When there is a dispute about a workplace policy, disagreement over discipline or generally any violation of the collective agreement the members, and the Union, turn to the grievance process for resolution.
The grievance process can be long; from filing the papers to receiving an arbitration decision at the end. With the laws stacked against labour, our only choice is to follow the "work now, grieve later" concept.
While we have seen some recent success, we still have 144 outstanding grievances on many important issues to our local. Policing the contract shouldn't be this hard. It was collectively bargained and agreed to by both the Company and Union, but it's almost never the latter that breaks the agreed-upon rules.
There is only one surefire way to succeed in the low-carbon economy and that's to stop fighting internally and start taking aim at our competitors. The hard-working, dedicated members of 594 are not the competition. There are generations of families that have been employed at the Refinery almost since the beginning that have poured their lives into shaping the Co-op into the behemoth it is today. That loyalty, and the CBA, needs to be respected.
The goal is to use this space to provide updates to the membership about recently filed or resolved grievances. More comprehensive updates are provided at monthly Executive and General meetings.
19-2017 OT Opportunities
We recently reached a resolution to this grievance and it has been withdrawn. The parties agree that restriction on overtime is only appropriate when supported by suitable medical documentation. Restricting employees from working overtime will not be used as a disciplinary measure for non-culpable absenteeism. The Company has communicated policy updates and the Union has no concern that this should be an issue going forward.
14/21-2016 Bidding to Process
We also resolved our dispute over how and who can bid on internal process job postings. The grievance was filed because the Company was requiring a 4th Power Engineering certificate in order to be awarded a process job successfully. Under the resolution, the most senior applicant will be awarded the position but will be required to obtain the minimum qualifications within the timelines set out in Article 9 and Letter of Understanding 2 of the collective agreement.
30/31/32-2020 Lockout Terminations
As previously reported our three grievors have been reinstated by the arbitrator. Suspensions were substituted as appropriate discipline for their picket line misconduct. At the end of the day, the grievors were pleased with the decision and are looking to move forward and put the ordeal behind them. The grievance committee is now working with the Company to finalize any outstanding details pertaining to the return to work process.
29-2021 Boilerhouse Janitorial Duties
Lastly, the Company contracted out Janitorial duties that were customarily performed by our members. After the Step 1 grievance meeting, the parties came to an agreement and the Janitorial duties will return to our members. The grievance has been withdrawn.
We appreciate all the members, stewards and executive that have volunteered their time to pursue these grievances and serve the membership to best of our abilities.
