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#40065782
A BRITISH COLUMBIA
company would suffer undue
hardship if it had to put a worker
back into his safety-sensitive po-
sition when the worker's medical
restrictions prevented him from
performing his regular duties, an
arbitrator has ruled.
Mike McHale was a pipefit-
ter for Cariboo Pulp and Paper, a
company that operates a pulp mill
in Quesnel, B.C.
On March 29, 2017, McHale
was working in a dark and con-
fined area of the mill's steam plant
when a pipe exploded. He suffered
burns and was off work for four
Tentative contract
More than 500 municipal workers
in Levis, Que., sign agreement
after 17 months of talks
AGRIFOODS
Olymel
Red Deer, Alta.
(1,669 production employees ) and the United Food and Commercial
Workers Canada Union (UFCW), Local 401
Renewal agreement: Effective
Feb. 1, 2020 to Jan. 31, 2027.
Ratified on Jan. 8, 2021. Signed
on Jan. 9, 2021.
Shift premium: $0.35 per hour
when employee is designated
to give training. $0.55 per
hour will be paid for all hours
worked between 4 p.m. and
see Collective agreements > pg. 3
Photo:
CUHRIG
(iStock)
see PTSD > pg.7
B.C. mining company gets second opinion
on complete effects of medical marijuana
A BRITISH COLUMBIA employer did not have to
return a worker with a medical marijuana prescrip-
tion to his safety-sensitive position based on a medi-
cal report that didn't address its concerns about the
risk, an arbitrator has ruled.
The worker was a certified warehouseperson for
Teck Coal at its Elkview operation in B.C. His job
duties involved unloading delivery vehicles, putting
away deliveries, labelling parts and counting inven-
tory. He often used a forklift for these tasks.
The worker suffered from chronic pain from a
back injury he sustained in 1991. From 2012 to 2015,
he was prescribed Oxycodone for the pain but this
caused him to suffer from withdrawal symptoms,
depression and anger.
In 2015, the worker's doctor wrote a prescription
for an opioid medication, but he said he would pre-
fer to switch him to medical marijuana. The doctor
said he expected that the worker would be able to
function in his normal work capacity — which was a
May 31, 2021
see Doctor's > pg.7
Electrical Power Systems Construction Association
— Ontario pg. 3 Calm Air International — Manitoba pg. 4
Ventra Assembly Windsor — Ontario pg.5 Veritiv Canada
— Alberta pg.6
Photo:
DenisTangneyJr
(iStock)
GRIEVANCE HANDLING DURING A PANDEMIC
A Special One-Day Strategic Grievance Handling Workshop
Fall programs & dates
now available. Visit us at:
https://irc.queensu.ca
Register today!
May 14, 2021 (10am-4pm ET) - still a few seats left!
July 16, 2021 (10am-4pm ET)
late April/May 2021.qxp_Layout 1 2021-04-23 12:18 PM Page 1
ARBITRATION
AWARDS
COLLECTIVE
AGREEMENTS
pg. 2
COLLECTIVE
AGREEMENTS
Accommodation has its limits
for B.C. pulp, paper company
