Ontario Labour Relations Board
1666-00-R The employees of Trillium Funeral Service, Applicant v. The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local #175, Responding Party.
BEFORE: Caroline Rowan, Vice‑Chair, and Board Members J. A. Ronson and R. R. Montague.
DECISION OF THE BOARD; September 11, 2000
1The applicant has applied to the Board under section 63 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995 (the “Act”) for a declaration that the responding party no longer represents the employees in the bargaining unit for which it is the bargaining agent.
2This application was filed on September 6, 2000. The employees who are affected by this application are covered by a collective agreement between the responding party and Trillium Funeral Service Corporation, with an effective date of November 1, 1997, until October 31, 2000. The bargaining unit description in that collective agreement is as follows:
all employees of the Company working at or out of Hamilton, Ancaster and Burlington save and except managerial personnel and persons above the rank of managerial personnel, persons regularly employed for not more than twenty-four (24) hours per week and students employed during the school vacation period.
Having regard to the provisions of section 63(2) of the Act, the Board finds that this application is timely.
3It appears to the Board on an examination of the evidence before it, that not less than forty per cent of the employees in the bargaining unit had expressed a wish not to be represented by the trade union at the time the application was filed.
4The responding party seeks the dismissal of this application without a vote under section 63(16) of the Act and requests that the ballot box be sealed until the issues surrounding the allegations under section 63(16) are determined by the Board. Having considered the allegations set out in the response, the Board has determined not to seal the ballot box in all of the circumstances. The allegations under section 63(16) and any other remaining issues in dispute will be dealt with at a hearing before the Board after the vote, if necessary.
5The Board directs that a representation vote be taken of the employees of Trillium Funeral Service Corporation employed in the bargaining unit described in paragraph 2 above. All those employed in that bargaining unit on September 6, 2000, the application filing date, will be eligible to vote.
6The vote will be held on September 13, 2000. Other vote arrangements will be as determined by the Registrar and set out on the attached Notice of Vote and of Hearing.
7Voters will be asked to indicate whether or not they wish to be represented by the responding party in their employment relations with Trillium Funeral Service Corporation.
8The employer is directed to post copies of this decision and of the "Notice of Vote and of Hearing" adjacent to all copies of the "Notice to Employees of Application for Termination of Bargaining Rights" posted previously. These copies must remain posted for 30 days.
9Any party or person who wishes to make representations to the Board about any issue remaining in dispute which relates to the application for termination of bargaining rights, other than status disputes, must file a detailed statement of representations with the Board and deliver it to the other parties, so that it is received by the Board within five days (excluding Saturdays, Sundays and holidays on which the Board is closed) of the date on which the vote is taken. Representations with respect to any status dispute must be made in accordance with the directions provided in Information Bulletin No. 5: Status Disputes in Termination Applications (Non-Construction).
10The matter is referred to the Registrar.
“Caroline Rowan”
for the Board