On November 3, 2004, Ontario’s Liberal government introduced Bill 144, a bill to amend the province’s Labour Relations Act. If passed into law, Bill 144 amendments will authorize the Ontario Labour Relations Board to:
- order remedial certification where no other remedy would be sufficient to counter the effects of an employer’s unfair labour practice during a certification campaign;
- dismiss an application for certification if no other remedy would sufficiently counter a union’s unfair labour practice during a certification campaign;
- order the reinstatement of employees and issue orders regarding altered terms and conditions of employment pending final disposition of labour practice complaints; and
- certify unions in the construction industry without a vote if more than 55% of employees in the bargaining unit have signed membership cards on the application date.
Bill 144 also repeals the statutory obligation for trade unions to disclose salaries and benefits of union officials earning over $100,000 per year and the current requirement that employers post information for employees on the procedures for union decertification.