province of British Columbia
Appointed Co-Chair of Section 3 Labour Relations Code Review Panel for
Province of British Columbia
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Province of British Columbia - re 1996
collective bargaining dispute in province-wide health care sector covering
86,000 workers. Report and recommendations issued May 8, 1996.
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Province of British Columbia - re
Ambulance Service
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Province of British Columbia - re
several pulp industry disputes
Conciliation Commissioner - BC Terminal Elevator Operators' Association
and Grain Workers Union, Local 333
Federal Mediator - Air Canada Regional Inc. and National Automobile,
Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada (CAWCanada)
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Province of British Columbia - re BC
Ferry Corporation dispute
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Province of British Columbia - re
Education - K-12 Sector
Special Mediator in British Columbia - BC Rapid Transit and CUPE
(SkyTrain)
Special Mediator in British Columbia - Coast Mountain Bus Co. Ltd. and
CAW-Canada and Translink and OPEIU and Translink and CUPE
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Health Employers Association of British
Columbia and British Columbia Nurses' Union
Industrial Inquiry Commissioner - Alliance of Motion Picture and
Television Producers and Canadian Film and Television Production
Association and Bargaining Council of BC Film Unions
Special Mediator in British Columbia - Post Secondary Employers
Association and various Faculty Associations
Facilitator - Trucking Companies and Container Truck Drivers Operating
out of the Port of Vancouver
Special Advisor to the Task Force on Transportation and Industrial Relations Issues in the Ports of Vancouver
RELEVANT TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Mr. Ready has acted as guest lecturer on mediation and arbitration and alternative dispute resolution at various conferences and training seminars for unions, employers, and educational institutions.
MEMBERSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS
Arbitrators Association of British Columbia and Register of Arbitrators under the British Columbia Labour Relations Code.
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