Canada District 250 Wins Seniority Rights Ruling
May 13, 2010
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In addition to organizing 45 new members at a pair of newly-merged auto dealerships in British Columbia, District 250 also succeeded in winning a seminal ruling on seniority rights from the British Columbia Labour Relations Board.
The first organizing win followed an election among workers in Nanaimo, BC, where a Pontiac dealer absorbed a Chevrolet dealership. The election for the combined workforce drew support from an overwhelming 87 percent for representation by the IAM.
Meanwhile, in Victoria, BC, three dealerships were merged into a single entity. The new employees signed authorization cards but the employer applied to the Labour Relations Board to have the Collective Agreement modified to grant full seniority rights based on company service not union membership.
A successful defense by District 250 led to a precedent-setting ruling that confirms the special nature of working under a collective agreement and prevented the dilution of seniority rights held by IAM members.
