Pat Travers

The applicant trade union applied for certification for a site-specific bargaining unit of employees at a single movie theatre complex.

The responding party employer argued that the appropriate bargaining unit should encompass multiple theatres in the Metropolitan Toronto area to avoid fragmentation.

The Ontario Labour Relations Board found that the site-specific bargaining unit was appropriate for collective bargaining, consistent with previous Board decisions.

As the union demonstrated support from more than fifty-five percent of the employees in the unit, the Board ordered that a certificate issue.

The applicant union sought certification for two bargaining units of front-of-house staff at movie theatres operated by the responding party in Brampton and Scarborough.

The responding party argued for a broader geographical bargaining unit encompassing the Greater Toronto Area, mirroring the scope clause of an existing collective agreement for projectionists.

The Board found that the single-theatre and municipal units proposed by the applicant were viable and appropriate for collective bargaining, noting the obstacles to organizing on a broader basis.

The Board granted the applications and issued certificates for both bargaining units.