Representing 1,300 Manitoba Workers

Number of Grievances Increasing

As of December, 2006, CEP Local 7 has in excess of 23 active grievances on a range of issues, including discipline, selection for positions, hours of work and scheduling. An arbitration hearing was held on October 26 and 27 on a grievance which was filed challenging the company's right to transfer the 'maitrix' work from the CEP clerical staff, who normally performed the work, and move the work into the TEAM bargaining unit where it is now being done by provisioners. CEP will likely receive a decision during the first couple of months of 2007 from the three person panel which heard the grievance.

Another arbitration was scheduled for November 7, 8 , and 9, but was settled just prior to the hearing. The grievance was filed when the company refused a senior employee the right to bump into a full time position in Selkirk when her job was eliminated with the office closure. In the end, the company agreed to change her position in Selkirk from part time to full time.

Four grievances have so far been slated for arbitration in 2007. The issues are vacation scheduling, changing of weekend shifting for SA's, reducing a full time employee to CPT status on the basis of absenteeism and grievances concerning the sale of MTS Media to Yellow Pages Group.

Although the Selkirk mileage grievance was resolved, the union is still hearing complaints that employees have not received payment from the company. The union is attempting to have the company meet their obligations as soon as possible.

During the last week of November and the first week of December, four grievances were dealt with at step four meetings. The union is still awaiting responses from the company on grievances dealt with at the step four meeting which took place in October.

There are an increasing number of grievances being filed by Local 7. In addition, the grievance committee is having ongoing discussions with the company's Industrial Relations department on several important issues, particularly scheduling and excess hours worked by CPT's.