Canadian Labour Reporter

1 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2013 JANUARY 6, 2014 LABOUR BRIEFS Canada Post gets relief from pension payments / Saint John Seven strike drags on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS • Edmonton School District No. 7, Edmonton. 12 paid holidays . . . . . . . . 3 • Cummins Western Canada, Calgary. Six-month probation period . . . . . . . . . 3 • Oakgroup Automotive Corporation, • Mississauga, Ont. Time and one-half • for all overtime hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Alberta Exchanger, Edmonton. Five minutes personal clean up time before the end of shift. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Autobus Transco, Montréal. One paid day for the employee's wedding . . . . . . . . . 5 • Potlotek First Nation, Chapel Island, N.S. Employer pays for vessel phones . . . . . 5 ARBITRATION AWARDS • P.E.I. police overlooked by employer for exclusive training course . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Too much time in the morgue leads to hospital porter's termination . . . . . . . . 6 ONLINE THIS WEEK Whispers of an Ontario pension plan flutter about as the federal government balks at Canada Pension Plan expansion. Visit www. labour-reporter.com for daily news stories. Follow us on Twitter @labourreporter. UPCOMING ISSUES The Canadian Labour Congress — in partnership with researchers at Western University — launched a national survey on the impact of domestic violence on workers and workplaces, the first of its kind in Canada. What will the results mean for employers and unions? Read the Jan. 13 issue of Canadian Labour Reporter to find out. | by SAbRINA NANJI | KEY LABOUR PLAYERS across Canada have their eyes glued to Wild Rose Country, where Alberta has passed controversial legislation stripping gov- ernment employees of critical bargain- ing rights. Two new laws, passed late last year, have sparked an uproar in labour circles. Under Bill 45, the Public Sector Ser- vices Continuation Act, unions that en- gage in wildcat strikes could be fined up to $1 million per day. Bill 46 pertains to the current round of collective bargaining between the provincial government and the Alberta Union of Pro- vincial Employees (AUPE), which came to a standstill after contracts expired in March. The Public Service Salary Restraint Act enables the provincial government to impose an agreement if a deal cannot be reached by Jan. 31, by- passing binding arbitration. Bill 46 also imposes a two-year wage freeze for pub- lic sector staff. The contentious legislation spawned a lawsuit from the union, which rep- resents about 22,000 workers who say the provincial government violated the Charter of Rights. Guy Smith, president of the AUPE, called the legislation "draconian." "Our only legal recourse was elimi- nated with the stroke of a pen," he said. "This is the government being extremely heavy-handed and dictatorial." AUPE is currently fighting two battles in the courtroom. The first was filed at the Court of Queen's Bench and alleges Bill 46 violates inherent collective bar- gaining rights of workers. A bad-faith bargaining complaint was also filed at the province's labour relations board — but both allegations have yet to be proven in court. "The government has had this legislation in their back pocket for months, and had directed their bar- gaining team to not nego- tiate at all, knowing we'd reach an impasse, and then apply for arbitration, which we think is a fair route," Smith alleged. But the legislative changes correct an anti- quated system, and keep pace with shifts on the labour horizon, said Thomas Lukaszuk, who heads up the newly-formed Ministry of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour. He likened pre- vious penalties for illegal strikes to handing out $2 speeding tickets. "Nobody in this country has a demo- cratic right to strike illegally," Lukaszuk said. "Legal strikes for non-essential services, by all means, that's part of the Alberta's new labour laws spawn legal challenge Bills increase public sector wildcat strike penalties, eliminate binding arbitration PM #40065782 Continued on page 7 "Our only legal recourse was eliminated with the stroke of a pen." IN THIS ISSUE

• Cover