HomeMy WebLinkAbout2002-2689.Sojak et al.04-01-23 Decision
Crown Employees Commission de ~~
Grievance Settlement reglement des griefs
Board des employes de la
Couronne
~-,...
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GSB# 2002-2689 2002-2702,2002-2772
UNION# OLB026/02, OLB023/02, OLB024/02
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
Under
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN
Ontano LIqUor Control Boards Employees' Umon
(Sojak et al) Grievor
- and -
The Crown In RIght of Ontano
(LIqUor Control Board of Ontano) Employer
BEFORE Jamce Johnston Vice-Chair
FOR THE UNION Craig Flood
Koskie Minsky LLP
BarrIsters and SOlICItorS
FOR THE EMPLOYER Jason Shore
Heenan BlaIkIe LLP
BarrIsters and SOlICItorS
HEARING January 20 2004
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DeCISIon
ThIS case deals wIth three gnevances whIch have been filed by the umon allegIng that the
employer's practIce of schedulIng employees to work alone from SIX p.m to mne p m. on Fnday
evemngs IS a vlOlatlOn of ArtIcle 32 1 of the collectIve agreement, whIch provIdes that "the
Employer shall contInue to make every reasonable provlslOn for the health and safety of ItS
employees " At the arbltratlOn heanng held on January 20 2004 the partIes raised several
prelImInary motlOns As thIS case contInues on January 27 & 28 2004 the turnaround tIme for
thIS decISlOn IS extremely bnef AccordIngly thIS declslOn wIll be bnef
Counsel for the umon has requested that we take a VIew In thIS case ThIS motlOn IS opposed by
the employer After consldenng the submlsslOns of the partIes, and In applYIng the factors
artIculated In the arbItral junsprudence to the somewhat umque CIrcumstances of thIS case, I feel
that It IS appropnate to take a VIew Health and safety Issues have been raised In thIS matter In
partIcular Issues have been raised wIth regard to the physIcal settIng In whIch employees work.
It may of assIstance to me In assessIng these concerns both on an ObjectIve and sUbjectIve basIs
to actually see the work envIronment and the area surroundIng thIS workplace The partIes are
agreed that If a VIew IS to be taken that It should be done In the evemng, as that cOIncIdes wIth
the relevant tIme It IS not gOIng to be possIble to take a VIew In the evemng when thIS matter
contInues next week. However It should be possIble to do so In the future, as It IS hIghly unlIkely
that thIS matter wIll fimsh In the two days we have scheduled next week. The tImIng of the VIew
can be dIscussed and determIned when we reconvene next week.
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Umon counsel has requested productlOn of documents from the employer To a large extent
counsel for the employer has agreed to provIde the umon wIth the documents requested.
However the umon has requested and the employer has resIsted the productlOn of documents
that do not relate to the specIfic work locatlOn at Issue In thIS case The documents at Issue are set
out under pOInts number 4 5 and 7 In the umon's letter dated January 6 2002 Due to tIme
constraInts, I am not gOIng to set them out, as the partIes know what they are HavIng consIdered
the submlsslOns of counsel In thIS matter It IS my VIew that It IS not appropnate to order the
employer to produce the documents sought by the umon for stores other than the one at Issue In
thIS case, subject to thIS one qualIfier The store In thIS case IS a "D" store If documents
pertaInIng to an IncIdent at another "D" store eXIst, they may be relevant to the case before me
and the employer IS dIrected to provIde them AssumIng such documents eXIst, the employer may
not be able to find them and produce them before the heanng contInues next week. If It IS at all
possIble, counsel for the employer IS to do so as they may be relevant to the Issues before me
If the kInd of general surveyor study referred to In pOInt # 5 eXIsts, counsel for the employer IS
dIrected to provIde them to umon counsel The request for documents for retaIl stores other than
Store 567 In pOInt #7 IS too broad and beyond the scope of the case before me ThIS request for
productlOn IS demed.
Counsel for the employer has requested certaIn partIculars from counsel for the umon. If counsel
for the umon Intends to call eVIdence wIth regard to any specIfic IncIdents whIch have occurred
In the workplace or In close proxImIty to the store other than IncIdents that the employer IS
already aware of that have caused employees to fear for theIr health and safety then detaIls of
these IncIdents must be provIded to counsel for the employer so that he IS aware of the case he
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must meet and can prepare accordIngly Umon counsel IS not reqUIred to name hIS wItnesses nor
must he provIde the eVIdence by whIch he Intends to prove hIS case
Dated at Toronto thIS 23rd day of January 2004