Appeal court sides with City of Saskatoon in dispute with bus drivers
Union seeking damages over 2014 lockout
The province's highest court is siding with the City of Saskatoon in its longstanding dispute with the union representing city transit workers.
In a recent decision, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal has overturned a lower court's decision and ruled in favour of the city.
This means Saskatoon transit workers won't be awarded as much money in damages as they were seeking after a 2014 lockout.
The workers, who are represented by the Saskatoon Amalgamated Transit Union Local 615, were locked out for four weeks starting late on the evening of Sept. 20, 2014.
Labour Relations Board ruling
On Oct. 17, 2015, the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board ruled that the Saskatoon Transit lockout was illegal because an unresolved, unfair labour practice case was before the board when the lockout was issued.
It ordered the City of Saskatoon to pay the transit union $651,000 for damages for the period up to Oct. 3, 2014, when the unfair labour practice case was ruled on.
The union challenged this decision, and was still seeking compensation for the final two weeks of the lockout up to Oct. 19, 2014.
The union said there was not adequate lockout notice from the city. The Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board dismissed the union's application, saying the union was improperly attempting to collaterally attack its previous decision.
So the union brought the case to the Court of Queen's Bench.
Queen's bench ruling overturned
A judge there ruled that the board had denied the union the opportunity to make its case about compensation for the period after the ruling on Oct. 3, 2014 to Oct. 19, 2014. The judge granted the union's application to have the Saskatchewan Labour Relations Board reconsider its request for compensation for the final two weeks of the lockout.
The city appealed this decision, saying that the judge erred in finding the union had not been given an opportunity to make its case for damages for the Oct. 3 to Oct. 19, 2014 period.
The Saskatchewan Court of Appeal agreed with the city. According to court documents, the high court ruled that the Queen's Bench judge "misunderstood the board's original decision on the damages issue and was thereby led into error."
This means the city does not owe the union more money in damages.
The judge added the union may bring an application asking the board to reconsider the decision to award damages up until the period of Oct. 3, 2014, but not after.