WINTER SHIFT BID – UPDATE

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Please be advised that the June 2013 schedule that was grieved and referred to Arbitrator Foley is rescheduled to be heard on December 5 & 6, 2013.

A grievance has been filed with respect to the Company’s imposed winter schedule and we were advised that we will receive the Company’s response on Tuesday, November 12, 2013.

On Tuesday, November 5, 2013 in the afternoon, we received the Company’s imposed schedule. We immediately reviewed the schedule and made several attempts to meet with the Company to propose modifications to the imposed Company schedule. Despite our efforts, including making ourselves available over the weekend, the Company was unwilling to meet for the purpose of modifying the imposed schedule. The Union wrote to Company on Thursday, November 7, 2013, highlighting examples of how and where the imposed schedule could be modified, to ensure compliance with Article 17 and to make the shift schedules work to the benefit of both parties. The Company did not respond.

Your Union decided to administer the bid of the imposed schedule because it is our right to do so under the terms of the Collective Agreement and we are not prepared to forego any right we have bargained, despite the Company’s violations of the Collective Agreement.

To approach the Union for a reconsideration and deferral of the scheduled arbitration of the June schedule grievance on the pretence of attempting resolution, only to subsequently impose a revised winter schedule without consultation or discussion, without providing operational requirements and without agreement on the variants or on how the bid is to be conducted, which repeats the same/similar violations of the collective agreement which occurred in the June schedule, can only be described as bad faith on the Company’s part. Especially given that a meeting took place on October 10, 2013, where the Union identified the issues in dispute with respect to Article 17 and the June schedule and proposed a potential remedy, to which the Company has not responded.

Your Union understands how disruptive frequent shift bids are to your work life balance, your family, your finances and other personal commitments.

It has come to my attention that there is speculation and rumours circulating in the workplace concerning the Union’s role in this imposed schedule. I can assure you that there is absolutely no factual basis for anyone to suggest that the Union or any elected representative of the Union has been complicit in the Company’s actions. The timing of the Company’s actions are suspect, given the disruption it has caused for our Members, the disruption to our first vacation bid and the potential for interference the upcoming Local Lodge nomination/elections process. Perhaps that was the goal.

The IAM & AW has filed a grievance in response to the Company’s actions to pursue resolution through grievance arbitration and is working with Counsel to explore any other means available to the IAM & AW to resolve this matter.

We will advise the Membership of any developments in the above proceedings as soon as the information becomes available.

In Solidarity,

 

Tania Canniff, General Chairperson

Transportation District 140, IAM & AW

https://iamaw16.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/WINTER-SHIFT-BID-VANCOUVER-NOVEMBER-11-2013.pdf