Part XIV: Administration

REPRESENTATION ON HYDRO ONE COMMITTEES

The parties recognize the roles and responsibilities of appointees to committees and task forces, i.e., as a representative of Management on the one hand, and the Society, on the other. When an employee represented by the Society is appointed by Management, his/her responsibility is to Management. When he/she is appointed by the Society, his/her responsibility is to the Society. This role distinction should be made clear at the time of appointment. Notwithstanding the above, and in keeping with Subsection 2.4 (Supervisory Employees - Code of Ethics), Management will endeavour to appoint its representatives having regard to the Society's interests in effective representation.

GUIDELINES FOR SOCIETY REPRESENTATIVES ON CONTINUOUS QUALITY IMPROVEMENT (CQI) TEAMS

In a spirit of mutual trust and co-operation, these guidelines have been jointly developed by the Society and Management to assist the parties when there is involvement by Society-represented employees in continuous quality improvement (CQI) processes.

88.1

Society-represented employees have a legitimate role to play in the development and operation of continuous quality improvement teams at Hydro One.

88.2

When employees representing the Society are to be included on a CQI team, they will be officially appointed by the appropriate Unit Director or the Society Executive following discussions with the appropriate line managers. The Society will normally be provided with a task description or problem identification, including an estimate of the time required, as well as with selection criteria to assist in the selection of appropriate nominees for the activities at hand. The Society retains the right to make the final appointment.

88.3

Employees representing the Society on CQI teams will be given the opportunity to be involved in all aspects of the team activity; i.e., joint communications, joint training and education, etc.

88.4

Only conclusions that have been reached by consensus will be included in the final recommendations of the team.

88.5

The Society and appropriate Management staff should be kept informed regarding implications for any agreements between Hydro One and the Society as the CQI team progresses. Recommendations which impact on agreements will only be implemented when approved by the parties.

88.6

If innovative practices resulting from CQI team recommendations are tested/piloted, it is without setting precedent.

88.7

The Society and the local Human Resources office will be advised in advance of a quality improvement team implementing any innovative work practices, compensation schemes, etc. that challenge agreements between Hydro One and the Society. Sufficient time will be allotted for feedback before any such ideas are implemented.

88.8

Performance appraisals should support CQI processes. Toward that end, participation by Society-represented employees in CQI activities should be considered in a positive light when conducting performance appraisals providing their contribution to the CQI team has been useful.

88.9

Society-represented staff will be reimbursed for reasonable costs related to participation in CQI initiatives by Hydro One.

88.10

As a last resort, any issues relating to quality improvement that cannot be resolved locally should be referred to the Issues Team for further discussion.

TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT ON JOINT HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEES

Hydro One and the Society agree to adhere to the Tripartite Agreement below:

TRIPARTITE AGREEMENT ON JOINT HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEES

PRINCIPLES OF AGREEMENT between the employer, the Power Workers Union and The Society concerning the establishment or modification of Joint Health and Safety Committees to meet the requirements and intent of The Occupational Health and Safety Act, as amended by Bill 208.

89.1

Size and Composition of Joint Health and Safety Committees

That the size of JHSCs will be determined through discussions and agreement between the three parties.

That the PWU and The Society shall comprise a minimum of 75% of the JHSC membership with the relative percentage of PWU and Society JHSC members being determined by these two parties based on criteria including but not limited to representation by population and historical make-up. Neither union shall have less than 25% of the total number of Committee representatives nor more than 50%. Disputes regarding numbers shall be referred to the Executive level of the PWU and Society for resolution and if agreement is not reached, to an arbitrator mutually agreed upon by the parties for binding resolution.

That Management's Committee representatives will be from outside of PWU and Society jurisdiction.

That the status, rights and treatment of all representatives on the JHSCs will be equal.

>That the meetings of the JHSC will be chaired on a rotating basis by the Co-Chair of each party represented on the committee.

89.2

Training and Certification

That all JHSC members will be trained and certified. Training and certification will be jointly determined and in accordance with legal requirements and the PWU and Society Authority to Stop Work Agreements, with the costs to be borne by the employer.

89.3

Policy Committee (Non-legislated)

That a corporate-level Health and Safety Policy Committee shall be established to participate in the formation and evaluation of health and safety strategy and policy, to resolve policy-level issues impacting on tripartite health and safety initiatives including the Work Protection Code and Corporate Safety Rules.

That the Policy Committee be comprised of an equal number of senior representatives from The Society, the PWU and Management.

That the parties will each select their respective committee members.

That the Policy Committee shall meet at least once per quarter.

That the employer shall provide the resources and training that the Policy Committee deems necessary with costs to be borne by the employer. Training development and delivery will be jointly determined.

That the Policy Committee shall receive a formal response to its input to policies/programming within 30 days.

89.4

Annual Experience Review

That each year, upon request by any one of the parties to this Agreement, an experience review be undertaken by the parties of the benefits and difficulties of implementation of the Agreement and the impacts of organizational changes.

89.5

Amendments to the Agreement

Amendments to the Agreement may be made at any time by the parties with mutual agreement in writing. If mutual agreement cannot be reached, the parties will refer to an arbitrator, mutually agreed upon by the parties, for binding resolution.

AUTHORITY TO STOP WORK

90.1

Definitions

"Where an Employee's health and safety is in immediate danger (refer to 89.4.3), "immediate danger" shall mean, "conditions that pose an immediate threat to life or health, or conditions that pose an immediate threat of severe exposure to contaminants such as radioactive materials which are likely to have adverse or cumulative or delayed effects on health."

90.2

Intent

"Responsibilities and Accountability" are intended to reinforce the fact that this is a joint policy for which both parties are jointly responsible, i.e. we are in this together.

90.3

Introduction

Effectively involving employees and Employers in joint health and safety committee activities can enhance workplace health and safety. Under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, the use of Joint Health and Safety Committees (JHSC) is part of the legislative process which has been labeled as the Internal Responsibility System (IRS). Within this participatory management concept, the JHSC's have been given specific rights and responsibilities under the Act such that, with their involvement, the right to know, the right to participate and the right to refuse unsafe work is further enhanced.

Hydro One and The Society of Energy Professionals (the Society) agree that all unsafe work must be stopped. This Article on health and safety for the authority to stop work will further enhance the activities of the JHSC's and the IRS concept.
Changes to this Article can only be made by mutual agreement of the Joint Working Committee on Health and Safety. Where no agreement can be reached, the matter will be referred to the Issues Team for resolution.

90.4

Authority to Stop Work

90.4.1

Where a workplace is unsafe, a Certified Society and Management member of the local JHSC can jointly prevent the start of the work or stop the work.

90.4.2

Where there is a disagreement between the Certified Society or Certified Management member of the local JHSC that the workplace is unsafe, the issue shall be immediately presented to the local JHSC for review and resolution.

90.4.3

Where an employee's health or safety is in immediate danger, a Certified Society or Management member of the local JHSC can stop the work. After calling the work stoppage, the Certified Society or Management member must contact the respective counterpart immediately and seek to obtain joint agreement on the stoppage as soon as possible. If joint agreement cannot be reached, the issue shall be presented to the local JHSC for review and resolution.

90.4.4

In cases where the JHSC cannot resolve issues arising from 2 or 3 above, the Ministry of Labour Inspector shall be called in for resolution.

90.5

Training/Certification

90.5.1

The Society Joint Health and Safety Working Committee shall fully participate in the development of a specialized training program for all members of the Joint Health and Safety Committees.

90.5.2

The Society Joint Health and Safety Working Committee shall fully participate in the development, putting in place, and administration of testing and re-testing standards for all members of the JHSC's.

90.5.3

The Society Joint Health and Safety Working Committee shall fully participate in the establishment of a specific Training/Certification program for members of the JHSC's.

90.5.4

The Society Joint Health and Safety Working Committee shall fully participate in the development, implementation and administration of testing and re-testing standards for accrediting JHSC members into the Certification program. Such standards shall not be less than those established by the regulatory agencies or deemed to be equivalent to the intent of the regulatory standards.

90.6

Responsibility and Accountability

There shall be a shared responsibility and accountability by the Society and Management for the actions of their Certified members of the JHSC's.

90.7

Compensation and Discipline

It is understood that employees directly or indirectly affected by the application of this Agreement will not suffer any loss of wages or disciplinary action.

90.8

Decertification

Should a Certified member fail to act in good faith, the Society Joint Health and Safety Working Committee shall review the representative's action and make appropriate decisions.

Where there is disagreement regarding the action of the Certified member, the issue shall be taken to Issues Team for resolution.

90.9

Assessment

The Joint Working Committee on Health and Safety shall be responsible for assessing the effectiveness of this Agreement from time to time.

JOINT HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEES

91.1

Hydro One will establish a Joint Policy Committee in which Society representatives are able to address the health and safety concerns of employees with Management of various levels depending on needs where jointly agreed.

91.2

All Society-represented employees are entitled to representation on joint health and safety committees and to associated training.

91.3

There are to be three levels of representation:

Hydro One/Society level
Corporate Health and Safety /Society working committee level (based on the attached Terms of Reference, agreed to on September 27, 1989 by the parties.
Local workplace level health and safety committees

Terms of Reference - September 27, 1989
Joint Working Committee on Health and Safety

1.0	Goal
	Provide recommendations to assist the Health and Safety Division in the development, implementation and evaluation of Hydro One employee health and safety policy and programs.
2.0	Personnel
	Manager, Programming Department, Health and Safety Division and other Management staff as deemed necessary from time to time.
	Chairperson of Society Health and Safety Committee and other Society members or a staff advisor to a maximum of five.
	The Chair will rotate between the Manager of Programming Department and Chair of the Society Health and Safety Committee.
3.0	Function
	Participate in the identification and resolution of problems and issues of Hydro One significance in employee health and safety policy and practice.
	Participate in the development, promotion and implementation of Hydro One health and safety programs.
	The Committee will meet quarterly or as mutually agreed.
	Hydro One will pay the expenses related to jointly agreed projects undertaken by or on behalf of the Joint Working Committee on Health and Safety.

91.4

Hydro One agrees to consult with the Society regarding new health and safety policies and procedures and regarding changes to existing health and safety policies or procedures except where provided for by the legislation itself. The Society will be given a reasonable amount of time to comment prior to implementation.

problem solving committee

92.1	A Problem Solving Committee shall be established and constituted of the Hydro One Operations Committee and the Society VP and Unit Directors. The Problem Solving Committee shall meet quarterly.
92.2	The Problem Solving Committee Oversight Committee shall consist of the President and CEO of Hydro One and the President of the Society and shall meet bi-annually. The Oversight Committee may request the assitance of Kevin Whitaker, or a mutually agreed alternative, as required.
92.3	Negotiations between Hydro One and the Society shall take place through a body to which each party will appoint an equal number of representatives. Negotiations shall be conducted in good faith and both parties shall make every reasonable effort to reach agreement on matters of mutual interest as expeditiously as possible.

PUBLICATION OF COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

All Society-represented staff should have personal access to a copy of the Collective Agreement. The preferred method is to provide access to this Agreement via an electronic basis. Where there is no electronic access the document could be distributed via disc.

Hydro One agrees to print sufficient copies for distribution to all elected Society representatives and to those employees without access to computer technology. The cost of printing the copies that are required (to be determined by joint agreement) will be shared on the following basis: 75% (Hydro One); 25% (Society).

USE OF HYDRO ONE COMPUTER FACILITIES

94.1

The Society may make use of any of the services provided by information technology organizations to Hydro One line units.

94.2

The Society will be treated identically to Hydro One line with respect to service standards, procedures and support.

94.3

The price charged for the service will be the published rates of the Computer Centre plus the charge for administration, referred to as General Overhead which may change.

94.4

Information regarding these services, e.g., technical support, manuals, billing structure, training, etc, may be obtained from information technology organizations.

94.5

The Society will seek approval from the appropriate authorities prior to accessing or attempting to access any line units application programs or data. Any infringement of this condition by a Society member will be grounds for cancellation of this Article.

94.6

The services provided under this Article are to be used only for the purposes of assisting in the conduct of normal Society business and for provisions of service to its members.

94.7

Society data and programs may be protected from access by others by taking advantage of existing password mechanisms. It is the Society's responsibility to make arrangements to utilize such mechanisms

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NOTE TO PART XV - APPENDICES

Hydro One and the Society have not amended all the Appendices in Part XV to reflect the separate collective agreement status of Hydro One. In particular, the Appendices dealing with the Voluntary Recognition Agreement and subsequent amendments are historic documents and, therefore, references to "Ontario Hydro" have been maintained. It is agreed, however, that the commitments, terms and conditions in these Appendices shall apply to Hydro One in the same manner as they were applied to Ontario Hydro, to the extent that they are applicable to Hydro One.