 |
|
|
|
|
|
I'm a employee and work in a union shop. My problem is unfair scheduling. I have
asked for transfers to other departments, but they say I have too much seniority
and can't get in unless the higher person leaves. But the union has helped other
employees with less seniority to transfer to departments where they get more
hours. I was told if I filed a grievance I would be fired. A lot of new hires
are getting more hours. I have had many meetings but I get nothing. Do you have
any answers for me?
Signed,
Non-Transferable
Dear Non-Transferable:
Your note says you have had many meetings about being transferred to a department where you can be assigned more hours. Is that right? You tell us that you've been told that can not happen because 1) you have too much seniority and 2) it can not happen until someone leaves who has higher seniority than you. Yet you say new hires are being placed in jobs where they can get more hours. You obviously think this is unfair.
You don't say with whom you have had many meetings and who told you that if you put in a grievance you would be fired. Most of the time management bends over backward to follow the priority of seniority. Extra assignments are carefully offered to those who are in line seniority-wise. Also, no one is fired for submitting a grievance to the best of my knowledge. So my advice is to submit your grievance.
Your union, if it is any good, will help you right this situation or it will help you see that there are good reasons why you have been told "No" in your meetings or by getting no answer from your meetings. Or it may be that there are some situations in which perfect fairness can't be obtained and there are other battles that are more important to your union. And there may be some reasons in your work situation in which seniority is not the deciding criteria for who gets what.
Each of us must seek answers and to understand the whys of management's actions. We should not expect management to manage exactly the way each employee would manage. That's why unions are formed to represent and speak up for individual workers. Unconditional acceptance of a worker's complaints, however, can not be expected.
WEGO knows the world in general and the work-world in particular is not managed by seniority alone. Do feel free to send us a report on how you work out your grievance.
Bill Gorden