HomeMy WebLinkAbout1984-0074.Hart.85-03-2674184
IN THE MATTER OF.AN ARBITR,ATION.- ;: ~ :, ,;, ,p-
f '.. Under -. :.. :L : ,::
THE CROWN EMPLOYEES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ACT ..:..
Refore
i; ', THE GRI'EVAN.CE SETTL,EMENT BOARD.
,,' .,. ,; . ..I -:.,
Between: CUPE (Ronald Hart) . _,'., ,,I., 5 ., :
Gr;evor ', . 3 . . ,* ,*- I ,'. ,,.. .
- and -
” .‘! 9 ,.-
The Crown in Right-of Onta rio
(Ministry of Municipal Aff a i-rs
and'.Hbus,ing) ~ .:
.I '- e-c L .Employer
* I ,. , : :
._
Before: ' R.'L. Verity;, Q.C. .~Vice .Chai'nman
'R'. Russell.
-
Member .i.-.
, A.,~G. Stapleton Membe.r
_ (.
. ,
For the Grievo'r:~' T: Edwa'rds I.-
National Representative..,, :
Canadian Union of Public Employees
.~ .,r Local 767 I s. -: r .' I
_' ;: ,:I .' .I
For the Empldy'er:. “;,,;se{arasuk, '.' .,A, ,.
-. Central Ontario Industrial .'
RelationssInstitute:
Hearings: February 14.,':1985
February 15, 1~985
_’
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DECISION
In a Grievance dated January 9, 1984, Ronald Hart
alleged that he was dismissed without just cause. The settle-
ment requested was reinstatement with full compensation for
lost wages and benefits.
At the time of discharge, the grievor was employed
with the Hamilton-Wentworth Housing Authority as a Building
Custodian, On January 3, 1984, Housing Authority Manager R.
R. Nixon terminated the grievor's employment by sending the
following reglstered letter (Exhibit 2):
"You have failed to comply with the direc-
tives contained in Mr. 0:MacIver’s letter
of November 28, 1983 and Mr. L. Berg’s letter of December 14. 1983. You also re-
ceived a last and final warning regarding
your extended and.unauthorized absences in
Mr. C. Gonthier's letter of July 7, 1982.
The management of this Authority has ex-
tended to you, without success, every op-
portunity to substantiate your current two
(2) months absence.
You are hereby notified that your services
with the Hamilton-Wentworth Housing Author-
itv are terminated effective Tuesday,
Jaiuary 3, 1984 for the follow i
1. Your unauthorized leave-of
since December 3, 1983;
2. Failure to supply the requ i
certificates."
ng reasons:
absence
red medical
-3-.
The letter of July 7,:,1982,r,eferredqto @.&he above., ,,
termination letter. bears repetition: .I s _:: .; -ji ,:; I. ',W
,., -* +; 4 -,; ,,
"LAST AND FINAL WARNING .-
‘> ‘; :,t*:: , : )”
_I
;
.+, ~,,<.,
On December 22,.I980, you Lere place'do'n
' .,, + ', j,
the. Ontario ~Government's A,l.coh.ol~ism ;
Absentee Programme.
_ .,”
,
I .,
b:'
On August -2'5,‘ i981, yoi! had a rel'apse'~'and
:,:: $.'
had to undergo further treatment.
Attth,at time,, yo,u were .warne.d i,n :a le-tte,r
to you dated September 8, 1981, that the
a'bsenteeism created by thi,s illness was., -,-. ., _i
preventing you from reporting to work on a
regular .and continui'ng.bas;i:s, .an,d.further *: ,. "
causing a serious disruption to our service'~
levels. You were also warned in that
letter, that failure:to,,i,mpro.ve attendance.."
and further job ,performance may,resul~t,in,.:.;
the ultimate termination..of..your ,emp.loy- ::
merit..
You have.& had a,second riiapse, -Jine”l5.
- 29, 1982.~ t ,I’ p.. :, .~. ‘~ ,x
Although the Hami$tqn+Wentworth
! -
Housing-. .I,
Authority was, and. sti!l..is,, prepared to
make fu,rther r,easonable efforts to,support
-:
your rehabilitation; the- ultimate respon-.;
sibility for success with the treatment is
yours-. 't: ' I -et. : '.I, I *t i. ~ r .,
Further., this'Tcor'Fes:pondince is ~intended to,.
represent 'theelast- and finalL warning,..and
to ensure that*you.cl.early- understand,.that :
any further incidence's ,of, th-is nature.,will.
result in the termination of your employ.:
ment with the Hamilton-Wentworth Housing
Authority," ~. -:I: -,
In the January 3 termin!a,tipn. letter, reference was '. *
made to two further letters. Mai.n't,enance Supervisqr 'Don
.i '. ~ <; :F, I.
MacIver's letter of November 28, 1983 stated that as"'the
grievor had been off work from November 4, a doctor's letter
- 4 -
would be necessary prior to return to work. The letter also
went on to state that in the event the grievor was unable to
return to work by December 3;the doctor's letter substan-
tiating the illness would require a statement as to anticipated
return to regular employment. The evidence established that
the letter did not come to the grievor's attention.
The second letter referred to in the termination
letter of January 3 was dated December 14, 1983. and was hand
delivered to the grievor's home. ~That letter read as follows:
"It has been four (4) weeks since you last
contacted your supervisor, Mr. MacIver;'
regardinq your lengthy absence.
During this period of time, the Authority
has attempted unsuccessfully, on separate
occasions, to contact you at home (518
Britannia Avenue), at your previously known
place of part-time employment, through
fellow employees and stewards, and the
Employee Health Service Branch of the
Ministry of 6overnment Services.
In addition, you have not complied with the
requests for information as set out in Mr.
Maclver's letter of November 28, 1983 (copy
attached). As a result of.your
non-compliance, you are in violation of
article 19.01 (c) and (d) of the Collective
Agreement. _
Therefore, with effect from Saturday,
December 3, 1983. your absence has been
treated as an unauthorized leave without
pay.
Further,
you do not contact Mr. MacIver or Mr.
you are hereby notified that if
Oyment in person on or before Thursday,
December 22, 1983 between 9 a.m. and 4
- 5 -
-p.m. giving a full and satisfactory explan-
ation for you'r'absence, including,the
necessary doctor's certificate, your em-
ployment with the.Hamilton-Wentworth
Housing Authority will be terminated on.
Thursday, Oecember.22; 1983."
. ’
The grievor had no knowledge of the contents of the ,, .p 2 _ I .~
December 14 letter u,ntil he met with representatives of the
. Hamilton-Wentworth Housing Authority on December 16, 1983. .
.; : ~. _,
_
Lo Clearly, ,the. termination letter made no refe,renc~e
'RI. .: :a
whatsoever to the grievor's real problem, namely chronic alco-
:. :';
holism. .However, on January 3, 1984, the employer had no know-
ledge as to the reasons for the grievor's absence from wor'k for
some two months. At the hearing, the parties,agreed that the ,~ I .
grounds for termination would be expanded to include "unable 'to
attend work asa result of acute alcoholism". ' ’ ‘_
.s The employer's case proceeded by.wdy of an agreed
statement,of facts which were amply supported by the presenta-
tion .of exhibits. The follow i ng facts were agreed upon by the
part i
es. : .~ ,‘:)
3 ,i
The grievor was hired by the Housing Authority as a
Groundsman/Labourer on October 4, 1976. In November, 1981; he
was promoted to the classification of Building Custodian.
- 6 -
The grievor was absent from wo,rk from Januarv 21,
to February 8, 1980. Shortly thereafter, the grievor admitted;
for the first time to management representatives, that he had a
severe alcohol problem. Following that admission, the
grievor's physician, Or. J. A. Opie filed a medical certificate
which diagnosed the problem as alcoholism.
The grievor was again absent from work between July
21, 1980 to July 28 as a result of alcohol abuse. Similarly,
the problem reoccurred in December of that year with the result
that the grievor was absent from December 3, 1980 to December
15.
On December 22, 1980. the grievor was placed on the
Ontario Government's Alcoholism Absentee Pro9ram. He was then
advised by letter that failure to co-operate might result in
termination of employment. He was subsequently referred for a
mandatory medical at Employee Health Services in Toronto and
was seen by Government physician Dr. T. Rewa. Subsequent to
the mandatory medical examination, the grievor attended a 4-l/2
week in-patient treatment at Chedoke Hospital in Hamilton fork
treatment of alcoholism. The treatment commenced January 28,
1981 and the grievor subsequently returned to work on February
27.
On August 25, 1981. the grievor suffered a relapse
- 7 -
,,) !
and was absent from,wdrk until"SeRtember 1: In 'a le'ttrr dated
':
September 4; the g~ie~or's'absenct~~~as treated as 'an .,',.-
unauthorized leave without-pay. '.In addition, the grievor was' '
advised that failure to imorove"job'performance to'sa"
^ ;
satisfactory 1evel'iight"result in termination.
'. " .: $~ . . . ',' : : '_
The grievor had a furthe'r'r'e'la'R,se'related to alcohol
abuse and was absent from work from June 15, 1982to June 29.
In a letter dated July 7,'1982'; .th~e Housing Authority
.
issued a "'Last and Fiha'l 'Warning",‘set but above. 1'
.' , i
,, The employer prorn~p~lL,~eactiv~a~ed the~treatient pro;':
gram.' After the grievor had been seen' by'G,overnment physician
Dr. Rewa, he was referred in 'SeRtembe'r; 1982.to a refresher -
treatment program as an out-patient at Chedoke Hospital in
Hamilton‘, '
The evidence established that the refresher 'progr'amm
was helpful and in January of 1983, the grievor's Supervisor
,
reported that his job Rerfore?ance had improved. %
unt
‘I .’
No further work related.p,roblems were encountered.
I ,A. .’
il the grievor failed to report for work-'on Npvember 4,
1983. From that date until approximately November 11, the
grievor reported to the Employer on a daily basis, and adv i
that he ias suffering from the effects of a 'severe cold.
sed
- 8 -
However, from November 11 until December 15, the grievor failed
to contact the Employer to justify his absence. That absence
caused the Housing Authority to write to the grievor as
referred to previously on November 28, and again on December
14. Finally, on December 15, the grievor contacted his
supervisor by telephone and as a result an interview was
arranged for the following day.
On December 16, 1983. the grievor met with Housing
Authority representatives. He was given a copy of the December
14 letter and acknowledged. after having read the letter, that
he understood the contents.. He advised management of his
appointment with Dr. Opie on December 19 and that he would
attempt to get a medical letter as r,equired by December 22.
No medical certificate was presented on or before
December 22. Management agreed with Union Steward Ina Little
to extend the deadline until December 29..
As of January 3, 1984,,no doctor's letter had been
received and no further contact had been made with the
grievor. Finally, two,days after the dismissal,.the employer
received a note from Dr. Opie, dated January 3, 1984. which
contained the following information:
"Dx - chronic depression
Acute/chronic alcohol abuse.
. I
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Patient seen on this date & is cooperating
with treatment. Tentative return to work @ 2 - 3 weeks."
In his testimony, ,the grievor recited a tr.agic his-
tory of alcohol, abuse which h,e acknowl,edged,had been a~*prob~l,e,m
for -15 to.20 years. The .grievor'smarriage of some 25,years
broke down during the third week of November, 1983 and as a
result he left the.matsimonial home.,,- The grievor and his wife
are still separated.
’ ,.
f,;<iThe grievor described~himse1fas.a ".binge,,drinker land
not a daily drinker".. Apparently these binges would la.st.for
periods-of'four to,five days. He testified that he became~.
acutely depressed after the separation and promptly gave up :a11
hope of continued employment. His tesfim0n.y wasto the effect
that he~began drinking heavily around the beginning of
December; 1983. :,
i ~. <
-The grievor candiid'ly admitted that the low,point in
his battle with alcoholism occurred in the summer of 1984 when
his body,weight had ,dropped to 126 pounds.~ He so,ught,medical
attentionfrom his family ,physician, and wao.sub,sequently
admitted as an in-patient at Chedoke-McMaster Centre in October
1984 on a voluntary basis. He testified that he finally
recognized the fact that he must change his lifestyle. In his
own words, "it was all or nothing". .~
The grievor te
stress generally without
resulted from his job, h
tified that he was unable to cope with
resort to alcohol, and that stress
s marriage and his extracurricular
The grievor's extensive involvement in
extracurricular activities have now been reduced to a
manageable level. At the present time he assists with the
local scouting movement and is in the process of completing a
correspondence course in horticul ture through the University of
Guelph. The grievor is actively invo lved in a self-maintenance
program which emphasizes nutrition, exercise and sleep to
assist in behavioral modification. The grievor testified that
since the October treatment at Chedoke-McMaster. he has
regained his sense of self-worth, and that for the first time
in years he is starting to enjoy life. Although he still
activities. In the grievor's own words, "I have never learned
the sk.ills of being able to cope,with stressful situations".
- lo-
acknowledged problems, he testified that his p,ercebtion and
attitude have changed. The grievor stated that he now accepted
the fact that he could not tolerate alcohol in any,,form. and
that he had consumed no alcoholic beverage since September of
1984.
Khem Chopra, Director of the Chedoke-McMaster
Hospital's Alcoholism Treatment and Education Centre testified
”
- ll-
on behalf of the grievor. We shall review Mi.'Chopra's testi-
mony at a late'r point."
,,'.. ~.
The grievor's violat i
19 of the Co) lective Agreement
, :,
on of the~provisions of Articl'e-:
were cited by the employer in
support 'of. dis~charge. Two‘paragraphs‘of.Article- 19 are
:
‘/ .i.
"19..01 (c) Sickness must,.be substant.iated
by -a doctor's'cert'ificate if the Employer
'2 so requires and, in any event, jf the ab-
sence is of more than' three (3) consecutive
working days in dur.ation. I*n all cases,of
sickness th'e Employee's Supervisor shal~l be
notxified with,in -two (2) hours f.rom com-
menceme~nt of r~egular duties on the fi'rst
day of, ab.sence,. Where the latter is not
possible du'e to 'w'ork schedul.ing steps must
be taken by the empl~oyee to notify a desig-
nated alternate, or where he/she is not
available, the office of the Housing Mana-
ger within two (2) hours from the commence-
-ment of regular duties." '. - -
, “19.01 (d) Notwithstanding Article . . ~,
lg.Ol[c), an empl'oyee 'absent for 'more 'than
twenty (20) cons,ecutive wo,rking days shall
furnish immediately .following such %wenty
(20) working days, a certificate from his
personal physician'givin'g the p'robable 'date
on which the employee wiil return to duty."
: ’
~,..’
On behalf.of the emplo~yer, Mr. Tarasuk argued that .,
management had .acted reasonably in djschargjng.the grievor.pn - I
,the combined grounds of absence without leave and chronic
alcoholism. He contended ~that post-disciplinary evidence has I..
no mitigating significance, and in. any.event, that in the
-’ 12-
absence of any medical prognosis, the discharge must be
upheld. Mr. Tarasuk contended that the grievor must face
realty and that reinstatement would not assist him in that
regard.
Mr. Edwards urged the Board to exercise its authority
under Section 19(3) of the Crown Employees Collective Bargain-
ing Act by finding that discharge was an excessive penalty. He
contended that reinstatement of the grievor was appropriate in
light of the successful attempts at rehabilitation and the
prognosis of Dr. Opie and Mr. Chopra. Mr. Edwards'argued that
rehabilitation would likely succeed in light of the grievor's
acceptance that abstinence was the only soluti.on to his
problem.
Having considered all of the evidence carefully, the
Board is satisfied that the employer has taken every reasonable
step in attempting to rehabilitate the grievor, and in so doing
has dealt with the problem in a most compassionate manner.
The Board is also satisfied that the employer had
just cause to discharge the grievor on January 3, 1984. As of
that date, the grievor had absented himself from work for a
period of almost
violation of Art
Agreement. Ue f
two
icle
ind t
months. Clearly, the grievor was in
19.01(c) and (d) of the Collective
hat the grievor was familiar with the
. .
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terms .of the Collective Agreement by virtue of his ,experience
for five years as a Union Steward and two year.s ;as Chief:
Steward. :~ ', r 1,
Board
Crown
of a 1
However, the'more difficult issue is whether the
sliould exeicise"its discretion under-section 19(3) of the
Employees Collective Bargaining Act in the,sub,stitution;.
esser penalty. .
.< '_I, <,* ,. i
::
Although unknown to the employer- at th.e.time, the ., ,, .a.
grievor was in an unfits c~ondition to resume- hi,s.duti:.es on -
January 3, 1984 as a"resui,t of'the.continuing batt.Je'$ith
alcoholism. Dr. Opie's medical note received by the Housing
Authority on January 5 again confirms the diagnosis of acute
alcoholism;~ . :
n
Generally, in grievance arbitrations the issue for
determination is whether disciplinary actions were proper at (.
the time they occurred, and events subsequent to that action
are irrelevant. .However, in,certain cases such as acute alto-.
. i ,
holjsm, i:t, i.s by no means uncommon for Boards of Arbitration to . : .+
consider related subsequent events to determine the appropri-' -j ,' -,
.ateness of the penalty imposed. See Re Labatt's Ontario _
Breweries Ltd. and National Brewery Workers' Union, Lical 1
(2d) 66 (Brunner); Re Molson's Brewery (1978), 20 L.A.C.
(Ontario) Ltd. and Canadian Union of U~nited Brewery, Flour,
- 14-
Cereal, Soft Drink and Distillery Workers, Local 304 (1979). 23
L.A.C. (2d) 392 (Adell); and the Grievance Settlement Board
Award of Vice-Chairman Swan in OLBEU (Mr. A. Saunders) and the
LiquorControl Board of Ontario, 252/82.
In the Labatt's Breweries case, Arbitrator Brunner
stated at page 71:
"The authorities appear to support the pro-
position that in determining whether a
board of arbitration should exercise its
jurisdiction under s. 37(8) of the Labour
Relations Act [now Section 44(g)] it can
consider matters that have arisen
subsequent to the date of discharge and in
particular a grievor's efforts toward
rehabilitation."
The learned Arbitrator reviewed relevant Canadian and
American arbitral authority in support of the above proposi-
tion.
In the instant arbitration, the grievor testified at
length in connection with his attempt at rehabilitation. He
confirmed that he consumed alcoholic beverages in June 1984 and
had two beers in September of that year. By July of 1984 his
body weight was down to 126 pounds which represented a weight
loss of some 22 pounds. In October 1984, he admitted himself
to the Chedoke-McMaster Alcoholism Clinic for a period of some
five months as an in-patient.
The Board is sat isf~ieb that the griever;, at -long..:-.
last, has corn''' to grips 'wi th'his problem and possesses'the ..:'
motilation~~foi su'ccessful rehabilitation. 'There is no, doubt
-that'he is making a' genuine, effort-'at rehabilitation to achieve
a fundame'ntal change in 'l'ifest'y~l'e...' It is notinfreq,uent;that:
real motivation surfaces only3nthe face of adversity. Here,
the grievoi:separated from his wife and lost his:job within the
same time frame. The Board was-impressed by the&honesty and
candor of the'grievor's testimony. Clearly, he is'.,intellig,ent
and highly articulate. At the time of discharge, he had ~.
- 15-
accumul ated in excess of 8 years service,with the Housi,ng
Authori,
The.Alcoholism Centre's reco‘rds dated Novembe,r.ll.;
,984 demonstrate a moder.ate degree- of ~success in dealing .with
his marriage breakdown, stress control and self-image..- ,.'
' At the hearing 'there 5 was n.o 'medicalevidence pre-
sented which indicated'an addiction 'prognosis. Dr. Opie's . .
letter of February 5', 1985 fall
prognos~is. Dr. Opie's opinion
work on a regular basis" has a
s far short of'a'medical
that-"he is able toereturn. to
somewhat hollow ring, and is
repetitive of previous notes forwarded to the employer;
However, a prognosis tias presented by-Khem Chopra,
the Director of the Alcoholism Clinic at Chedoke-McMaster
-
- 16-
Hospitals. Mr. Chopra is a professional in the sense that he
established the Alcoholism Centre at Chedoke Hospital some nine
years ago, and has accumulated approximately 11 years experi-
ence in the treatment of alcoholism. He holds a Masters Degree
in social work, and a Masters Degree,in science. Although no
serious attempt was made by the Union to establish Mr. Chopra's
qualifications as an expert witness (with the exception of a
general statement to that effect), the Board is satisfied that
the Director's opinions merit careful scrutiny, based on his
experience.
Mr. Chopra testified that prior to October 1984..the
grievor demonstrated a marked reluctance to counteract his
alcoholism. The grievor was described by Mr. Chopra as a
perfectionist who experienced difficulty in coping with
failure.
It was the Director's testimony that the recovery
rate by participants at the Chedoke-McMaster Centre is 66% to
75% where pa~tients retain their jobs. Conversely, it was his
tesitmony that there was a 0% recovery rate when a patient has
lost his job. In summary, it was Mr. Chopra's evidence that a
patient's job retention is an essential ingredient in the
recovery process. He also stated that a change of job produces
additional.and unwanted stress factors.
- 17-
The Board is. satisfied that, although the Director
has never been involved,ias ,the! grie.vor's assigned.;therapist,
.he is familiar -with the grievor's circumstances.based ,on
knowledge' of the case..record; 'direct contact-with the grievor,
and assessments from meetings with,clinic st.aff.personnel. .
,~ I 'J . ,Y! i,
The grievoi-was.described, by the'Director as a
perfectionist who experienced great diffidulty coping with the
stress factors in life. Mr. Chopia.testified that the
'gri,evor's 'job was one of.;the principal causes of stress and
that in;the past the'grievor coped with..str.ess by the
.1
'consumption .o.f:.a,lcholic beverag~es. One of theT.prog,r,am's goals
is to.assist the grievor in coping with stress, free~fiom
alcohol consumption. The Director testified that in his
opinion,'the~grie.vor*was. on the r'oad to recovery and "had ~a
good chance of recovery because ,h‘is motivation was Avery high".
He also stated.t~hat "the occasional.. r-elapse is note uncommon".
; .~ i ." ,
Alcoholism has long been 'reco:gnize~d in both medical
.~and legal literature‘ as an,.il-lness..~ However, alcoholism is an
., illness
. . in many
a lco ho1 i
whe,re there 'is- anelement.of fauxlt - anillness which
cases' is'co~ntrollab,le; ' Absenteeism caused by
sm is one of. the.most di'fficult problems to confront
'an employer. Quite simply, -there are no easy answqrs in the
'tecovery process, and the medical profession has~.yet to
discover instant cures.
The Board is satisfied that the grievor now
recognizes and is currently dealing .with the problems that
induced the illness. The evidence establishes that the grievor
is participating in ,a rigorous program.of self-discipline in
his personal lifestyle, which has as its cornerstone,
ion factor to abstinence. In short, he possesses the mot
succeed, albeit somewhat after the fact.
ivat
As indicated previously, the Board has determined
that the grievor was discharged for just cause inJanuary of
1984. The employer has indeed met the tests set out by Vice-
Chairman Joliffe in Devlin and the Ontario Housing Corporation,
G.S.B. 331/8D.
However, in our opinion, the post-disciplinary cir-
cumstances are sufficiently compelling and our jurisdiction
under Section 19(3) of the Crown Employees Collective Bargain-
ing Act is sufficiently broad to set aside the penalty of dis-
charge and substitute such other penalty as seems "just and
reasonable in all the circumstances". In cases of alcohol
addiction, the important factor 'is the prognosis for the future
usefulness of the employee. Here, the grievor has benefited as
a result of the extended period between discharge and the
arbitration hearing, which has afforded him the opportunity to
to demonstrate rehabilitation. As Vice-Chairman Swan stated in
Saunders and L.C.B.O. (Supra) at page 7:
,-
19-
I,
. . . the conventional wisdom is that it is
only when faced with the choice between
rehabilitation and a hopeless future that
most alcoholics find the strength to
recover: see Re British Columbia Telephone
Company and Telecommunication Workers': I<'~1
Union (Ig78), 19 L.A.C. (2d) 98 (Gall)."
In our opinion, the gr.ievor merits one final .' a . : ::. s.
opportunity to face reality, and one final attempt to organize
his priorities. Given the present motivation factor there is .- ~? ,- . . -t,
no reason that the grievor'cannot become a useful employee and :x j ,. ,.i .
q,,,y,roductive member of society. .'
:~ . ,i I: .' 1. ,'
In the circumstances, reinstatement to employment .. 6 . . :' 1' >'
with the Housing Authority is an appropriate consideration, but ..I . .i. s, ., _
not to the position of Building Custodian. The job of a custo- ,,I T.
dian .in a high rise housing unit will inevitably produce daily
stressful situations, .1
and we are not satisfied that the grievor ,._
is sufficiently rehabilitated to assume~that role.
ew
However, the grievor's affin i i'.
loyment and his interest in horticu 1,
:
ty for outdoor
ture tends to suggest
that it would be prudent, at least initially, to reinstate the
grievor to the classification of Groundsman/Labourer. His
-
initial employment with the Housing Authority was that of a .-
Groundsman. The grievor must have been relatively successful
in that pos~ition because, as the evidence indicates, he was
:
promoted in November of 1981 to the position of Building
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Custodian.
In the result, we make the following Order:
1. The grievor shall be reinstated as of
the date of this Decision to employment
with the Hamilton-Wentworth Housing Author:
ity without loss of seniority, but without
compensation for lost wages and benefits
resulting from his discharge. The lapse of
time from the discharge to the date of
issuance of this Decision shall be consid-
ered a period of suspension.
2. The grievor shall not be reinstated to
the position of Building Custodian, but
shall be employed as a Groundsman/Labourer.
3. The reinstatement to employment shall
be conditional for a period of two years
during which time the grievor shall abstain
from the use of any alcoholic beverage.
4. During the period of conditional rein-
statement, the grievor shall continue
I
‘, ,
.‘,
.
‘~
‘. - 21-
treatment as- an'out-patient at Chedoke-
McMaster Alcoholism Treatment and Educa tion
Centre, or any,si'milar al:coholism treatment
centre in the event of a job relocation,
and shall'participate,i n all treatment 1:
'procedures recommended by.the.centre.. '!.,
'., i
-5.' The employer.shalT demonstrate, .;
continuing~ interesteinthe griever's,.:.,:
progress with the Chedoke-McMaster
Alcoho'lism Treatment and.Education Centre
and the'employer. shall participate ,.i.n any
'procedures deemed .~appropr,iat'e:by the '4 i
Centre.,
6. Nothing in this Decision shall 'affect
the employer's right to discharge or other-
_-
wise discipline the grievor for just cause,
either.during or after the two year period
specified above.
7. In the.event that the grievor refuses
to accept the terms of this conditional re-
instatement within 2 weeks of the issuance
of this decision, his dismissal will be
confirmed and it wi.11 be deemed that his
I
i. ..>
- 22-
grievance is dismissed.
The terms outlined above for the grievor's condition-
al reinstatement are both onerous and stringent. In the event
that the grievor fails to abide by th,e conditions of reinstate-
ment, it is unlikely that a future Arbitration Panel would
again reinstate the grievor . The continuity of the grievor's
future employment with the Employer will depend upon his
courage, motivation and determination.
The Board wishes.to express its appreciation to both
Mr. Tarasuk and Mr. Edwards for their thoughtful presentations
in a most difficult case.
A.D.,
DA TED at Brantford, Ontario, this 26thday of March,
~1985.
R. L. Verity, Q.C. - Vice-Chairman
-AL2 /-
R. BusseT: - Member
, : .<I :,,y; -).., *,
-. _.x> ----
A. G. Stapleton ;' rlrmber ,