Manager, Labour Relations

UHN is Canada's #1 hospital and the world's #1 publicly funded hospital. With 10 sites and more than 44,000 TeamUHN members, UHN consists of Toronto General Hospital, Toronto Western Hospital, Princess Margaret Cancer Centre, Toronto Rehabilitation Institute, The Michener Institute of Education and West Park Healthcare Centre. As Canada's top research hospital, the scope of biomedical research and complexity of cases at UHN have made it a national and international source for discovery, education and patient care. UHN has the largest hospital-based research program in Canada, with major research in neurosciences, cardiology, transplantation, oncology, surgical innovation, infectious diseases, genomic medicine and rehabilitation medicine. UHN is a research hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto.

UHN's vision is to build A Healthier World and it's only because of the talented and dedicated people who work here that we are continually bringing that vision closer to reality.

www.uhn.ca

Union: Non-Union
Number of vacancies: 1
Site: Toronto General Hospital
Department: People & Culture
Reports to: Senior Director, Labour Relations
Work Model: Hybrid
Hours: 37.5 per week
Salary: $100,133 to $125,171 annually
Status: Permanent Full-Time
Closing Date: March 19, 2025

Position Summary

Reporting to the Senior Director, Labour Relations, the Manager, Labour Relations acts as a key member of the Labour Relations team who provides expert and strategic guidance and support to all levels of Leadership, members of the People & Culture team and employees on all matters related to employee relations, human rights, grievance management, employment legislation and collective bargaining. The Manager will act as a chief spokesperson during negotiations with the different Unions across UHN and represent the Hospital in mediation and/or arbitration. This position is responsible for implementing and executing proactive strategies to manage the relationship between the Hospital, employees, clients and Union Partners to foster a positive culture and collaborative labour relations.

• Collective Bargaining: Leads, develops and plans for the full cycle collective bargaining process by acting as the chief spokesperson during negotiations for a select portfolio. Oversees and assists in the work that occurs during pre-bargaining, during, and post-bargaining. This includes but is not limited to researching industry relevant trends, benchmarking collective agreements from the hospital and/or healthcare sector, analyze and implement strategies from leadership responses to bargaining surveys to advance the interests of the organization during negotiations when drafting of proposals, reviewing and amending proposals, review costing scenarios to ensure economic/organizational compliance. Frequent discussions and collaboration with subject matter experts from other teams within People & Culture (i.e. Total Rewards, Payroll, Compensation, Health Services, Safety Services, etc.) regarding monetary or non-monetary proposals. Support the post-bargaining implementation process by facilitating training and education sessions to leadership who have employees in the respective bargaining group.
• Grievance Management: oversees and monitors the centralized grievance tracking tool on the Labour Relations SharePoint site. Provides high level support and guidance updating of data/information, and the identification and analysis of trends for grievances to identify underlying issues and potential resolutions. Lead monthly Step 2.5 meetings with respective unions in attempt to resolve outstanding grievances to promote early resolution and prior to being referred to mediation and/or arbitration. Represent the Hospital by leading mediations with the support of a neutral 3rd party for outstanding grievances with expertise and recommend appropriate settlements in order to maintain harmonious management-union relationships. Attend Arbitrations and partner with legal counsel, leadership and members of the People Consultant team by providing relevant prep documentation about the grievances including but not limited to meeting notes from Step 2, HRIS information about payroll or position, seniority, attendance profiles, to provide a fullsome overview of the grievance case which assists legal counsel present the case and facts to the Arbitrator that will influence decisions on key matters.
• Client Support: act as a valuable resource who provides exceptional and proactive advice that is strategic, consistent and timely to members of the People Consultant team, leadership, other stakeholders on labour relation matters such as, restructuring, eliminations, attendance and disability management, progressive discipline, terminations, HR best practices and the application, interpretation and administration of UHN's Collective Agreement (Central and Local). Demonstrates leadership and influence by promoting and advocating for consistency amongst practices, values and priorities of the organization.
• Relationship building with the Union: plays a key role in establishing good communication and fostering a positive labour relations climate and working relationship. Acts as the primary point of contact for union leadership and representatives for escalation of complex employee relation complaints and/or grievances. Maintain regular communication and updates with the union and work in partnership with the union to resolve employee relation issues prior to issuing grievance or moving through the grievance procedure up to arbitration.
• Education & Training: contributes to the design and delivery of formal training program and education sessions to leadership, members of the People & Culture team, and to employees on matters related to labour relations including the following: negotiated contract changes, best practices, interpretation of language within the collective agreement, progressive discipline, attendance & disability management, grievance management, collective bargaining, policy changes, compliance and enforcement of the same.
• Liaise and partners with legal counsel as required.
• Support broader Hospital activities and ad hoc projects that arise.
• Standardize labour relations processes by utilizing continuous improvement and standard work documents.
• Conducts ad-hoc investigations as required.
• Performs other responsibilities as assigned within the job classification.

• University degree or Diploma in Labour Relations, Human Resources or related field
• Minimum of five to seven (5-7) years' related experience working in labour relations or related field
• Eight (8+) years of related experience, preferably in a Hospital Employee and Labour Relations management role in a highly unionized environment
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Detail oriented
• Effective negotiation/collective bargaining skills in a highly unionized environment
• Extensive knowledge of employment related legislation
• Management of grievances at the mediation and/or arbitration level

Why join UHN?

In addition to working alongside some of the most talented and inspiring healthcare professionals in the world, UHN offers a wide range of benefits, programs and perks. It is the comprehensiveness of these offerings that makes it a differentiating factor, allowing you to find value where it matters most to you, now and throughout your career at UHN.

• Competitive offer packages
• Government organization and a member of the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP https://hoopp.com/)
• Close access to Transit and UHN shuttle service
• A flexible work environment
• Opportunities for development and promotions within a large organization
• Additional perks (multiple corporate discounts including: travel, restaurants, parking, phone plans, auto insurance discounts, on-site gyms, etc.)

Current UHN employees must have successfully completed their probationary period, have a good employee record along with satisfactory attendance in accordance with UHN's attendance management program, to be eligible for consideration.

All applications must be submitted before the posting close date.

UHN uses email to communicate with selected candidates. Please ensure you check your email regularly.

Please be advised that a Criminal Record Check may be required of the successful candidate. Should it be determined that any information provided by a candidate be misleading, inaccurate or incorrect, UHN reserves the right to discontinue with the consideration of their application.

UHN is an equal opportunity employer committed to an inclusive recruitment process and workplace. Requests for accommodation can be made at any stage of the recruitment process. Applicants need to make their requirements known.

We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only those selected for further consideration will be contacted.