unionized workplaces

An Alberta UCP government – consequences for employers

May 13, 2019 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, Government Budgets, Throne Speeches and Plans, Human Resources, Payroll, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation, 0

n April 16, 2019, the recently formed United Conservative Party of Alberta (“UCP”) won a majority government in Alberta. This blog post provides a summary of key positions the UCP adopted during their campaign that will affect employers and the workplace.

carbon tax, employment law, Labour Relations Code, unionized workplaces

Doctor’s notes: When should an employer ask for one?

January 14, 2014 Doug MacLeod, MacLeod Law Firm Employee Relations, Employment/Labour Standards, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Union Relations, Wages and Compensation

Dr. Scott Wooder, president of the Ontario Medical Association, says employers that require doctor’s notes could be unwittingly increasing the spread of germs by unnecessarily sending sick people to doctors’ offices.

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Be prepared to justify employee dress code policies

December 3, 2013 Employer Advisor, McCarthy Tétrault LLP Employee Relations, Health and Safety, HR Policies and Procedures, Human Resources, Human Rights, Recruiting and Hiring, Union Relations

Most people have experience with an employee uniform or dress code policy (mine is “business casual”). There are often very good reasons to have employees look or dress a certain way. It can assist with productivity, promote professionalism and branding, and ensure uniformity. As such, employees’ attire/appearance can be a legitimate concern for employers. However, to the extent that a policy has no rational connection to a business need or unduly infringes on an employee’s self expression, it may be successfully challenged by unions.

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To be or not to be an employer…

October 22, 2012 Amery Boyer Human Resources, Union Relations

The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees’ successful application for certification by the Nova Scotia Labour Board basically creates a new classification of worker, according to the president of Egg Films Inc. It is a classification composed of technicians employed on a casual basis for particular productions. Egg Films may ask the Nova Scotia Supreme Court for a judicial review.

Bargainning unit, certification, classification of worker, Collective Bargaining, Film industry, Labour Law, Nova Scotia Labour Board, union, unionized workplaces, Unions

Collective agreement sets out new terms for a new day at the pulp and paper plant in Port Hawkesbury NS

September 27, 2012 Amery Boyer Employee Relations, Human Resources, Payroll, Pensions and Benefits, Recruiting and Hiring, Union Relations

On July 9, 2012, the Nova Scotia Labour Board filed an interim order certifying Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union, Local 972, the combination of three previously separate bargaining units, namely the Mill Division, Clerical Division and the Woodlands Division, as the bargaining unit for employees of the NewPage pulp and paper plant in Port Hawkesbury NS.

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NS labour board redefines what constitutes an employee and a bargaining unit

June 28, 2012 Amery Boyer Human Resources, Union Relations

On March 5, 2011, the Nova Scotia Labour Board issued an interim order that could set a precedent across Canada, not just in Nova Scotia. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, Moving Picture Technicians, Artists and Allied Crafts of the United States, its Territories, and Canada, Local 849 applied to certify contract workers employed on an as-required basis by Egg Films Inc.

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Interprovincial labour mobility in the unionized construction sector

July 21, 2010 Andrew Taillon Human Resources, Recruiting and Hiring

I recently received in my mailbox the July/August 2010 issue of Inside HRA from First Reference. It deals with interprovincial labour mobility. It’s an interesting read for anyone who works in human resources across interprovincial boundaries. Although we often take for granted that citizens may live and work in any part of Canada they please, there are often unforeseen problems. Some of these problems can be quite challenging for an employer.

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