B.C. Appeal Court dismisses female police officers' sexual harassment case
The B.C. Appeal Court ruled that female police officers must use union grievance processes instead of a class-action lawsuit to address their sexual harassment claims.Summary
The B.C. Appeal Court has dismissed an appeal by six female police officers seeking to launch a class-action lawsuit against municipal police forces for sexual harassment and discrimination. The court upheld a lower court ruling that the dispute must be resolved through the union's grievance process rather than the courts. The officers, including Lauren Phillips, Anja Bergler, Helen Irvine, Cary Ryan, Ann-Sue Piper, and one protected individual, argued that the issue was a systemic claim about institutional negligence and structural discrimination rather than a mere labour dispute. However, Chief Justice Leonard Marchand wrote that the lower court judge correctly determined that the complaints fell within the exclusive jurisdiction of the grievance process under union contracts. The Appeal Court judges agreed with this analysis and dismissed the appeal.
(Source：Vancouver Sun)