The recent decision of United Steelworkers of America, Local 9548 v Tenaris Algoma Tubes Inc, 2014 CanLII 26445 (ON LA) provides an example of how a unionized employee’s off-duty social media behavior can justify dismissal, despite the absence of any reference to social media in the company’s harassment policies.

The grievor was a crane

In a recent arbitration decision involving a utility company, an Ontario arbitrator reiterated the importance of trust in the employment relationship and upheld the dismissal of a seven-and-a-half-year employee with no disciplinary history for covering up a safety violation.

Facts

On October 9, 2012 the grievor, a supervisor, was working with his team to remove