Overview
- Female officers seeking a class action over harassment and discrimination pressed their appeal Monday at the B.C. Court of Appeal after a judge last fall said parts of the case belonged in labour arbitration.
- Their lawyer said the claims target a policing culture that permits abuse and called for one court case rather than many union grievances to address what he described as a system that fails women.
- One plaintiff, former officer Lauren Phillips, said women who file union complaints face backlash, and she joined others in court to support making the case a collective civil action.
- Lawyer Jill Yates, for the City of Surrey and the Surrey Police Board, argued binding law sends these workplace disputes to labour arbitrators and noted other routes such as human rights complaints or workers’ compensation.
- A three-judge panel that includes Chief Justice Leonard Marchand reserved its decision, which could shape whether unionized public servants in B.C. pursue discrimination claims through arbitration or in court as a class.