Ontario Labour Relations Board
Carol Belleperche, Applicant v. National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada (CAW-Canada), Responding Party v. Ford Motor Company of Canada Limited, Intervenor.
BEFORE: Stephen Raymond, Vice-Chair.
DECISION OF THE BOARD; August 8, 2001
1The applicant’s letter of July 12, 2001 has been brought to my attention.
2The applicant makes certain assertions about the process of the Board to date and the Officer assigned to this application.
3The mediation process is voluntary. There is no obligation on any party to participate in an Officer’s meeting, although the majority of parties do attend. In fact, most cases are resolved at the mediation stage of our process. While it may certainly have been preferable to have the employer/intervenor participate in the mediation process, it is not required that the employer/intervenor do so.
4The consultation in the matter is set for August 28, 2001 and will continue unless the Board is advised by the applicant that she intends to withdraw her application or the matter is otherwise resolved by the parties.
5The consultation will take place in front of a Vice-Chair of the Board. The Vice-Chair will review the material filed prior to the consultation and conduct the consultation. The decision made by the Vice-Chair will be based solely on the review of the material filed and what occurs at the consultation. The mediation process and what occurred with the Officer will not be in front of the Vice-Chair and will not be relied in, in any way, in making the decision.
6The Board is very concerned about procedural fairness and will ensure that this application, and as is the case with all applications that come before the Board, is dealt with in an appropriate and fair manner.
7The decision as to whether this application proceeds rests ultimately with the applicant. However, the Board was requested to respond to the letter of July 12, 2001 which is what this decision is intended to accomplish.
“Stephen Raymond”
for the Board