Bulletin
Labour Relations Board Common Employer Application re: Avis and Budget
October 13, 2020
To: All MoveUP members at Avis
Your union would like to take this opportunity to update you on the latest information regarding MoveUP’s Common Employer Application at the BC Labour Relations Board. (BCLRB)
As we previously advised, the parties were unable to agree on a process for moving forward with the decision rendered by the BCLRB on September 4, 2020. That decision determined that Avis and Budget is a common employer and needs to be treated as such for labour relations purposes. You may recall that the Vice-Chair offered the assistance of a Special Investigation Officer (SIO) if the parties were unable to agree on further remedies.
Under the direction of an SIO, the parties met via Zoom on September 29th. Each party had the opportunity to once again present its position and the basis for each position. Your union once again took the opportunity to state its position that as there is one employer there needs to be one union and one collective agreement to ensure that all workers have the same superior wages and benefits as contained in the MoveUP collective agreement. Unfortunately, the other union once again took the position that its members needed to remain working under their agreement, which we know is inferior in terms of wages and other things. Your union does not believe it is practical and reasonable to have people doing the exact some work while receiving different wages and benefits. It clearly opens the door for the employer to hire more workers at the lower wage and benefit level. This possibility was acknowledged by the employer at the LRB hearing and was noted in the Vice-Chair’s original decision.
As the parties were unable to agree on a process for moving forward with the process of establishing appropriate remedies, the issue has been remitted back to the original BCLRB Vice-Chair for either further direction or a final decision.
A schedule for submissions to the Vice-Chair has been set by the BCLRB. The last response submission will be due on October 30th, after which the Vice-Chair will make a further and hopefully final determination.
MoveUP is hoping that the next phase will finally allow for the merging of the bargaining units under the terms of the MoveUP collective agreement. This part of the process will require negotiations between the employer and your union in order to establish a fair procedure and timeline to ensure that the current Budget workers have access to the rights and benefits of the superior MoveUP collective agreement.
Your union understands that the delays in reaching a final settlement are frustrating to you and we are hoping we are reaching a conclusion to this process.
Please let us know if you have any further questions about this process or anything else.
In Solidarity,
Shawn Lakusta, Union Representative
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President of Combined Units