Useless Union Representation..

M

mittam

Well-Known Member
xracer said:
Just wondering what everyone here thinks about the representation they are getting from thier local. In our center there are very few people that get any satisfaction, due to in my opinion, a business agent that is lazy and very possibly on the take from the company. Our stewards state that the BA spends more time arguing with them than he does with management and he almost always seems to take the side of management. File a greivance and your chances of getting paid are not very likely as it is very likely to be traded off for some kind of deal that is made with the company. Just this week we had a discrepency with the number of driver that should be allowed to bid vacation per week during the summer, we have a center that generally dispatches 28 runs and in all the years that I have been there we have always had 6 drivers per week on vaca during June, July and Aug. this year the center manager decides that we can only have 5 on vaca per week and our steward diputed this but the BA as usually did not back up our steward and sided with management and we lost 13 weeks of vacation. I am looking for any suggestions as what to do to help our situation. Either how to out this guy or maybe switch to another local, there is a good one 150 miles from us and ours is 100 miles from our center anyway..
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Time to look more seriously at the APWA contribute joinwhatever let them know your interest,replace the teamsters, get business agents that will be required amount of time in each facility they represent...VOTE APWA
 
C

cpio

Active Member
This sounds about right. My shop stewards always tell me that I should file a grievance anytime I see a supervisor working, yet when I come talk to them they won't do it. I usually have to wait until I see a business agent if I want to file, and there is a set number of working days that a representative can file grievances back to.

My local supplement says that any abuses of the supervisors working clause are supposed to be referred to a National Labor Committee, yet they never are. The only thing that seems to happen over this is the business agents show up and start screaming at the division manager, while he smiles and nods. So I have little recourse when I look at my stub and know damn well I should've had overtime on that last check.
 
StevenB

StevenB

Member
speeddemon said:
we have no representation. Its a joke. I havent seen the BA in 5 months.
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Speeddeemon do you have a steward? or a contract book? been to a meeting?

What I'm trying to get at is... WE are the union!

If your BA isn't spending time at your center I would bet it is becouse he/she either doesn't believe there are violations, they are not being filed, or you do have a bad BA.

Start here: If you see a contract violation report it to your steward. Your steward should file a grievance and you should have a local panel to try to resolve it. If unresolved your steward and BA should have the issue placed on the next panel agenda for your local.

If your steward did not file the grievance or push for a local panel then you either need to help him/her (here is a good starting point) or vote him out. Maybe you should run.

If your BA is not responsive then contact your local. (You may find it here. ) or go to a meeting. I assure you they will listen to your concerns.

I am a steward and I find that most issues are truly resolved in local panel. They know when they violate the contract and they don't want it to be documented.

Additionally our BA has to travel aprox 200 miles to get to our center and he has never let me down. I call, he comes, that simple!

I have his cell and home numbers. If I don't catch him he always returns my call promptly. Because of our distance I have also set up an occassional "local meeting" at a local restaraunt, not only does my BA show up to answer questions he also picks up the tab for breakfast.

IMHO anyone that is criticizing the Teamsters now is either management, afraid to stand up for themselves, or are buying in to managements "you look the other way and I will too" B.S.

The Teamsters are stronger than ever now.

Steve
 
C

cpio

Active Member
StevenB said:
IMHO anyone that is criticizing the Teamsters now is either management, afraid to stand up for themselves, or are buying in to managements "you look the other way and I will too" B.S.
Click to expand...

I wish handling these grievances was so easy. According to my shop steward, management at my center categorically denies any reported incidents of supervisors working, among everything else they violate.
 
M

mittam

Well-Known Member
StevenB said:
Speeddeemon do you have a steward? or a contract book? been to a meeting?

What I'm trying to get at is... WE are the union!

If your BA isn't spending time at your center I would bet it is becouse he/she either doesn't believe there are violations, they are not being filed, or you do have a bad BA.

Start here: If you see a contract violation report it to your steward. Your steward should file a grievance and you should have a local panel to try to resolve it. If unresolved your steward and BA should have the issue placed on the next panel agenda for your local.

If your steward did not file the grievance or push for a local panel then you either need to help him/her (here is a good starting point) or vote him out. Maybe you should run.

If your BA is not responsive then contact your local. (You may find it here. ) or go to a meeting. I assure you they will listen to your concerns.

I am a steward and I find that most issues are truly resolved in local panel. They know when they violate the contract and they don't want it to be documented.

Additionally our BA has to travel aprox 200 miles to get to our center and he has never let me down. I call, he comes, that simple!

I have his cell and home numbers. If I don't catch him he always returns my call promptly. Because of our distance I have also set up an occassional "local meeting" at a local restaraunt, not only does my BA show up to answer questions he also picks up the tab for breakfast.

IMHO anyone that is criticizing the Teamsters now is either management, afraid to stand up for themselves, or are buying in to managements "you look the other way and I will too" B.S.

The Teamsters are stronger than ever now.

Steve[/QUOteamsters stronger than ever? They are rolling down hill so fast it can't be timed. They will be broke in a matter of a few years because of their own greed
Click to expand...
 
IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U

IVE GOTTA PACKAGE 4U

*
BigUnionGuy said:
It's time to get involved.


Monday morning QuarterBacks.... are a "dime a dozen".



-Bug-
Click to expand...
I am involved. Too many of the old timers are gone or are leaving soon
Trying to get the new guys involved is a hard challenge. They are only interested when they get into trouble. Some of us really try,don't judge me too quickly without knowing me.
 

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