Canadian Labour Reporter

1 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 JANUARY 13, 2014 LABOUR BRIEFS Unlawful layoffs at B.C. college / Ottawa introduces TFWP changes . . . . . . . . . . . 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS • Board of Governors at Keyano College, Fort McMurray, Alta. Personal property insurance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Rivercrest Lodge Nursing Home, Fort Saskatchewan, Alta. Evening and weekend premiums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Les Autobus Duplessis, Laval, Que. Five paid holidays.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Surrey Public Library, Surrey, B.C., Extra vacation week after 10 years . . . . . . . . 4 • Brock University, St. Catharines, Ont., Two per cent wage increase . . . . . . . . . 5 • Kautex, Essex, Ont., $1,300 lump sum payment per year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ARBITRATION AWARDS • What's in a name? Hospital, nurses at odds over definitions in contract . . . . 6 • Crane operator believes he should have stayed on after layoffs . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ON LABOUR-REPORTER.COM Rogue employees in France use boss-nap- ping as a bargaining chip. Visit www. labour-reporter.com for daily news stories. Follow us on Twitter @labourreporter. NEW: Collective agreement summaries posted online in 2014 will also include a PDF of the original collective agreement for your reference. UPCOMING ISSUES Rumours of the union's death have been greatly exaggerated, it seems. Amidst reports of sinking unionization rates across the country, employees at two major companies — Toyota and WestJet — have been organizing. Could a union drive at these two heavyweights mark a watershed for the labour movement? Canadian Labour Reporter finds out in our upcoming issue. | by LIZ FOSTER | ThROUGh A PARTNERShIP with research- ers at Western University in London, Ont., the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) has launched a national survey on the impact of domestic violence on workers and workplaces. The survey, which is gathering data about the prevalence and impact of do- mestic violence, will provide Canadian research that can be used by unions, employers, advocates and governments to develop policies and ne- gotiate workplace supports. "We need to have real made-in-Canada research to come up with some real made-in-Canada solutions," said Barbara Byers, execu- tive vice president of the CLC. Domestic violence is not only devastating to the lives of workers, but it affects employers through lost productivity, absenteeism and turnover. Many workplaces lack support systems to help employees deal with the effects of domestic violence. In a recent study, the Department of Justice estimated employers lose $77.9 million every year as a result of domestic violence. Byers calls the justice department's estimate "very cautious," saying the CLC's nation-wide survey could very well provide data that proves the impact on the workplace is much higher. Employees suffering from domestic violence are often absent as a result of abuse and are more likely to be distract- ed when they are at work. Employees perpetrating domestic violence also dis- rupt the workplace, using company time and resources to harass a current or for- mer partner. Barb MacQuarrie — community di- rector, Centre for Research and Educa- tion on Violence Against Women and Children at Western University — be- lieves the results of the CLC's survey will help em- ployers and unions make workplaces safer and more productive. "The Canadian labour movement will take those findings into collective bar- gaining and they'll say, 'We have workers we know in this workplace that are experiencing do- mestic violence, others that are perpe- trating domestic violence, and cowork- ers are being impacted. We need to have supports in place for them.'" Support systems including dedicated paid leave, protection from adverse ac- tion and flexible work arrangements can significantly reduce the impact of domestic violence on workers and work- places. Paid leave allows an employee to Toll of domestic violence focus of research project Canadian Labour Congress survey aims to provide data to develop workplace policies PM #40065782 Continued on page 7 The Department of Justice estimated employers lose $77.9 million every year as a result of domestic violence. IN THIS ISSUE

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