Description
André Sasseville has practiced employment and labor law since the start of his career. Over the years he has worked in this field, he has acted as a strategic advisor and an employer spokesperson for collective agreement negotiations and labor disputes in all industrial sectors. He is a recognized expert in crisis management.

He regularly represents his clients at specialized labor tribunals and in regular law courts, including for class action cases.

André Sasseville routinely advises businesses on the interpretation of collective agreements as well as on how to implement changes in human resources organization, including collective layoffs and technological changes. He boasts a wealth of experience representing employers before provincial and federal labor relations boards, for unionization and union raiding matters, among others.

As part of a network of Canadian and North American law practitioners, he is often called on to advise foreign businesses on acquisitions and sales. In this regard, he has earned an outstanding reputation for his management of issues tied to employee transfer and the development of prevention strategies.

Businesses regularly consult André Sasseville for the negotiation and drafting of employee contracts for their executives and managers, including for the development of all types of incentive programs, bonus plans, stock option programs, and supplementary pension plans.

André Sasseville regularly practices before civil courts, for first instances as well as for appeals, and therefore knows not only the procedures involved but also the actual practices and mechanisms. He has taken on many hundreds of cases concerning employment practices, retirement programs, and financial and administrative responsibilities.

As a certified mediator, André Sasseville has developed and implemented effective conflict prevention and resolution methods, particularly with respect to interpersonal conflict and psychological harassment in the workplace. He is a member of a select group of family mediators using “partnering” to resolve conflicts affecting working groups.  With many years of experience as a lecturer and educator, he offers clients made-to-measure business training programs on subjects specific to human resources management, conflict prevention, and labor relations.

In his practice, André Sasseville advises and represents his clients from a strategic perspective oriented toward resolving cases efficiently and advantageously. His extensive experience enables him to act quickly in urgent situations and in cases of critical importance to the company.

Associations & Achievements
Since 2003 - Member of the Mediation and Arbitration Institute

Since 1999 - Certified Trainer, Société québécoise de la main-d'oeuvre

1993-2003 - Administrator for Caisse populaire Desjardins Domaine Saint-Sulpice as secretary from 1997 to 2001 and president from 2001 to 2003

Since 1984 - Member of the Quebec Professional Corporation of Certified Industrial and Human Resources Consultant (Quebec) of which he assumes the position of trustee since 2007.

1981-2001 - Lecturer in University of Montreal, successively on Labour Law and Employment Law

Presentations & Conferences
2011 - "Aiguisez vos habiletés de négociation pour favoriser une gestion humaine rentable et efficace de vos dossiers en assurance invalidité", Canadian Institut in collaboration with Me Martine Bergeron.

2009 -  "New means of communication: useful business tools or and evil to be shunned?", annual convenction of the Quebec Order of Certified Human Resources Professionals, in collaboration with Martin Pelletier, CIRC, articling student

2006-2007 -  "Updating of jurisprudence on psychological harassment", for Ordre professionnel des CRHA et CRIA du Québec’s annual symposium on psychological harrassment.

2005 - "When an accident triggers criminal liability on the part of the company and its management" for the Regroupement des Universités québécoises (association of Quebec universities) and Aon Parizeau Inc.

2005 - "Psychological harassment: definition and application” for the members and staff of the Commission des relations du travail du Québec (Quebec labour relations board)

2005 - "Reasoned negotiation: preferred approaches and role of the employer's team members" for the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines et en relations industrielles agréés du Québec (Quebec order of professional human resources and industrial relations counsellors)

Since 2004 - Lecturer in the continuing education program of the Quebec order of professional human resources and industrial relations counsellors, on the following topics: "How to terminate the employment relationship", "Discipline management: loyalty, competence, presenteeism", "Improve your labour relations through reasoned negotiating"

2004 - "A policy for preventing harassment in the workplace" for the Canadian Space Agency

2004 - “How to terminate the employment relationship" for the Montréal Automobile Dealers Corporation

2004 - “Day-to-day discipline management: a proactive and winning approach" for the Quebec order of professional human resources and industrial relations counsellors

2004 - “Pay equity – urgent action required" for Université du Québec

2004 - “Collective dismissal" for Insight

2004 - “Symposium on psychological harassment in the workplace: rights, obligations and remedies" for the Quebec order of professional human resources and industrial relations counsellors

Publications
2008 - Along with Yann Bernard and Bernard Cliche, André Sasseville oversaw the updating of the 6th edition of Droit du travail du Québec, Montréal, Éditions Yvon Blais, 972 p

Representative mandates
Université du Québec à Montréal
In 2007, he served as external legal consultant at Université du Québec à Montréal for issues pertaining to the resignation of its rector.

Hapag-Lloyd’s Acquisition of CP Ships
In 2007, he served as legal consultant for Hapag-Lloyd Canada’s acquisition of CP Ships and the integration of its human resources.

Transport Canada
In 2007, André Sasseville was awarded a mandate from Transport Canada to resolve a disagreement among a group of approximately fifteen employees.

Ville de Montréal
In 2007, André Sasseville was selected as counsel for a Ville de Montréal borough in the mediation/arbitration of the first agreement on local conditions for the items set out in Section 49 of the city charter.

Canadian Space Agency
In 2004, André Sasseville was hired by the Canadian Space Agency for emergency measures to resolve a disagreement among the Canadarm team.

Société de Transport de la Communauté Urbaine de Québec
In 2003, he was hired by S.T.C.U.Q. (now the R.T.C.) regarding a management grievance seeking to recover $1.9 million for damages caused to the employer by an illegal union strike.

In 2001, André Sasseville’s services were required in order to advise Société de transport de la Communauté urbaine de Québec (now the R.T.C.) in a remediation process to improve labor relations. As part of this mandate, he also acted as spokesperson for the Corporation in the renewal of the collective agreement, and then as counsel in an interest arbitration prescribed by special act.

Department of National Defence
Throughout 2001, his services were retained by Mr. Denis Hardy of the Department of National Defence’s 202 Workshop Depot unit for the negotiation and implementation of a unique human resources reorganization plan with a view to meeting new Government of Canada standards requiring this unit to meet the same performance criteria as the private sector.

Parapublic sector
In 2000, André Sasseville acted as presenter and trainer in the first “win-win negotiation” for one of the province’s major parapublic corporations.

Bell Canada
In the late 1990s, he served as acquisitions advisor for Bell Canada’s collective agreement negotiations with its telephone operators, with the objective of permanently outsourcing the service.

Involvement with the Canada Industrial Relations Board
From 1996 to 1999, he participated in a series of cases before the Canada Industrial Relations Board regarding the change of an employer’s representative in regional collective agreement negotiations for the stevedoring industry of the Québec City and Bécancour ports.

Aéroports de Montréal Corporation
Throughout 1994, as legal counsel for Aéroports de Montréal, he carried out a mandate to consolidate the federal Public Service’s twenty-two (22) bargaining units in order to form the four (4) current bargaining units. His services were then requested by Aéroports de Montréal Corporation to establish the objectives and the negotiation strategy for the first collective agreements for these four (4) bargaining units. During the events leading up to the signing of these collective agreements, André Sasseville was assigned as the employer spokesperson for strategic negotiations with union organizations.