HomeMy WebLinkAbout1992-2488.Wilson.94-05-18
\
.0"\- I \
''II
~"'. <t!!e
~ ONTAAtd EMPLOYES DE LA COURONNE
CROWN EMPLOYEES DE L'ONTARIO
1111 GRIEVANCE COMMISSION DE
,
SETTLEMENT REGLEMENT
BOARD DES GRIEFS
180 DUNDAS STREET WEST SUITE 2100. TORONTO, ONTARIO, M50 lZ8 TELEPHONE/TELEPHONe (416) 326-1388
180 RUE DUNDAS OUEST BUREAU 2100 TORONTO (ONTARIO) M5G lZ8 FACSIMILE/TELECOPIE (416) 326-1396
,
2488/92
I
IN THE KATTE:R OF AN ARBITRAT.ION I
I
Under I
I
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT I
I
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN OPSEU (Wilson)
Grievor
- and -
The Crown in Right of Ontario
(Ministry of Natural Resources)
Employer I
I
BEFORE: M Gorsky Vice-Chairperson I
W. Rannachan Member I
M O'Toole Member I
I
FOR THE S. Watson
GRIEVOR Counsel
Gowling, Strathy & Henderson
Barristers & Solicitors
FOR THE F. Gallop
EMPLOYER Counsel
Filion, Wakely & Thorup
Barristers & Solicitors
HEARING: August 11, 1993
February 4, 1994
April 21, 1994
April 22, 1994
-""
~~ "".' (
'''''''\~
2
D E CIS ION
On October 13, 1992, the Grievor, Tom Wilson, filed a
grievance in which he stated
I grieve the Employer has contravened article 24 and any
other applicable articles of the collective agreement
The Grievor sought a declaration that the Employer had
"violated article 24" and requested that he "be assigned to the
position of RT4 consistent with article 24 6 1 with full
retroactivity compensation with interest "
For the purpose of this matter, the following are the relevant
articles for consideration:
24 1 Where a lay-off may occur by reason of
shortage of work or funds or the abolition of
a position or other material change in
organization, the identification of a surplus
employee in an administrative district or
unit, institution or other such work area and
the subsequent assignment, displacement or
lay-off shall be in accordance with seniority'
subj ect to the condi tions set out in this
Article.
REDEPLOYMENT
24 6.1 Where an employee is identified as surplus he
shall be assigned on the basis of his
seniority to a vacancy in his ministry within
a forty (40) kilometre radius of his
headquarters provided he is qualified to
perform the work and the vacancy is
- in the same class or position as the
employee's class or position;
I
l ___ - ______. __ _ __ _ _ .___
:~'~
.;
/--
- 2 -
- in a class or position in which the
employee has served during his current
term of continuous service, or
- another vacancy
DISPLACEMENT
24 9 1 Effective January 1, 1992, an employee who has
completed his probationary period and who is
subject to lay-off as a surplus employee,
shall have the right to displace an employee
who shall be identified by the Employer in the
following manner and sequence
(a) The Employer will identify the employee
with the least seniority in the same
class in which the surplus employee is
presently working and if such employee
has less seniority than the surplus
employee, he shall be displaced by the
surplus employee provided that such
employee is in the same ministry and
within a forty (40 ) kilometre radius of
the headquarters of the surplus employee
and provided that the surplus employee is
qualified to perform the work of such
employee,
(b) If no employee in the same class has less
seniority than the surplus employee, the
Employer will identify the employee in
the class in the same class series
immediately below the class in which the
surplus employee is presently working who
has the least seniority and if he has
less seniority than the surplus employee,
he will be displaced by the surplus
employee provided that such employee is
in the same ministry and within a forty
(40) kilometre radius of the headquarters
of the surplus employee and provided that
the surplus employee is qualified to
perform the work of such employee,
(c) Failing displacement under (a) or (b) the
Employer will review the classes in the
same class series in descending order
until a class is found in which the
-v-.
,
q:i
- 3 -
employee with the least seniority in the
class has less seniority than the surplus
employee In that event such employee
will be displaced by the surplus employee
provided that such employee is in the
same ministry and within a forty ( 40)
kilometre radius of the headquarters of
the surplus employee and provided that
the surplus employee is qualified to
perform the work of such employee;
( d) Notwithstanding the above, in the event
that there are one or more employees in
one or more classes in another class
series in which the surplus employee has
served during his current length of
continuous service who have less
seniority than the surplus employee, the
surplus employee will displace the
employee with the least seniority in the
class with the highest salary maximum (no
greater than the current salary maximum
of the surplus employee's class) and
provided that the surplus employee has
greater seniority than the displaced
employee hereunder, provided that such
employee is in the same ministry and
within a forty < 40) kilometre radius of
the headquarters of the surplus employee
and provided that the surplus employee is
qualified to perform the work of such
employee
Many of the facts were the subject of an "Aqreed statement Of
Facts" which the parties submitted to the Board on April 22, 1994
In addition to the Agreed statement Of Facts, the Board has
before it the evidence of the Grievor
Findings of Fact
On the basis of the evidence of the Grievor and of the Agreed
statement of Facts, the Board finds as follows
I -_._-~--
'(''0,
r,^
- 4 -
1 The Grievor has a seniority date with the Ministry of
March 23, 1981 (Exhibit 23)
2 Another employee of the Ministry, Dan Herries, has a seniority
date with the Ministry of November 30, 1981.. (Exhibit 23) Mr
Herries was given notice of his right to attend and participate in
the hearing, qnd he did so attend and participate
3. The Grievor's position Specification & Class Allocation
(Exhibit 8) is attached to this decision and marked as Appendix 1
4. The Grievor's immediate supervisor signed Exhibit 8 on
AugUst 29, 1989 as did the Ministry official
5. The position title shown for the Grievor in Exhibit 8 is
Assistant Park Superintendent/Conservation Officer His immediate
Supervisor's title is shown as "Superintendent Bass Lake, Mara and
McRae Point Provincial Parks," and his class allocation is shown as
Resource Technician 4 Cons. Off. (Atypical), with the effective
date being shown as November 25, 1987 The signature of the
Authorized Evaluator is shown to have been made on September 1,
1989
6 The position Specification & Class Allocation which applies to
Mr Herries (Exhibit 9) , a copy of which is annexed to this i
decision as Appendix 2, shows an incumbent's position title to be
,...;~
3'<
- 5 -
Conservation Officer. The immediate supervisor's title is shown to
be Enforcement coordinator, and the Class Allocation is shown to be
Resource Technician 4 Cons Off. The signature of the incumbent's
immediate supervisor is shown to nave been made on July 13, 1989,
with the signature of the Ministry official being made on July 14,
1989 The effective date of the Class Allocation is shown to be
November 25, 1987. The signature of the Authorized Evaluator is
shown to have been made on September 21, 1989
7 A reorganization wi thin the Ministry of Natural Resources took
place in June of 1992
8. Prior to the reorganization, the Grievor's and Mr Herries'
Administrative District was Huronia, Central Region
9 After reorganization they were part of the Midhurst
Administrative District, Southern Region
10. The Grievor's class standard at all material times was that
found in Exhibit 22. Exhibit 22 contains a copy of the Class
Standard with respect to Resource Technician 4 - Conservation
Officer
11 In 1985, the Grievor's duties were split between the Parks
Program and the Fish and wildlife Program of the Ministry On
December 6, 1985, he was appointed by the Ministry (Exhibit 3) as
l
\
- 6 -
a conservation Officer pursuant to section 7(1) Game and Fish Act
"for carrying out the Game and Fish Act and the regulations
thereunder " In the memorandum from H Fordyce, the then Regional
Director, Central Region, to the Executive Coordinator, Outdoor
Recreation, (dated November 14, 1985) (Exhibit 2) attached to the
letter recomending his appointment, there is a statement that the
Grievor was then "Assistant Park Superintendent of Bass Lake
Provincial Park, Huronia District and has a dual role in Fish and
wildlife and Parks "
12 Between 1985 and 1992, the Grievor's duties continued to be
split between the Parks Program and the Fish and wildlife Program.
In the Parks Program his role was Assistant Parks Superintendent
and in the Fish and Wildlife Program his role was as a Conservation
Officer The Grievor would spend part of the year primarily
assigned to the Parks Program and part of the year primarily
assigned to the Fish and Wildlife Program He could undertake
duties relating to the Fish and Wildlife Program while assigned t~
the Parks Program and vice versa He had a supervisor in each
program and received performance appraisals, from each of them
13 The amount of time the Grievor spent on Conservation Officer
duties varied from year to year. The parties agree that the
approximate range of work time he spent during a year on
Conservation Officer duties was between 50 and 75 per cent
:<t'.:!'
~
- 7 -
14. Conservation Officer, Syd Sma 11 , prior to the June, 1992
reorganization, had primary responsibility for Tiny and Tay
Townships within the Huronia Administrative District On at least
two occasions, one being a fall-winter-spring period in either
1988-89 or 1989-90, and another being October 1991-April 1992, the
Grievor, along with the performance of other duties, filled in for
Mr. Small. Mr Small continued to perform duties in Tiny and Tay
Townships during these time periods
15. From July 1989 to July 1991 the Ministry employed a bilingual
Deputy Conservation Officer by the name of Julie Carter who was
assigned to Tiny and Tay Townships This employee was
inexperienced in enforcement and was present in a training
capacity. She was providing a French language interpretive program
to the public through the Tiny Marsh Provincial Wildlife area
16 Prior to the reorganization of June 1992, Conservation
Officers were assigned to patrol areas in accordance with Exhibit
4 Mr Herries' patrol areas and duties stayed the same after
reorganization Both before and after reorganization Mr Herries'
spent 100 per cent of his work time engaged in the duties of a
Conservation Officer. Some Conservation Officer patrol areas were
cnanged after reorganization and Exhibit 24 is an accurate
representation of the post-reorganization assignments
I ----
'';',).,
i
I - 8 -
Conservation Officers who were employed within a 40 km radius
17
of the Bass Lake Headquarters before reorganization were Jim
Kitchen, Ken Evans, Syd Small, Randy Brooks, Tom Wilson and Dan
Herries
After reorganization Jim Kitchen, Ken Evans, Randy Brooks and
Dan Herries were employed within a 40 km radius of the Bass Lake
Headquarters A small part of Mr Small's post-reorganization
patrol area remained within Tiny and Tay Townships. The majority
of his patrol area is more than 40 km outside the radius from Bass
Lake
18. In peak times or when circumstances required, it was usual for
Conservation Officers to help out in other areas within the
District.
19 Pre-reorganization there were position specifications for
Conservation Officers in the district as follows.
i) 3 Conservation officers based out of Bass Lake excluding
the position specification marked as Exhibit 8 re the
Grievor described in paragraph 5 herein (Messrs Brooks,
I Evans and Kitchen);
-
I ii) 3 Conservation Officers based out of Earl Rowe Park
I (Messrs. Browning, Dreyer, and Evers);
/i':.~
,j-.
- 9 -
iii) 2 Conservation Officers based out of the District Office
(Messrs Small and Herries)
These positions involved 100 per cent Conservation Officer
duties
20. The Gr ievor was paid throughout the year at the rate of a
Resource Technician - 4 Conservation Officer
21 As a result of the implementation of Minutes of Settlement
with respect to GSB #497/85, all RT-3s for the Ministry of Natural
Resources who were working as Conservation Officers, including the
Grievor, and other persons listed in paragraph 19, above, were
reclassified as RT4 CO and paid accordingly.
22 During the reorganization process, the Grievor's position was
declared eliminated and he was declared surplus. After three
months, he was placed in the position of Assistant Parks
Supervisor, Bass Lake Provincial Park and his pay was red-circled
23. Prior to reorganization a draft District organization chart
dated January 1992 for Midhurst (EXhibit 10) did not disclose a
French language designation for the Conservation Officer positions
listed.
-
t .}:
1;
I
- 10 -
24. Exhibit 11, being a March 1992 draft District organization
chart for Midhurst showed one Conservation Officer position
designated as French language in Area 5 (simcoe West) This area
covered Tiny and Tay Townships
25. The seniority of the Grievor relative to Mr. Herries'
seniority was not considered by the Ministry to be relevant in
declaring him surplus
26. Prior to and during the reorganization process the Ministry
provided certain written guidelines and information to employees
about how the process would work These included Exhibits 12, 13
and 14 In addition, there was correspondence between the Grievor
and the Ministry (Exhibits 16, 17, 18 and 21) regarding his
particular situation.
27 Following reorganization, the staffing situation with respect
to Conservation Officers was as shown in Exhibit 24, and no
individual was assigned to Tiny, Tay and Flos Townships as a
regular patrol
28 Mr wilson and Mr. Small had no difficulty in performing their
Conservation Officer duties in Tiny and Tay Townships when they did
them even though neither of them was bilingual
x.:--
.;
- 11 -
29 The Grievor is not capable of performing Conservation Officer
duties in the French language
30. Tiny and Tay Townships have a French-speaking community
Argument On Behalf Of The Union
Mr Watson made the followin9 submissions, by way of argument,
on behalf ,of the Union
1 However the matter was looked at, the Grievor's "class or
position," within the meaning of article 24 6.1 was that of an RT4
CO, and the addition of the word "Atypical" could not change this
reality, that designation never having been accepted or agreed to
by him
2. The Employer was in violation of article 24 1 by failing to
consider the Grievor's greater seniority to that of Mr Herries.
3 In the absence of any evidence from the Employer to show that
it had in the "subsequent assignment displacement or layoff"
applied seniority, as is required by art 24 1, it had failed to
demonstrate that it had properly administered that article
-~
'<
t
- 12 -
4 Although there was no dispute that the Employer had properly
designated the Conservation Officer position for Tiny and Tay
Townships as requiring a French language capability, it was
disputed that this was called for by any provision of the
collective agreement or by the policy and procedure guidelines
issued by it. Th~ Employer had never properly applied its mind to
whether the Grievor could, notwithstanding the French language
service designation, properly perform his duties and
responsibilities as a Conservation Officer without such a
capability.
5. The effect of the reorganization in June of 1992 was to create
vacancies for all of the Conservation Officer positions in the
District There being a vacancy within the meaning of article
24.6 1, the Grievor, being "in the same class or position" as the
vacant Conservation Officer positions, should have been assigned to
one "on the basis of his greater seniority" to Mr Herries
6. Even if this argument failed, there was a vacant Conservation
Officer position in Tiny and Tay Townships, following
reorganization, and the Grievor should have been appointed to it
pursuant to article 24 6 1
7 The words "class or position" in article 24 6 1 should be
viewed as encompassing all persons who were classified RT4 CO at
the time of the reorganization The June 1992 reorganization was
/~:; !-
- 13 -
so substantial as to render all positions held by employees who
were classified as RT4 CO vacant All RT4 co positions within the
40 kilometre radius of the Grievor's headquarters were vacant
within the meaning of article 24 6 1, and there was no question
that he was "qualified to perform the work" of an RT4 CO
8 In any contest based on seniority, Mr Herries represented the
only RT4 CO with less seniority than the Grievor
9 In support of the position that the Grievor was a Conservation
Officer, reference was made to Exhibit 3 being his appointment as
a Conservation Officer for carrying out the Game and Fish Act and
the regulations thereunder dated December 6, 1985
10 Reliance was also had on the fact that the Grievor was paid at
the RT4 CO rate
11 Reliance was also had on the fact that there was agreement
that the Grievor carried out the core duties and responsibilities
of the RT4 'CO classification for 50 to 75 per cent of the time
12 The Grievor was entitled to carry a sidearm, which
Conservation Officers could do but parks personnel could not
- - "- ----
'<
~;
- 14 -
13 The major indicia pointed to the Grievor' s performing the
duties and responsibilities of a Conservation Officer within the
RT4 CO classification
14 There was no evidence to refute the fact that the Grievor was
qualified and, for the majority of time, performed the same duties
and responsibilities as the other RT4 CO's and could be called upon
to do so at any time, even if, on occasion, his ability to perform
those duties was under-utilized
15. The Grievor had never accepted the Employer's atypical
designation to his classification, and the Board should find that
his best fit was within the RT4 CO classification The Employer
did not classify the Grievor either as an Assistant Park
Superintendent or Assistant Park superintendent (Atypical) and
recognized that the best fit available for him was within the RT4
CO classification
16 Reference was made to Exhibit 13, being a "R & R Bulletin"
dated June 10, 1992 dealing with the staffing process under the
"new organization." Under "questions and answers", the following
question was asked
Q~ Is seniority the deciding factor in determining who is assigned
to area teams?
A If there are more employees than positions within a 40-
kilometre radius, then seniority must determine that the most
senior employees will be assigned to the positions. For
example, if eight Resource Technician 3s (RT3s) are slated for
i.:~ :-
- 15 -
assignment to six RT3 positions, then the six most senior
employees will be assigned to the six positions
However, once it is determined which employees will be
assigned to area teams, other factors in addition to seniority
will be considered by managers in determining which area team
each employee will be assigned to Other factors include
organizational needs, employee desires, and location
17 Reference was made to Exhibit 14, being an undated document
entitled "staffing Process, jl which indicates that it was received
in the Bass Lake Provincial Park office of the Ministry on May 28,
1992, and the statements contained in that document.
Finally, for your information the steps in the process are
captured in point form below..
9. Identification of most junior employees by classification
within 40 kms radius;
10. rationalization of these listings to accommodate seniority
and salary parameters assignment rights;
18 Reference was also made to Exhibit 15, being a letter to the
Grievor, dated June 22, 1992, from George Tough, the Deputy
Minister of Natural Resources, which is as follows
PRIVATE AND CONFIDENTIAL
As a result of the reorganization of the Ministry of
Natural Resources, it is necessary to eliminate certain
positions. This action is being taken to improve the
efficiency and effectiveness of the Ministry in order to
- enhance our efforts at achieving our stated goal of
developing the sustainability of our natural resources
In the process of the reorganization, effective June 29,
1992 your position will cease to exist This declaration
is made in accordance with Section 22(4) of the Public
Service Act and will be subject to the conditions under
Article 24 of the current Collective Agreement. The
I
I
;~.
-"'
- 16 -
period of redundancy will be for six months. At the end
of this period, circumstances will be reviewed in light
of the one job offer guarantee, which you are reminded
stays in effect until a suitable position is found
It is my earnest desire that the reorganization be
carried out with the minimum possible adverse effects on
the employment status and job opportunities of the
employees concerned During this redundancy period we
will endeavour to place all surplus employees in vacant
positions for which they are qualified elsewhere in the
Ministry or in other Ministries. As long as no job offer
has been made you will continue to be paid at the rate of
pay of your current classification level and be provided
with meaningful work that is in keeping with your
qualifications, experience and ability to perform.
If you have any questions in relation to your career
opportunities or entitlements, please do not hesitate to
discuss them with your Manager who will do his/her best
to provide answers for you or will refer you to a Human
Resources Officer for more detailed information. The
Human Resources Branch in Main Office and the Regional
Human Resources Officers will play an important role in
this process, and will provide the best possible
information and advice.
As a matter of policy, I have asked that the ontario
Public Service Employees Union be kept fully informed of
our plans and progress
I regret the necessity of this action and hope you will
be placed in another suitable position I assure you
again that every reasonable effort will be made to assist
you in doing so, in order that your career may progress
in a fulfilling and challenging manner
19. It was submitted that there was nothing in Exhibit 15 to
indicate that the Grievor's seniority had been considered
20 Reference was also made to Exhibits 16, 17 and 18 which are as
follows:
July 30, 1992
Article 26 Committee - Midhurst District
. ;.
......;
- 17 -
I would like response on the following concerns All of
these relate to the staffing process
1 Throughout reorganization process, up to and
including organizational chart dated January 1992,
there is no reference to a bilingual Conservation
Officer position in Midhurst district What
happened between January and June, 1993 to change
this designation
2. contained in a document titled "Update on staffing
Process" dated May 14'92, there is an item "J"
which talks about removal of F L S designation
with specific reference to F L S Conservation
Officer position in Midhurst District
- Who would be "the manager" referred to?
- What criteria were used to decide that
there was no old jOb/new job match with
existing Conservation Officer positions?
- Is "the manager" still in a position to
review this as described?
3. I request a list of continuous service dates for
all R T 4 - CO. 's within 40 km of my work
centre
Thank You!
Tom Wilson
Bass Lake Office
P.O. Box 2178
orillia, ontario
L3V 6S1
(705 ) 326-7054
-
September 8, 1992
Mr Tom Wilson
Bass Lake Office
P.O Box 2178
Orillia, ontario
L3V 6S1
Dear Tom:
I would like to respond to the questions you raised in
your letter, dated July 30, 1992, which was forwarded to
the Article 26 Committee
I -. ---
--- ----
....,. :lj
- 18 -
The decision to designate the first vacant Conservation
Officer position in Huronia District as bilingual was
made in 1986 by the District Management Committee At
that time Huronia District was designated bilingual under
the French Language Services Act (FLS) and reaffirmed
during the reorganization process
Reorganization has given us the opportunity to provide
FLS in the compliance field in recognition of MNR's
commitment to the provisions under the FLS Act to provide
appropriate services This commitment was reiterated in
George Tough's memo, dated May 1992, wherein he stated
"French Language Services must become an ongoing and
integral part of our program delivery practices".
The auditors report on French Language Services,
completed in the fall of 1991 and published in March
1992, states "Management at all levels of the
organization must be committed to the principles of the
FLS Act and understand and accept their ongoing
responsibilities relative to program delivery in French".
In response to your query regarding item J in the
document "Update on Staffing process" the reference to
"manager" means the manager in a district office.
The criteria used for an old job/new job match to the
Conservation Officer (FLS) position was the requirement
to have advanced oral and written French language skills
to ontario government standards. The advanced level is
required to enable the Ministry to provide a full range
of services in French within the designated areas of the
province.
Under the Freedom of Information and Protection of
Privacy Act we are unable to provide you with a list of
continuous service dates for all Conservation Officers
within 40 krn's of your work centre
I trust I have addressed all your concerns relative to
issues brought before the Article 26 Committee
Yours truly,
- Michael J Williams
District Manager
Midhurst District
-
September 17, 1992
Michael J. Williams
...
.0..'
- 19 -
District Manager
Midhurst District
Dear Michael
Please be advised that I did receive yolir letter of
response to my staffing concerns on September ~, 1992
As you are probably aware there was considerable
discussion around this subject at our last article 26
meeting I advised the committee that I was not
satisfied your response had properly addressed my
concerns Subsequently, the committee requested that I
go back to you and try to more clearly elaborate these
My personal staffing concerns, as expressed in my earlier
letter, revolve around two issues. I will attempt to lay
these out separately
1. One of the guiding principles for the reorganization
process was "the promotion of maximum employment
continuity for all M.N R. employees"-. My own
interpretation of this is that reorganization should not
be used to displace existing staff where job duties are
continuous. I think this position is clearly supported
in section J of the staffing process document to which I
referred to in my original letter. My questions around
this issue which remain unanswered are:
Did the district manager review this designation as
indicated?
If so, then what criteria were used to decide that
an old/new match could not be made with existing
Conservation Officers?
If not then is the district manager still in a
position to complete this review?
2. My other staffing concern involves access to a
I seniority list which was denied in your letter of
response It remains my understanding that this
! information shall be made accessible, through article 26
committees I believe that Bev paish is currently
investigating this.
It is clear that M N.R reorganization must operate
within the confines of The Collective Agreement,
particularly Article 24 This is continually referred to
in staffing process documents Also, I recall the
staffing review given by Roger Gordon at the Article 26
training session, in July.. On a paper flip chard, Roger
outlined the process using a typical OAG series in a
district office During this example, he stressed that
these staff lists be prepared in order of seniority.
...~ 1;"
.
- 20 -
I would still like a review of the seniority list for
R T 4 - CO's in the former Huronia district If there
are person(s) on this list with less seniority than
myself then I would suggest that we are in contravention
of Article 24 of The Collective Agreement.
The Article 26 committee was certainly pleased to hear
that the surplus list is shrinking, but all members were
concerned that the outstanding staffing issues are
dragging on I would appreciate a response at your
earliest convenience and that we soon arrange the next
suitable date for a committee meeting.
Yours truly,
Tom Wilson
Bass Lake Office
P.O. Box 2178
orillia, ontario
L3V 6S1
21. Reference was also made to Exhibit 21, being a letter, dated
September 30, 1992, to Mr Wilson from Michael J Williams,
District Manager Midhurst District, being in reply to Exhibit 18
I will try to clarify the points you raised in your
letter of september 17, 1992 ~nd your previous letter on
this matter.
Through the staffing process during reorganization, we
reviewed all of the Conservation Officer job
specifications and their geographic patrol areas This
review included your own position You were the only
Conservation Officer without a permanent patrol area
because of your duties as Assistant Park Superintendent
during the summer months. When you did work as a
Conservation Officer, you covered off for the other
Conservation Officers when they were off duty or on
vacation You also spent a good portion of your time on
Lake Simcoe and working the deer yard in the area north
of the Severn, which has been transferred to Parry Sound
District. As such, your position prior to June 26th, was
not identifiable to a specific geographic patrol area and
you were not deemed as a match to a Conservation Officer
position
----- ---------
. ,..
,..
- 21 -
Given that we used the geographical patrol areas as a
factor for old job to new job match, seniority was not a
factor in the staff ing process governing the Conservation
Officer positions I will explain this to the Article 26
Committee as it may remove the necessity for reviewing a
seniority list of the Conservation Officers
Seniority for all RT4's in the former Huronia District
will be discussed, if necessary, with the Article 26
Committee Given your direct involvement in this case,
I feel it would be a conflict of interest for you to be
present during these discussions This list is not
available to individual staff and should not be available
to someone on the Committee who has a personal interest
in the list Therefore, if you are agreeable to stepping
down from the chair and removing yourself from the room,
seniority could be reviewed with the committee members.
I have reviewed the French language designations on our
organizational chart and determined that the designations
will remain
I hope I have responded to your questions and a copy of
this will be forwarded to the Article 26 Committee
22. Reference was made to paragraph 3 of Exhibit 21 in support of
an argument that the Employer had acknowledged that it was
necessary for it to consider seniority in relation to the
application of articles 24 1 and 24.6 1.
23 Reference was made to Palanqio, 227/83 (Verity), where the
majority of the Board stated, at p.7.
Pursuant to Article 24 2 1 [now Article 24 6 1] where an
employee is identified as surplus, he or she is then
assigned, if qualified to perform the work, to a vacancy
on the basis of seniority within the Ministry "within a
40 kilometer radius, and wi thin certain salary perameters
in one of three possible situations
- a vacancy within the same classification
I
!
......c: _.
- 22 -
- a vacancy within a class in which the employee
has served during his current term of
continuous service
- another vacancy
24. There are certain differences in article 24.2 1, referred to
in Palanqio, and article 24 6 1, however they are not material for
the purpose of deciding the issue before me
25 Reference was made to the following statement found at pp 8-9
of Palangio
It would appear that Article 24 provides a certain
measure of job protection in the sense of guaranteeing a
job and the avoidance of a sudden lay-off, but does not
provide classification protection The purpose of the
Article generally is to provide employment stability and
salary stability on the basis of seniority Assignment
of employees on a seniority basis means that the more
senior the employee, the earlier the assignment.
26. Reference was also made to the decision of S D Kaufman, who
dissented in Palangio, at pp.3-5
As a result, less senior employees can be assigned to
positions with higher classifications than employees with
an earlier seniority date
This conflicts with the controlling principle of Article
24, which is that employees' assignments "shall be in
accordance with seniority, subject to the conditions set
out in this Article "
The "shall" is mandatory Assignments then must be in
accordance with seniority. This is only subject to the
- conditions set out in Article 24. Article 24 does not
require that the assignments be accepted immediately or
that the surplus employees be removed from consideration
on a surplus list if they refuse the assignment That
inflexibility is not in Article 24, it is in the system
propounded by management as set out in Exhibit 12, and in
the evidence of Nancy Navkar and Thomas McIntosh
, ,~
-,
- 23 -
Thomas McIntosh, then Project Coordinator of the Kingston
Relocation project of the Ministry of Transportation and
Communications advised this Board that if an employee
refused an assignment, for example, for medical reasons,
management would permit the person to refuse the
assignment and allow him to remain on the surplus list
Thus, even the Ministry was giving a temporal dimension
to its system The discretion to allow employees to
remain on the surplus list after refusing an assignment
for which they are "automatically" qualified, i e., they
are the most senior person on the surplus list and
qualified when the job is available, is not absent from
the scheme, notwithstanding that the Collective Agreement
is silent on the point
The question then becomes, should the discretion to allow
the Grievor to remain on the surplus list have been
exercised in this case, should it have been built int<;>
the system, and what would have been reasonable time to
allow her to remain on the surplus list
In my opinion, the Grievor should have been allowed to
remain on the surplus list This would have had the
effect of maintaining seniority as the controlling
factor.
The system as presently structured and in its present
"mechanical" operation overlooks the employee's right to
a similar position within a reasonable period of time.
- In my opinion, it would have been reasonable to allow the
Grievor, ,and others in a similar situation to remain on
the surplus list until August 15, 1983 It would have
been reasonable to oblige them to accept the first
position in the same class or position that came
available for which they were qualified and to offer them
a vacancy of the class or position in which they had
served during their current term of continuous service as
they came available. The most senior person could have
first choice of the latter position If no position came
available in the same class or position as any particular
employee until August 15, 1983, the employee, in this
case, the Grievor, would be required to take whatever
position within 24 2.1 was available to her for
assignment in the time remaining before the lay-off date.
- The risk would be on the employee, if no position
described in 24.2 1 came available in the remaining
period before the proposed date of layoff
27 Reference was also made to Peterson, 560/83 (Swan), at pp 7-8:
"(i;;..
- 24 -
The Employer argued that the answer to this grievance
lies in an analysis of article 24. That article
provides, in great detail, for a sequential approach to
an employee who is identified as surplus to his position.
Clauses 24.2 1 [24 6 1], 24 2 2 [24 6 4]and 24 2 3
[24.6.3] are the initial response required by the
Collective Agreement. Each of these clauses provides
that an employee "shall be assigned on the basis of his
seniority" and none of these provisions has any element
of competition as between tha surplus employee and any
other person The only tests to be met by the employee
is a threshold test, whether he is qualified to perform
the work. If assignment under these provisions is not
possible, the employee is to be laid-off.
Clause 24.6 1 [24.9 1] then provides a detailed code for
bumping by the employee subject to lay-off over another
employee with less seniority. This clause, like the
provisions of clauses 24 2 1, 2 4.2 2 and 24 2.3, does
not contemplate any competition with such other
employees, and relies solely on seniority.
28. Reference was also made to the statement contained at pp.11-12
of Peterson.
In the present case, the complaint is that the grievor's
rights to positions which became vacant were not
considered either in priority to or concurrent with the
rights of employees who had subsequently been identified
as surplus. In our view, this does not offend the
agreement As we have already pointed out, the
provisions of clauses 24 2 1, 24 2.2 and 24 2.3 do not
contemplate any competition whatsoever; once the position
becomes vacant, the surplus employee must be considered.
for that vacancy, and the test of whether he is to be
appointed to that vacancy is whether he possesses the
basic qualifications. Similarly, that employee then
becomes eligible to exercise his seniority rights through
bumping pursuant to clause 24 6 1, where once again the
only test of his right to bump another employee is the
threshold test of the basic qualifications t() perform the
work of that employee. It will be observed that bumping
rights are the second level of relief for employees newly
declared surplus. Employees who have already been
through the procedure and have been laid-off have no such
rights after lay-off It would seem unusual, therefore,
if employees newly declared surplus had to compete with
laid-off employees for vacancies to which they may be
assigned under clauses 24 2 1, 24 2.2 or 24 2 3, but did
.,
...
,.
- 25 -
not need to compete with anyone when exe~cising bumping
rights.
In other words, we think that the employer's view of the
article is correct, that it creates sequential rights for
employees whose jobs have become redundant in three
stages.
29 Reference was made to p 4 paragraph J of Exhibit 12
J. French Language Designated positions In some
cases, a position seems to be an old/new match
except for the removal of the FLS designation. The
manager should review the extent to which the
provision of French Language Service was a core
duty of the old position and determine if the
removal of the designation affects the position
sufficiently so that the old/new match could not be
made. If the French Language services was not a
significant duty of the position then an old/new
match can still be made
Steps 6,8,9,10 Employees, cannot J::>e assigned to a
vacancy on an underfill basis, as the Collective
Agreement requires the employee to be qualified. For
purposes of these assignments employees need only have
the minimum qualifications, not necessarily all the
qualifications of the full working level.
- I
If the salary parameters can not be met then the employee
remains surplus and only through a competition could an
employee access a vacancy outside of the +3 and -10%
salary parameters
step 11: During the assignment to organizational units
and Area Teams managers can not rationalize the staffing
that was made during the old job to new job matches.
Rationalization to org units/area teams can only be made
to employees assigned to vacancies.
Example: If an employee has an old job/new job match to
an area clerk, the manager CANNOT move this employee to
a support services clerk position and move a support
services clerk to an area clerk. Old job/new job matches
CANNOT be disturbed
After the organization is in place there may be an
opportunity for lateral transfers as provided by article
4 6.1 of the Collective agreement
'u.
- ~ '"
- 26 -
GENERAL INFORMATION
Managers can not approve/sign waivers on moving
expenses. If an employee volunteers to pay their
own moving expenses to affect a placement, the
manager cannot make such an agreement
RPT's can retain their jobs through the old job to
new job exercise Managers must ensure that not
only are the core dutie~ the same, but that the
hours of work remain similar
RPT's cannot be assigned during steps 6,8,9,10
Any RPT not placed on the old to new match, will be
surplus and will be eligible to bid on vacant
positions that may go to competition
The ONE JOB OFFER does not mean that the job offer
has to be within the MNR As long as the
offer/assignment meets the obligations under the
Collective agreement and the Public Service Act,
(which could be an assignment in another Ministry)
our obligation to provide one job offer has been
honoured.
. Employees who refuse an assignment within 40 KM.
have opted to be laid off. They can be allowed to
work for the balance of their notice period and at
the end of that period will be terminated.
The effective date will be June 26, 1992 -All
assignments (both position and salary) will be
effective on that date
30 The Employer should have, on the facts of the case before us,
applied its mind to whether the Grievor could perform the duties of
the position, and submitted that there was no dispute that he could
not do so.
3l. The Union had made a prima facie case that the Grievor could
perform the duties and carry out the responsibilites of a
Conservation Officer's in Tiny and Tay Townships even though he was
unilingual and notwithstanding the French language designation
,.:,,~ ...
~. ..'
,
I
- 27 -
32 Reference was made to the last paragraph of Exhibit 21 "I
have reviewed the French language designations on our
organizational chart and determined that the designations will
remain. II
33. Reference was made to Beck, 196/89 (Watters), where the
grievor applied for a position that stated that one of the
qualifications for the position was "advanced oral French-language
skills II
The position of the union in the Beck case is set out at p.9
. . that the French language requirement per se was not
reasonably related to the needs of the position. It did
not contest the case on the basis that advanced oral
French, as opposed to some lesser level of skill, was
required This submission was premised primarily on the
fact that an English speaking person had satisfactorily
occupied the position in question for some 20 years and
that services in that period had not been offered in
French. It was argued that this history served to
distinguish this dispute from that brought before the
Board and Giasson, 2250/87 (Watters) and MacKenzie,
1243/87 (Ratushny) as in both of those instances
bilingual services had been provided for prior to the
adoption of a French language requirement. It was also
submitted that alternate methods existed for delivering
the service. In this regard, reference was made to there
being ten bilingual persons within the District Office
and to the existence of a bilingual service centre in
Toronto, ontario which could be accessed by telephone
Reference was made to the statement concerning the MacKenzie
case, found at'p 13 of Beck where ". . the Board did not consider
the suggested alternatives to be feasible in the circumstances "
~.~ ....
..
- 28 -
It was submitted that the Employer, in the case before us, was
under an obligation to consider whether the Grievor could fill the
Conservation Officer position in Tiny and Tay Townships even though
he was unilingual. This, notwithstanding the fact that the Union
did not dispute the right of the Employer to designate the position
as bilingual. The designation as bilingual does not end the
matter, as the Employer has to explain why it waited for the
reorganization to designate the Conservation Officer position in
Tiny and Tay Townships as bilingual when it could have done so four
or five years prior to reorganization
In the alternative, it was submitted that the Employer had, by
its admission, other persons available to offer French language
services in Tiny and Tay Townships - although it has admitted they
are no longer there - which was sufficient to require it to
redeploy the Grievor to that administrative district as a
!
Conservation Officer. I
!
34 Reference was also made to MacLean, 782/89 (Gorsky)
Arqument On Behalf Of The Emplover
Ms. Gallop made the following submissions on behalf of the
Employer.
...
...... -...
,. i':
- 29 -
1 The Employer has the exclusive right to carry out a
reorganization; to decide how many, if any, Conservation Officers
or Parks personnel positions it wishes to have in an administrative
district, and to decide if a position should be designated as
bilingual Reference was made to s 18 (1) of the Crown Emplovees
Collective Bargaininq Act which provides inter alia that.
18.-(1) Every collective agreement shall be deemed to
provide that it is the exclusive function of the employer
to manage, which function, without limiting the
generality of the foregoing, includes the right to
determine,
(a) employment, appointment, complement, organization,
assignment .. classification of positions .
2 The Grievor's position was neither that of a Conservation
Officer or an Assistant Park Superintendent at the time of the
reorganization, but was a split position, as stated in the position
title: "Assistant Park Superintendent/Conservation Officer." The
duties and responsibilities set out in Exhibit 8, being the
Grievor's position specification and class allocation form, were
consistent with the split nature of the position and were
contrasted with those of Conservation Officers, such as Mr
Herries, as represented by Exhibit 9, where the position title is
shown as Conservation Officer, and where the duties and related
tasks are consistent with the position title, there being no split
position
3. There was a difference in position title, class definition and
percentage of duties and responsibilities assigned to the positions
-...,-
.oI!..'!S:
c
. ;.
- 30 -
in Exhibits 8 and 9. There was no issue taken on behalf of the
Grievor with the statement of duties and responsibilities in
Exhibits 8 and 9, and no challenge had been made to the Grievor's
classification as a Resource Technician 4 Cons Off (Atypical) as
found in Exhibit 8.
4 Accordingly, the Grievor could not be regarded as having
either the same classification or position title as Mr Herries.
For article 24 1 to be relied upon by the Grievor, on the basis of
his greater seniority to that of Mr Herries, the "class or
position" of both of them would have to be the same As a result
of the reorganization in June of 1992, the "abolition of a
position" that occurred was that of the Grievor's and not a
position that he held in common with Mr Herries.
5 It was emphasized that all other Conservation Officers in the
District performed one hundred per cent Conservation Officer duties
and, unlike Mr Wilson, were assigned to particular patrol areas
when performing those duties.
6. As a result of the reorganization there were no further split
positions of Assistant Park Superintendent/Conservation Officer in
the District, and the decision to declare the Grievor surplus was
the only choice the Ministry could make.
~,,-~---
..
"" ,.
~ "
- 31 -
7. As a result of the reorganization, the Grievor's spilt
position ceased to exist in the District and, accordingly, the
Ministry was within its rights to identify him as a surplus
employee in accordance with the provisions of article 24 1
8 The provisions of article 24 did not require the Employer to
assign the Grievor to the same class or position that he previously
occupied prior to his being identified as a surplus employee
9. The Grievor's classification was also different from that of
Mr Herries, and accordingly there was no failure to accord
recognition to the Grievor's seniority under article 24 1, nor was
there a vacancy in the Grievor's "same class or position" so as to
bring article 24 6 1 into operation.
10 Addressing the argument of the union with respect to its claim
that there was a vacant Conservation Officer position available in
Tiny and Tay Townships, it was submitted that no Conservation
Officer had been assigned to that area since reorganization In
any event, the Grievor was not classified as an RT4 CO nor was his
position that of a Conservation Officer under his Position
Specification and Class Allocation form
11 Mr. Herries' position and those of the other Conservation
Officers shown on Exhibit 24 had not been abolished at the time of
reorganization, and there were no vacancies within the meaning of
~- - J
~".
~'~
'-
~, ~
- 32 -
article 24 6 1, which would allow for the operation of that article
to assist the Grievor, even if' it could be considered that he was
in the same class or position as Mr Herries The operation of the
latter article not only requires an employee identified as surplus
to be "qualified to perform the work," the vacancy must be "in the
same class or position as the employee's class or position"
12 . Ref erence was made to Read et a 1., 1548/89 (Gorsky), where the
majority of the Board stated, at pp 21-22
. Displacement rights under Article 24.6 1 are subject
to seniority, and displacement rights only arise after
the failure to secure a position for an employee
identified under Article 24.1 through the process of
assignment What the Grievors' ask for is the creation
of a right which they regard as "logical" This cannot
be achieved under Article 24 1. The other employees
working for OHIP were not surplus employees. If they
could be treated as surplus employees, then the Grievors
would not have been surplus employees and would have had
no rights under Article 24, which only grants rights to
surplus employees What the Grievors really request is
that the surplus list include them as well as the
employees whom they wish to displace and they ask for an
immediate right of displacement That is, displacement
without going through the assignment procedure For the
reasons above described, this is not what the parties
have agreed to.
The reasons above described, in the immediately above noted
quotation, are set out at p 20
In drafting Article 24 1 as they did the parties created
a scheme that is much more consistent with the
establishment of a mandatory process moving from
assignment to displacement to layoff. In each case
subject to certain rights and subject to the penalty of
a loss of those rights where an employee does not accept
an assignment as provided for in Article 24 4.
,,",.,. ~
:;
- 33 -
13 Reference was made to the Peterson case relied upon by the
Union, at p 12, where the Board noted that the provisions of
article 24 create "sequential rights for employees whose jobs have
become redundant in three stages "
14. Reference was also made to p 5 of the Palanqio case relied
upon by the Union
. Article 24 provides a certain measure of job
protection in the sense of guaranteeing a jOb and the
avoidance of a sudden lay-off, but does not provide
classification protection
It was submitted that once the Grievor was declared surplus,
the Employer's obligations were satisfied and his rights under
article 24.6.1 were not violated
15 There was no obligation placed on the Employer by the
collective agreement or the Crown Employees' Collective Barqaining
Act to create a vacancy for the Grievor, nor was there any
statement in the case law to that effect
16. As there was no vacancy for a Conservation Officer in the
Midhurst District to which the Grievor was assigned, it was
irrelevant that he was qualified to perform as a Conservation
Officer In the circumstances, the arguments made on behalf of the
Grievor relating to the Conservation Officer position in Tiny and
Tay Townships being declared bilingual under the French Languaqe
services Act need not be explored That is, it did not matter
"i. "'
#ii' ~
.i:J .~
- 34 -
whether the Grievor could perform that job without being bilingual
Such an issue would only arise if there was a vacancy for a
Conservation Officer
17. The only limit on the Employer's right to institute a French
language qualification is in the context of job posting cases where
the French language qualification must be shown to be reasonably
related to the job in question
18. Reference was made to Ansara, (Verity) at pp 17-19:
Under the management rights provision of s.18(1) of the
Crown Emolovees Collective Bargaininq Act, the Employer
has the right to establish qualifications required to
perform a particular job It is now well established
that the appropriate standard of review is to ensure that
a particular qualification is reasonably related to the
job in question. I
. . I
In our view the French Languaqe Services Act. 1986
provides an important context in assessing reasonableness
of the French language qualifications .
19. Referring to the information statements (Exhibits 12, 13 and
14) relied upon by counsel for the Union, it was submitted that
such information statements and any correspondence relied upon by
the Union from the Ministry did not confer on this Board the
jurisdiction to interpret anything other than the collective
agreement, and we were not able to determine whether there had, in
fact, been a breach of the Employer's guidelines.
I? .... ...
, ~
- 35 -
20 In any event, it was submitted that there had been no
violation of the Employer's guidelines Reference was made to
Exhibit 12 at p 4, which must be read along with paragraph I
Paragraph I states:
I As managers are determining old job/new job matches,
they must review "real" duties of the current positions
Do not rely on just reviewing the classifications
Example: Manager reviews real duties of employee
and determines that this employee classified
currently at an RT2 level has sufficient duties
added to his/her job to be considered to be placed
as an RT3
This employee will be placed in the pool of
employees available for placement as an RT3 within
40 km
The total pool of employees available for RT3
placement will then be assigned to the RT3
positions within 40 km as per the process
If at the end of the assignments the former RT2 is
the most junior and cannot be placed, he/she will
be surplus at the RT3 level
* Not all RT2's are automatically eligible for RT3
placement This is an individual decision that the
manager must make by carefully reviewing the real duties.
Paragraph I merely gives to managers the right to review an
employee's duties and responsibilities to see whether they are
sufficient to enable placement in a higher classification.
However, this could only be done if there was a vacancy within the
meaning of article 24 6 1
21 It was submitted that, on the facts of the case, para J was
not applicable as it deals with the removal of the French language
I
I
_n --- -,-
"-
..,......' -
tJ~
- 36 -
service designation, and there was no evidence that the French
language requirement had been removed
22. Reference was also made to Exhibit 13, being the R&R Bulletin
dated June 10, 1992 paragraph 1
1. Managers review the job specifications and the duties
outlined in positions in both the old and the new
organization The managers determine which positions
have not changed, or have changed somewhat but can still
be identified with an employee who was performing most of
those duties before the reorganization
staff in positions that have remained generally the same
will retain ownership of their positions in the new
organization In some cases, these positions may have
changed enough to be reclassified either up or down, but
they will still be considered the same job These
positions will not be available for further staffing
action.
23. In the case before us, Mr. Herries' position had not changed
and he would, therefore, retain ownership of his position "in the
new organization."
24 Reference was also made to the second paragraph on the first
page of Exhibit 14, where the "cornerstone of the entire process"
is identified as "identifying old job to the new job matches from
old organization to new organization," which was said to recognize
"that employees continue to have rights to their job should they
remain largely unchanged by the reorganization "
--------
"!, ~ ~~"
::~ v
- 37 -
This is said to have resulted in Mr. Herries' retaining his
old position This was not the case for the Grievor, whose ,old
position was abolished on reorganization
Discussion
1. There was no evidence to indicate that the Employer had
abolished the Grievor's position as Conservation Officer /
(
Assistant Park Superintendent for other than valid operational
considerations.
2 The Employer had the exclusive right under the Crown
Employees' Collective Barqaininq Act to classify the Grievor, arid
that his classification at the time of the reorganization was
Resource Technician 4 Conservation Officer (Atypical) For the
purpose of this grievance it was not suggested that there could be
no atypical designation in the Grievor' s cla'ssification. Rather,
it was submitted that based on his duties and responsibilities his
classification should have been Resource Technician 4 Conservation
I officer, without the Atypical designation
3 In order for the Board to accede to the suggestion made by
counsel for the Union with respect to the Grievor's classification,
we would have had to regard the grievance as being, in effect, two
grievances One relating to improper classification, and the other
--.~
...-~ ~ '"
i;~
- 38 -
relating to the Emloyer's failure to co~ply with the provisions of
article 24, as alleged
4 Even if we could regard the grievance as enabling us to deal
with the classification issue, we would find that there was
insufficient evidence to demonstrate that the Grievor was
incorrectly classified His core duties contained a substantial
number of duties and responsibilities that did not fall within the
RT4 CO classification, anywhere between 25 and 50 per cent of his
duties falling outside of that class standard. In addition,
although the Grievor performed a significant amount of Conservation
Officer duties, when viewed in their entirety his duties and
responsibilities were significantly different from those of the
other Conservation Officers referred to
5 In the circumstances, the fact that the Grievor might be
called upon to perform Conservation Officer duties as described in
Exhibit 9, cannot overcome the fact that the totality of his core
duties and responsibilities, as described in Exhibi t 8, did not
represent a best fit with those provided for in the class standard
6. The Grievor's appointment as a Conservation Officer (Exhibit
3) was for the purposes of the Game and Fish Act, and it would
still be necessary to establish that he was a Conservation Officer
under the class standard for the purpose of identifying his proper
at
.'S"cv:
!i'" c
~.O' .
- 39 -
classification and to establish that he was a Conservation Officer
within the meaning of the position Specification (Exhibit 9).
7 There was nothing in any of the bulletins or correspondence,
when viewed in context, that conflicted with the Employer's
obligations under the collective agreement or the Crown Emplovees'
Collective Barqaininq Act.
a If we had found that the Grievor was improperly classifed as
a Resource Technician 4, Conservation Officer (Atypical), we would
not have removed the atypical designation, but would have issued a
Berry order This would not have the effect of placing the Grievor
in the same "class" as Mr Herries, so as to bring seniority into
consideration as suggested by the Union
9 The employees who, it was acknowledged, were properly
classified as Resource Technician 4 Conservation Officer, and whose
position title was acknowledged to be that of Conservation Officer
within a 40 km. radius of the Bass Lake headquarters, were Messrs.
Kitchen, Evans, Small, Brooks and Herries We find that the
Grievor was classified as a Resource Technician 4 Conservation
Officer (Atypical) holding the position title of Assistant Park
Superintendent/conservation Officer at the time of reorganization
10 After reorganization Messrs Kitchen, Evans, Brooks and
Herries retained their class allocations and held the same position
I
.~~.....
.,,~..
,~ ~
- 40 -
titles as they had prior to the reorganization In the case of Mr
Small, he held the same class allocation and position title except
for the fact that the majority of his patrol area was more than 40
kilometres outside the radius from Bass Lake, with only a small
part of his post-reorganization patrol area peing within Tiny and
Tay Townships. There was no evidence to show that there was an
increase in the number of places for persons classified as Resource
Technician 4 conserva~ion Officer, holding the position title of
Conservation Officer within a 40 kilometre radius of the Bass Lake
Headquarters
11- Accordingly, there being no evidence of bad faith on the part
of the Employer in carrying out the reorganization or by declaring
that the Grievor was surplus, it was not required, to consider the
relative seniority of the Grievor and Mr. Herries during the
process of identifying surplus employees under article 241. The
Grievor's seniority in relation to Mr Herries would only have been
material if their classifcation was the same or if they held the
same position.
12 When the parties agreed to article 24 they established a
continuum of possibilities which were available to an employee
declared surplus. Article 24 1 starts the process. It is,
however, not a provision that requires that a junior employee be
declared surplus in any event Read along with the other
provisions of article 24, such as art 24 6 1 and art 24 9 1, it
COb
.fl.l~.~-:":'
i ~'
- 41 -
is clear that in identifying an employee as surplus, and in
considering seniority, the Employer is not required to look to the
positions that an employee could perform, but to the employee's
class or position, depending on the sub-article of article 24 being
invoked. It is only when an employee has been unsuccessful in
obtaining a placement under earlier sub-articles of article 24 that
he may, under art. 24.9.1 (c) and (d) displace an employee in
another class
For the sake of completeness we would note that the Union did not
endeavour to invoke the application of the provisions of article
24 9.1.
13. If we regarded article 24 1 as having the meaning suggested by
counsel for the Union, we would be disregarding the scheme
established for displacement under article 24 9 1. As that article
was not relied upon, we will not comment further upon its possible
application to the facts before us
14 In summary, on the facts before us, and on the submissions of
counsel, we have found that the Employer when engaged in the
process of identifying a surplus employee pursuant to article 24.1
was not required to consider the seniority of the Grievor in
relation to Mr Herries As there was no vacancy in the same class
or position as the Grievor's class or position, there was no basis
-- --------------~-----~-- -~---~--- -------------
1/~i.f';
~(.i'
- 42 -
for applying the provisions of articles 24 1 or 24 6 1 in favour of
the Grievor
Article 24 6.1 and article 24 1 were the only articles that
were said to apply to the case of the Grievor, and we do not have
to consider any of the other provisions of article 24.
15 For all of the above reasons the grievance is denied
Dated at Toronto this 18th day of May, 1994
.."".~- ~41tC.. ~7
M. Gorsky - Vice Chair
,/ {9- ~<t--C:::;;
W Rannachan --Member
7rI t O)'~
M O'Toole - Member
r:fl.~i" --- - ~.ItJdn ispectflcatlt"
k- .:;!- @ .. eta.. AJlocatlon-CSc 6150
(Refer 10 back of , lor completlon Instructions)
OntariO Dew recelved PrOYioua ....lel number N.w ...111 number
For CSC
u.. only
1 POIltlon tltl. (See _I
Conservation Officer
!~ '.. Work IA.P T POUt.onlyl C.ICIl. ___01_<<_.__)
. _ 0 Somo 0 __ 0 ,.. 0
! Supe"*,": o.itlon tlUI Posltlon Code
I ~onservation 09-7112-16 3 41104
i Ministry o /vision
i Natural Resources Central
Brench .nd Section I
Fish and Wildlife
I No, of plica Provide. group 1....n11lp to:
I No. ot position. No. of pl-. 09-7112-14 ,/
i 3 Enforcement Coordinator
l
12, PUrpoM of poIltIo" (wily d_ tfll. pooltlon Ixlltll
I Under the direction. of, the Enforcement Coordinator to carry out law enforcement and
I management duties in an assigned area, to provide enforcement services for other
! programs and to perform public relations and other related duties
3, Duties and rill'*' tlIIla (wlult i. Imploy.. reQulnod to do, t>ow.nd wily/Indicate percontagt of time _nt on .ell dutY)
1 Performs enforcement duties such as
-enforcing the Gnme and Fish Act, The Fisheries Act, The Migratory Birds Convention Act,
The Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, Provincial Parks Act, Public Lands Act, Forest
Fire Prevention Act, Criminal Code, Fish Inspection Act, Motorized Snow Vehicles Act
! Off-Road Vehicles Act and other natural resource related legislation
i -regular checks of licence issuers, fur dealers, bait fish dealers, commercial
I fishermen, trappers, and inspecting their respective records for regulatory compliance
I -patrolling assigned area, checking for violations, issuing warnings, laying charges
effecting arrest, making seizures, preparing cases for court, preparing crown briefs,
appearing in ourt to present evidence, prosecuting cases, etc
8S," -responsible for the adequate and safe maintenance, proper operation and storage of
vehicles, boats, motors, snowmobiles, firearms, radios, etc , on his inventory
-required to vear uniform and issued equipme,nt according to policy
-maintaining ~ood skill standards through regular training (firearms, equipment, etc )
-provide advice and assistance to OPP, RCMP, local police forces, court officials, and
animal contrel organizations
-conducting sp!cial investigations includes planning investigation, survei lIence,
I executing seal~h warrants. compiling reports for supervisor, etc )
I -training and 'irecting the daily activity of deputy Conservation Officers
I
I -assist other programs in their enforcement needs
I
-assisting in peak periods in various park programs
2 Performs other duties as assigned
-liaison with trappers, anglers, hunters in his/her area to provide advice and
i informat ion abO'lt legis lat ion and minis try programs, policies, etc (continued)
i
Skill. Ind knowledlll rtqulrtd t( perform lob It full workloV"ftl. (Indicate mlndetory Cl"Idlntlll1 or II......., \I oppflcabll'
Technical skills and ~,nowledge at the level usually associated with the successful completion
and graduation from a two-year course in resources management at a community college
uemonstracea knowledge of law enforcement legislation, investigative and enforcement methods
ce~hniques and procedu~es to enforce legisl~tion administered by the Ministry of Natural (conted
5. Slgn.turl ~~ OU. Mini ffk:l.1 Oltl
ClY Month VI" ClY Montfl Yur
Ct 13 10'7 I ~" - If
TyPl Supervisor', n_ leltl'. ntmI .nd title
T Boyd, Enforcement Coordinator J Winters, A/District'Manager
6, ~llu IlIocatlon C10a tltl. CIt.. COCII OCC\lllltlON1 group numOer EfflC't/v1 dote
CIY Month Vea,
Resource Technician 4 Cons Off 41106 TS-07 25 I 11 I 87
I lIav. clalliflld till. pooltlon in 1CC0rdo.1C1 with thl Civil Slrvlct Commlalon Cleanlcltlon Stand.-do for tll. tOllowlng r......,:
A. Position of employeer. engaged in natural resource management activities who are appointed as
Conservation Officer; pursuant to the Game and Fish Act, as Fisheries Officers under the
Fisheries Act and as Game Officers under a variety of federal statutes
B Responsibi I ities include an assigned blend of enforcement resource management and extension
o:ervices duties i e Enforcement enforces fish and wi Idl ife and other ministry legislation
patrol ling assignnd area, laying charges or warning offenders, seizing of evidence
C. presenting evidence l~ prosecuting court cases etc Management: surveying resources
habitat users etc !sslstlng and advising people with nuisance animals conducting hunter
and trapper educatior examinations, etc Extension Services providing publ ic with advice
and i nformat I on throl,gh wr i tten and verba I responses and public education sessions etc
1 gnatuno 0 .utll"" Cite Type ....1\Jator'. n.",.
I CIY M;; ,i;; I
.,2/ I T A Jones
~'~'--'..
_..~ If..
...
,
Page 3 fa....
POSITION TITLE Assistant Park Superintendent/Conservation Offlcer
POSITION CODE 09-7111-28
-assisting with variOUS fish and wildllfe management projects (resource
surveys, user surveys, habitat manipulatlon, fur stamplng, predator control,
wildlife trap/transfer projects, etc. )
-carry out hunter and trapper education examinations
-participate 1.n resource management discussions with appropriate staff
relative to surveys and management plans
-assisting and advising people with nuisance animals
-maintaining contact with all resource users and schools in hIs/her area to
promote understanding of resource management principles, programs and
legislation
-speaking to groups, manning displays in public shows, presenting f Um and
slide shows on Ministry programs
-advising landowners about Fish and Wildlife matters pertainlng to pri.vate
land
J% 3. Other Duties as assigned
Percentage of time al location are averages and are variable depending on I resource
management priorities 2 special assignments 3 time of year
SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED (continued)
coordination of work programs. Working knowledge of the Occupational
Health and Safety Act and those regu 1 a t ions made under the act t-Ortt apply
to the work supervised or controlled Ability to communicate <:>ffertlvply
with subordinate staff and the public both orally and i. n -w r I tin g
Demonstrated knowledge of law enforcement procedures and objectivp.s clnd t-hp
Provincial and Federal Acts and Regulations administered by the Minlstry of
Natural Resources A working knowledge of the baslc pn.nclples of t-op
fisheries and wildlife management and famlliarlty with practical manac]I"mpnl:
techniques. Tact and good judgement. Ability to perform well under
limited supervision and a willingness to work i r regu 1 i'I r hours incllldlnC)
weekends and holidays when necessary Physical abil ity to mf'et the df"mdnr3s
of enforcement and management work. Expe r ience in the operation ~nd
maintenance of snowmobiles, boats and motors. A demonstrated balance of
enforcement and management work experience A valid M T C Drivpr'R
Licence.
B information through written and verbal responses and publ ic education sessions etc
C Th i s a I I oeat ion is considered atypical as the employee acts as an assistant park
superintendent during the Spring and Summer months
,
_ . --. ., _tJvv...v.... ... 'W'ClQ AllOC8t10n.CSC61
~.ej\~! I VV J ( (Refer to back ot on lor Completion instructions)
,", ' ...::L.
On.atio Olte received I PrfV10uI ,..rI,1 numbtr N.w ..rl,l numbe'
For CSC
UIe only
1 Po.itlon tit II PoeJUOn ",onliNe, r.;.. .....'
1
.
~~l!!'tlilll Pa rk
SUl>trtedu: Su rintendent .09-7111""28 Resource Technician"\ 411 ()
Ministry Oivl.lon
Ministry of Natur~l Resources Central Region
Branch and Section Location GeQ9. Loc. C.:-ce
Auronia District/Parks Bass Lake provincial Park 1710
No. of PlIca Provides group 'I.mnhlp to: rmmNl.at. Supervisor'. titll Supe("'\(i\Oco', po';tion code
No,ofpo.ltlonl No.ofpllCft Superintendent Bass Lake, Ma a
1 5 12 and cRa 0 nP ovincial P s OQ-7111-:'
2. Purpol8of posltJon (whyd~lIhl.po.ltlon..'''71 Spring/Swnmer - To assist the Park Superint~nden
with the operation and development of Bass Lake provincial Park, and the
administration of Mara and McRae Pt Prov Parks
fall/Winter - To assist the Park Superintendent with the preparation of the
work plan To assist the Fish and Wildlife program with creel census, de~r
management, enforcement and other si~ilar duties
3. Out'" and related talkJ lwhlt" Imploy" rt<luJrtd 10 do, how and why? lridleatl per~nt"90 of timo ,pent on tach dutY)
1 Assists the Park Superintendent with planning and operational programs by
, -interviewing and hiring appropriate parks staff
1 -preparing and implementing training programs including Health and S~f~ry
; -preparing work schedules and evaluating performance of subordinate stuf.f.
recommending appropriate discipline
.....-supervising the performance of seasonal staff at Bass Lake Provincial p.)!"
)-ensuring that workers take prp.cautions to protect the health and safery ,)
~hemselves and others by complying with such acts, codes, policies
procedures or accepted practices as may be appropriate Ensure that
wOrKers are advised of known hazards and the rpquired precatltion~
55\Ic-assisting with the preparation of the. annual work plan for Bass Lukf''1H
and McRae Point Provincial Parks
I-preparing operational plans for maintenanc~ security entry rontrol ln~
visitor services for Bass Lake Mara and McRae Point Provincial Park~
~ -ensuring completion of records and reports as required by park poliry i
water samples, park visitation, enforcement occurrences etc
'1 -responding to and resolving complaints by park user!'!
fc:acting as the duty officer of Bass Lake, Mara and McRae Point ProvIncial
Parks in the absence of the Park Superintennent
!contin'lf'd )
Skills and knowledge required to parform Job It full workinv level. IIndlcate mandatory eredentlal. Or IIclnetl, If Ippllcabll'
rechnical skills and knowledge at the level usually associated with th~
,uccessful completion of and graduation from a t"plated two year course of ~llld
lt a community college A general knowledg(l of Provincial Parks and fish wd
~iltiliFp progl"ilm~. npmnn~1-r.:ltpti .:lhilit~ in thp pl.:lnning .:lnti /r-nntinl1p,l 1
Sillnature Immedlll~!)' upt IOf Dill Ini.try Offlelal 0,,"
-. "7, Cay Month Vllr ~ ), DaY Month 'Y",
_.--<- ~ ' .27 I 6j ] $J./ -.~(..c-~ ;)..1 Ie c: Is
oe Suoervisor', name I Type Official's name and titl. '
on Robinson John Winters, A/District Manager
ClUJ allocation CIISS title (At i I) CIIII cOde Oc:eupttionl' group numbOr errec:I;VI date
yp ca D.v Mont" "
esource Technician 4 Cons Off 41106 TS-Q7 25 I \1 L-
v, classified thiS POlition in accordance with the Civil S.rvicI Co,!,misJion Clanification Standard. for thl followfno ruto,,;
osition of an employee engaged in natural resource management activities who are appoi~-~
onservation Officers pursuant to the Game and Fish Act as Fisheries Officers under the
isheries Act and as Game Officers under a variety of federal statutes
esponsibi I ities unclude as assigned blend of enforcement resource management and exte~ ,"
ervices dutIes ie Enforcement enforces fish and wi Idl ife and other Ministry legis\~
~trol\ing assigned area laying charges or warning offenders making seizures presentln~
vidence or prosecuting cOurt cases, etc Management surveying resources users eTC
~bitat manipulation, predators control etc carrying out hunter and trapper education
xaminations participating in resources management discussions with appropriate staff rele'
o surveys and management plans Extension Services providing the public with advice nj
;M.tvr. of .ulno": lu.ror OUt Type .",eIUIfOr. M,m,
I 0.'1- MGr\\'I\ ,<,,, I
.., / 1/'9 I ?q -r- -r- ..0:
-- ,.
l
~'f~>
~ -- l". I.:~
.w~
,atruetlons for completing form CSc. _ 50
UMthl.lonn II Indlcalld l*ow lor III ~ ItoN CO'Y'tfed by the EAtcUltve Compenaallon Plan, ManlO&f1*lI Comp4!\l41lon Plan Ol 0tf'aI
Admlnlltra1lon Group. .
Clanlfled Full and Part-tfme polltfah.: Fonn to ~ COO1~1d i1 III entirety excepC 'or !he Functional Code box In Sectlon 1
Unclaulfled Seuonal Polltlons (Group 3): Complete Secllona 1 and f1.xeept !of tt'4 Functional Code box In SeclIon 1 and the evalua-
tion rationale In SectIon e.
All other positions: Completion o/lhla Iorm In IuU Of II set out &bo.... for Unclassified $euonat Poeitlon.. la optional.
InstructJons tor coding Position identifier Instructions for coding Seasonal WO", Pertcxl
Code Code 1 2 3
(as appllcab Ie) .
Classlfled Poeitlon, s...one Wlnt et' S pfing Summer Fall
Full-Ume 1 and their Dee. Mar. June SGp.
Part-tIme 2 conse<:utlve JIn. ~ Jul. Oct.
Unclassified PQSltlona order. Feb. May Aug. Nov
GfOIJp3
a) Seasonal wor1c period 8 consecutive
wHka or mOte but lesa than " monttll 3 Build code .. follawl:
b) SGll$OI\&I wont period 4 con_cuU.,. . Single Muon. I.'., Spflng Exarnp*
monlhl or more but '"' than 12 morn'- " W'onlw 0 SlI1l_ 0 I
1 Indicate Muon. Coclt
GfOIJP 2 5 2.IOMn l4llllic. code
GfOIJP 1 8 In left hand box. ~ (jl FoIl 0 2 L.LL
Other Crown 7
. Multipl. Muons, I..., Summer Fall, Winler
Instructions for coding Sch. Hr.. Wor1c 1 Indlcale MIlO"'.
2. Inaert code 01 atar1
· Complet. 1Il1. box 10( R.P T PosItIonl only. season In left hand box. W'<1Iw (jl s..wnn. [jI C<<lo .
· Include ponlon, 01 hour. to 2 decimal places. 3. Follow with codes of (jj .:.l:lL
NOTe: The averag. of tile actual hou'" wor1ced (Ina Q....rtIm.' <N8f " subsequent consecutive SQnnq 0 FtIl
consecutive week. by R.P T employtet ~ned 10 a position saasona.
must coincide with \he Scheduled HOUri 01 WorlIldenllned for
that position. Any change to the Scheduled Hours Of Work will
requlr. the establt,hmenl and doCumentallor1 01 a separate NOTE: Mutllple seasons must be consecutMl(O qualify as one position.
positlon.
3 DUTIES AND RELATED TASKS (continued)
!I-supervising contracted services within the park including garbage
collection. boat rental, major maintenance and capital development
t2--co""ordinating special employment and volunteer programs for all three parks
I ~ a~d. assis~ing with special events as pla~ned. "
--11a1son w1th trappers, anglers, hunters 1n h1s/her area to provlde adVlce
and information about legislation and ministry programs, policies, etc
2 Performs enforcement duties such as
-enforcing the Game and Fish Act, The Fisheries Act, The Migratory Birds
Convention Act, The Lakes and Rivers Improvement Act, provincial Parks Act,
Public Lands Act, Forest Fire Prevention Act, Criminal Code, Fish Inspect iOI
Act, Motorized Snow Vehicles Act, Off-Road Vehiclea Act and other natural
resource legislation
35\ -regular checks of licence issuers, fur dealers, bait fish dealers,
commercial fishermen, trappers and inspecting their respective records
for regulatory compliance
-patrolling assigned area, checking for violations, issuing warnings, laying
charges, effecting arrest, making seizures, preparing cases for court,
preparing crown briefs, appearing in court to present evidence, prosecuting
cases, etc.
-responsible for the adequate and safe maintenance, proper operation and
storage of vehicles, boats, motors, snowmobiles, firearms, radios, etc , on
his inventory
-required to wear uniform and issued equipment according to policy
-maintaining good skill standards through regular training (firearms,
equipment, etc )
-provide advice and assistance to OPP, RCMP, local police forces, court
offtcials, and animal control organizations
-conducting special investigations (includes planning investigation,
surveillance, executing search warrants, campi! ing reports for supervisor,
etc )
-training and directing the daily activity of deputy Conservation Officers
-assist other programs in their enforcement needs
-assisting in peak periods in various park programs