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Labour Reporter
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January 5, 2015
The year ahead
Key labour players gaze into
their crystal balls to see what
2015 has in store for collective
bargaining and
negotiations
NEWS
Leaders from Unifor, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business and more pick
the most important labour stories of 2014 pg. 2
Gibsons and District Public Library Board — B.C. pg. 6 BFI Canada
— Alta. pg. 8 City of Camrose — Alta. pg. 9 East Isle Shipyard
Limited — P.E.I. pg. 9 Spaniard's Bay Town Council pg. 10
CollECTivE
AgrEEmENTS
Building Trust in the Workplace
Learn how to identify the reasons behind low trust levels and transform
organizational culture to foster a more transparent and positive environment.
i r c . q u e e n s u . c a
February 12, 2015: Toronto and October 19, 2015: Calgary
NEW PROGRAM!
pg. 12
More highlights from 2014 > pg. 2
Looking back at 2014
We review some of the top labour stories that made headlines this year
By SaBrina nanji
this past year was a significant one
for the labour movement in Canada.
Unifor — which became the coun-
try's biggest private sector union follow-
ing the marriage of the Canadian Auto
Workers and the Communications, En-
ergy and Paperworkers — celebrated its
first anniversary. An impasse at the bar-
gaining table jeopardized the kickoff of
the football season. A push for certifica-
tion at threeToyota plants hit some speed
bumps.
And with federal expiring, whispers of
tough negotiations and strikes were plen-
tiful across the public sector.
In the pages to follow, we look at sto-
ries that had an impact in 2014, and hear
from top players in the labour game.
EDUCATION
elk island public schools
Fort saskatchewan, alta.
(97 employees) and the Alberta Teachers' Association
renewal agreement: Effective
Sept. 1, 2012, to Aug. 31, 2016.
Wage adjustments:
Effective Sept. 1, 2015: 2%
Effective Nov. 1, 2015: 1% lump
sum payment
Medical benefits: Health
spending account: $750 per
teacher, contributed by em-
ployer annually.
sick leave: 20 days, 3 of which
may be used to care for a sick
see Collective agreements > pg. 6
Worker holds out for
'perfect' accommodation
an eMployee of a federal
agency did not live up to his part
of the accommodation process
when he wasn't allowed to take
religious holidays, an adjudicator
has ruled.
Anton Paul Andres was an au-
ditor for the Canada Revenue
Agency (CRA) at its tax services
office in London, Ont., since 1992.
Andres was an Orthodox Chris-
tian, which recognized certain
holy days according to a different
calendar.
As a result, holidays such as Eas-
ter and Christmas usually fell on
ColleCtive
Agreements
ArbitrAtion
AwArds
see Arbitration > pg. 11
Photo:
Mark
Blinch
(Reuters)
Representatives from Unifor stand outside the Toyota plant in Cambridge, Ont., in March 2014. See writeup
on page 4.