Published on Oct. 17, 2016

Updated on Sep. 18, 2024

The Oct. 5th edition of Guelph Today, from Guelph, Ontario, includes a news release from the City of Guelph about the start of interest arbitration between the City and the Guelph Professional Firefighters Association (Fire Service Arbitration Hearing Open to the Public).  The press release describes the arbitration process as follows:

“Interest arbitration, in labour relations, is the process by which contract disagreements between management and labour are referred to an arbitrator or arbitration board.

In this case, an impartial arbitration board has been assembled made up of an adjudicator (arbitrator), a non-City management nominee and a non-GPFFA union nominee. The decision of the board will be final and binding on both parties. What many residents may not know is that this arbitration hearing is open to the public.

As part of this process, both the City and the union have prepared and exchanged briefs over the last couple of months, outlining what each side is looking to achieve and the reasons why.”

The release also invites the public to attend the hearing.