Companies in Toronto that have unionized employees deal with the issue of grievances regularly, and the way in which the company handles the first one usually determines the way in which subsequent ones will be handled. Hyde HR Law is a labour and employment law firm located in downtown Toronto, Canada, and provides representation and legal services for employers through every step of the grievance procedure. The labour law department represents international corporations and smaller firms in Canada before arbitrators, the Ontario Labour Relations Board, and the Canada Industrial Relations Board. It is run by a lawyer with certification in Labour Law from the Law Society of Ontario.A grievance is an employee complaint that is documented and covered by a collective agreement. This may include issues such as compensation, promotions, layoff and bumping, harassment or discrimination, or a perceived violation of any particular clause of the agreement. The employer's top labour lawyer in Toronto can review the agreement, the response deadline, and help draft a response before returning the complaint to the union. Hyde HR Law documents responses to grievances, requests additional time for investigation in writing where required, attends step meetings, and represents the employer once the grievance proceeds to arbitration.
“Most of our grievance work happens well before arbitration,” a lawyer in the firm’s labour group explained. “We start with the collective agreement and the deadlines in it. Then we look at what the employer knows and what it plans to say, because the reasons given at the early steps can carry through to a hearing. Plenty of grievances settle at the step meetings. When one does go to arbitration, the employer already has a clear record and a position it can stand behind.”
Hyde HR Law also advises on how to close a grievance. A quick settlement may end one file and still change how the collective agreement is read in the next dispute, so the terms get the same attention as the facts. When a grievance is headed to arbitration, the firm helps employers choose an arbitrator based on experience with the issue and on past decisions in similar cases. It also reviews whether the agreement limits the arbitrator’s authority and whether a union delay in referring the matter gives the employer a defence. Construction, transportation and aviation employers form part of the firm’s labour work, and in those sectors provincial or federal rules may apply.
About Hyde HR Law
From its office on Queen's Quay West in Toronto, Hyde HR Law advises employers, employees and associations on employment and labour law across Canada. The firm’s labour lawyer Toronto practice represents employers in union grievances, labour arbitrations, collective bargaining, certification and decertification applications, unfair labour practice complaints, and union avoidance. On the employment side, it handles wrongful and constructive dismissal, severance negotiation, employment contracts, human rights claims, workplace policies, WSIB matters and workplace investigations. Employers and employees can request a consultation through separate forms on the firm’s website. For more information, visit https://hydehrlaw.com/ .