Construction General Labourers, Rock and Tunnel Workers, Local 1208 v. North West Co. et al., (1999) 177 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 218 (NFTD)

• Judge: Lang, J.
• Court: Supreme Court of Newfoundland and Labrador (Canada)
• Case Date: June 04, 1999
• Jurisdiction: Newfoundland and Labrador
• Citations: (1999), 177 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 218 (NFTD)

CGWU v. North West (1999), 177 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 218 (NFTD);

    543 A.P.R. 218

MLB headnote and full text

Temp. Cite: [1999] Nfld. & P.E.I.R. TBEd. JN.029

Construction General Labourers, Rock and Tunnel Workers, Local 1208 (applicant) v. The North West Company Inc. (first respondent) and Newfoundland Labour Relations Board (second respondent)

(1999 St.J. No. 0682)

Indexed As: Construction General Labourers, Rock and Tunnel Workers, Local 1208 v. North West Co. et al.

Newfoundland Supreme Court

Trial Division

Lang, J.

June 22, 1999.

Summary:

A union applied for certification as the bargaining agent for a unit of employees. The Labour Relations Board dismissed the application. The union applied to quash the Board's decision.

The Newfoundland Supreme Court, Trial Division, allowed the union's application, quashed the Board's decision and remitted the application for certification to the Board.

Labour Law - Topic 4026

Unions - Certification - Hearing - Docu­mentary evidence - [See Labour Law - Topic 4154 ].

Labour Law - Topic 4154

Unions - Certification - Appropriate bar­gaining unit - Judicial review of board determination - A union applied for certifi­cation as a bargaining agent - The union provided evidence of membership of a majority of employees, namely, 39 of the 67 employees it applied to represent - The Board's investigating officer confirmed membership in good standing - The Board rejected the application for certification, stating, inter alia, that the union's docu­mentary evidence of membership consti­tuted merely a statement of desire to be represented by the union, but did not con­stitute proof of membership - The New­foundland Supreme Court, Trial Division, quashed the Board's decision and remitted the application for certification to the Board - The Board made a patently unreas­onable error in reaching its decision, by failing to take relevant evidence into account, namely, documentary evidence and the stated evidence of its own investi­gating officer that the union had members in good standing as claimed.

Cases Noticed:

Canada (Attorney General) v. Public Ser­vice Alliance of Canada, [1993] 1 S.C.R. 941; 150 N.R. 161; 101 D.L.R.(4th) 673; 93 C.L.L.C. 14,022, refd to. [para. 29].

Syndicat national des employés de la com­mission scolaire régionale de l'Outaouais (CSN) v. Union des employés de service, local 298 (FTQ), [1988] 2 S.C.R. 1048; 95 N.R. 161; 24 Q.A.C. 244; 35 Admin. L.R. 153, refd to. [para. 32].

Union des employés de service, local 298 v. Bibeault - see Syndicat national des employés de la commission scolaire régionale de l'Outaouais (CSN) v. Union des employés de service, local 298 (FTQ).

Bibeault - see Syndicat national des em­ployés de la commission scolaire régio­nale de l'Outaouais (CSN) v. Union des employés de service, local 298 (FTQ).

U.E.S. - see Union des employés de ser­vice.

Fahey Building Ltd. v. United Steelworkers of America, Local 6204 et al. (1981), 33 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 135; 93 A.P.R. 135 (Nfld. C.A.), refd to. [para. 41].

Statutes Noticed:

Labour Relations Act, R.S.N. 1990, c. L-1, sect. 36(1) [para. 6]; sect. 37, sect. 47(1) [para. 7]; sect. 47(8) [para. 9].

Labour Relations Act Regulations (Nfld.), Labour Relations Board Rules of Pro­cedure, sect. 49(1) [para. 14].

Labour Relations Board Rules of Pro­cedure - see Labour Relations Act Regu­lations (Nfld.).

Counsel:

Douglas Moores, Q.C., for the applicant;

Harold Smith, for the respondent.

The application was heard on June 4, 1999, before Lang, J., of the Newfoundland Supreme Court, Trial Division, who delivered the following judgment on June 22, 1999.