HomeMy WebLinkAbout2001-0062.Rainhard et al.21-05-28 DecisionCrown Employees
Grievance Settlement
Board
Suite 600
180 Dundas St. West
Toronto, Ontario M5G 1Z8
Tel. (416) 326-1388
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Commission de
règlement des griefs
des employés de la
Couronne
Bureau 600
180, rue Dundas Ouest
Toronto (Ontario) M5G 1Z8
Tél. : (416) 326-1388
Téléc. : (416) 326-1396
GSB# 2001-0062; 2001-0066; 2001-0067; 2001-0068; 2001-0070; 2002-3236; 2003-2169;
2004-3396; 2005-2498; 2007-0275; 2007-3984; 2008-3437; 2008-1888
UNION# 2001-0521-0006; 2001-0521-0002; 2001-0521-0004; 2001-0521-0005; 2001-0521-0010;
2002-0359-0047; 2000-0359-0024; 2005-0119-0003; 2005-0582-0116; 2007-0234-0050;
2008-0618-0005; 2008-0234-0329; 2004-0234-0459
IN THE MATTER OF AN ARBITRATION
Under
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT
Before
THE GRIEVANCE SETTLEMENT BOARD
BETWEEN
Ontario Public Service Employees Union
(Rainhard et al) Union
- and -
The Crown in Right of Ontario
(Ministry of the Solicitor General) Employer
BEFORE
Ken Petryshen
Arbitrator
FOR THE UNION
Christopher Bryden
Ryder Wright Blair & Holmes LLP
Counsel
FOR THE EMPLOYER George Parris
Treasury Board Secretariat
Legal Services Branch
Counsel
HEARING The hearing was completed with written
submissions on November 13, 2020
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DECISION
[1] This matter involves a number of grievances filed by employees who claim
entitlement to the Custodial Responsibility Allowance (“CRA”) referenced in Article 7.8
and, more importantly for our purposes, in Appendix COR2 (“App. COR2”) of the
Collective Agreement. The CRA is payable to employees in certain Ministries who meet
all the conditions set out in the CRA provision. I understand that at the relevant time the
amount of the CRA was $2,000.00 per year and that it has been increased to $2,500.00
per year in later collective agreements. The last section of the CRA provision provides
that the CRA “shall be paid according to the base rate of pay for the class involved.”
[2] The process of addressing the numerous CRA grievances commenced as
early as 2010. The proceeding was concerned with 19 individual grievances and 2
group grievances. The Union had filed a statement of particulars and a supplemental
statement of particulars which described the factual basis upon which it claimed
entitlement to the CRA for the Grievors. Six of the grievances had been filed on behalf
of Electronic Monitoring Officers (“EMOs”), a position that was within the Rehabilitation
Officer, Correctional Services class series. Rather than address all of the grievances,
the parties decided to focus first on the EMO grievances, with the hope that a decision
on whether the EMOs were entitled to the CRA would assist the parties in addressing
the remaining grievances. The parties agreed to deal with the 6 EMO grievances as
follows. The particulars relevant to the EMO position were assumed to be a true
reflection of the duties and responsibilities of the employees who held that position.
Counsel made submissions on whether the EMOs were entitled to the CRA based on
the Union’s best case, as reflected by the particulars. The Board was then left to decide
whether the Union had made out a prima facie case on behalf of the EMOs for
entitlement to the CRA. At the outset of these proceedings, the Employer advised that it
had certain objections to the CRA grievances, including timeliness objections. The
parties agreed that these objections were to be set aside pending the determination of
whether the Union had made out a prima facie case.
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[3] After considering the EMO particulars filed by the Union and the submissions
made by counsel at a hearing, I determined in a decision dated March 9, 2011, that the
6 EMOs were not entitled to the CRA. See, OPSEU (Rainhard et al.) and Ministry of
Community Safety and Correctional Services (2011), GSB Nos. 2000-0960 et al.
(Petryshen) (“the EMO decision”). The EMO decision did not result in the resolution of
the remaining CRA grievances that were before me in 2010.
[4] During a conference call on April 24, 2017, counsel had agreed that the
remaining CRA grievances from the 2010 proceeding would be addressed in a manner
similar to the way the 6 EMO grievances had been addressed. The only difference was
that the grievances would be dealt with by written submissions. The Union’s written
submissions based on the previous particulars in support of the remaining grievances
were filed in 2019. The process for addressing these grievances was delayed further
until Mr. C. Bryden took over as counsel for the Union in 2020. It was around that time
that counsel agreed during a conference call to a timetable for the completion of the
written submissions.
[5] The outstanding grievances now before me consist of 12 individual
grievances and one group grievance. The grievances were filed between November 3,
2010 and May 13, 2008. It is unnecessary to decide Mr. Moffatt’s grievance, given the
indication from the Union that he did receive the CRA. Accordingly, Mr. Moffatt’s
grievance dated March 18, 2008 (GSB File No. 2008-0144) is hereby dismissed since it
is moot. I note that the Union indicated in its particulars that the Kesner Group
grievance dated February 7, 2008, had been settled since the grievors were in receipt of
the CRA. The previously filed particulars had set out the duties and responsibilities of
the remaining Grievors occupying the following positions: Temporary Absence Pass
Officers/Coordinators (3); Classification Officers (4); Intermittent Coordinators (2);
Library Technician 3 (1); Grounds/Maintenance Worker (1); Cook 2 (1); and, Cleaners 2
(Williams et al. dated May 13, 2008) (8).
[6] I find it unnecessary to refer to the written submissions in detail. As one
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would expect, Union counsel argued that each Grievor met all of the conditions set out
in the CRA provision, thereby entitling the Grievors to the CRA. On the other hand,
Employer counsel submitted that each Grievor failed to meet at least one of the
necessary conditions of the CRA provision and he therefore requested that all of the
grievances be dismissed. I was provided with the following decisions: (OPSEU
(Rainhard et al.), supra; OPSEU (Cannon) and Ministry of Correctional Services (1991),
GSB No. 1714/90 (Samuels) (hereinafter referred to as “Cannon”); OPSEU
(Holder/Streitenfeld) and Ministry of Correctional Services (1994), GSB Nos. 590/92,
591/92 (Barrett) (hereinafter referred to as “Holder”); OPSEU (Braund et al.) and
Ministry of Correctional Services (1990), GSB No. 39/80 (Slone); Re OPSEU and
Ontario (Ministry of Government Services) (2011), L.A.C. (4th) 353 (Dissanayake); and,
Ontario (Ministry of Community and Social Services) and OPSEU (Martin), 2015
CarswellOnt 12447 (Anderson).
[7] The CRA provision has been included in the Collective Agreement since at
least 1984. As set out in App. COR2, employees in designated Ministries are entitled to
the CRA if they fulfill all of the following requirements:
(a) they are not professional staff such as teachers, nurses, social workers or
psychologists;
(b) the positions to which the employees are assigned are not covered by classes which
already take into account responsibility for the control of offenders or wards, such as
Correctional Officers, Industrial Officers, Supervisors of juveniles, Observation and
Detention Home Workers, Recreation Officers (Correctional Services), Trade
Instructors and Provincial Bailiffs;
(c) (i) they are required, for the major portion of their working time, to direct offenders or
wards engaged in beneficial labour;
or
(ii) as group leaders/lead hands, they are directly responsible, for a major portion of
their working time, for operations involving the control of a number of offenders or
wards engaged in beneficial labour; and
(d) they are responsible for the custody of offenders or wards in their charge and are
required to report on their conduct and lay charges where breaches of
institutional regulations occur.
[8] The EMO decision is the most recent decision dealing with the CRA, even
though it was decided many years ago. In addressing whether the EMOs were entitled
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to the CRA, the decision examined the Cannon and Holder decisions and addressed
the requirements that must be met by an employee claiming entitlement to the CRA. As
reflected in Cannon and Holder, the focus of a CRA inquiry is often on whether the
requirement in (c) (i) had been satisfied, namely whether the employee is required to
direct offenders engaged in beneficial labour for the major portion of his or her working
time. Since the Union continues in this proceeding to place considerable reliance on
Cannon, I find it useful to set out a significant part of the EMO decision. After setting
out the duties and responsibilities of the EMOs, the decision continued as follows:
[13] In OPSEU (Cannon) and Ministry of Correctional Services (1991), GSB
No. 1714/90 (Samuels) (hereinafter referred to as “Cannon”), the grievor was the
Coordinator of the Temporary Absence Program (“TAP”) and the Institutional Work
Program (“IWP”). The only issue in the case was whether the grievor satisfied the
condition in (c) (i) of the Appendix, namely, was she required, for a major portion of her
working time, to direct offenders engaged in beneficial labour. The grievor’s claim for
the CRA was based primarily on her work with the IWP. The IWP consisted of inmates
working at jobs in the institution, such as laundry and kitchen jobs. As Coordinator of the
IWP, the grievor’s duties included selecting offenders for the program, which included an
interview; escorting offenders to the medical office; escorting offenders to their living
quarters; escorting offenders to their work locations; and, checking the work stations to
ensure offenders were doing their assigned jobs. She did have the authority to issue a
misconduct to an offender. The grievor spent 80% of her time on the IWP and 75% of
her time directly dealing with offenders. The Board concluded that the grievor was
required to direct offenders engaged in beneficial labour for the majority of her working
time. It found that she directs offenders by taking primary responsibility for them while
escorting and counselling them. It also found that the offenders she directs are engaged
in beneficial labour on the basis of the following analysis, starting at page 4:
Though she herself does not operate the kitchen, the laundry, or the gardening
service, her contact with the inmates on the IWP is part and parcel of the labour
itself. The “engagement” in beneficial labour involves the whole IWP process -
selection, escort, monitoring, counseling, and performing the work itself. The
grievor’s contact with the inmates is not simply part of the general care and custody
undertaken by correctional officers. Her contact with the inmates is for the purpose
of having them perform beneficial labour.
[14] The Cannon decision included a strong dissent from Mr. Collict. He
disagreed with the view that escorting and counseling offenders amounted to
directing them when they were working.
[15] In OPSEU (Holder/Streitenfeld) and Ministry of Correctional Services (1994), GSB
Nos. 590/92, 591/92 (Barrett) (hereinafter referred to as “Holder”), Streitenfeld held the
position of TAP Coordinator and Holder was a Classification Officer. Streitenfeld was
involved in all institutional and community activities related to certain temporary absence
programs. The Ministry contracted with Wayside Community Resource Centre
(“Wayside”) to house up to 30 offenders who were allowed to leave the premises to
work, etc. Streitenfeld assessed the offenders who applied to the program, including
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interviewing them, and then made a recommendation to the Superintendent. He would
advise the offender of his rights, obligations and the rules at Wayside. Wayside staff
supervised the offenders and ensured that they obeyed the rules. Streitenfeld monitored
the behaviour of the offenders to the extent that he had conversations and received
reports from Wayside staff, and occasionally laid misconducts if Wayside was unable to
correct a behavioural problem. The John Howard Society (“Society”) provided work for
offenders who served their time on weekends. Streitenfeld gathered information about
offenders for the Society. The Society interviewed the offender and made the decision
whether to accept the offender into the program or not. Since Streitenfeld worked
Monday to Friday and these offenders served their time from Friday night to Monday
morning, he rarely had personal contact with these offenders.
[16] As a Classification Officer, Holder provided offenders with a variety of
services. He interviewed offenders and gathered information in order to make
recommendations for treatment or other programs and the placement of offenders into
institution work programs. Holder assigned offenders to the institution work programs, to
the worker dormitory and he decided where they will work. Offenders were escorted to
him for interviews and were escorted to their work sites by others. Holder advised
offenders about their responsibilities at the work sites and he usually conducted an
inspection of the work sites every day. Other employees supervised the offenders at the
work site and had the authority to issue misconducts. These employees did receive the
CRA. Holder could also issue a misconduct if he observed bad behaviour.
[17] The Board began its analysis by noting that traditionally employees occupying the
positions held by the grievors have not received the CRA, but then there was the result
in Cannon. The Board reviewed the findings in Cannon at some length, particularly the
factual conclusion that Ms. Cannon was required to direct offenders engaged in
beneficial labour for the majority of her working time. The Holder decision also made
reference to Mr. Collict’s perspective on the issue as reflected in his dissent. After
entertaining submissions on whether the grievors met the requirements of the CRA
provision, the majority concluded that they did not meet all of the requirements for the
following reasons:
We do not agree that either of these grievors can fit himself within the parameters of
Cannon. These grievors do not take primary responsibility for escorting inmates
about the institution. They do not take primary responsibility for counseling inmates
concerning their behaviour at the work stations. They do not have primary
responsibility for dealing with behavioural problems at the work site. They do not
spend 70% of their time directly involved with inmate workers while they are working
or going to or from work. In the case of Mr. Streitenfeld, he would seldom even see
an inmate working because all work is done away from the institution and the
inmates are supervised while working by a variety of people, but never by Mr.
Streitenfeld. Mr. Holder spends about 30 minutes a day visiting all of the work sites,
but this, in our view, does not constitute directing inmates engaged in beneficial
labour. Neither grievor has custody of the inmates or performs escort services,
although it could be said they are “in charge” of the inmates during interviews. We
find that in order to be eligible for the custodial responsibility allowance, a person
must, for the majority of his working time, direct inmates while they are engaged in
beneficial labour. In Ms. Cannon’s case, she spent 70% of her working time having
primary responsibility for inmates while they were working or engaged in work-
related activities, such as being medically examined to determine fitness for work
and going to and from work, as well as behaviour management.
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Furthermore, we think that these grievors’ positions are covered by classes which
already take into account responsibility for the control of inmates. Their whole job
descriptions are inmate focused…they would have nothing to do if there were no
inmates to work with. They are unlike the cooks, storekeepers and laundry workers
who have a job to do entirely unrelated to inmates, but get the custodial
responsibility allowance because they direct inmates in assisting them.
[18] A review of these decisions leads to the following observations. As noted
previously, both decisions are dealing with positions that fall within the Rehabilitation
Officer, Correctional Services Class series. Cannon only addresses the requirement in
(c) (i). The result in Cannon is based on a factual finding and an interpretation of the
words “to direct inmates…engaged in beneficial labour” which indicates that it is not
necessary for an employee to directly supervise the work performed by offenders in
order to satisfy the requirement. Ms. Cannon’s role as the Coordinator of the TAP had
virtually no relevance to whether she was entitled to the CRA. The Holder decision
deals with the requirements in (c) (i) and (b). Given that Ms. Cannon and Mr. Holder
were essentially engaged in similar duties, it is difficult to reconcile the results in these
decisions. Although there is an attempt to distinguish the case on the facts, a fair
reading of Holder suggests that the majority believed Cannon was wrongly decided. In
interpreting (c) (i), Holder clearly concludes that an employee will only be entitled to the
custodial responsibility allowance if the employee is required to “direct inmates while
they are engaged in beneficial labour” for a majority of his or her working time. Holder
also finds that the grievors do not meet the requirement in (b) because their “positions
are covered by classes which already take into account responsibility for the control of
inmates.” One common element of both decisions is that Ms. Cannon and Mr. Holder
performed their duties primarily within their respective institutions and their
responsibilities related to offenders who were assigned to perform work at the institution.
[19] I turn now to whether the EMOs fulfill all of the requirements set out in Appendix
COR2 thereby entitling them to the CRA. Whether or not the EMOs fulfill the necessary
requirements is a question of fact, subject of course to the interpretation of the
provisions setting out the requirements. A reading of Appendix COR2 in its entirety
suggests that the purpose of the provision is to provide additional compensation to
employees in the designated Ministries who are required to assume responsibility for
offenders even though they occupy positions in which their duties could be performed
without assuming any such responsibility. It is instructive that cooks, storekeepers and
laundry workers have received the CRA. The defined duties of their position do not
involve responsibility for offenders, but they assume such responsibility when they direct
offenders assigned to work in their respective area of the institution. There is no dispute
that the EMOs fulfill the requirement in (a) in that they are not professional staff.
[20] The requirement in (c) (i) contains two main elements. Employees are eligible for
the CRA if “they are required …to direct offenders …engaged in beneficial labour” and if
they are engaged in directing offenders “for a major portion of their working time”. The
first element can be broken down further. It was unnecessary for Cannon or Holder to
define the term “beneficial labour”. As noted previously, Ms. Cannon and Mr. Holder
were assigned duties in work programs at their respective institutions. In the case at
hand, the EMOs monitor offenders who are released into the community for a variety of
reasons. Even assuming all the offenders they monitor were released to maintain
employment, the labour those offenders perform is unrelated to the institution from which
they were released. When one considers the term beneficial labour in the context of (c)
(i) as a whole, one is left with the inevitable conclusion that the term refers to labour that
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is beneficial to the institution. This is the only type of labour an employee of the
institution would be directing. I therefore agree with the Employer’s position that the
EMOs were monitoring offenders who were not engaged in beneficial labour and for this
reason alone they are not entitled to the CRA.
[21] I also agree with the conclusion in Holder that the requirement “to direct offenders
…engaged in beneficial labour” is intended to only cover employees who “direct inmates
while they are engaged in beneficial labour”. It is quite a stretch to interpret the relevant
words in (c) (i) to cover a situation where an employee merely is involved in directing
offenders in his role as coordinator of a work program, which is what appears to have
occurred in Cannon. Finally, there is also the condition that the employee spends the
majority of his or her working time directing inmates engaged in beneficial labour. Apart
from what constitutes beneficial labour, the EMOs do not come anywhere close to
directing offenders while they are engaged in beneficial labour for a major portion of their
working time. To reiterate, the EMOs spend the vast majority of their working time
monitoring offenders to ensure that they comply with the conditions of their release.
[22] By not fulfilling the requirement in (c) (i), the EMOs are not entitled to the CRA.
Hopefully, this determination and the reasons for it will assist the parties in assessing the
merits of the remaining grievances. It is unnecessary for me to decide whether the
EMOs fulfill the requirements in (b) and (d) of the Appendix and I am not inclined to
decide these issues. However, I will make some observations about them.
[23] It appears that the requirement in (d) has not previously been the subject of
adjudication. This particular requirement is that the employee is responsible for the
custody of offenders and is required to report on their conduct and lay charges where
breaches of institutional regulations occur. Employer counsel argued that EMOs do not
meet the requirement because they spend most of their time monitoring individuals who
are not in custody. He also argued that any reporting of their conduct and the laying of
charges has to do with breaches of the conditions of release, and not related to
breaches of institutional regulations. Although it is true that EMOs spend a major portion
of their time monitoring individuals released into the community, they also spend some
time with offenders who are in custody during the assessment process. EMOs will
interview offenders, perhaps escort them as part of the interview process, place the
electronic bracelet on the offender and escort the offender from the institution. As the
particulars for the Mimico EMOs disclose, EMOs can report any misconduct of offenders
and lay charges for a breach of institutional regulations, although they rarely have to
exercise this authority because they are dealing with offenders who are seeking release
and are therefore on their best behaviour. Insofar as the requirement in (d) is
concerned, a question worth asking is whether the circumstances of the EMO and a
Cook are materially different in regard to their responsibilities when dealing with inmates
within the institution. I note that unlike in (c) (i), there is no indication that the employee
needs to satisfy the requirement in (d) for the major portion of his or her working time.
[24] The requirement in (b) excludes employees from receiving the CRA if they are
“covered by classes which already take into account responsibility for the control of
offenders …” Holder decided that the grievors’ positions in that case are covered by
classes which take into account responsibility for the control of offenders. Since the
grievors in Holder and the EMOs are in the same class, Employer counsel submits that I
am bound to follow the conclusion in Holder and find that EMOs are not entitled to the
CRA because they do not fulfill the requirement in (b). In effect, Union counsel argued
that Holder was wrongly decided on this point and should not be followed. I simply note
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that (b) requires a conclusion about whether the employee is covered by a class which
already takes into account responsibility for the control of offenders. It is not entirely
obvious from a review of the Rehabilitation Officer, Correctional Services class series
that employees covered by this class are responsible for the control of offenders. Holder
appears to focus on the job descriptions of the grievors and the fact that they were
inmate focused. It is not clear that job descriptions have any relevance in determining
whether the requirement in (b) has been satisfied. Since some of the remaining
grievances were filed by employees who are covered by the same class series, counsel
will have the opportunity to make further submissions on this issue.
[9] As noted in the EMO decision, the purpose of the CRA provision is to provide
additional compensation to employees in the designated Ministries who assume
responsibility for offenders even though they are in positions in which they would not
normally assume such responsibility. For example, an employee in a Cook position
would have duties relating to the preparation of meals and would not normally have
responsibility for inmates. However, a Cook takes on the responsibility for inmates
when they direct kitchen workers performing beneficial labour. A Cook that takes on
such a responsibility satisfies the requirement in (c) (i) and is entitled to the CRA. As
provided in the requirement in (b), employees who are in positions which already take
into account responsibility for the control of inmates are not entitled to the CRA. One of
the reasons the grievors in Holder were denied the CRA was because of the
requirement in (b). One grievor was a TAP Coordinator and the other was a
Classification Officer. The Board concluded that their positions were entirely inmate
focused. The other reason the Board found for denying the grievors the CRA was
because they did not satisfy the requirement in (c) (i). Although the grievors had some
responsibilities for programs in which inmates performed work, the Board found that
they did not direct inmates while they were engaged in beneficial labour. In the EMO
decision, I determined that the EMOs did not satisfy the requirement in (c) (i), in part
because the term beneficial labour refers to labour that is beneficial to the institution.
[10] I turn now to the remaining grievances before me. I have reviewed the
particulars provided for these grievances and I have considered the written submissions
provided by counsel. I have considered the remaining grievances before me in light of
the requirements provided in App. COR2 for entitlement to the CRA, as well as the
above comments and the determinations in the EMO decision. I will concisely address
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whether the Union has made out a prima facie case for entitlement to the CRA on
behalf of each Grievor.
Temporary Absence Pass Officers/Coordinators
[11] Ms. D. Hilditch filed her grievance dated November 3, 2000 (GSB #2003-
2169) while employed at the Whitby Jail and Mr. T. Sansano filed his grievance dated
January 17, 2001 (GSB #2001-0067) while employed at the Mimico Correctional Centre
(“Mimico”). A Temporary Absence Pass (“TAP”) is issued to permit an inmate to serve
a portion of his or her sentence in the community. As TAP Officers, Ms. Hilditch and Mr.
Sansano had responsibilities for inmates who applied for and were accepted for a TAP.
However, the particulars do not support the conclusion that Ms. Hilditch or Mr. Sansano
directed inmates while they were engaged in beneficial labour. The particulars also
illustrate that their work as TAP Officers was very much inmate focused which means
that they were in positions that already took into account responsibility for the control of
inmates.
[12] Ms. J. Redman filed her grievance dated August 10, 2005 (GSB #2005-
2498) while employed at the Toronto East Detention Centre. As TAP Officer, Ms.
Redman’s position focused on Workboard duties. Her Workboard duties involved
responsibility for programs that permitted inmates to perform work in and around the
institution. The inmates that were accepted for institutional work were engaged in
beneficial labour. However, the particulars do not show that Ms. Redman directed
inmates while they were engaged in beneficial labour. The supervisor in the area where
the inmates worked was the person who directed the inmates while they were engaged
in beneficial labour. It also appears that Ms. Redman was also in a position which
already took into account responsibility for the control of inmates.
[13] Therefore, in relation to the grievances filed on behalf of Ms. Hilditch, Mr.
Sansano and Ms. Redman, a prima facie case for their entitlement to the CRA has not
been made out. Accordingly, the grievances filed on their behalf are hereby dismissed.
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Classification Officers
[14] Mr. K. Carnegie filed his grievance dated September 28, 2002 (GSB #2002-
3236) while employed at the Whitby Jail. Mr. B. Leonard filed his grievance dated
February 1, 2007 (GSB #2007-0275) while employed at the Maplehurst Correctional
Centre (“Maplehurst”). Mr. C. Elliott filed his grievance dated January 23, 2001 (GSB
#2001-0070) while employed at Mimico. Ms. D. Rainhard filed her grievance dated
January 17, 2001 (GSB #2001-0062) while employed at the Toronto West Detention
Centre. Generally, Classification Officers are responsible for conducting an initial
interview with inmates and for identifying the appropriate correctional regimen and
programs for each inmate. Some Classification Officers also performed Workboard and
TAP duties.
[15] Mr. Leonard performs typical Classification Officer duties and does not
perform Workboard or TAP duties. There is no indication that he directs inmates while
they are engaged in beneficial labour.
[16] Mr. Carnegie primarily performs Workboard duties and Mr. Elliott also
performs Workboard duties. There is no indication from the particulars that they
directed inmates for a major portion of their working time while the inmates were
engaged in beneficial labour. Although they monitored the performance of inmate
workers by touring the areas where inmates worked, the persons who did direct the
inmates while they engaged in beneficial labour were the supervisors in the area where
the inmates worked. Mr. Carnegie was responsible for the inmate cleaner who cleaned
the office areas for 30-45 minutes per week. Even if he was directing the cleaner while
the inmate was engaged in this work, this aspect of his duties did not constitute the
major portion of Mr. Carnegie’s working time.
[17] Ms. Rainhard was an EMO when she filed her grievance. She also
requests the CRA for the Classification Officer duties she performed at Youth Offender
Units in various institutions between May 1988 and August 1999. The Work Range and
TAP Coordinator duties she performed were the normal duties performed by
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Classification Officers who had such responsibilities. She did not direct the inmates
while they were engaged in beneficial labour in these programs. Ms. Rainhard did not
have any direct responsibility for young offenders while they participated in Project
Turnaround (Boot Camp). The Christmas Window Painting Program took place 6
weeks leading up to Christmas. Ms. Rainhard’s duties in relation to this program,
including the time she had sole responsibility for the young offenders while they were
decorating for 90 minutes in the morning and 90 minutes in the afternoon, does not
satisfy the requirement in (c) (1) in App. COR2, since she was not directing offenders
while they were engaged in beneficial labour for the major portion of her working time.
[18] The duties described in the particulars for Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Leonard, Mr.
Elliott and Ms. Rainhard were entirely inmate focused. This illustrates that they were in
a position which already took into account responsibility for the control of inmates.
Therefore, in relation to the grievances filed on behalf of Mr. Carnegie, Mr. Leonard, Mr.
Elliott and Ms. Rainhard, a prima facie case for their entitlement to the CRA has not
been made out. Accordingly, the grievances filed on their behalf are hereby dismissed.
Intermittent Coordinators
[19] Mr. S. Beckta (GSB #2001-0066) and Ms. D. Elliott (GSB #2001-0068) filed
their grievances dated January 17, 2001, while employed at Mimico. As Intermittent
Coordinators, Mr. Beckta and Ms. Elliott were involved in coordinating, monitoring and
managing inmates who were serving intermittent sentences on the weekend at the
institution or under house arrest. They worked five days a week with three of those
days taken up almost exclusively by interviewing inmates and monitoring them in the
community to ensure compliance with the terms of their release. It is clear from the
particulars that Mr. Beckta and Ms. Elliott did not direct inmates while they were
engaged in beneficial labour. As well, since their duties and responsibilities were
entirely inmate focused, they occupied a position which already took into account
responsibility for the control of inmates. Therefore, in relation to the grievances filed on
their behalf, a prima facie case for their entitlement to the CRA has not been made out.
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Accordingly, the grievances filed on behalf of Mr. Beckta and Ms. Elliott are hereby
dismissed.
Library Technician 3
[20] Ms. L. Randa filed her grievance dated July 26, 2004 (GSB #2004-1888)
while employed at Maplehurst. Before coming to Maplehurst in June of 2002, Ms.
Randa was a Library Tech 3 at the Guelph Correctional Complex and while there she
was in receipt of the CRA. In July of 2004, Ms. Randa’s new manager reactivated her
CRA, but only backdated it to April of 2004, the time when he became her manager.
Ms. Randa is seeking the CRA for the time period from June 2002 to March of 2004,
when she worked as an unclassified Library Tech 3 at Maplehurst.
[21] During the relevant time, Maplehurst did not have a regular, full library for
inmates serving sentences. The only inmates that received library services were those
on remand units. These inmates were not permitted to leave their cells. At least twice a
day, Ms. Randa assembled books on her library cart and went from cell to cell in the
remand wing offering books to inmates and taking requests. She would re-shelve the
returned books and stock the cart with the requests she had received. She would also
receive written requests for books.
[22] There is no indication as to the basis upon which Ms. Randa received the
CRA before June 2002 and after March 2004 while employed as a Library Tech 3. In
any event, there is no indication that Ms. Randa directed inmates while they were
engaged in beneficial labour during the relevant time period. Therefore, in relation to
the grievance filed on behalf of Ms. Randa, a prima facie case for her entitlement to the
CRA has not been made out. Accordingly, the grievance filed on behalf of Ms. Randa is
hereby dismissed.
Grounds/Maintenance Worker
[23] Mr. C. Mullen filed his grievance dated February 15, 2008 (GSB #2007-
3984) while employed as a Groundskeeper at the Cecil Facer Youth Centre. As the
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Groundskeeper, Mr. Mullen’s primary duties involved tending to and maintaining the
grounds of the institution, which included tree trimming, gardening and lawn cutting
during summer months and snow removal and salting the grounds during winter
months. Young offenders were assigned to work on the grounds. Mr. Mullen trained
the young offenders on how to use various pieces of equipment, such as tractors, lawn
mowers and snow blowers. During the summer months, Mr. Mullen could have as
many as 5 young offenders assigned to him. The inmates could be outside for 6-7
hours a day doing work on the grounds. Mr. Mullen was responsible for the young
offenders and he was obliged to monitor them on a constant and ongoing basis during
the day. Although the particulars do not describe Mr. Mullen’s duties by using the words
“directs the inmates”, the general description of his responsibilities in relation to the
young offenders who are assigned to him to perform groundskeeper work suggest that
he was likely directing the young offenders while they were engaged in beneficial
labour. It is not unusual for a person in a Groundskeeper position to be entitled to the
CRA. I am satisfied that the Union has made out a prima facie case for Mr. Mullen’s
entitlement to the CRA. Accordingly, Mr. Mullen’s grievance is referred back to the
parties for further consideration. The Union shall advise the Board in due course as to
how it wishes to proceed with Mr. Mullen’s grievance.
Cook 2
[24] Ms. B. Huitema filed her grievance dated January 5, 2005 while employed
as a Regular Part Time Cook 2 at the Stratford Jail. Ms. Huitema did receive the CRA
for her regular part time hours worked (32.5) since she started as a Cook 2 in 1990.
She did not receive the CRA for any of her overtime hours worked. She regularly
worked up to 40 hours per week. The Union takes the position that Ms. Huitema should
have been paid the CRA for all of her overtime hours. It is clear from the last section of
App. COR2 that the CRA is to be paid according to the basis rate of pay. I agree with
the submission of Employer counsel that the CRA is not payable on overtime hours.
Accordingly, the grievance filed on behalf of Ms. Huitema is hereby dismissed.
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Cleaners 2
[25] Ms. S. Williams filed a group grievance dated May 13, 2008 (GSB #2008-
3437) while she and the seven other employees in the group were employed at
Maplehurst in the Housekeeping Department. While engaged in cleaning duties, the
Cleaners are in close proximity to inmates on a regular and daily basis. In addition,
inmate cleaners often perform their cleaning work with and in close proximity to the
Cleaners. The Cleaners believe that their situation is similar to that of maintenance
personnel who receive the CRA. There is no indication in the particulars that the
Cleaners direct inmates while they are engaged in beneficial labour. Close proximity to
inmates or inmate cleaners is not a relevant consideration for entitlement to the CRA.
Therefore, a prima facie case for entitlement to the CRA has not been made out for the
cleaners covered by the group grievance. Accordingly, the Williams group grievance is
hereby dismissed.
[26] Since the commencement of the initial proceeding, more grievances have
been filed claiming entitlement to the CRA. The parties have agreed to address these
grievances in groups over a period of time in the same way they addressed the
grievances covered by this decision. Following the filing of particulars and the
completion of written submissions for each group of CRA grievances, the Board will
determine whether the Union has made out a prima facie case for the grievances within
each group. Any Employer’s objections to the CRA grievances will continue to be set
aside pending the determination of whether the Union has made out a prima facie case
for any of the grievances.
Dated at Toronto, Ontario this 28th day of May, 2021.
“Ken Petryshen”
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Ken Petryshen, Arbitrator