The grievors contested the employer’s denial of their requests for leave with pay when they claimed that they were prevented from reporting to work due to severe winter weather conditions – Mr. Coppin attempted to move his pickup truck but got stuck and spent two hours shovelling to allow him to park his truck in a driveway – his street was only plowed mid-afternoon that day, and public transportation was not a viable option as the bus stop was too far to walk to and the bus ride too long – Ms. Gill-Conlon attempted to reach work but turned back after finding the roads too risky – she is not aware of any public transportation to her work location – the employer felt that the grievors did not make a reasonable effort to get to work – all other employees at the grievors’ work location either made it to work or requested annual leave – the adjudicator held that the grievors should not have their rights restricted by other employees’ interpretations of the collective agreement – the employer’s decision must be based on the merits of each request – both grievors made reasonable efforts to get to work.

Grievances allowed.