Canadian Labour Reporter

1 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 MARCH 17, 2014 LABOUR BRIEFS Carleton University campus safety workers strike / B.C. teachers vote overwhelmingly for job action / Auto strategy needed after Chrysler decision: Unifor . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS • Hawkair Aviation Services, Terrace, B.C. Possible vacation blackout period. . . . . 3 • Hamlet of Taloyoak, Taloyoak, Nunavut. Winter bonus days. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 • Ken Johnson Trucking, Langley, B.C. Double time for overtime . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Les Moulins de Solanges, Saint-Polyc- ampe, Que. Five days leave for birth or adoption of employee's child . . . . . . . . 4 • Sain John Construction Association, province-wide, N.B. Moonlighting will result in fine, suspension . . . . . . . . . . 5 • District Health Authorities, Acute Care, province-wide, excluding Halifax, N.S. Uniform allowance of $120 . . . . . . . . 5 ARBITRATION AWARDS • Instructor gives union lesson in fairness 6 • Sleeping on the job gets shelter employee sacked . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 ON LABOUR-REPORTER.COM In a first for Canada, British Columbia allows firefighters to make claims for heart disease and the IBM factory strike in China foreshadows a shifting labour landscape. Visit www.labour-reporter.com for daily news stories. Follow us on Twitter @ labourreporter. And don't forget — all collective agreement summaries on labour-reporter.com now include links to the full agreement. UPCOMING ISSUES Chrysler's decision to walk away from government financial assistance — and political pressure — in Ontario has the province scrambling for a new auto strategy. We take a closer look in next week's issue. | by Sabrina nanji | ALBERTAN WORkERS WILL be able to voice their opinions on the state of employment in the province after the government opened up consultations to the public — a move that foreshadows change. In March, the newly-formed Minis- try of Jobs, Skills, Training and Labour launched a review of the province's Em- ployment Standards Code. First up is con- sultation with the public. In its current state, the code could use a tune-up, according to labour minister Thom- as Lukaszuk. "This particular legisla- tion in Alberta hasn't been reviewed holistically for a while, so what we have is a rather old act that has been modified here and there over time," Lukaszuk explained. "I call it a bunch of Band-Aid solutions." For instance, it is legal in Alberta for employers to pay certain employees with disabilities less than minimum wage. While Lukaszuk said he has his own opinions on the matter, he will leave it to the public to decide whether this practice should continue. The move has made waves through both labour and employer groups, which remain wary, not only of the timeline of the review, but also of the government's intentions. "My reaction could be summed up in one word, and that word is suspicion," said Gil McGowan, president of the Al- berta Federation of Labour (AFL). However, some form of review is wel- come, McGowan notes, adding that Al- berta's is a unique case. The booming oil-rich province has steadily seen growth, and the most recent numbers from Statistics Canada indicate it was the only province to experience a rise in the employment rate in February — creating more than 18,000 jobs. "Alberta's labour market is different, in many respects, than markets in the rest of the country," he explained. "It's clear to us (some workers), especially in the low wage service sector, are being abused by their employer. They're being shorted shifts, they're not being paid overtime, their rights in the workplace are simply not being looked af- ter. So could the Employment Standards Code be tweaked or revised to help reflect the changing reality in Alberta's labour market? Sure. But it's not at all clear that that's what this review is about. In fact, it's not clear what this review is about at all." Of further concern is that the window for consultations — a mere six weeks — is not enough to adequately evaluate, prepare and submit suggestions on em- ployment standards. McGowan recalled the previous Em- ployment Standards Code review — Alberta set to overhaul employment standards code Labour groups, management wary PM #40065782 Continued on page 7 "My reaction could be summed up in one word — and that word is suspicion." IN THIS ISSUE

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