LABOUR MANAGEMENT RELATIONS 9:01 No employee or group of employees shall undertake to represent the Union at meetings with the Employer without the proper authorization of the Union. The Employer shall not meet with any employee or group of employees undertaking to represent the Union without the proper authorization of the Union. In representing an employee or group of employees, a representative of the Union shall be the spokesperson. In order that this may be carried out, the Union shall supply the Employer with the names of its Officers and representatives. Likewise the Employer shall supply the Union with a list of its Designated Authorities and Chairs where the Chair is not the Designated Authority. Neither the Union nor the Employer shall be required to recognize such representatives until written notification has been received. 9:02 The Union and the Employer acknowledge the mutual benefit of joint consultation and agree, therefore, that there shall be a joint labour/management committee consisting of three (3) representatives from and selected by each party. There shall be one (1) regularly scheduled Labour/Management Committee meeting in each four (4) month term or semester (January to April, May to August, September to December). In addition, meetings shall be arranged at the request of either party through the Labour Relations Department, by submitting in writing the topics to be discussed. Such meetings shall take place, at a mutually-agreeable time, within ten (10) working days of the receipt of the request for the meeting. Meetings shall not be used to discuss matters which are the subject of a grievance nor to discuss any matters which are, at the time, the subject of collective bargaining. The committee shall function in an advisory capacity only, making recommendations to the Union and/or the Employer with respect to its discussions and conclusions, and shall not have the power to add to or modify the terms of this agreement. A representative of each party shall be designated Co-Chairperson, and the two persons so designated shall alternate in presiding over meetings.
Central Committee on Violence in the Workplace The Central parties agree to create a Central Committee to review and develop best practice recommendations related to Violence in the Workplace. The Committee will take into consideration recent provincial reports related to violence in the workplace issues. The best practice recommendations will be distributed to the Joint Health and Safety Committees at each individual Home to be recommended for implementation. The best practice recommendations will include but will not be limited to: Review/modify: the processes, procedures, measures and follow through on:
Health and Safety Committees In order to provide a safe and healthful workplace, local unit level LMCs shall establish Health and Safety Committees. Each committee will be composed of an equal number of representatives appointed by the Union and the Employer and will be co-chaired by a Union and Employer representative. A Union representative must be a member of the unit but either party may be accompanied by staff and/or other subject matter experts who may participate, but not vote, at meetings. Each party shall prepare and submit an agenda to the other party one week prior to any scheduled meeting. If neither party submits an agenda, the meeting shall be canceled. Each committee’s general responsibility will be to provide a safe and healthful workplace by recognizing hazards and recommending the abatement of hazards and educational programs. Each committee will: 1. meet on an established schedule; 2. arrange periodic inspections to detect, evaluate and offer recommendations for control of potential health and safety hazards; 3. appoint members of the committee to participate in inspections, investigations, or other established health and safety functions to the extent necessary; 4. receive and review a quarterly summary of job-related health and safety reports including accident reports and make appropriate recommendations; 5. investigate all types of employee job-related accidents and all types of occupational illnesses and make recommendations; 6. promote health and safety education; 7. study the use of VDTs and make appropriate recommendations to ensure the health and safety of employees regarding such use; 8. maintain and review minutes of all committee meetings; and 9. review the availability and adequacy of first aid supplies and equipment and address any inadequacies. In cases where summary reports are provided, a committee member may request and receive an individual case file or report. In no case will an employee’s records be provided when the law forbids disclosure. In addition, employees’ names will normally be deleted but may be provided to all committee members in instances where committee members need to know the name(s) of employee(s) to effectively represent the bargaining unit(s) and disclosure of name(s) is not prohibited by law. The Employer may require committee members and Union representatives to sign confidentiality statements. Members of each Health and Safety Committee will be paid by the Employer while performing committee duties, including travel time, and will also be paid for any time spent in committee approved training related to health and safety. The Committee will develop an annual training program for its members. Each Health and Safety Committee will establish rules consistent with the above principles. A mechanism to coordinate the efforts of individual Health and Safety Committees will be established at each agency.
Occupational Health and Safety Committee (a) The parties agree that a joint occupational health and safety committee will be established. The Committee shall govern itself in accordance with the provisions of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations made pursuant to the Workers Compensation Act. The Committee shall be between the Employer and the Union, with equal representation, and with each party appointing its own representatives. The Union agrees to actively pursue with the other Health Care unions, where more than one union is certified with the Employer, a joint union/employer committee for the purposes of the Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. (b) Employees who are members of the Committee shall be granted leave without loss of pay or receive straight-time regular wages while attending meetings of the Joint Committee. Employees who are members of the Committee shall be granted leave without loss of pay or receive straight-time regular wages to participate in joint workplace inspections and joint accident investigations at the request of the Committee pursuant to the WCB Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. Committee meetings, workplace inspections and accident investigations shall be scheduled during normal working hours whenever practicable. (c) The Occupational Health and Safety Committee shall have as part of its mandate the jurisdiction to receive complaints or concerns regarding workload problems which are safety-related, the right to investigate such complaints, the right to define the problem and the right to make recommendations for a solution. Where the Committee determines that a safety-related workload problem exists, it shall inform the Employer. Within 21 days thereafter, the Employer shall advise the Committee what steps it has taken or proposes to take to rectify the safety-related workload problem identified by the Committee. If the Union is not satisfied with the Employer's response, it may refer the matter to the Industry Trouble shooter for a written recommendation. (d) No employee shall be disciplined for refusal to work when excused by the provisions of the
Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee The Employer and the Union recognize the role of the joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee in promoting a safe and healthful workplace. The parties agree that a Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee shall be established for each Employer covered by this Collective Agreement. The Committee shall govern itself in accordance with the provisions of the Industrial Health and Safety Regulations made pursuant to the Workers’ Compensation Act. The Committee shall be as between the Employer and the Union, with equal representation, and with each party appointing its own representatives. Representatives of the Union shall be chosen by the Union membership or appointed by the Union. All minutes of the meetings of the Joint Occupational Health & Safety Committee will be recorded in a mutually agreeable format and will be sent to the Union. The Union further agrees to actively pursue with the other Health Care Unions a Joint Union Committee for the purposes of this Article. The Employer agrees to provide or cause to be provided to Employer members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee adequate training and orientation to the duties and responsibilities of committee members to allow the incumbents to fulfil those duties competently. The Union agrees to provide or cause to be provided to Union members of the Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee adequate training and orientation to the duties and responsibilities of committee members to allow the incumbents to fulfil those duties competently. Such training and orientation shall take place within six (6) months of taking office.
Labour Management Relations Committee In recognition of the mutual benefits of open communications and on-going consultation between the faculty and the employer, the Labour/Management Relations Committee will meet on a regular basis and have equal representation for the Union and the Employer. The LMRC will serve as an open forum for the free and candid discussion of matters of mutual concern to faculty members and management.
Letter of Understanding Grievance Commissioner System This is to confirm the discussion of the parties during collective bargaining that they are committed to encouraging early discussion and resolution of labour relations issues at the local level and seek to resolve grievances in a timely and cost-efficient manner. To that end, this is to confirm that pursuant to Article 8, the parties agree that the Employer and Union at individual Homes may agree to utilize the following process in order to resolve a particular grievance through the utilization of a joint mediation-arbitration procedure:
Group Grievance Where a number of employees have identical grievances and each employee would be entitled to grieve separately they may present a group grievance in writing signed by each employee who is grieving to the Administrator or her designate within ten (10) days after the circumstances giving rise to the grievance have occurred or ought reasonably to have come to the attention of the employee(s). The grievance shall then be treated as being initiated at Step No. 1 and the applicable provisions of this Article shall then apply with respect to the processing of such grievance.
Policy Grievance – Union Grievance The Union may institute a grievance alleging a general misinterpretation or violation of this Agreement by the Employer by submitting a written grievance at Step No. 1 within twenty (20) days after the circumstances have occurred. This section shall not apply to disciplinary grievances or application of competitive clauses under this Agreement.
CENTRAL LABOUR RELATIONS COMMITTEE C4.1 OPSBA, the Crown and OSSTF agree to establish a joint Central Labour Relations Committee to promote and facilitate communication between rounds of bargaining on issues of joint interest.
