By Michael Z. Green, Texas A&M University What factors must a court consider when the National Labor Relations Board requests an order requiring an employer to rehire terminated workers before the completion of unfair labor practice proceedings? That’s the central question that the Supreme Court considered on April 23, 2024, during oral arguments in the Starbucks Corp. v. McKinney case. The global coffee shop chain is challenging the NLRB, the federal agency responsible for enforcing U.S. workers’ rights to organize, saying that the agency used the more labor-friendly of two available stan ..read more

By Temitope Lawal, Bond University The rules of legal practice are highly localised. Every country sets rules that determine how lawyers qualify professionally and what they are allowed to do. When a lawyer who is licensed to practise in one country provides legal services in another country, it is known as cross-border or transnational legal practice. Many countries have regulations that restrict the services that foreign lawyers may provide. The restrictions vary from country to country. For example, in Nigeria, foreign lawyers aren’t allowed to practise any form of law – Nigerian law, their ..read more

By Jennifer Saul, University of Waterloo A bridge in Baltimore collapsing, a door falling off an airplane and antisemitism — what do they have in common? In recent months, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) has been blamed for all three. This may seem a little baffling. In fact, when I tell this to friends who don’t keep up with these issues, they’re stunned. How, they want to know, is DEI being blamed for these issues? And why would anyone do so? They’re right to be skeptical: these explanations really are quite terrible. But there are reasons why the term DEI is leaping to the forefront o ..read more

The Manitoba government has announced a new initiative to enhance trauma-informed support services for first responders, acknowledging the mental health challenges faced by this workforce. Premier Wab Kinew emphasized the commitment to providing additional support to those who routinely encounter traumatic situations, including firefighters, paramedics, and police officers. “To support those who support us, it’s crucial that we back our first responders with the mental health resources they desperately need,” Kinew stated. As part of this initiative, three dedicated counsellors will be assigne ..read more

The federal government has launched an Industrial Inquiry Commission to investigate persistent labour issues at the West Coast ports, which have experienced significant disruptions affecting the national supply chain. The initiative, announced by Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan Jr., seeks to address the economic impacts of disputes including strikes and lockouts, highlighting the need for durable solutions that bolster both stability and the collective bargaining process. Minister O’Regan emphasized that the health of Canada’s ports is crucial not only for the local businesses and workers who r ..read more

The British Columbia government has confirmed that minimum wage rates across the province will increase in 2024 to match the rate of inflation, according to an order in council. This adjustment comes as part of a broader legislative initiative to index minimum wages to inflation, ensuring steady growth in wages in line with economic conditions. Effective June 1, 2024, the general minimum wage in B.C. will rise from the current rate of $16.75 to $17.40 per hour, marking a 3.9% increase. This rate hike mirrors the average inflation rate recorded in B.C. during 2023. Similarly, alternate minimum ..read more

Employers face many challenges and responsibilities in running a successful business, not the least of which is the optimum management of their human resources. In this article, we identify the top 10 errors we have seen employers make and how the costly consequences can be avoided. While this article focuses on workplaces in Ontario, this advice generally applies to other common law jurisdictions in Canada. Error 1: Not having written employment contracts There’s no legal requirement for written employment contracts. However, having them can prevent legal conflicts, safeguard employers’ inter ..read more

I’ve written a lot of stories over the years about legal missteps by employers and the damages that can cause to workers, reputation, and the bottom line. But every once in a while, I’ll stumble upon a case where the employer got it right — and not only isn’t punished, but is lauded for their approach. Such was the case in a recent ruling by the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal involving Parq Vancouver, a casino and resort, which was facing a serious complaint from one of its workers. The case was initiated by R.S., a cage shift manager at Parq Vancouver, who suffered mockery and teasing ..read more

Parq Vancouver took a harassment complaint seriously, conducted an investigation and made reasonable steps to remedy the situation, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal has ruled. As a result, the worker’s complaint was dismissed. The complaint was filed by R.S., a cage shift manager at the casino and resort, who was mocked and teased by a colleague for having a disability-related speech impediment. R.S., a long-standing employee who has worked at Parq and its predecessor for over a decade, said the harassment began after she reported the colleague’s behavior to management in July 2019 ..read more

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has rejected a motion to dismiss a sexual harassment complaint lodged against a well-known television news anchor by his makeup artist. The artist, D.K., alleges that the anchor, C.G., harassed her while they were both employed at Global BC, a television station operated by Shaw Media, now owned by Corus Entertainment. In a detailed ruling, the Tribunal decided against the dismissal of the complaints for being untimely and due to procedural delays. The Tribunal clarified that it does not have the authority to override the Canadian Human Rights Commission’s de ..read more