UnconTROLLed
perfection
Because it's futile.
Local 243
- Thread starter Brownpants80
- Start date
Superteeth2478
Well-Known Member
It's one thing if it's frowned upon in your local because it addresses the issues, especially safety issues, quickly. It's another thing entirely to frown upon bypassing the grievance procedure because members know that the safety issue will not be resolved in a timely manner. To the leadership of such locals, I say that if they actually dealt with the issues in a timely manner the membership wouldn't feel the need to bypass the grievance procedure, so tough, it reflects poorly on your leadership. Get your act together.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
OSHA has never asked if any other remedy was sought.
They do their investigation and then react to the findings.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
How many safety issues have been resolved without reducing issues to writing?
Many.
In spite of the local.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
The voice of experience.
A very sad commentary of what is truth for many.
Whatever the excuse, a steward that doesn't follow contractual procedures, isn't properly representing their members.
As usual, you have no conception of the number of successful grievance resolutions that occur every day. Especially in your own local.
My local encourages stewards to participate on safety committees to keep company sucks at bay. Concerns that don't get addressed properly, get grieved. We have had many successful outcomes, including settlements now part of the NMA.
BTW, when our stewards are participating on safety mtgs/functions, laid off employees are working.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
We have an iron clad, time tested reason for not leaving the fate of worker's safety in the local's hands.
You can't relate to it because you are honest.
An osha agent told a member who filed osha charges that the ba tried to take over the investigation and push them aside.
The filing member filed charges because they witnessed two employees get walked out of the building for legally documenting osha violations. The members lost 2 days pay and were returned to work without back pay.
This is one of the reasons the people here bypass the grievance procedure for major safety issues.
You cant lean on a broken cane without getting splinters jammed into your hand when it breaks.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
I agree.
But...
Having been on the safety committee and observing the whole deal for years it is easy to observe the company uses a set plan to control the itinerary from the beginning to the end of the meeting this setting up a mind set that it is their meeting.
In a 30 minute meeting the company should have their 15 minute plan and the bargaining unit should control the other 15 minutes with their itinerary...on paper.
As it is, the company still has control and the documentation is theirs, many times leaving the workers valid complaints off the record.
@Bubblehead , this ever happen to your complaint? It became invisible after your initial meeting?
BigUnionGuy
Got the T-Shirt
A Steward or an employee, is much better off following the grievance procedure
and building a case that way.... before going off "half cocked" and just bypassing
the contractual opportunity's to rectify a situation. It will always work better
by trying to change the company's behavior (see what I did there ?) and
demonstrate a rational persons attempt to address a situation.
I dislike when people say things like "I don't want to put a target on my back"
as an excuse not to stand up for themselves. But, play Jonny cowboy....
and most will shoot themselves in the foot.
I think that's taken out of context of what I was saying.
My question was in response to @Superteeth2478 statement of encouraging
people to forgo the grievance procedure and go straight to OSHA.
-Bug-
Yolo
Well-Known Member
I've reported 
to OSHA plenty of times. Some of the rentals we had during peak had ball mounts attached. So the ball mount was backed up to the dock and there was just a 4 inch gap between the dock and the truck. And the preloader was expected to step over it the entire shift. Take pictures. Send to OSHA. Repeat.
to OSHA plenty of times. Some of the rentals we had during peak had ball mounts attached. So the ball mount was backed up to the dock and there was just a 4 inch gap between the dock and the truck. And the preloader was expected to step over it the entire shift. Take pictures. Send to OSHA. Repeat.
BigUnionGuy
Got the T-Shirt
That's an easy fix.
The Local Union has a right to petition for removal of the safety committee.
"In the event that a Local Union desires to cease participation in the safety committees, prior approval must be authorized by the Union Co-Chair of the Teamsters United Parcel Service National Negotiating Committee who shall also inform the Employer’s President of Labor Relations of the request."
Bubblehead
My Senior Picture
But wouldn't that make the Company mad and compromise the " quid pro quo" relationship they worked so hard to foster....by not working in the first place???
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
We aren't "half cocked".
We aren't "cowboys".
We are "rational people".
No stewards here are afraid.
We get crap fixed while the local sleeps...with the company.
Think I'm BSing you?
I'm not offended at your remarks. OSHA has assesed fines and fixed our egress issues.
Ive seen there's an outstanding fine for over $20,000 for other issues deemed violations and it was a catalist for another huge fine assessed recently to another facility that couldn't get traction with their (horrendous) egress issues thru the normal exhaustive channels.
OSHA came in to fix our issues and even though grievances were filed they never asked about the labor side of it.
But guess what we've learned? The company does not make significant changes without having to pay for their violations.
The grievance proceedure is the formal way to address the situation but here, it is useless. Will the company agree to pay the grievant for egress violations under Art 18?
Is that a "half cocked" thought?
It's like walking home from school and having the neighbor kid beat up on you every day. You or your parents contact the parent of the punk and nothing changes. So finally, after asking for help the legal way and getting none you get tired of it and the next day when he starts in again you drop your book bag and beat the tar out of the punk until he cant get up. Problem solved.
Get my point?
Nothing personal. Just facts.
And we couldn't care less who doubts it because we have learned to survive and fight on our own in this joke local.
Targets? We are all targets. So what's new and some have been targets by their own "representation ".
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Bubblehead
My Senior Picture
This is a valid point as I've witnessed that exact behavior, however a properly selected and educated union co-chair shuts that down. That's where we differ (through no fault of yours) as our local educates the safety committee members to control the agenda and the meeting.
And there's far too much business to discuss in 30 minutes. Our mtgs last several hours. Love to watch the company squirm as they try to speed things up.
F
Frankie's Friend
Guest
browned out
Well-Known Member
BUG, Am I missing something or did actually not respond to this? I would like to know how you would handle such an egregious violation of union/member trust if it happened in your local.
QUOTE="browned out, post: 3926331, member: 8105"]How is this not verifiable proof? It is on the court record. It is evidence. Why wasn't the union official removed from office months ago for violating the Teamster Constitution? I don't care if that union official is TDU, TU or loyal to Hoffa.
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.n...ginal/1470163490/CP_4_Redacted.pdf?1470163490
The leadership at the top of the Teamsters did not remove this "Rep" who was colluding with UPS Labor Mgmt. in an obvious attempt to get a member discharged. This type of inaction is what is very disturbing. Hoffa/Hall either condone, endorse, turn a blind eye, or direct this type of behavior to protect their loyalists.
This is not a slap on the wrist offense. It is a severe violation of the Teamster Constitution.
Don't view this as a TDU/Teamster United vs. Hoffa issue.
If the officials name on the email was Fred Z.; There would be no viable excuse for not removing him from office. The severity of the violation would be the same no matter the affiliation.
How would you address this violation? or How did you address it?[/QUOTE]
QUOTE="browned out, post: 3926331, member: 8105"]How is this not verifiable proof? It is on the court record. It is evidence. Why wasn't the union official removed from office months ago for violating the Teamster Constitution? I don't care if that union official is TDU, TU or loyal to Hoffa.
https://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.n...ginal/1470163490/CP_4_Redacted.pdf?1470163490
The leadership at the top of the Teamsters did not remove this "Rep" who was colluding with UPS Labor Mgmt. in an obvious attempt to get a member discharged. This type of inaction is what is very disturbing. Hoffa/Hall either condone, endorse, turn a blind eye, or direct this type of behavior to protect their loyalists.
This is not a slap on the wrist offense. It is a severe violation of the Teamster Constitution.
Don't view this as a TDU/Teamster United vs. Hoffa issue.
If the officials name on the email was Fred Z.; There would be no viable excuse for not removing him from office. The severity of the violation would be the same no matter the affiliation.
How would you address this violation? or How did you address it?[/QUOTE]
Sat 10 o’clock start times, with no pcm before, half the building leaves whenever they want because they are first year and don’t realize the company changes the start time to the posted after you punch out, the building boss pays cash when you bring up changing time cards, they short your checks your bonus, just the beginning - somewhere in local 243 where union doesn’t stand up
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