Labour dispute rule of thumb: When you see the words “Vince Ready” show up in coverage of a work stoppage, you know things are really bad.

But conversely, you know there’s a good chance it’s going to get better.

The legendary mediator’s track record in thousands of cases across the country over the years lends hope that when he gets involved, a settlement of some sort will materialize.

Maybe waiting until both sides are in desperate circumstances before he answers the bell helps his success rate. He usually shows up in high-profile disputes when talks have run off the rails. The parties generally settle because by the time he arrives there is no other option.

Maybe it’s his reputation for forcing negotiators to keep banging heads around the clock until they settle that does the trick.

He touched on that in a free-wheeling interview a year ago with union organizer Carmela Allevato and journalist Rod Mickleburgh for the Labour Heritage Centre.

“When you see a deal coming together, you just don’t let it go … I remember once doing a case where the deal was (very close) at 6 p.m. In one of my weaker........

© Times Colonist