Here is the sitiuation. I am a part-time shifter at a hub. With that said, we have a shifter who takes 6 straight weeks off every year for vacation. He is on it now. The company brought a guy out from the inside to cover for this guys vacation. They say they can do this because the inside guy is a qualafied shifter and he works the same shift as the vacationing shifter. I filed a grievance, here is why. We have 3 inside operations. Pre-load, twi-light, and mid-night. These 3 shifts have a seniority list for each shift, regardless of classafication. The shifting department and the carwash have a seniority list as well, but each only has 1 seniority list.
Here is my arguement. Since the shifters are on 1 seniority list, we bid on start times, not shifts like the pre-load, twi-light, and mid-night. Since the vacationing shifter is out, I believe I should be able to cover his start time. The company is comparing it to a job like small sort. They say that if a small sorter is out on vacation, they can slide another qualified employee into the slot. I disagree. I believe the small sorters would be able to slide to this start-time in seniority order before a so called cover sorter could move in.
Bottom line is my start-time is 3 hours later than the vacationing shifter. Should I not be able to slide into that start-time being the senior man left in the shifting department? I say that since we are 1 seniority list, and pick vacations per this one list, regardless of start-time, then it is a start-time issue, not a classsfication issue at heart. I have company seniority on the so called cover shifter. Remember, shifters work before, durting, and after the inside shifts. We are not working these shifts, we are working staggard start-times. Heck we have 2 shifters that work at 10:00 am. Two at 5:30 pm, one starts at 8;00 pm, I start at 9:30 pm, another at 11:00 pm. we are all on one seniority list.
Here is my arguement. Since the shifters are on 1 seniority list, we bid on start times, not shifts like the pre-load, twi-light, and mid-night. Since the vacationing shifter is out, I believe I should be able to cover his start time. The company is comparing it to a job like small sort. They say that if a small sorter is out on vacation, they can slide another qualified employee into the slot. I disagree. I believe the small sorters would be able to slide to this start-time in seniority order before a so called cover sorter could move in.
Bottom line is my start-time is 3 hours later than the vacationing shifter. Should I not be able to slide into that start-time being the senior man left in the shifting department? I say that since we are 1 seniority list, and pick vacations per this one list, regardless of start-time, then it is a start-time issue, not a classsfication issue at heart. I have company seniority on the so called cover shifter. Remember, shifters work before, durting, and after the inside shifts. We are not working these shifts, we are working staggard start-times. Heck we have 2 shifters that work at 10:00 am. Two at 5:30 pm, one starts at 8;00 pm, I start at 9:30 pm, another at 11:00 pm. we are all on one seniority list.
