Canadian Labour Reporter

1 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2014 MARCH 31, 2014 LABOUR BRIEFS Forced-work legislation will only make matters worse: Union / Conciliation talks break down over nurse-to-patient ratio . . . 2 COLLECTIVE AGREEMENTS • Black Gold Regional Division No. 18, Nisku, Alta. One personal day . . . . . . . 3 • Diversified Transportation, Fort McMurray, Alta. $1,300 monthly allowance . . . . . 3 • Tri-Municipal Leisure Facility Corporation, Spruce Grove, Alta. Complimentary membership to facilities . . . . . . . . . . . 4 • Ornge Air, Mississauga, Ont. Straight time pay while under quarantine . . . . . . . . . 4 • Tbaytel, Thunder Bay, Ont. English must be spoken at all times . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 • Corporation du Fort St-Jean, Saint-Jean- Sur-Richelieu, Que. One unpaid day when the employee changes residence . . . . . . 5 ARBITRATION AWARDS • Collective agreement complicates hiring process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 • Union raises stink over odour . . . . . . . . 8 ON LABOUR-REPORTER.COM British Columbia introduces back-to-work legislation for truckers in Vancouver and Israel closes its embassies around the world as diplomats walk off the job. 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 Back-to-work legislation was recently introduced in labour disputes on both of Canada's coasts. Truckers in British Columbia have pledged to continue striking while Nova Scotia's home-care workers plan to legally challenge the new essential services legislation. We take a closer look in next week's issue. | by SAbRINA NANJI | AFTER A BATTLE at the labour board, sea- sonal agricultural workers in Quebec have won the right to join a union. Last year, the Quebec Labour Relations Board (QLRB) struck down a 40-year-old article in the labour code as unconstitu- tional, ruling that, whether seasonal or year-round, all employees at all farming operations should be able to organize un- der a union banner. The QLRB gave the provincial govern- ment one year to change the law and, as of March 11, it became officially legal for seasonal agricultural workers to negotiate a col- lective agreement. That Quebec farms won't be able to remain competitive is one of the producers' biggest fears. "Our big competitor is Ontario, more and more we see fruits and vegetables coming from Ontario on our shelves," said Andre Plante, managing director of the Association des producteurs maraîch- ers du Québec (APMQ), the province's vegetable producer's group. "We'll have to import vegetables instead of eating Quebec vegetables." Previously, agricultural workers in Quebec were only able to unionize if their farms were up and running year- round. Given this season's seemingly never-ending winter, the need to organize seasonal operations has never been more clear, according to the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (known as TUAC in Quebec). "Agriculture in Quebec has survived because of the union. How can they be unfair like this? The boss is allowed to be in the union, but the workers, no?" said Marie-Jeanne Vandoorne, Quebec's co- ordinator of TUAC Local 501, the chapter that took the case to the labour board. Of particular concern for the APMQ is that the small family farm will not be able to keep its head above water. "Sometimes, it's only the husband and wife and they don't have the struc- ture to negotiation a col- lective convention, a col- lective agreement. Their office is in the house," Plante said. Those fears were dismissed by Van- doorne, who said it is only fair all agri- cultural workers enjoy the same rights. "They're not being rational. They're afraid that the big mighty union will come and shut down their farms," Van- doorne explained. "We don't want to go hunt down all the little family farms, that's not the idea. If there is one situa- tion in one farm in particular where the conditions are horrible, well obviously Seasonal farm workers win right to unionize in Quebec Small family farms at risk of disappearing: Farmer's association PM #40065782 Continued on page 7 "Agriculture in Quebec has survived because of the union." IN THIS ISSUE

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