HomeMy WebLinkAbout2003-3774.Union Grievance.04-03-09 Decision
Crown Employees Commission de ~~
Grievance Settlement reglement des griefs
Board des employes de la
Couronne
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GSB# 2003-3774
UNION# 2004-0999-0002
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
Under
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN
Ontano PublIc ServIce Employees Umon
(Umon Gnevance) Grievor
- and -
The Crown In RIght of Ontano
(Mimstry ofCommumty Safety and CorrectIOnal ServIces) Employer
BEFORE FelIcIty D Bnggs Vice-Chair
FOR THE UNION Stephen GIles
Gnevance Officer
Ontano PublIc ServIce Employees Umon
FOR THE EMPLOYER Greg GledhIll
Staff RelatIOns Officer
Mimstry of Commumty Safety and
CorrectIOnal ServIces
HEARING October 22, 2003
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DeCISIon
From March 13th to May 6th 2002, the Umon and Its members were engaged In a legal stnke
Pnor to the begInmng of thIS actIOn the partIes had negotIated a Memorandum of Agreement
regardIng the condItIOns of work In the event of a stnke or a lockout (hereInafter referred to as
the "CondItIOns Document") In that agreement It was provIded that "all collectIve agreement
provIsIOns apply to essentIal and emergency workers wIthout InterruptIOn, save only that
AppendIx 9 and AppendIx 18 shall not apply" The CondItIOns Document also expressly
provIded the Umon contInued nght under ArtIcle 22 13 of the CollectIve Agreement to file
Umon gnevances on behalf of employees who were performIng essentIal and emergency
servIces
Dunng the course of the stnke approxImately 5000 gnevances were filed by Umon members
across the Ontano PublIc ServIce As part of the negotiatIOns that ended the work stoppage, the
partIes negotIated a Return to Work Protocol That agreement contemplated vanous provIsIOns
IncludIng how contInUOUS servIce, pensIOn, credIts and semonty would be affected as a result of
the stnke AddItIOnally the partIes addressed other Issues such as repnsal, dIscIplIne and the
mechamcs of the actual return of the bargaInIng umt members to the workplace
It was further agreed these "stnke related" gnevances would be treated separately and lItIgated In
an efficIent manner To that end, on June 27 2002, OPSEU and the Mimstry of PublIc Safety
and Secunty (hereInafter referred to as "MPSS") met to dISCUSS a process In order to resolve the
outstandIng stnke related gnevances FolloWIng that meetIng a letter dated October 11 2002,
confirmed the agreement that:
In order to deal wIth the stnke related gnevances In a proactIve, expedItIOus and
effectIve manner the partIes have agreed to the folloWIng
. No stage 2 heanngs
. No filIng of stnke related gnevances at GSB untIl agreed otherwIse
. WaiVIng of tIme lImIts
. RespectIvely assIgmng dedIcated resources to deal wIth the volume
ApproxImately 4500 gnevances were filed by members employed by the MPSS The partIes
agreed to a DIspute ResolutIOn Protocol for MPSS that Included Terms of Reference It IS not
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necessary to provIde all of that agreement. It IS sufficIent to say that the partIes agreed to an
expedIted process whereIn each party provIdes to the Vice Chair wntten submIssIOns whIch
Include the facts, provIsIOns of the CollectIve Agreement, the EssentIal ServIces Agreement,
legIslatIOn or any other document alleged to have been vIOlated, arguments and requested
remedy Oral eVIdence would not be called although It was allowed that I could request further
clanficatIOn If necessary Other procedural Issues were addressed to ensure that gnevances
would be dealt wIth In a tImely fashIOn. The Terms of Reference also provIded that I would
remaIn seIzed of all outstandIng stnke related gnevances filed by members workIng In MPSS
The maJonty of the 4500 gnevances dealt wIth one of the folloWIng Issues
. An allegatIOn of delayed retroactIve payments WIth a request for Interest OWIng;
. An allegatIOn of faIlure to pay appropnate holIday pay for Good Fnday and Easter
Monday
. EntItlement to call back;
. On-Call and Standby Issues for emergency workers
Those matters were separately lItIgated at the Gnevance Settlement Board and decIsIOns eIther
have been Issued or are pendIng.
In accordance wIth the agreement of the partIes a number of heanng days were scheduled to hear
and determIne the outstandIng stnke related gnevances Many of the gnevances have been
resolved through medIatIOn. ThIS IS another decIsIOn dealIng wIth those matters
Steven Wnght IS a CorrectIOnal Officer at the Thunder Bay CorrectIOnal Centre He filed a
gnevance that alleged he was Improperly demed opportumty to be Included on the essentIal
servIce lIst whIch would entItle hIm to be part of the draw ThIS faIlure dIsallowed hIm the
possIbIlIty of workIng dunng the stnke
Mr Wnght had earlIer applIed for and was granted a leave of absence for educatIOnal purposes
His leave wIthout pay commenced In January of 2002 On March 11 2002, the gnevor
approached management personnel at the CorrectIOnal Centre and made It known that he was
able to return to work. However when asked, the gnevor was unsure as to hIS abIlIty to return to
work after the conclusIOn of the stnke
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A sImIlar matter was a dIspute between the partIes pnor to the commencement of the stnke On
March 8th 2002, ArbItrator Jamce Johnston ruled
The person currently on a leave of absence shall not be placed on the elIgibIlIty lIst.
Whoever currently backfills the secunty officer In the event of an absence shall contInue
to do so In the event of a work stoppage
In my VIew that decIsIOn was correct and ought to apply In these CIrcumstances The fact
sItuatIOn IS vIrtually IdentIcal AccordIngly the gnevance IS dIsmIssed.
Dated In Toronto thIS 9th day of March, 2004
Vice-Chair