October 23, 2023 —Two independent labour scholars concur with Rebeck’s position. “There are lots of situations where a union might figure they would get a better deal at the bargaining table rather than going to arbitration,” said David Camfield, an associate professor of labour studies at the University of Manitoba. Arbitration, added his labour studies colleague, professor Julie Guard, is “a less desirable approach to settling strikes than actually being reasonable.”Both Guard and Camfield said they see no issue with appointing a new MPI board to kick-start negotiations one week prior to the potential start of arbitration.
