Canadian Labour Reporter

4 Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2015 news UniFor hits roadbloCK at toyota Unifor pushed to certify at three Toyota plants in Ontario — which would make them the first of their kind to be unionized in North America — but kept hitting speed bumps. The union withdrew its application at the provincial labour board and has delayed the certification vote. However, the union says it remains hopeful and just needs more time to collect signed union cards. Union-bUsting bill resUrFaCes The federal government received much flack after reviving Bill C-377, which would force unions to publicly disclose spending details. The legislation, which was sent back to the House of Commons following major amendments from the Senate, has been called unconstitutional and undemocratic by its critics. As it cur- rently stands, any spending of at least $5,000 and any salary more than $100,000 would have to be revealed. The Senate's amendments would raise the threshold for spending disclosure to $150,000 and $444,000 for salaries. Bill C-377 may be a private member's bill but it has been touted by the prime minister's office. January 5, 2015 From the experts: Howard Levitt, partner at Levitt & Grosman, a labour law firm headquartered in Toronto, names three employment issues that made an impact this year: 1. Jian Ghomeshi — he made sexual harassment, other employment law issues and the cross-section between civil and criminal rem- edies part of the national debate. 2. The duty of good faith in all legal negotiations, as just enunci- ated by the Supreme Court of Canada. It will ultimately impact on all aspects of employment law as well as collective bargaining. 3. The recogni- tion, both in labour and employment law, that private, non-work-related conduct can be cause for dismissal. From the experts: Toronto-based lawyer Allan Rouben specializes in employment law and civil litigation cases. Below, he lists the most important cases in 2014: "hryniaK V. MaUldin (Supreme Court of Canada) for the impact the case has on the civil justice system and, in particular, that employment law matters are now more amenable to summary adjudication. "boUCher V. WalMart (in Ontario) for the large jury award. While the Court of Appeal reduced the punitive damages, the case is a good reminder of the power of juries to set community standards. "Jian ghoMeshi (at CBC), to the extent his case focused public attention on the subject of how a person's private life can affect their employment, how an employer evaluates termina- tion for cause, and how union members are precluded from accessing the courts in employment- related matters. " Photo: Adrien Veczan (Reuters) Photo: Rick Wilking (Reuters) Photo: Mark Blinch (Reuters) too-raW data The dog days of summer are of- ten cited as excuses for slower productivity and mistakes on the job. But when you're the top statistical agency in the coun- try, there is little room for re- prieve. Statistics Canada found this out all too well in July, after its initial Labour Force Survey and unemployment rates re- ported the economy added a scant 200 jobs. In reality, the number was closer to 42,000. The flub was chalked up to "hu- man error" and the government body launched an investiga- tion, which churned out five recommendations. harassment, other employment law issues and the cross-section between civil and criminal rem- edies part of the national debate. The duty of good faith in all legal negotiations, as just enunci- ated by the Supreme Court of Canada. It will ultimately law, that private, non-work-related conduct can be cause for dismissal. Toronto-based lawyer Allan Rouben specializes in employment law and civil litigation cases. Below, he lists the most important cases in 2014: Photo: Adrien Veczan (Reuters) Employees of Walmart Canada wait to get into the annual share- holders meeting in Fayetteville, Ark., in June 2014.

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