I wrote earlier that staff at an elite
Catholic school - Little Flower Academy - had voted on whether
or not to join the B.C. Government Employees' Union. This
is a big deal because very few independent schools are unionized.
(Why Little Flower Academy? I've heard some scuttlebutt
but I'd love to hear more from those close to the action.)
The vote was sealed while the B.C. Labour Relations Board
decided whether one employee - Sister Francesca - should
be part of the bargaining unit. The school said yes, the
union said no. (Obviously both figured she would vote against
certification and a single vote in such a small unit could
make the difference.)
The board's vice-chair, Ken Saunders, has just issued his
ruling and he favoured the school. Even though Sister Francesca
is a member of the order of Catholic nuns that owns the
school, she is not a member of the board of directors and
she does not have any managerial responsibilities. She is
paid a salary like any other employee -- although she has
taken a vow of perpetual poverty and gives her pay away
- and shares a "community of interest" with others
in the bargaining group, Saunders ruled. Read the full decision
here, dated Sept. 26th.
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