Bulletin
Avis Budget Labour Relations Decision Update
September 18, 2020
To: All MoveUP members at Avis
Your union applied to the Labour Relations Board (LRB) earlier this year for a declaration that Avis and Budget are a common employer. We have all seen the consolidation of the two brands that has taken place since Avis purchased Budget in April 2019. The consolidation was hastened by COVID-19 with such actions as the combining of the QTA’s. We had been advised that further consolidation would take place over time. This would have a practical effect of meaning that our members would be working alongside members of another bargaining unit who work under a significantly inferior collective agreement. This is obviously problematic and your union was concerned that this might undermine your working conditions going forward.
On September 4th, the LRB ruled in favour of our application and declared that Avis and Budget are a common employer. A copy of the decision can be found here. The Vice-Chair also asked the parties to work out the details of what the work site will look like going forward. Your union proposed meetings to work toward this goal and at this point, Avis has agreed to meet. The other union has not provided their intentions. In the decision, the Vice-Chair has offered the services of an LRB Special Investigating Officer (SIO) should the parties require assistance in the discussions. SIO’ s are experienced mediators who can often assist parties to reach an agreement when an impasse has been reached. The Vice-Chair also has remained seized of the decision which means that if in the end the parties cannot agree on how to proceed, he will provide either further direction or a final decision.
When two bargaining units are required to merge under one collective agreement there are obviously several issues that need to be addressed. MoveUP has a seniority policy that is meant to address situations such as this and it is our intention to follow the policy as we move forward. The policy can be found here.
Your union is very happy with the LRB decision as it will ensure that all members at Avis and Budget will work under the superior MoveUP agreement. In labour relations there is always a risk to superior collective agreement rights when there is a non-union or inferior collective agreement in the picture. Going forward we intend to ensure as smooth of a transition as possible as we welcome the new members from Budget into our bargaining unit.
Please let us know if you have any further questions and we will continue to keep you informed as we move forward in the process of establishing a single bargaining unit under the MoveUP collective agreement.
In solidarity,
Shawn Lakusta, Union Representative
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President of Combined Units