The Fleck Strike: A Case Study in the Need for First Contract Arbitration

Abstract

In 1978, Fleck Manufacturing Plant was the site of one of the most notorious and bitter strikes in Ontario labour history. The strike, which occurred shortly after the employees unionized, illustrates the precariousness of labour disputes between employers and unions in the early stages of their relationship. This work focuses on first contract arbitration as a method of resolving similar labour-management conflicts. The author explores how other remedies in labour disputes are unsatisfactory in cases where an employer refuses to bargain in good faith for a first collective agreement.

Keywords: labour, labor, strike, dispute, Ontario, Canada, law, arbitration, union, management, conflict, bargaining, collective agreement, Backhouse