Drivers License Discipline

Important to all City Drivers

You may not be aware but in late 2016, the City of Calgary changed their discipline policy on not renewing your driver's licence. What makes this policy unique is that discipline is tied directly to the circumstances surrounding the error.

• Termination
• Knowingly driving without a valid license and being dishonest about it.
• 4 Week Suspension
• Knowingly driving without a valid license (panic situation) and being honest and forthright about the situation.
• Two Week Suspension
• Unknowingly driving without a valid license and being honest and forthright about the situation.
• Letter of Warning
• Not having a valid drivers license (when it is a requirement of the job), reporting for work, but not driving. 
• Unless there is something on file in the past 24 months.

What is concerning about this is context and application. The duration of discipline is based on a ruling in an arbitration concerning a bus driver. The validation of the month suspension doesn't deal with the separate structures within unions. For instance, a long discipline in Local 37 is 4 days. Progressive discipline still applies, however what this ruling has created is yet another tier to the discipline process. In many ways the reasoning creates sub tiers that are not consistent with progressive discipline.

While the Union is fighting this on the basis that discipline language among the various unions is not uniform. The fact is until we get a resolution on the discipline, these cases will continue to frustrate employees caught up in it.

My advice, make sure your license is up to date, and if you forget don't drive. If you do drive make sure that is isn't knowingly. If it is you just earned a month off without pay. Keep safe out there.