The president of the Yukon Employees Union (YEU) is concerned about the number of grievances between Whitehorse General Hospital and the YEU that end up in costly adjudication.

When a union member has a grievance, there are three levels it can be solved at, explained Laurie Butterworth, president of the YEU.

The employee can first try to resolve the issue with a supervisor. If that fails, the employee may settle the dispute with the CEO of the hospital.

As a final, more expensive option, the dispute can go to adjudication in Ottawa.

'(The hospital executives) like to go to adjudication before settling they'll go to adjudication at the drop of a hat,' Butterworth said in an interview.

In a June 29 letter to Marny Ryder, chair of the Yukon Hospital Corp., � Butterworth wrote, 'the percentage of grievances that are referred to adjudication from Whitehorse General Hospital is higher than any other work place we represent.'

Elvira Knnack, the hospital's acting CEO, did not want to comment but did provide a brief statement through the hospital's media liaison: 'The issue is between the hospital and union members.'

Butterworth said the hospital's inability to solve grievances before adjudication is an extra unneeded cost.

Asked why he thought the hospital is so quick to send grievances to adjudication, he joked that the hospital liked to give its lawyers money.

'Grievances aren't a bad thing; there's something wrong and we need to talk about it it's a discussion point instead of a my way or the highway' deal.'

Butterworth believes the hospital sees grievances as conflicts and would rather pay for adjudication than lose.

'I think that's what the problem is; (hospital executives are) still stuck in old-style head-butting, making it hard at every step.'

Most grievances revolve around the collective agreement, with the biggest issue being call-backs, when staff are called back to work after they have gone home.

The first of those grievances are just finishing adjudication now, said Butterworth.

'If they start turning out in our favour, we're going to say, Why are we doing this?' '

Butterworth hopes that settlements in the union's favour will encourage the hospital to try to settle grievances before adjudication.