Hello Brothers and Sisters
There seems to be a lot of questions regarding changes of schedule. These are to be for your convenience, but there are some exceptions. There have been some PSE’s Converted to Regular who don’t want to work their Tour -1 schedule. The union gave them 2 months change of schedule, but the union can’t sign them anymore due to the change with all the bids going on here in the Plant.
Very senior people are losing their jobs on days and are going to have to go back to T-3 or T-1. Therefore, the union can’t sign those change of schedules. I am sorry for that. Management is allowed to change our bids per Article 37 and 12 if there is excessing. The senior employees know this because it has happened to them in the past and is going to happen again in the future. It sucks, but it is the truth.
As far as the bids being changed, I am sorry for all of the mistakes that management has been making, but they refuse to meet with the Union before they put them out. Management has changed their minds 7-10 times since this process started. It is hard for us to put stuff out due to all their changes.
I have been very busy with the grievance procedure. Since the beginning of this year, I have sent up 34 step- 3 appeals and there are more to come. In a normal year I send up about 10. Most of the step-3s are all the reversion grievances. The first arb date picked for the reversion cases is 10-6-17. The union has not lost a reversion case since 2011, I am hopeful this will continue. The union has been very busy for you. This year we are at 290 step-2s so far this year compared to a total of 280 for the year last year.
PSE conversion has slowed to a halt due to management reverting every bid so that they don’t convert PSE to regular. If you see the Plant manager ask him why, so you see what answer he will give you.
I can’t say it enough, if a postal inspector or OIG agent wants to talk to you ask for a steward, they are not on your side. If they show up at your house, tell them you want a steward.
I hope everyone had a good summer. Hope to see more of you at the GMM meetings going forward.
Bruce Gutzke,
Clerk Craft Director